Journal Entry 1: Typography in Illustration and Video- Pt. 1!

School of Rock, that older movie starring Jack Black, seems to be a very popular subject to make typographic videos for. Some of them are kind of cool, while others...not so much. Here are 3 examples of School of Rock monologues/dialogues set to motion type.



This first video is pretty cool. I really appreciate the type illustration. The "sketchiness" (no, I don't mean that it's shady) seems to lend it a really fitting tone, as the movie has a very organic tone to it itself. The use of size is really vital, as Jack Black tends to shout and yell a lot and the size of the type is used at appropriate times for emphasis. The use of color for emphasis is also really important and used very well- some words are reused by moving to the edge of the screen and changed to reflect the new sentence. The colors used in the video reflect the movie as well. The execution of the guitar sound effects was impeccable- fast but sure. Overall I think this is a really good example of motion type, however, I wish that the illustrator had used more visual punctuation. It would have made it even better.



The second video is also done well. It is a little rough and choppy, but we're looking at the type itself, so that doesn't really matter, does it? I like the presentation of this video, not as much as the first, but it's still good. The chalkboard works well, as the title of the movie is School of Rock, after all. The type, while still organic, is less so as the font used is pretty common. It doesn't look completely original. I really love the little illustrations though! They add to the type without taking away from it too much. I also appreciate the use of size at the appropriate times, but again, what's with the absence of necessary visual punctuation? I saw a few question marks in there but where are the exclamation points? Punctuation always gives type a clear finish and end, and without it, there seems to be something lacking. The words "give up" at the end of the video, without punctuation, are a perfect example. Is it the end of the video or not? Personally I expected more.



This third video is my least favorite, but is still really neat in its own right. When I first watched it, I wondered what the creator was thinking in placing the type so close together. It doesn't really flow correctly for the eye. It's pretty hard to see. Emphasis is lacking, although the part with the world "revolution" is done well. At the end of the video, it all makes sense! The way the guitar is formed from type is really excellent. Talk about type-image relationship! While the video was very uniform, I wish the creator had used a few different colors. The purple is hard on my eyes, paired with white anyway, and color could have been used for emphasis. The typeface used was a smart choice, as it's a very serious font which pairs nicely with Jack Black's sarcastic tone. It's ironic, but a nice ironic. There could have been some improvements, but still, I'm sure making the video wasn't easy.

I think that comparing these examples of motion type is really interesting. All of the monologues were from the same actor, in the same movie, but were all interpreted differently. This is a good lesson for someone in my shoes, a blossoming designer....it shows that each of us has our own personalities, our own visions, and our own interpretations...nothing is ever exactly the same. And as designers in an ever-changing industry, that is something we should all hope for.