Kinetic Typography Project – Adobe After effects and Book Final outcome.

The next step after scanning in my designs was to develop them in photoshop. I quickly learned that many of the experiments had a more bold and impactful contrast when the image was inverted so that the white background would become black and the typography itself, would become white . Therefore, I chose to implement this for the majority of the experiments.

 

When one thinks about creating a film  or  animation of any kind, fluidity is very important. I began my animation by importing an mp3 file of the  conversation scene from Dr Strangelove. My idea was for the conversation to start in a polite and friendly manner; gradually becoming more sour, impatient and awkward. Therefore, it felt appropriate that  the tyepface for the start of the conversation was rather minimal ( if not mundane). As the conversation starts to gain pace, I inserted my hand renedered experiments with the more legible experiments intially at the start and the more illegible ones towards the end of the animation – communication would almost breakdown completely that the text is barely recognisable.

I addition to the experiments, I also discovered a visual/ communication glitch effect on the internet. With a few steps in the ptrocess, I was able to create a distortion effect for my hand rendered experiments; emphasising further, the communciation breakdow

 

Alongside the audio of the conversation, I felt it would also be realistic to add  some commuincation  sound effects often heard with old radios, televisions etc. These sound effects would become more dominant towards the end of the conversation. Intentionally, at certain times of the animation, these crackling sounds are all that the audience can hear.

 

As well as  the final outcome of an Adobe After effects animation, I felt the addition of a printed object that contained the typographic experiments would also compliment the animation.

Producing a printed booklet in the same narrative and style of the video not only provides the audience with a tangible object, but also places focus on the successful typographic experiments and the different medium that was used to create them.

Similar to the video, the booklet starts off with a calm friendly conversation using a conventional, if not mundane typeface. As the conversation becomes more heated and passive aggressive, the typography transforms into the experimental letterforms.

Using still images from the animation itself and converting these into a Jpeg format, I was able to include the glitch and chaotic effect produced in Adobe After Effects, into my book towards the end.

 

The measurements of the book are somewhat unconventional from standard book sizes; 20cm x 42xcm, which gives the book a long and slender aesthetic that reminds  perhaps resemble the large documents containing classified and secret information by Cold War officials during this time period.

 

 

Kinetic Typography – intial experiments

My first decision was to listen and watch the scene. One notable aspect of the scene is hwo the conversation starts friendly and rather nonchalant, but gradually declines into a conversation of anxiety, panic and impatience. The breakdown of communication. This was something I felt could be represented within the typography used. As the  film is set during The  Cold War, I felt it was suitable to choose a typeface that was common of this era.

Looking at propaganda posters, books and images of the 1950s and 1960s, the typeface used was very impactful in grabbing audience attention espcially when used with grammar and punctuation such as exclamation marks and capital letters. Thus I browsed the internet for these type of fonts and came across and few that were suitable. The one I chose is called “Grinched 2.0”.

I decided early on that the animation would not only include digital typeface, but also analogue type creating using printing and and photographic processes. The idea of using a simple and clean digital typeface to start the conversation, but then gradaully incorporating more hand- made rough and shattered typography as the conversation breaks down.

 

 

Grinched tyepface

 

Mono printing experiments

Typographic photograms, (multiple exposures)

 

 

Producing photograms and prints for the whole conversation was daunting and therefore,  not a sensible use of time. I needed a method to produce rough and breaking text which was efficient. I started experimenting with scanning; firstly printing off the words I wanted on to paper, and then scanning them back into a computer.By moving the paper while scanning, this causes whatever is being scanned (in this case, the text) to become distorted, creating abstract shapes and and forms. I felt this scanning technique was simple, quick and effective in manipulating text into almost unrecognisable forms and that certainly represented the idea of communication breakdown.

 

 

 

 

“Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick” exhibition 2016

As soon as I heard name Stanley Kubrick, I knew this exhibition would be something that was interesting and engaging.

Kubrick is my favourite and most influential film director. In addition, I consider him a great artist whose attention detail, symbolism, concepts and cinematography all complement each other to create films of a variety different genres but similar themes. His work is as relevant now as the day they were first released.

this exhibition at Somerset House, London, was a huge collaboration of artists and designers, musicians and authors, of whom created work in response to Stanley Kubricks filmography.

What made this exhibition engaging was the range of medium used. Sculpture, Video and digital, sound, drawing, photography, painting and more helped to appeal to a wide audience – an exhibition with something for everyone.