Group 6

FONTS FOR A THRILLER

We as a group decided to focus on the fonts we would use within our thriller opening as it is one of the most essential parts of a film as it not only establishes the tone but gives the

audience an idea of the quality they can expect from the film as it progresses. The font can not only be very informative in regards to

listing the cast and crew but could also foreshadow the narrative through its color,

calligraphy style and the size of the text itself in foil to the images on screen.

WHY THE FOCUS ON FONTS

EXAMPLES OF FONTS USED IN THRILLERS

The font used in the 1960s thriller 'Psycho' is a very unique one and I feel it is rather effective as the distortion of the text suggests the distortion of perhaps the character's mind. The text itself can be linked to the frantic nature of the antagonist's mind but also with the stabbing sequences that are present within the movie.

The typography used in this font uses the colour red which connotes danger but the italics and the style of calligraphy used is suggestive of someone having used their nails or a sharp object to carve that into something which connotes the idea that there is a sense of entrapment within the film and that the antagonist within the film is inescapable and I find this very interesting in terms of font.

EXAMPLES OF FONTS USED IN THRILLERS

The use of black and white in the title for the thriller 'Black Swan' is very intriguing as it captures the audience's eyes through the basic but effective contrast between the black and white colors. The text is written in block colors and is placed on white feathers, which due to the background is suggestive that the protagonist will be innocent but will be tarnished by the darkness of their surroundings and eventually the darkness inside them will grow as the black text is directly inside the images of feathers/purity.

The colors in the 'Sin City' font are very important as the calligraphy is very bold and simplistic but use a red, black and white theme and the combustion of the words with blood surging out suggests there will be blood and graphical violence within the film. The use of the bold text is also very important as it suggests the strength of the characters individually but when they are conjoined- blood will spill, foreshadowing perhaps the battle scenes and intriguing the audience to find out why blood will spill.

The first font we decided to consider was that of a bold font which then crumbles out for the credits. The

reasoning behind this was simply because it suggests how people tend to crumble around this family but also how the façade of the main protagonists/antagonist will

crumble under pressure- and leave a lasting effect- hence the smoke in the text.

FONT ONE

The second font we considered using is a font which drips upon the screen as it keeps the audience on the

edge of their seat through the connotations that within this movie there will be a lot of blood shed. It also ties

in with the theme of the 'Black Widow' and killing people. It is a very interesting choice.

FONT TWO

The final font in our minds was the use of block capitals and a very simplistic calligraphy- this is

because we don’t want to draw away from the suspense of the thriller as it won’t draw you away from

what’s actually happening on screen. It is very simplistic and the boldness suggests that perhaps the

protagonist is very calculated and controlled in her actions. The font will not fade in or fade out but will instead simply appear on the screen and disappear- showing how abrupt the lives of those who come in

contact with the antagonists are.

FONT THREE

Another font we considered using is the one below, as it is very sinister however, we decided against it

because it denotes a sense of adventure and it doesn’t quite tie in with the theme or the genre. It would

perhaps be good for a film that tackles fantasy and adventure as opposed to a thriller and so this font was

ultimately scrapped by us as a group as we need something that would seem believable, convincing and

could build suspense.

FONTS THAT DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT

Font 1: The first font had a very positive feedback as they liked the connotations it had but they also felt it could

draw away from the action of the scenes unfolding before them.

Font 2: The general consensus is that it is a font that is normally associated with horrors and not with thrillers and

so it wouldn’t be suitable for our thriller opening.

Font 3: This font had the people we asked torn, as they couldn’t decide whether simplicity was a good thing or a bad thing as they believed font can carry an opening if the images aren’t of good quality however if engaging

footage is used then simplistic font would be more appropriate.

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

In conclusion, having discussed the audience feedback in the group, we decided to stick with either font one

or font three, depending on how the raw footage comes out as not only did we like what they both connote but also because they were the most popular when shown

to the audience.

If we use the first font then we would need to find a way to make it fit in with the dark feel of the opening,

perhaps using darker colours and shadows whereas with font three it will be less work as it reduces

animation time and so forth.

CONCLUSION