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Real World History: 22 Seasons of Intros.

Watching this makes me feel like David Bowman at the conclusion of 2001—if 2001 had been directed by Cameron Crowe and subsequently parodied by Ben Stiller. The way the credits evolve (well, transition) from their early acid-washed jeans/L.A. Gear aspect ratio to their current Outback Steakhouse/Tampax Pearl with Leakguard® widescreen majesty is a revelation.

via interweber via katespencer

Notes on this impressive cultural artifact, which you should watch by clicking through, as embedding is disabled by request:

• Season 4: London was the last one I paid any attention to, at the age of 17. From Miami on, these people are as unrecognizable to me as they should be. But until then, I remember these young adults the way I’d remember a camp counselor.
• Of the three seasons shot in New York, all three intro sequences feature ominous depictions of the World Trade Center. 1992 features the skyline with the towers in the background and a bird in the foreground, appearing by forced perspective, to fly into them. 2001 (pre 9/11) shows the towers at night with the sound effect of a car crash played under it. And 2009 depicts a mural of the towers while an echoey female voice calls out “Hello?”
• The most glaring aesthetic shift for me happens in 1999, between Seattle and Hawaii, when the look went from cruddy faux-8mm to well-lit glamour ad. What else happened that year, that pop culture would kick it up a notch and lay the groundwork for what Raza so aptly describes as “Outback Steakhouse/Tampax Pearl with Leakguard® widescreen majesty”? I suppose right about then, digital video was starting to hit mainstream, which would push MTV content producers to distinguish themselves with more production value, but that’s a reach.
• I’m estimating the average age of the cast members to be about 22, which would put the show’s peak relevance to me at 2000: New Orleans. Nope, no idea what that means either.