WE WERE YOUNG - Fabian Aerts

WE WERE YOUNG | MAIN TITLES

AN IMAGINARY SERIES

WE WERE YOUNG was created entirely during the pandemic lockdown. I had wanted to design a Main Title sequence for a long time, so rather than waiting for the right project to appear, I decided to invent my own. The idea was to create the opening of a fictional series, one that would feel rooted in history while remaining deliberately ambiguous. The title itself contains a hidden clue: WE WERE YOUNG, or W.W.Y., subtly echoing World War II.

AN IMAGINARY SERIES

WE WERE YOUNG was created entirely during the pandemic lockdown. I had wanted to design a Main Title sequence for a long time, so rather than waiting for the right project to appear, I decided to invent my own. The idea was to create the opening of a fictional series, one that would feel rooted in history while remaining deliberately ambiguous. The title itself contains a hidden clue: WE WERE YOUNG, or W.W.Y., subtly echoing World War II.

HISTORY AS AN ALLEGORY

At the heart of the project is an allegorical reference to the Second World War, and more specifically to the persecution, isolation and extermination of Jewish people under the Nazi regime. The pandemic period inevitably shaped the way I approached those themes. Without drawing a literal equivalence between the two events, I became interested in how fear can transform societies, how groups can become identified as a threat, and how systems of control, separation and collective pressure can emerge in moments of crisis. That tension between historical memory and contemporary experience became one of the underlying ideas of the sequence.

HISTORY AS AN ALLEGORY

At the heart of the project is an allegorical reference to the Second World War, and more specifically to the persecution, isolation and extermination of Jewish people under the Nazi regime. The pandemic period inevitably shaped the way I approached those themes. Without drawing a literal equivalence between the two events, I became interested in how fear can transform societies, how groups can become identified as a threat, and how systems of control, separation and collective pressure can emerge in moments of crisis. That tension between historical memory and contemporary experience became one of the underlying ideas of the sequence.

A DISTORTED VISUAL LANGUAGE

Visually, I wanted the film to feel raw, physical and slightly oppressive. The direction developed somewhere between Roman art and German Expressionism, combining monumental forms, rigid compositions and distorted figures with a darker sense of drama. Faces, bodies, symbols and architectural elements appear almost like fragments of propaganda, memories or artefacts from an invented past. Nothing is explained directly. The images are meant to suggest a society gradually shaped by fear, obedience and exclusion.

A DISTORTED VISUAL LANGUAGE

Visually, I wanted the film to feel raw, physical and slightly oppressive. The direction developed somewhere between Roman art and German Expressionism, combining monumental forms, rigid compositions and distorted figures with a darker sense of drama. Faces, bodies, symbols and architectural elements appear almost like fragments of propaganda, memories or artefacts from an invented past. Nothing is explained directly. The images are meant to suggest a society gradually shaped by fear, obedience and exclusion.

BUILDING A WORLD THROUGH FRAGMENTS

Rather than illustrating a precise storyline, I treated each shot as a fragment belonging to a larger fictional universe. The sequence hints at persecution, surveillance, isolation and collective tension without ever fully defining its narrative. The goal was to create the sensation of a historical drama that feels strangely familiar, allowing the viewer to connect the pieces and project their own interpretation onto the images. WE WERE YOUNG ultimately became both a title design exercise and a more personal reflection on how easily societies can shift when fear begins to dictate behaviour.

BUILDING A WORLD THROUGH FRAGMENTS

Rather than illustrating a precise storyline, I treated each shot as a fragment belonging to a larger fictional universe. The sequence hints at persecution, surveillance, isolation and collective tension without ever fully defining its narrative. The goal was to create the sensation of a historical drama that feels strangely familiar, allowing the viewer to connect the pieces and project their own interpretation onto the images. WE WERE YOUNG ultimately became both a title design exercise and a more personal reflection on how easily societies can shift when fear begins to dictate behaviour.

FREELANCING, INQUIRIES AND COLLABS:

hi@fabianaerts.com

FREELANCING, INQUIRIES AND COLLABS:

hi@fabianaerts.com