These three videos are the final practical piece for this module- along with the final piece of lettering that I created in these videos.
The first of these videos is perhaps the one I am most happy with. I like the way it clearly depicts the thought that is needed to construct a pastiche well, along with the research and the striving to understand the history of the discipline. It also shows the inherent changes that have to be made in the letterforms of the past to make them readable to modern eyes. Often the most important aspects of a letter as dictated by sans serif fonts are reduced in scale in original calligraphic forms and must be accentuated to address a modern audience effectively. This raises the question whether these are actually pastiches anymore? Once again this theme of innovation in tiny increments, in this situation because of a change in audience, suggests pastiche could be a stepping stone on the way to something completely different and new.
I did have my concerns about the speed of replay in this video because so much had to be fit into a small time frame. However, after talking to numerous people about the video it seems all the important stages such as the evaluation are communicated effectively. Although I did try continuous lighting to create consistent visual temperature but it was far too hot to work under and didn't create the professional aesthetic I thought I wanted. However, on reflection I think the natural lighting I have managed instead has a real and truthful tone of voice which fits with the content of the videos (behind the magic).
Learning from Beth on Vimeo.
This was a slightly slower video, showing the detailed experimentation that makes up the majority of most projects. I like the link it creates at both the beginning and the end with the videos before and after. This is important to mediate the effects of separating out the narrative, which I was reluctant to do in the first place. I am really happy with the choice to experiment with the isometric grid that I found the letters sat perfectly on, because this innovation came from seeking to understand the typographic structures closely and therefore the process needed to create them. One thing that I would have liked to change especially in this video is the fact that some of my experimentation is shown on snippets of the statement that I am lettering, rather than the complete thing. This is accurate to how I work because applying every tiny change to the whole piece would be very time consuming and not always successful. However, the message that the words communicate is important and I hope the audience has enough time to take this in.
Isometric Experimenting from Beth on Vimeo.
Scale from Beth on Vimeo.
This video details the furthest removal from the traditional practice of calligraphy by implementing different tools. This is a more decisive parallel of something I observed in the Absinthe Bottle design I analysed in my essay-using half tone dots to emulate the effects of a de-bossed shadow. This time I use a large paint brush to emulate the shapes created by a quill pen. Soon, however, emulation is replaces by experimentation, as is natural, and something darker, messier and different is soon being created. This is the video that shows the positives of emulation and how pastiche can lead to new and exciting things, at least more overtly than the others.
More than anything, this project has taught me that truly learning a practical skill and then learning to break the rules in the right way is exhilarating and exciting. I have really enjoyed every minuet of this project and hope to continue working on this discipline in my own time. Even if I don't get a particularly high mark for whatever reason, I am still content that I have created something that has benefited myself as a practitioner hugely.
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