Possible Fonts

A range of fonts are used within thrillers varying from: bold, helvetica, arial etc. The chosen font can help identify the style of the movie, what genre the movie may be and even how the movie is going to fair (an awful font will ruin the movie at the outset). For example, Noir movies all have the same big, bold, defined font that when used instantly labels the movie to have the conventions of every stereotypical noir movie out there. For example in 2012, an advert was televised for a new movie 'Gangster Squad' and instantly from the font that was shown in the titles, without any of the action following you could identify it was a modern noir making. I have drawn a couple of examples from leading thrillers below to compare and take notes from for choosing the font for my own thriller.

In most of the titles (apart from 'The Impossible' and 'Da Vinci Code') the writing is styled in big, bold, clear lettering. This is effective in that it's not  making you focus more on the colours around it and the actions that may be going on, it's standing out among all these different aspects to the mise en scene and giving a clear, bold statement of the movie title. This in effect will make the audience remember the name as t's been brought out as clear as day for them to see. The two alternatives of more styled writing from 'The Impossible' and 'DaVinci Code' is used due to two things: 1. One of them is already an acclaimed novel and therefore the same font that was used on the book has been replicated for the motion picture and 2. The Impossible is based on true, gripping events that shook the world. In accordance to the movies, the title is perfect. However, these thrillers also differ from others because it has a harsh reality to the plot, and one that maybe has a deeper meaning, hense why the styled writing may work better.

In relation to colour codes, the colours used are all quite dark and dim. This is showing the events that may come in this movie isn't going to be the nicest. For 'The Dark Knight Rises' we already know the ins and outs of the storyline as it is one of many batman movies made over the many years. However, the use of black replicates the bat that the whole movies originated and focus around. By making a relation to the colours used and the characters, this creates a logo in which audiences can relate the movie too. 'The Impossible', contrastingly uses the opposite effect of black writing and a white background. This could be used for the harsh reality that the film portrays, the black and white represents the good and bad and by using the white in the background it forsees that the movie will have a happy ending, or as happy as you can get from a tsunami.

For my own thriller, the style of font is inspired very much like 'The Bourne Ultimatum' just as some of the filming techniques and ideas also originated from. It's a very classic font, simple, however when contrasted against a dark background the writing will become very sharp and defined and one that will catch the viewers eye. With the help of dafont.com I have chosen a few samples for the title of the movie as well as the credits to use within the thriller. Each have their strengths and weaknesses however there is a definite style that has occured through the process.

1. This is a font called 'Mouse Deco' by Steve Ferrera. It is bold, simple with the noir edge to it, with the styling of the B and the R in particular. A reason why we may end up not choosing this font is because of that noir style it brings to it, as by using this it could contrast a lot with the plot of the story. Also this font suggests a 1930's/40's style about it and our thriller is very much set in modern day society and therefore wouldn't fit right with it. However, I do like the tall, lean style of the writing and would look to use something similair but maybe with a less styled effect.

 

2. This font is called 'Belgrad' by Vinzent Britz. This, just as the previous font I showcased is very tall and bold which I like about it. The spacing between the letters in this font I don't like as much as the one before as it had a lot more space between and doesn't fit well with our thriller. I think with tight spacing we could use it for a metaphor for Edward and the tight awkward situation he is facing, and with close letters, it also gives the image of everything being very claustrophobic and tight. This will then be accompanied by the thrillers shots. The issue with the style on the B and R have occured again, however this one is very much mroe dramatised than the previous shown. This doesn't really fit with the thriller as like I said before, we aren't looking for a classic, vintage look; we are looking for a clear, plain, modern look that can compliment the characters and story that it's describing.

3. This font is called 'Bebas' by Flat-It. This font is not very different from the previous two however it does have some recognisable features that differentiate. The first, the spacing is very much closer than the other two, and I like this because it makes the writing look claustrophobic, in a metaphorical sense ofcourse. However, I would like the writing that we use to be closer together than this but ofcourse we can tweek if necessary. This font is very simple with the B and the R not styled in the slightest. This is giving a modern look and not styled like the previous two which suit the characters as well as the footage we have used. This would (if used) be used for the title of the thriller due to the spacing issues. As this is introducing the movie it is essential that it is perfect and giving the image of what we are looking for. This font will be put against the thriller to test and see whether this will work well with the contrasted background we were hoping to put it against.

4. This font is called 'Tall Dark and Handsome' by QuickStick. This is a suitable font for the thriller as it has all the aspects which we were looking for: Tall, letters spaced close together, no styling on the letters, simple, effective against a contrasting background. The only difficulty with this font that I would find is that the boxing on the B and the R doesn't look quite right, and I would want it to be more rounded as it seems more simple that way. The boxing makes it look like it should belong to a science fiction movie rather than a thriller. However the height of the letters works well with the spacing, they compliment each other to make the word seem quite overpowering and looming, with this sense of claustrophobia with the letters being so close together. This could be related to Edward, and even to Barry (the other character) in a sense that Barry is looming over Edward and watching his every move, whilst closing in on him at every second getting closer and closer creating this claustrophobic effect i've been talking about.