Type that dances

Well, I haven’t done a post in a while, so here’s something new from me! I just completed this animated teaser for the Montreal Bach Festival. I kinda liked the idea – the various bits of information are all built into a 3D dancing figure and as she spins and the camera moves around in space, we’re able to read what we need to read, bit by bit. Created in Cinema 4D. You can see the full video below.

Flickermood 2.0 by Sebastian Lange

Sebastian reached out and connected with me on Vimeo earlier this week, and I’m glad he did because I was delighted to find his new Flickermood 2.0 animation, having seen the original Flickermood last year. The new Flickermood is mega! An unrelenting ballet of editing as much as it is a typographic storm. The pulsing, throbbing, shifting and repositioning of the (entirely Helvetica based) compositions encorporate many ‘of the moment’ motion graphics trends and stylistic nods (the film damage and shifting exposures of otherwise crisp/modern visuals remind me of the amazing Iron Man end titles), but it is all so harmonious and consistent, that it feels fresh and unpredictable. The actual text is from the poem “Mutability” by Shelley.

Maybe it’s just because I’m working on some “microscopic” looking motion graphics at the moment, but Flickermood has moments that feel like the letter forms are floating in fluid, drifting randomly – nicely done.

That great Forss soundtrack seems to provide endless editing opportunites (it was also used in the orginal Flickermood animation). This is clearly the result of a lot of work, and reinforces for me (as a diehard Apple Motion user) that After Effects really does rock. I need to chat with Sebastian about all the techniques at work here.  You can watch the extended version of Flickermood 2.0 below. Nice one.

Kyle Cooper and Prologue Films

I recently attended a lecture by American film title designer Kyle Coooper here in London, and though it was a bit freeform and wandering (I would have preferred to have him talk more specifically about the how and why of some actual sequences) how could I not have thoroughly enjoyed myself ? Kyle, almost single handedly, brought film title design back into existence with his spooky sequence for Seven back in 1995 (which still stands up beautifully).

Prologue Films (his second title design company – following his parting with his first Imaginary Forces) is at the top of its game and is a sought after partner by mega Hollywood producers and directors, realizing that a well tuned title sequence can cast a spell over the audience before word one of dialogue is heard.

I enjoyed his subtle reinforcement that, though Prologue produces some of the most lush and imaginative computer generated title sequences out there (see the rocking “grunge tech” titles for Iron Man below, created by the talented Danny Yount of Prologue Films) he is a big proponent of hand made, and still favours getting dirty (and resourceful) to get an effect, rather than labouring over keyframed post effects. I continue to watch Prologue with expectations of surprise and delight after surprise and delight.

Here are a few of my favourites.

If you’d like to see some of my own motion graphics work, including some film and television titles, please have a look at my two 2008 reels below.

Type as art

Back in 2007 I stumbled across this art installation in Paris. I walked into an enormous blackened space and after my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I became aware that all around me, on all 4 walls and the floor as well, were creeping, crawling, wandering projected words. At certain moments, I too became a surface for the projected words, as did the others around me. Then I realized that not only were they moving, but changing, as if trying to tell a story but the wind was blowing the words all around.

I don’t recall the intended theme of this installation, and didn’t even make a note of the artist (whoops) but needless to say, I was impressed enough with the immersive execution. We all wandered around in awe. It was a little like actually walking around inside the Matrix code titles.

Thank You for Smoking, Film Titles

This title design sequence for “Thank you for Smoking” has been a favourite of mine for a while. There have been a few imitations that have emerged recently, but none have managed to top it. The titles were created by Shadowplay Studio.

From a design perspective, it functions within a simple idea that I have been interested in for many years, and have applied to both my motion graphics and my book design – that of typography as an “artifact” within a photograph or image, rather being applied on top of a visual as a secondary exercise.

The resulting integration of picture and typography, could therefore, not be any tighter because they co-exist within the same visual entity – in this case, cigarette packages. Even though logos and warning statements have been replaced with actor names and crew titles, the craftsmanship is impeccable, and entirely believable.

That and the great, rotating, zipping, zooming movements, the little surprises that keep you smiling, and all that lovely type, just make this sequence work! Nicely done. You can view the full title sequence in motion below.