I tried a different style of typography that we could use in order to achieve the scary effect we are aiming for.
I opened a new document on photoshop and made the background black. I then inserted the letter 'P' changing the font to Blackman Old Style as I wanted an old fashioned looking font.
Once the letter was inserted, I adjusted the opacity levels to make it appear very translucent and ghost like.
Following this, I went to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur. This allowed the letters to take on a spinning and blurred effect which adds to the scary effect we are aiming for.
I then duplicated the layer that I have just created in order to give it more depth then I increased the opacity on the top layer and slightly shifted it to the right of the other two layers.
After looking at out Typography for our film opening, we decided to reconsider the design, due to the fact the font itself appear too masculine and strong for a young female antagonist. Therefore, I have tried another way in order to recreate the typography to fit out opening better.
Firstly, I typed the title of our film out in white on a black background:
I then changed the font to one that is more feminine and fragile:
On top of this, I laid a cracked ground image over the text, being careful not to stretch the image, ruing the overall effect:
Then I changed the opacity of this overlaid image, making it possible for me to see the text underneath
I was then able to use the eraser tool to rub out any of the cracked image that was not laid over the text, therefore shaping the image around the text itself:
I did this to the entire word and then added a stylized effect to it, causing the font to appear more static and supernatural in comparison to the original font.
I did this effect in all four directions. Here is the final product:
This image however, appears as though it is sparkling and does not fit the genre of our film opening.
I decided to make some Production Company Titles using photoshop. Unfortunately I couldn't animate them however I did make them look quite professional.
First I uploaded my metallic background image in order to work my lettering upon it.
I then clicked to text button and typed in the name of our production company "cracked images".
I adjusted the text to size 400 and changed the font to one that was very bold and eye catching.
I uploaded an image of a cracked floor over to top of my text and stretched it over the letters themselves.
I changed the opacity to 50% which meant I was able to see the lettering underneath the cracked picture.
I selected the eraser tool and began to remove the cracked picture around the lettering, meaning the cracked picture spelt out the works underneath the letters.
I did this over the course of the entire production company name.
Here is my final product:
Here is the video of how it will look on our film opening:
I experimented with two different types of typography in order to create a couple of different reactions when the typography appears on screen. The first one I did was similar to the style that Abbie did earlier. Static.
I set up a basic sized background in order to form my basic text upon.
I used the paint bucket to change the background from white to black in order to make it appear scarier.
I added the word "Porcelain" as that is the name of out film. I added it simply in Arial font but made it big enough to cover the whole page.
Filter > Stylise > Wind. This created the smudged effect on the edges. I hit Command F in order to increase the wind effect to make it appear more static and creepy.
I rotated the word and repeated the previous step in order to get the static effect in all four directions.
Here is the final product.
I then did an effect on the typography that fit in well with our story line. I make the words appear cracked and broken just like the little girls face.
I created a new document and change the background to black as I did in the previous style. I also added the word Porcelain in simple font.
On top of these words I added the cracked image from my previous cracked photoshop piece.
I then changed the opacity of the image to make it possible to see the words through the image.
I then used the eraser tool in order to delete the image that was around the text. This gives the effect of the word itself being cracked.
This video was the original edit of the credits done by Rebecca
To do this I used bad TV effect over the drawings to make them flash more on the screen as they were very slow and gentle in the first edit which is not as in keeping with the horror theme. This also made the footage seem more tense and scarier, showing that something was about to happen
After doing this, i decided to change the font and the way the credits entered the screen. To do this i tried many different fonts but decided to use typewriter. This comes on to the screen one letter at a time so the slow pace creates tension and a sense of uneasiness.
Then i added the text on screen naming the different people involved and their jobs keeping the font quite small so that the images could be seen clearly. I stayed with the white colouring because i think it stands out best against the drawings. Also white doesn't give away too much, it leaves a sense of mystery and paired with the slow entrance of the text this can be more subtle and scary.
SINISTER
When I began looking at Supernatural Horror Film typography, the first movie to pop into my head was Sinister. This is because I have studied the film before as well as having a memory of the typography they used.
In this movie poster, the typography they used is very stereotypical. Although the font may be plain and simple there is a very evil feel about it. This is due to the fact there is a shadow behind and underneath the font itself. This is a very good attribute to include in our opening titles typography.
MAMA
This poster is slightly different to Sinister. The typography is extremely simple with no hint of stereotypical features. The font is plain white and very basic. Although we want our typography to be basic and simple, we also want it to be attractive and intriguing at the same time. There are no features from this poster that we would want to include in our typography.
SHUTTER
The last typography I looked at was that of Shutter. Although this font is very basic, it does have a feature that I would like to carry forward into our typography. And that is the fact that it looks like the letters have faded and cracked. This causes the text to look older and more creepy that if it was simple and blocked in.
