I found a few clips off YouTube that use typefaces to tell a story. The way they are spaced, the colors, and the orientation have a big effect on the feel of each story. Each one is set to an audio clip from a famous movie, and even though there are no pictures, only words, the v
iewer gets a feel for the mood of the movie. The first one I found was from Wedding Crashers. 
When he starts to ramble off the thoughts in his head, the words jump back and forth, portraying the dilemma he is going through. The sentences are also very close together, empathising his rambling. The words bend to mimic two bodies when he talks about the 'awkward hug.'The second clip I found was similar but for the Dark Knight. Even though this clip is also just using words to convey the story without images, the feel is very different from the Wedding Crashers clip. The dark backgrounds and types m
ake you feel like you're in the middle of Gotham, fearing death and the Joker. I like how each character's voice has a corresponding typeface. For example, the when the Joker is talking, the typeface is unorganized, messy, and the letters are not lines up. This is how we see the Joker, as a crazy mess. When the butler speaks, the fonts are classy, going along very well with his British accent. The typefaces are intimidating when they need to be and crazy when that is the point to get across. It is amazing and very interesting to me that so much can be portrayed simply through the design of a letter.
3 comments:
I wrote a blog on almost exactly the same thing, and I greatly agree with you on the power of type alone. I found it interesting how entertaining these clips were with no live action, just moving type and voice overs. I think this would make a very interesting project in GRA 217.
I have to say, that video about the Dark Knight typography was quite fascinating. My favorite bit was the fact that the characters each had an individual font that best represented their characters, from the thick, graffiti-like type used for The Joker to the subtle, classy looks reserved for both Alfred and Lucius Fox. Very appropriate. Thanks for the links!
I think you picked really appropriate examples. Your post definitely demonstrates how much font can alter the tone and mood of movie posters, and posters in general.
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