RESEARCH: TYPOGRAPHY- MRS. QUINLAN

What is typography? Why is it important?

Typography is the style of the writing, otherwise known as font. It can be used to make something look more appealing if it’s applied effectively. Different typography holds various connotations which helps the viewer to assume what the product is. In the film industry typography helps to portray different information such as the opening credits. It is important because it can help to convey the genre and allow the audience to form their assumptions about the film.

 

Typography and Connotations from Different Genres.

Comedy Genre:

In comedy genre the typography tends to be very ‘free-spirited’ usually looks playful or handwritten in a sense that doesn’t scare anyone because of its childlike nature and often humorous additions such as images or colour. Moreover it tends to be bright to convey the humor and happiness that is usually evident in a comedy film. The typography is often easy to read and will look silly yet there will be an aspect that establishes the genre. An example of such typography would be the ‘Silver Lining Playbook’ which is a comedy film. The typography looks like it was painted with a brush or doodled on with a yellow crayon/ paint, therefore looks less professional and the yellow is a happy color which will attract kids as well as adults. This establishes the comedy genre because the style has a mainstream audience and seems family-friendly; which is conventional to the comedy genre.

 

Action Genre:

The action genre tends to have bold and simple use of typography usually accompanied by a minimalistic use of color such as white, black or red. The letters sometimes have a thick outline. This typography style shows the sophisticated and mature audience that the film is aimed at because a younger viewer would not be interested by the casual writing. It also helps to establish the genre because action films tend to have serious narratives; which the typography reflects. The typography from the action film ‘Die Hard’ has simple block writing which conveys the genre. It is easy to read and uses the throbbing red colour which proposes that there will be fighting sequences as red connotes blood and tension. This would attract older audience because the typography is too simple and serious to attract younger audience.

Superhero Genre:

The superhero genre often glamourizes the font which conveys that the films’ narrative or characters are indeed heroic. This is usually shown by the use of colour, such as silver or gold to promote wealth or ‘golden heart’ of the hero who will stand up for anyone no matter what. The use of dark red has also connotations of royalty and courage. These colours would attract someone like teenagers and older who will get fascinated by the use of rich and fancy shading. The typography itself is normally casual and easy to read which will attract older audience who will be able to read the simplistic style of writing. In this example from ‘Iron Man’ the font is brick but what makes it stand out is the use of golden outline, proposing wealth and money, and the dark red tint that makes the typography look 3D and does in fact glamourize the title.

 

Typography and Connotations from the Thriller Genre:

In the thriller genre typography is often used to create a certain atmosphere as well as works together with other micro-elements to draw a response from the viewers. These are some of the typography examples from the thriller genre:

 

The typography in the opening credits from the thriller Seven are used interestingly and effectively; showing clear links to the genre. This is because the writing style looks messy and therefore mysterious as the audience feels like it has been rushed and the writer tried to give some important information but had to do it in a hurry. This creates suspense and intrigues the viewer who is eager to find out more. Moreover the white on black writing doesn’t reveal too much because these are very common and casual colors and it’s hard to infer anything from them; reinforcing the theme of mystery. Additionally the typography is small, this is because it is accompanied by images in the background and the audience should place their attention to what is happening there which is only possible if the typography has a smaller and less distracting size. Lastly the low key lighting compliments this typography and helps to create a sense of insecurity amongst the viewer because there are only minor highlights on the frame, not allowing the spectator to see everything, making them scared and fearful of the unknown.

 

The typography in the opening credits from Sin City is another interesting example. The effective use of colors clearly state the genre that the film belongs to. The bright red connotes blood and death which implies that the narrative will include murders and action filled with bloodshed. The use of black and white can reflect the idea of ‘good vs evil’ which foreshadows that the plot could resolve around an argument between two sides. Simultaneously, what makes this interesting is that this film was made in noir style, therefore the throbbing red allows to be highlighted even more, helping to place importance and significance on this colour as well as reinforce the black and white background. Lastly the brick and casual typography has also a sense of mystery to it as it doesn’t give away too much because of its simplicity; making the viewer curious to find out more. 

 

In the opening from the thriller The Number 23 the typography is uniquely used. It has clear links to the theme of the opening as well as the title which helps to reinforce and put emphasis on the film theme and title. The writing style looks like it has been written by a typewriter which helps the audience to infer when the film is set. Moreover its simplicity intrigues the viewer because it is not too obvious what it actually means. In addition the use of bloody red shows that the narrative will involve some murders which is conventional of the thriller genre. The symbols that surround the title look like they have been crossed and worked on multiple times which shows precision as well as frustration. This makes the spectator question what has happened which is typical of these types of films

Typography examples that I would consider.

After looking at the different typography from different thrillers I think the most effective were the ones from Seven and The Number 23. This is because although they are simple I still found them intriguing and interesting because they connoted many things which enhanced the opening and made it look effective. I liked how the casual colours were portrayed in effective way and had reinforced the genre clearly. Both has connoted death and mystery which is what I should try to consider in making my own thriller in order to provoke the best reaction from my spectators. I also liked how the typography wasn’t too glamourized and had a good balance as it hadn’t taken all my attention but was still noticeable whereas in Sin City I think it was overdone.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, I found this research very interesting to see how the thriller genre differentiates to other genres in terms of typography. It was also intriguing how the thrillers use typography differently but still manage to make it conventional and effective. From this, I now have a rough idea of how to use typography in my own opening sequence. I decided that I would like my writing style to look like they have been cut out from a newspaper and organized into the credits. I believe that this untypical and uncommon typography would still make my scene mysterious and effective because the audience would not expect that which would provoke their minds. When it comes to my typography, I would like my audience to feel uneasy and threatened,because often this kind of writing is associated with blackmail which would make them feel scared.