I remember where I was when I first saw it. I was with a group of friends of mine and the movie alone was something we wanted to see. I had always had an interest in movies and it was probably at this time in my life I started to like anything video or film related. So when the credits to Se7en started on the screen above me, I was blown away, absolutely blown away. That movie is arguably the first movie that creatively started using title sequences that way and it left a wonderful impression on me, not to mention it was a great movie. But people always bring up that movie in the context of typography, and was blessed and lucky to have seen them live.
So even when I stared this program, I think the one program I was most excited to learn was Aftereffects. I remember you (Motley) even asking me how I could be in video for as long as I have and not know Aftereffects. And while my answer is still the same, I now see how AE could set me apart. There are dozens and dozens of video professionals in my area, and in any area in general. And all of my friends all say the same thing that produce videos- “I sure would like to learn AE one day.” Well now I can be different and can get creative through Ae effects, and for that I am grateful.
But in regards to these videos, I watched so many that I will answer these questions as a whole and not individually. What do you see? — why do you like what you see (or not)? — what makes the design and animation effective at conveying the spirit of the film or at hinting at its content?
What I like about the ones I watched are the placement of the words. I think the best ones are ones that creatively placed moving words into the background and texture, and not the other way around. There were a few that built the backgrounds around the words, and you can almost tell. I think the focus should be backgrounds and video/film and we should be surprised where the words come from. And as far as what looks good, I think as long as the two elements above are woven together correctly and are aesthetically pleasing, it has done a good job.