Therefore I would like to combine the featured from Sinister and Shutter in order to create our typography.
Typography:
The words that appear within this sequence are the opening credits. They show the production company and the actors/actresses who star in the film. The font the editing company uses is very different to the genre of the film. With a title like "Ghost Ship" you would expect the typography to very creepy and sinister however that isn't the case. The typography used in this opening sequence is pink and very feminine.
This could be to confuse the audience that perhaps the film isn't a horror as according to the title. Usually the text that is linked to supernatural horror films, is of a dark colour with a lot of detail. The typography used for this sequence is almost the opposite. It isn't dark, it's a pale bubbly pink colour and it isn't particularly detailed, it is simple with almost a hand written look to it.
Sound:
At first the music appears to be non-diegetic however, we later find out that it is in fact diegetic as the woman on the boat is singing along to the tune being played. The music is very contrapuntal to the scene on screen. The screen is dark and shot at night, or so it seems, where as the music is lively and up beat. Once the diegetic singing fades into a simple background music, you begin to hear people laughing and talking, as the crew welcome the guests, this is due to the fact there is now a large crowd on the screen.
As the scene continues, the woman who is singing, talks to her audience, demanding they dance. This causes the diegetic sound of russelling suits and dresses as the guests take to the dance floor. This is again followed by the diegetic singing of the woman. When there is a whole ship view, if you listen carefully, you can hear the breaking of waves as the ship passes through the water. This again is a diegetic sound as it is made on screen.
Shortly after, a crew member lifts a lever and starts a turbine. This is a diegetic sound that is almost like cranking something up. This causes the non-diegetic sound that is made when the camera moves quickly, following the rope that is attached to the turbine. This sound adds tension to the film putting the audience on the edge of their seat, awaiting, supposedly, something bad.
An low contrapuntal non-diegetic sound follows which also adds tension to the scene as it slowly gets louder and higher as the audience watches on. As the line snaps, creating a high pitching "ting" noise, pulling everything with it, it creates more suspense. When the line begins to get tighter, you can hear the diegetic sound of it slicing through people. This adds a gruesome effect to the scene and makes the audience cringe.
When the wire finally comes to halt, there is a diegetic sound of the wire vibrating. Although this may be a very quiet sound in real life, the volume is increased to add emphasis to the audience of the monstrosity that just occurred. The next sound is the diegetic creaking of the turbine that the wire is attached to. This shows the audience the possibility that the line could break again, causing more trauma.
The last sounds the audience here are both non diegetic and diegetic. The diegetic sounds being the victims whimpering and struggling to breathe. This adds a sense of slasher horror to the film and makes the audience want to look away. The non diegetic sounds that are featured towards the end of this clip are very low and loud in comparison to the diegetic whimpering sounds. This is to add "salt to the wound" and make the truma seem even worse, if possible.
This is an example of typography from 'Paranormal Activity' which is a supernatural horror about ghosts in the home. The film is largely shot using a home video camera and that is represented in the blurry affect on the text. The use of a home video camera makes the audience feel the footage has actually happened and is therefore more realistic created a scarier effect, this would be a good idea for our film and so the typography should represent this.
This text is in a red font which has connotations of anger and danger and so is very appropriate for the film content. Also, blood is red and so the font shows the injuries and gruesome footage that the video may show.
Another supernatural horror is 'insidious' again about a demon in the home however the typography is very different. In this example the typography offers less information about the film, it looks less scary and does not use the classic red or black colours. However, this contrast can be more scary as it shows the film has something else to offer, it is different and this can be more unsettling. The use of the white colour is very eye catching and will draw the viewers attention in straight away which is necessary to engage them and make them want to know more. The font is blurred and has a rough effect on it to show the destruction and to act as a contrast between the typography and the idillic family home in the background.
The film 'sinister' uses typography that fits more into the expected conventions of typography for a horror. For example, the way the writing looks as though it has been written on the wall in blood creates the feel that death is imminent in the film. Also, the letters themselves look as though they are dripping and oozing which creates connotations of dirt and blood like the words have been thrown up onto the wall and are actually a part of the scene. Finally, the use of the colour black creates a feeling of doom and darkness and tells the audience exactly what this film is about.
Overall, I believe it would be good to make typography that looks like it is a part of the scene like done in sinister because it makes the audience focus on the whole shot and draws their attention to the action as well as the films titles. I think the correct use of colour is important and therefore using a shade that suggests something about the film is important. For example, red connotes blood or blood connotes calm. For our typography i would suggests that red, black, or a grimy and dirty looking green would be perfect to show the scary and disgusting elements of the film.
