Action. Time. Vision.
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Jenelle Law | LAW13407812 GMD Year 1 | Group E
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Project Aims. This project asks you to create a typographic solution for screen or print, working with spatial, motion and sequential elements. The aim of this project is to further develop and apply your understanding of design principles by grounding them in the realities of professional design practice. The context is typographic design for the spatial word - two dimensional screen space, or threedimensional environmental space. Emphasis will be on experimental and exploratory investigation. Narrative language, simple motion-graphic techniques, 3D construction, cinematic language and artdirection will be introduced through practical sessions and workshops.
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Workshop
Film Terminology. For our first workshop, the aim was to be introduced to film terminology through a practical exercise. In groups, we had to find an everday object which contains typography and photograph it in the style of six terms from the glossary of film terms. Aspects to consider in our photographs were mood, lighting and narrative. The two objects in our photographs was a Campbell soup box and a Heinz soup can. We wanted to create this surprising rivalry between them, as the trapped can pops out of the box and rolls out. Once Heinz was freed, it would be able to confront Campbell. The jump shot at the end with the pigeon hints that amidst their battle, that they actually might be preyed on.
1. Arc Shot
A shot in which a moving camera circles around the subject being photographed. 2. Overhead Shot
The photos on this spread are all from our second trial, as we did not receive favorable feedback for our first one. The previous set had poor lighting and contrast. The objects and the composition was not very appealing either because some photographs were centered.
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A shot looking down vertically on the action from above.
3. Depth of Focus
4. Close Up
The closest proximity to the lens in which the objects being photographed will remain in focus approaching the infinitesimal.
A shot in which a smallish object fits within the frame.
5. Two Shot
A shot in which two actors appear within the frame.
6. Jump Cut
A rapid, jerky transition from one frame to the next, either disrupting the flow of time or movement within a scene or making an abrupt transition from from one scene to another.
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Workshop
Making Type Move. In our second workshop, we formed groups to create a moving image that mainly focused on animating typography in time and space. The outcome could be filmed or computer generated in an animation software. There were also no limitations to what materials we could build our type with.
My group decided to animate a set of verbs according to their own actions. We found that there were many interesting verbs that began with the letter ‘S’ to work with. We unified the set of words by choosing only one typeface, Bebas Neue. We cut out each letter of each word, one by one, as we had decided to animate with stopmotion. This way, it would be easier and more flexible to manipulate the letters. For the real scribble, we digitally added it in Photoshop.
These are the original six words that we chose to animate with. In the end, we decided to eliminate ‘smile’ because it didn’t have the same type of action that the other verbs had.
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Workshop
The Conversation. For this workshop, we had to go out into the world to eavesdrop and record a conversation. The design outcome is to visualize the spoken word from an existing conversation. Although it wasn’t a conversation, the best audio clip we had recorded was the voice of a homeless man in the underground tunnels of Elephant and Castle.
Our group wanted our type to have an isolated feeling, as the homeless man was constantly ignored by those who passed by. After generating ideas, we decided to use our scalpels to cut stencils of the words and shine a flashlight through them. In the beginning, we used a serif typeface, but the words were difficult to cut and it did not represent the aura of a homeless man. We then settled for a stencil typeface as it was not as refined. With each line the homeless man said, the more abstract the visual representation became. This was to show that he was giving up bit by bit because no one would respond to his plead.
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Research
Typography Typography Now: The Next Wave by Rick Poynor (1994) This book presents a compilation of fresh and edgy typographic thinking. It showed me how type can be structured, but also be very free.
There is some really radical use of type where they overlap onto each other and dart out at unusual angles. Instead of actually reading the type for its meaning, the text becomes lines or blocks of shapes that add detail to the composition.
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Type in Motion by Jeff Bellanton and Matt Woolman (2000) Although the typographic animations in this book are not created with very modern technology, it still shows that even with the simplest elements such as rectangular bars from Alfred Hitchcock opening sequences, can still be really captivating and beautiful.
Adding texture to text can really enhance the visual effect of a story. Tearing up the text, World War I, helps me to feel how destructive it was and how it tore up the world and the hearts of many.
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Production Process
Making Type Since we were inspired by vintage typographic design and animations that used a multiple typefaces within one composition, we tried to look for a variety of suitable fonts that could be used in our stop motion for the opening credits.
A TIM METCALF FILM
A Tim Metcalf Film Screenplay by
Dominic Dyson
The drop shadow of a diagonal line pattern gives it more texture, but it may be distracting.
A rounded looking sans serif that has a manipulated texture in its edges.
screenplay by
This typeface looks like it was from the past, slightly western, but could work with our brown colours and wood textures.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
I like both upper and lower case of this typeface. It’s serifs are not very traditional looking like baskerville or Bodoni, so it carries more of a vintage style.
executive producer
Definitely conveys the adventure/action genre. A bit like “Back to the Future”. May not match with our vintage context or be suitable with our other typefaces.
dominic dyson
Mark Ingham jamie hobson
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This is a nice bold sans serif that could be used for the first text that appears.
Starring
Nice cursive script font that matches the word “Starring” as it can stress the main actors in the movie.
tony yard
This typeface has interesting triangular shapes sticking out, but it looks a bit western adventure like.
david sims
A skinny handwritten typeface. It is a sans serif that could work as a contrast to our serifs.
Movie Title Since I had never used letterpress before but went to the induction, this typographic project would be the perfect opportunity to learn about the galley press. Since the early Bible and records were mostly done in serif typefaces, we wanted to use a serif typeface like Baskerville to reflect that aura. Noah’s ark was in the past, so it would not make sense to use a contemporary sans serif typeface. Unfortunately it did not really work out for us, so we ended up not using them in our video.
Left Justification with a few spacing issues. ‘S’ and ‘H’ have been accidentally flipped.
Center Justification suits a movie title more. Looks more grand than left justification.
Our failed attempt at creating a subtitle for the movie - poor alignment and missing a ‘g’.
Vintage Ticket An early Metropolitan Railway third class ticket from the London Transport Museum Collection
We decided to include a boarding pass, because many train tickets in the past combined a wide variety of typefaces all within one design. This element would enhance our vintage theme.
We created our own ‘ark boarding pass’ for the animals. Since only two of each kind were only allowed on, we used that concept to form our ‘Admit two only” ticket.
Vintage-style inspired Disney Train Ticket
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Refinement
Letterpress
We returned to the letterpress room and attempted to print our text on this piece of cardboard that had a special texture. We chose this piece of paper because it would look more interesting if we animated it in a wave movement, compared to a flat piece of paper. We used one of the larger presses to push the board through, and it turned a lot better than our digital attempt from before.
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Typeface Experiments
Since our stop motion already had been filmed and we could not go back and edit specific parts, all we could do (to avoid filming from start to finish) was to do an extra mini test with fewer typefaces. We did another animation test without any other papers and images. I think overall, the text has a stronger sense of unity and would be less chaotic to the eye if it had been combined with all the other elements in the stop motion. We reprinted the names in the opening credits on 3-4 different coloured papers.
We also tried to rip the edges of the papers, but sometimes it was quite hard to achieve a desired form and shape. Unfortunately, we did not test film it because we were unable to borrow a tripod to secure the camera and it was already quite challenging to film the previous animation test.
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