biennialFreerunner: Experiments

Sunday 1 June 2008

Experiments

Slightly shorter version of what I just posted on mine

Typography Experiments

I've left out most of the design speak but thought Dave w might like a look at this bit

///I'm not happy using 'Birth of a Hero' (Not Death of a Hero as I typed yesterday) as the grunge elements are repeated and look cheap so I have been experimenting developing my own.

The 2 fonts I have used are Futura (the condensed one) and Alte Haas Grotesk (the more rounded one). I really like Alte Haas because it's letterforms are big and chunky but the weight keeps it quite light and nice to read, Futura is better for copy rather than 'logo' type.

Screengrab from Illustrator artboard

Alte Haas Grotesk used on header

I think with a bit of tweaking (perhaps a bit too much grit around the letters) this typeface could be developed into an identity for any future design. I think the header may need a bit of a darker background where the type overlaps as the contrast isn't great with the chunkier letters.

Titles/Intro

I had the idea of the stylised lines animating onto the screen with some simple type smoothly 'typing' on, perhaps with some flickery elements to hint at the tense narrative to follow.
I did some quick sketches in photoshop to get an idea of what layouts and type might work with this idea.

I think a contrast to the main feature would be more appropriate than a crazy action packed title sequence, like I mentioned earlier this will build anticipation which is important in animation (one of Disney's rules), a recent example of the graphics greatly contrasting with the style of the film are the end credits of iron man. (click to watch a clip)

Quick initial ideas

I think the second image in is quite interesting (I used the grungy futura whilst experimenting in Illustrator), and think the plain white type on black probably works the best. Simplicity usually is the key to effective design, so I think I'll stick with the black, white and maybe just a darker grey 'fluid' element.

Oh I also uploaded my Shakespeare typography animation to youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX8I6P9mLEc

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The Project

Traceur Tag
De La Salle School in collaboration with St Helens College

The theme for the schools project, Future, Fiction and Fantasy, seemed to instantly form a connection with our idea to produce a piece of work using Parkour and the virtual world as the concept. This film was a collaborative effort between De La Salle School and St Helens College and it was only through this collaboration that the desire to create a film based on the computer game genre was realised.

It was at the initial stages of the collaboration that contemporary artworks such as Matthew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle proved influential along with the film Jump Britain and a variety of computer games such as Halo and Unreal, which helped us to establish the kinds of environment that could form the basis for the film.

Without a doubt the vehicle which supported this project’s creative growth and encouraged clear communication throughout was this blog, instigated by Dave Wood. This blog became a hub of activity which maintained consistency in content during the six month period. Ideas, thoughts, concerns, artistic references and discussions were posted daily, hourly and often by the minute in pursuit of our collective goal.

The most interesting element of the blog, from an educational perspective, was the innovative approach to formative assessment, providing rapid responses to creative problems in a contemporary manner aiding motivation and communication. Both De La Salle School and St Helens College are now exploring ways in which blogs can impact upon student’s development and bring assessment methods into the 21st Century.

This film explores a passion for an activity that in society can be considered as subversive or anti social and channels that enthusiasm into a creative medium. From a school’s point of view the boys were given an opportunity to express themselves in a language that is comfortable to them but in a safe environment, they worked with students witnessing the creative process in action but also what vocational links art can provide.

Finally, working on the School’s Project with the Biennial team has provided us with a fantastic opportunity to investigate contemporary approaches to schemes of work, work collaboratively between different institutions and the community and develop effective forms of communication, all of which have supported our personal development for the delivery of new initiatives such as the re-launch of the Secondary Curriculum and the introduction of the Creative and Media Diploma.

Joanne Millea

Whois biennialFreerunner?

biennialFreerunner Productions is the creative collective formed out of this Biennial project. It soon became apparent to Dave and Jo that the pooled talent, the excitement and the dedication of the students and graduates had naturally formed into a "Hot Group" of multi-disciplinary creatives. As such, the project Jo had brought to Dave had evolved beyond its original scope and remit. It was therefore only natural to give this multi-disciplinary team a collective identity. The biennialFreerunner blog had actually become biennialFreerunner Productions.

There are 6 core collective members and 1 associate member of this collective: co-founders Dave Wood and Jo Millea, Adam Hamilton, Matt Frodsham, Dave Bentick and Stas Krakiewicz. Jose Flores is based in Brighton and his opening scenes were produced remotely.

Already one member of this collective has gone onto make a music video for a band as a result of his experiences as part of this collective.

See www.biennialfreerunner.com for more information or email info@biennialfreerunner.com.

Books by Dave Wood