037. New Year, Haul, 2020 Index
Reflecting on 2019, the ultimate New Year’s haul unboxing, and a month of bests.
Hi! I’m Maggie, and welcome to Tender Forms Off-Camera: a weekly newsletter about slow beauty and slow living. If you enjoy and would like to support this newsletter, click the button below! No pressure but thank you if you do.
We rang in the New Year on Friday. I’m genuinely unsure where the second half of 2020 went. I remember it being July, then I blinked, and it was Christmas Eve. I blinked again, and it was 2021. This year seemed to move lightning fast like none other before. But I find myself thinking this every year.
I don’t think there’s much to say about 2020 that hasn’t already been said. I asked myself many tough questions, pushed myself past limits, and just tried to be a better human being. Whether I was successful or not is still up in the air, and I presume it will remain that way until the end of my days. Because I’ll always be hoping to be a better, truer version of myself, as a fellow man, and as a living thing in our world.
For a year where I spent a lot of time looking inward, I felt, for once, considerably connected to everything outside of myself. Mostly with nature. It’s strange to say, but I felt like I heard strains from trees, sighs from a flower bush, laughter from a vine. I felt the different pulses of life around me; even inanimate objects seemed to generate electricity.
And I think the main reason I became so aware of life was that it was a year of so much death. Very grim to think about, but this year was filled with trying to answer tough questions. And there’s undoubtedly no more challenging question than why one man’s life over another. One’s time is limited, and I have full intention of at least trying to live my life to its fullest. Thus, I’m delighted to welcome in a new year. After all, what joy would there be in life without the pursuit of happiness?
Towards the end of last year, I’d made quite a few purchases in my annual attempt to set myself up for success in the new year. I’m so excited to share this ultimate unboxing of six different brands and all their items with you. I hope today’s video brings you a bit of joy and relaxation. (*There are one gift and one PR unboxing in there, but it will be noted. All items are listed and linked in the description box as well as timestamps.)
Since 2020 has officially ended, that means it’s time for the Tender Forms 2020 Index. For those who follow me on YouTube, you might remember 2019’s Index, where I did two videos highlighting that year’s most memorable skincare and makeup. I would have loved to continue it in video form, but I’m booked solid with work through the end of March, so I’m sharing a month of bests here on the newsletter! Lucky for me, there are 5 Sundays in January, so you can look forward to 5 newsletters of the best of 2020.
To kick things off, the first category is (closest to home): design, specifically motion design in film and television. My favorites are, of course, title sequences. *You might notice images/stills are missing, and that’s because these are best viewed the way they’re intended, on a big screen.
The most memorable title sequence is undoubtedly Greenhaus GFX’s main title design for Leigh Whannell’s 2020 ‘The Invisible Man’ (available on HBO Max). When I first saw this, my heart raced, I got goosebumps, and had a massive smile across my face. Sometimes, the perfect project allows for the ideal creative concept, and the execution delivers something so monumental. This was one of those times. I’d highly recommend viewing it in the way it’s meant to be, by watching the film. However, if horror-thrillers aren’t your cup of tea, you can watch it on their website.
And sometimes, the end title sequences are more remarkable than their more famous counterpart. Netflix’s 2020 ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is a perfect example of this. The full end title only plays at the end of the last episode, and it’s the proper ending the show deserves. Designed by Saskia Marka, she rides the perfect line of constructivist and modern design. She collaborated with animator Dave Whyte, who provided original processing animations (coded looped gifs) that she then affected with particles, tone, space, and mood. When I watch this title sequence, I sigh with happiness.
A few others have stuck around deep in my brain, which is usually a sign that there’s something worth watching. Another favorite main title sequence was this year’s HBO Max’s ‘Raised By Wolves.’ A beautifully illustrative and tactile sequence for a very contemporary sci-fi series. Whenever we think of sci-fi, it’s easy to think of spaces that look too minimal, cold, and sterile in their white and light grey hues. So it was a welcome surprise to see the main title was dark, messy, sepia in tone, and alive. I particularly enjoyed the grain and hand-drawn qualities from Studio AKA. You can watch it on HBO Max or here on the website.
Another favorite for its imperfect quality is the end titles of HBO’s 2020 ‘We Are Who We Are.’ Another one that fits seamlessly with the show. The series follows a group of teens on a US military base in Italy. Luca Guadagnino’s style to romanticize their life through color and setting is faithful to him. But the end title takes that colorfulness and turns it into doodles, which I can see any of the main characters doing. Each episode’s is different to add to the spontaneity. It’s a joyful end title sequence.
Last but not least is perhaps the quietest of them all, FX’s 2020 ‘A Teacher’ (available on FX or Hulu). Extremely understated in its graphic execution, the brilliance of this main title is the footage it’s paired with. Every episode begins with a vignette into a character, and the main title provides the perfect punctuation. An otherwise unmemorable scene now has more weight, inviting the viewer to look closer or see it from a different perspective, two of this series’ recurring significant themes. The show title is also always left or right-aligned, often switching between both, as each snippet tells one side of the tale. The exception is left for the finale. The show title then takes up the largest real estate, centered against footage of a city skyline.
Thanks so much for reading and watching! I’m looking forward to giving my all for another year of Tender Forms filled with trying new items, the same honest reviews, and curation for slow beauty and slow living.
As always, I hope you have a great start to your week. See you next Sunday!
