A surprisingly easy effect is to replace the color of the title text with either video images related to the theme, or an abstract animation. (It helps to use a thick font large enough so that the viewer will immediately notice the effect.) To do this in Premiere Pro, lay your title text on the top of the video tracks. Line up the video you want inserted as animated infill in the track underneath. Put your main video background at the bottom.

The whole sandwich should look like this:

(Click to enlarge)

Optional: As the above photo indicates, you can copy a second text layer synched to the top layer in the middle of this sandwich, if you want to preserve drop shadows and outer strokes:

(Click to enlarge)

Ordinarily, shadows and outer strokes will vanish from your text layer with the effect we're about to insert:
In the effects controls of your video infill track, insert a Track Matte Key effect, and set its matte to the top text layer, and Composite Using to Matte Alpha.

(Click to enlarge)

And that's pretty much all there is to it. Once you do this effect a few times, setting up the controls will become much simpler to do than the description above may seem at first.

Adobe's After Effects program includes a number of preset animation templates available through the Adobe Bridge. These make it relatively easy to first select a font, then animate titles on and off the screen with a sophistication that would have taken days of hand-drawn animation and optical printer layering.

(Click to enlarge)

A little goes along way here. Animating the video's main title in can give it tremendous punch. Animating in every credit in the production on and off screen will likely consume much more time than simply dissolving the text, and it also risks confusing the audience.

For those who are using a video editing application such as Premiere Pro rather than a graphics compositing program such as After Effects, it's still possible to achieve to some limited animation effects, such as pushing the titles on and off-screen. Also, an effect such as Red Giant's Knoll Light Factory is an easy way to add some motion and interest to an otherwise static title, sweeping a slick-looking light effect across a title with a few keystrokes.

With today's editing and compositing programs, it's possible to get way too crazy and chaotic with titles. But remember the aphorism associated with legendary modernist architect, Mies van der Rohe: less is more. When it doubt, keep things simple (but hopefully stylish!) so that your audience knows exactly what's going on.

Ed Driscoll is an independent producer and freelance journalist covering home theater and the media.