On June 8th, 2022, the first episode of Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel began streaming on Disney+, introducing Kamala Khan and her cosmic powers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Perception designed the main on end title sequence for the anticipated new series, led by designer and animator, Vivian Amaro, a Jersey City resident with a strong connection to Ms. Marvel.
Amaro has been a member of the Perception team for one year and has worked on several title sequences for Marvel Studios with Perception, such as Hawkeye and Moon Knight. With her experience designing title sequences and her current residency in Jersey City, Amaro took the lead on the Ms. Marvel title sequence, developing the initial concept and providing crucial creative direction through the final execution.
“When I watched the first episode of Ms. Marvel in our screening, I immediately felt a sense of street vibes and graffiti art,” said Amaro. “I saw the makings of a title sequence in my head and it was so bright and colorful. I went straight to picturing different murals and bold styles, and I envisioned how it would fit with both the show and Kamala’s character. The idea was that the audience would be seeing Jersey City through the imaginative mind of Kamala Khan.”
The title sequence focuses on the many sights and scenes around Jersey City, featuring iconic comic book art of Ms. Marvel as murals on different city surfaces. To match the vibrancy of the series and the character, Amaro elected to use a bright, colorful palette to depict the city and the artwork.
To prepare for this sequence, Amaro walked around her neighborhood to take videos and photographs of areas of interest. She recorded buildings, street signs and intersections that were easily distinguishable as being part of Jersey City. Since New York City has been a focal point location throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Amaro wanted this sequence to be completely recognizable as Jersey City.
After her initial research shoots, Amaro and the team at Perception decided to travel to Jersey City to film the area in a live action shoot for the sequence. The team filmed two days on location, visiting spots that Amaro travels to regularly in her day to day life and areas she passes through on her way to the Perception studio.
“Actually filming Jersey City was so important to us,” stated Amaro. “By filming the many areas around Jersey City, we were trying to show how Jersey City has many layers, just as Kamala does. Living in Jersey City myself, I wanted to stress the importance of the contrast between the city, downtown, and the suburbs, and how there are so many different people and layers of culture.”
Having a character rooted in Jersey City become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a crucial moment for Amaro. Her goal was to represent a piece of New Jersey that is not often seen from those outside of the state and foster feelings of appreciation and fascination in the city.
“A big part of Kamala’s character to me is that she’s a girl living in Jersey City, just like me,” concluded Amaro. “From the beginning, I created such a deep bond with this project and this character because they are both so personal to me. It is the first project I have ever led at Perception, from coming up with the pitch idea to giving my creative input the entire time, and it’s really given me a huge sense of accomplishment and pride in my career.”
As a woman from Jersey City, Amaro is ecstatic that a character like her is a new addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Being the creative lead on this title sequence with Perception has given Amaro the chance to inspire and uplift other women while sharing the culture and vibrancy of her home town, Jersey City. Perception is honored to have Amaro as part of their talented team and to have collaborated with Marvel Studios on Ms. Marvel.
About Perception
Perception is a team of design visionaries brought together to architect the future of technology for cinema, and the world’s most innovative companies. The two founders started the company in 2001 to pioneer a new era of motion graphics, becoming one of the first studios to blaze the trail of high-end visual effects all created on the desktop. In the last 21 years, Perception has evolved to break new ground in cinema and cutting-edge user experience design. The Perception team divides their days teleporting between the parallel dimensions of fantasy and reality. Whether working on the next superhero blockbuster or an intelligent and delightful experience for industries of the future, storytelling is at the very foundation of everything they do.
