Refined Rough Movie

Here is a refined version of my rough After Effects Sketch. After much time consuming experimentation, watching tutorials, and talking to my peers, I feel this version has progressed greatly from before.

Very Rough Animatic

My video is very very rough. I have no previous experience with After Effects, and so this is a very long and tedious process for me. After creating this movie and talking to my classmates I better understand how I need to better use after effects to achieve the desired expressive effects I want to achieve. In the next draft of my movie I will apply sound as to time the entrance and exit of words, as well as the overall flow better.

Book Spreads Refined

This spread is reminiscent of the previous one, however, I feel that the addition of the extended L of "long" adds both aesthetic value and meaning to the word. I feel that this composition's expressiveness is very clearly seen, and illustrates the speech nicely.

This composition was completely redone. I kept similar elements such as the "Has been granted," and the bold and condensed "Defending." I feel as if this composition is cleaner and more simplistic than the previous one without sacrificing any meaning. The "Defending" here is meant to seem as if it is protecting freedom. 

With this composition, expressive and kinetic potential. The X is supposed to symbolize both a sign of hazard and an hour glass. The words "in its hour of" is reminiscent of an hour glass's last bit of sand, falling into the large amount of danger. The kerning of the word maximum is supposed to exemplify the meaning of the word.

Motion Inspiration

Saul Bass uses simplistic yet expressive type, movement, and music in these title openings to create three very unique and interesting motion graphics. Each one of these three title openings sets the tone for the upcoming movie. In North by Northwest, Bass uses word blocks sliding up and down and meeting in the middle to illustrate the business and chaos of city life. The music further creates this anxious and fast moving feeling. In the psycho opening, the parts of a word slide horizontally into each other. Stark lines and agressive movements keyed with the suspenseful music alludes to the horror, action, and impending doom that will be found later in the film. For the Oceans' Eleven opening, more kinetic movements of dots create words and large numbers that introduce the actors. A sense of excitement is realized as the dots fall into place and the staccato music loudly plays. An upbeat, and happy mood is created, and once again Bass shows how simple movements, expressive type scaling, and music can all work so nicely together to introduce a film, and create a mood. Each opening is relatively simplistic, yet demand your attention. In openings such as the Oceans' Eleven and North by Northwest, subtle color is used to further accent certain elements.

Marlene McCarthy takes a somewhat different approach in her title openings. Similar to Bass, she also uses expressive type, kinetic movement, and carefully selected music to set the tone for the coming film. In I Shot Andy Warhol, splashes of color, expressively sketchy typography, drastic scale changes, disappearing and reappearing words, and suspenseful music to create a mysterious and dark tone. In Safe, McCarthy brings her type in subtly, accenting it with a glow momentarily before having it disappear. This mixed with the music and the background camera shots also works to create a mysterious tone and arouse interest. In American Psycho, she uses clean and subtle type, laid over an enticing video background that foreshadows the blood and killing that will come. This is juxtaposed by the clean type, the fancy images and classical music, all of which creates a suspenseful, yet pleasant tone. In all of these title openings, McCarthy uses subtle intro and exits for her type, and employs a background which is related to the film. These openings are less kinetic, and slightly expressive, yet still convey an overall tone. The I Shot Andy Warhol opening seemed different than the other two in the way that the expressiveness of the type, and the color was very powerful. 

As for what inspires me, the Catch Me If You Can opening really stuck out to me. This opening was designed by Kuntzel and Deygas for the film by Stephen Spielberg. This opening combines animation with expressive typography, and employs many vertical extensions on many of the important words. These vertical lines break up the space and reminds me somewhat of what I am currently trying to do with my motion graphic. The simplistic and subtle black on blue is aesthetic, and the music fits nicely with the animation. Subtle splashes of orange and white bring the composition together. The expressiveness of the extended letters, the movement of the words and the music create an original, exciting opening for a fantastic movie. It creates a somewhat suspenseful, classy, yet exciting tone. I was very inspired by this opening. 

3 Spread Directions

This spread I really focused on using scale and weight of letters to accent words that stuck out or were emphasized in the actual speech. With this spread I juxtaposed Gotham with Baskerville and although it is visually interesting, there may be too many elements for it to work well. 

This spread played more with horizontal and vertical text. Similar to the last one, I called out words that were important to the speech or were emphasized by the speaker. I used univers and a monospaced typeface. These typefaces seemed more serious, straightforward, and monotone. These spreads seemed to convey a more determined, or heavy feeling tone. JFK with his speech did call the people to action and not mince words, therefore this approach may work.

With this spread I tried to use word blocks to organize the text as well as pull out the style of JFK's speaking. I used scale to accent the most important words, while trying to personify the meanings of other words such as "human." with italics and "different" by flipping the word upside down. This strategy was probably my least successful of the three.

Initial 5 Visual Studies

Hybrid

 Spacing

 Tint

 Hybrid

 Size and Scale

JFK Inauguration Speech Background Info

John F. Kennedy Inauguration Speech

This speech is important because John F Kennedy was being inaugurated and many people felt he was going to be the change that they wanted to see in America. It was a time of hardship and war, where a man like Kennedy as president could work to unite and grow the nation of America. Not long after he was elected, John F Kennedy was assassinated.

I chose this speech because it was well written and well delivered. It resonated with the people of America at the time, as it still does today. Because he was assassinated, the speech itself becomes a timeless representation of this man, the aspiring uniter of America.

The tone of the speech is determined, patriotic, and powerful. It is encouraging and exciting, even breathtaking. Hope is evidently created. A nationalistic drive I’m sure can be found in the onlookers on that day. Looking back, the speech holds great sorrow and remembrance for the life of John F Kennedy.

Words such as Nation, You, God, The World, Man, Power, Same, We, Let the word go forth, tempered, and proud are all emphasized. He tends to emphasize many of the strong subject words, many of which are important or apply directly to the audience that he speaks to. Many dramatic pauses are taken advantage of, typically after each thought, allowing time for reflection and anticipation.

The strong subject words where people or things are directly referred to I definitely feel should feel loud. A soft tapering off should be used to accent the dramatic negative phrases in the speech.

There is much call to action in this speech. Kennedy addresses the people and proclaims “Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed.” He is referring to the present America and how it is their time to make a change towards bettering the country and world that they live in. He emphasizes the people’s power, and the ability to make a difference.

This speech gives me goosebumps. It is a powerful representation of a man who served and died for his country. The timeless spirit of American is captured, and still remains relevant to this day.

What a breathtaking experience it must have been to have listened to the speech in person. People most definitely were captivated. A dramatic, overwhelming, sense of pride and togetherness must have united the audience.

This speech was in the here and now. It was timeless and was a single, unrepeatable event in itself. It is very unlikely there could be another interpretation of it.

John F Kennedy was elected president in the 1960 elections and won against Richard Nixon. Major events during his presidency included the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Space Race, the African-American Civil Rights Movement, and early stages of the Vietnam War. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald was charged with the crime, but he was shot and killed by Jack Ruby two days later, before a trial could take place.