Research:Typography-Mr Smith

    

  Typography

What is typography?

Typography refers to the design or selection of letter forms to be organised into words or sentences. Typography differs in different films according the genre of the film. For example the typography in a thriller film is likely to have a chilling effect on 

the audience through the selected size, font and colour of the text which should be intimidating and exciting.  This should be carefully thought out in order to get the correct response from the audience and build suspense before watching the film. 


Typography and connotations? (screenshots from various genres)

The different types of typography have different connotations, examples include:


Thriller Genre:

The typography from the title of the film Se7en connotes mystery through the use of smudges from the letters which makes the audience question whether a criminal is involved as the typography is suitable for a crime thriller. The colour white connotes innocence and purity however this contrasts with the smudged lettering which symbolises crime and danger and the size of the typography which is small to have a greater impact on the audience. Therefore it may indicate that the crimes committed effect innocent lives. From analysing this typography, I now understand that the typography for a thriller film should be effective giving the audience an insight to what to expect from the film. 

Action Genre:

 

The typography from the action film 'Spider-man' connotes excitement and action through the use of the slanted text which gives it a sense of movement. The typography is white which connotes innocence, suggesting that the main character is a protagonist with good intensions. The size of the typography consists of two sizes, 'Spider-Man' is a bigger font than 'The Amazing' which symbolises the importance of 'Spider-Man' and demonstrates that the main character is called 'Spider-man'. 

Adventure Genre:

The typography from the film 'The Hobbit' connotes adventure through the use of the ancient lettering which highlights the characters will travel and go on a long journey using a map. The goldy brown colour is the same colour as a map therefore it suggests that adventure is involved and gives the audience an insight into what the film will revolve around. The letters 'H', 'B' and 'T' are extended in size with a longer length demonstrating that the path of the protagonist may be uneven or suffers that he may come across the unexpected. Moreover, the size of the word 'Hobbit' is bigger than the word 'The' which outlines it's importance to the audience. Overall, the typography is conventional to the adventure genre through the use of the ancient font and goldy brown colour. 


Mystery Genre:

The typography of the title from the film 'Psycho' connotes mystery as the audience are in suspense about how the film will unravel and will reflect the uneven, cracked title. It also symbolises the antagonists disturbed mind-set through the use of cracks in the title. The size of the typography makes the letters stand out as they are towering connoting that the antagonists negative intensions are on-going. This is also reflected by the colour of the title (white) connoting innocence which indicates that the antagonists actions will have an impact on the innocent victims life. Overall, the typography from the title connotes intensity and mystery through the use of size and font style. 



Typography and thrillers: screen shot examples from thrillers and their connotations

 

The typography from the thriller film 'The Cabin In The Woods' connotes danger highlighted through the colour black and  the use of the sharp and straight font which is of two different sizes. The words 'Cabin' and 'Woods' are bigger than the other words as they have more importance, as they are bigger they stand out and they draw the audience's  attention. There is also thin lines going through the text making it unclear and more difficult to read which connotes mystery and misery as they lack fluidity making it conventional to the thriller genre. 

 

The typography from the film 'Inception' connotes death and danger through the use of the bold, red letters which insinuates that the film will be filled with death and danger. The letters are spaced out which may have a deeper meaning and be associated with the film and how the characters may be very different in what they do and how they do they do it however may have to work close together to succeed. The title stands out on the poster and immediately grabs the audiences attention due to the bright colour and bold lettering. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it is expected for the title to foreshadow the events that will be evident on the film.

 

 

The typography from the thriller film 'Sinister' connotes death and intensity through the font, colour and size of the title. The colour black connotes death and darkness which is evident in the film which is also highlighted thoughts the shadows evident behind the text. The shadows look like blood running from the text which creates suspense and thrill for the audience who make assumptions as to what is going to happen. Furthermore, the letters are spaced out creating more anticipation and more effect as it draws the audiences attention to the writing. The title is of medium size which allows the audience to draw attention to the image as we'll as the writing however the title has a greater impact due to it's presentation. Overall, this typography is conventional to the thriller genre as it creates a chilling response from the audience and the use of the shadows add to the tension and fear which is supported by the image.  

Some analysis of choices you may consider (include examples)

 

The typography used in these thriller films all connote danger, excitement and thrill through the use of their similar colours, sizes and fonts. The audience  immediately associate these films with the thriller genre according to their conventions. The fonts used are all similar the sense that they all stand out and are in capital letters. 'Shutter Island' and 'The Woman In Black' are both surrounded by coloured mist, shutter island has red mist making it seem more mysterious, while 'The Woman in Black' typography has a blue illumines colour highlighting the text making it seem more threatening and frightening. On the other hand, the thrillers 'Black Swan' and 'Fright Night' have no other colours and just have one colour, however they are still successful in following the conventions and having the same effect on the audience through their thriller like font which extends the size of certain letters making it chilling.  I may consider some of these choices as they all have dark intensions and are conventional to the thriller genre. I also want my thriller typography to be intimidating and have a threatening effect with similar conventions to these particular thriller typographies. 

Conclusion: What you will use and why (Mention size, colour etc.)
 

When creating my thriller film the typography I will use will be of medium size and have bold font in order to grab the audiences attention. It will also be a conventional colour such as white, red or black which symbolises danger, innocence and death. These factors will ensure the typography of my thriller looks professional and conventional to the thriller genre therefore I will use this when creating my thriller to immediately draw the audience to watch the thriller and predict what the film may be about or what themes will be highlighted.