TYPE AND CINEMA

Typography might mean mere letters and words to a few, but they have a lot more
meaning than what we can actually see. Type is most commonly a communication
tool and that’s how it began in the ancient world. Be it the hieroglyphs or
pictograms, representing the idea was key.

When talking about lettering, a few common-sense characteristics such as legibility,

readability and appropriateness are of utmost importance. As we evolved and the
idea of different styles of lettering and fonts came into the picture, type got a whole
new dimension to it. From being used solely as a communication tool, type has
become thought provoking and triggers emotions.

TYPE AND CINEMA

Cinema to most is an emotion. It is a how they relax. To some it is passion. It is a

platform for them to put forward their ideologies. Most importantly, cinema
entertains people and sends out social messages. And how is typography
associated with this? Movie Posters!

Even before the movie or the trailer or even the first look is out, it is the poster that
the audience gets to see. A poster not just conveys the name of the movie, but sets
mood of the film. Whether it a rom-com or a horror movie, the poster design
conveys it all. It prepares the audience for the kind of film it is going to be. A study
of the fonts, colours and it’s design will fetch us lot more details than we can think of
such the time period, art movements, the political scenario and the country of
origin.

A PEEK INTO HISTORY

The silent era:

We began with silent movies way back in the late 1800’s in the west where magic
lanterns were used as projects. As we progressed to nickelodeon theatres around
1905, magic lanterns slowly disappeared. This was when film titles made their very
first appearances. They were hand painted to provide context to the film.
“Humorous Phases of Funny Faces” is one such film made entirely with title cards
and hand done illustrations. And since all these titles were hand produced, it was
important not use overdramatized letterforms. Single stroked forms were preferred
for simple reasons that it looked better when projected in black and white and for
the ease of projection. The most adopted fonts in the era were Pastel, National Old
Style and Photoplay.

(humorous phases of funny faces poster)

(the great train robbery)

Influence of art movements:

When exploring typefaces was not really an option, a few artists were daring
enough to move away from the trend. Art movements such as Art Nouveau, Art
Deco and Expressionism we main influences and inspirations. Classic movie titles
such as the German movie “Nosferatu” was quite a trendsetter, being different from
other posters, in 1922. The font was created by German typesetter Albin Grau. Such
experiments at times gave way to stunning compositions, the title for Der Blaue
Engel, for instance, or the title card of “Our Hospitality” with slightly decorative
lettering.

(Nosferatu)
(der blaue engel)

But what happened when these movies travelled across countries. The main title for
the film “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” was plain sans serif in it’s American release.
But when the same released in Germany, it was much more effective in terms of
evoking emotions with the kind of fonts used.

(title comparison IMG)

The same was case for horror film “Nosferatu”. The original sans-serif promotional
poster was a stark contrast to it’s Art Nouveau inspired German version. The font,
Berthold Herold Reklameschrift BQ was created by German typesetter Heinz
Hoffman.

During the 1920s and ’30s, European cinema was deeply influenced by modernism,
and aspects of this visual sensibility were brought to the US by filmmakers who were
fleeing the Nazis. Meanwhile, the studio systems operating in Europe and
Hollywood also delighted in creating titles that featured vernacular graphic
novelties. As much as possible, they liked to convey the tone of a movie through
the “dressage” of its main title. Thus, Blackletter fonts in the opening credits were
used to evoke horror, ribbons and flowery lettering suggested love, and typography
that would have been used on “Wanted” posters connoted a western flick.

WHEN SOUND ENTERED – GOLDEN AGE OF CINEMA

When sound entered the world of cinema in 1927, almost every Hollywood studio
was producing musicals. It was a great escape from all the hardships of the great
depression.

Influence of modernism:

A lot more artists with experience in advertising art and typographic knowledge
were appointed by Hollywood studios. The title cards of this era were reflected the
modernist movement comprising of modernist designs, lines and angular forms
giving an overall modern look. The film titles of “King Kong” and “Metropolis” use
multiple lines and angles, trying to represent the modern industry and cosmopolitan
cities.

(img king kong, metropolis)

Artists also started to incorporate images that represented the main character(s) or
settings of the film. “Annie Oakley” and “The Adventures of Sherlock Homes” have
a variety of effects applied and their poster design is iconic – a character silhouette
in the background for “Annie Oakley” and Sherlock’s famous pipe.

(img)

Post world war II

Hollywood took the much needed extra step as television started to compete and
threaten the industry. Big and colourful movies were produced which were
projected on super sized screens such as Cinemascope, Vista Vision and Cinerama.
With more budget to spend on and improved technology, graphic designers
created titles more sophisticated, to serve the storyline better. Figures such as Saul
Bass, Pablo Ferro, Maurice Binder and Richard Williams arrived on the scene in the
1950s, spreading utterly fresh ideas about the possibilities of title sequences.

The return of black and white titles:

Also during the 1960s, the appearance of white-on-black made a comeback. Avant
grade filmmakers such as Godard, Fellini, Antonioni, and others tried to imitate von
Sternberg's white-on-black title lettering of Der Blaue Engel. This style became a
kind of prestige symbol among all those movie makers around the world who
wanted to be a member of this virtual avant garde club. One very prominent
filmmakers who used this style in almost all of his films was Woody Allen. White type
on black opening titles rolling on old jazz or classical music became a part of Woody
Allen brand.

(Annie hall, stardust memories, the purple rose of Cairo IMG)

A similar trend was being followed worldwide with an increasing number of Persian,
Asian and European filmmakers using white over black. But when we say avant
garde, we look forward to more, don’t we? These movie titles follow a similar trend,
but are far better in aesthetic sensitivity.

(Spartacus, dr.no, monsoon wedding, cat on a hot tin roof, charade, end week IMG)

Also, type and images became synonymous with type being embedded in physical
objects and forms, and this entirely changed film title designing!

THE DIGITAL ERA

With the advent of computers, the film biz took a whole new turn. Computers and
software – especially personal computers and the introduction of the Apple Mac in
1984 – revolutionized film title design giving many artists and designers access to
experiment. Film posters in recent times not just set the mood and establish a story,
but are more narrative in function.

Present trends

Believe it or not, a few fonts knowingly or unknowingly give out the story of the film.
In this era, there are a few typographic rules, which designers use as a given formula
to reach out to the right audience. But do designers really want to create something
that’s so over done, missing out on their creativity? Anyways, here are a few trends
you sure might’ve noticed!

Red titles in Arial, Helvetica and Futura against a white background for a comedy
touch –

(the proposal, American pie)

the sharp edged Trajan is the go to font for horror films to evoke the creepy feeling.
Add some red to it and you’re good to go!
(Sinister a nightmare on elm street img)
its oh so easy to identify a sci-fi film with all the fluorescent glowy text around
(startrek, tron )

strong, monostroke and angular sans-serif fonts are what you see for any superhero
film. Want a special effect? Add the superhero’s weapon to it!

(gi joe, hunger games, conan)

The opening moments can make all the difference. With such advanced technology,
the conventional, labour intensive art has become much more affordable and much
much more sophisticated in design. The future looks bright!