Hasta La Motion!

If you love typography, look no further. Handmade by students and faculty at Brigham Young University (BYU), the opening-title for the 5′th annual Typophile Film Festival, is a bona fide type de force. Uniquely inspired by the 5 Senses, the designers stir up a theme that describes how sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch inform human creativity. Like a game of dress-up, each of the senses is visually fitted in it’s own swathe of tactility – thumbing their nose at squeaky-clean CG, and relying entirely on raw materials. Its means are thrifty, but in scope, ambitious. The result is authentic.

Naturally, the common denominator is typography, and like a buffet of sorts, there is something here for everybody. From sans serifs to scripts, the contrast of typefaces are strung together so cannily that the graphical mishmash makes you feel like you’re staring into a bowl of alphabet soup. Devoid of superficial extravagance, the whole piece has a sense of frugality about it; an economy of form, that with such wide eyed (student) endeavors , makes you feel warm and fuzzy, or genuinely, proud to be a designer. Easily, that’s as good as it gets.

True, that for all its inherent qualities, a piece of such prudent and exceptional means is sure to inspire. False, that for all its inherent, accessible qualities, a work like this is a piece of cake. Frankly, in the nature of great work, the many designers who created this opening title made it look easy. In honesty, this piece is a labor of love, and born from the passion, grunt work, and elbow grease of Brent Barson (Creative Director, Faculty member), and over a dozen young designers. The team made a conscious decision to avoid CG, and in turn, conceive a work on the flip side of high-end. When the dust settles, the effect, with all the Astroturf, Play-Doh, and Jell-O bouncing typography, is unabashedly innocent, and playfully inviting; coming home to what Motion Graphics used to be all about; pure, unadulterated fun.

Creative Director & Faculty Mentor:
Brent Barson

Writers:
Brent Barson
Jessica Blackham
Analisa Estrada
Meg Gallagher
John Jensen
Regan Fred Johnson
Colin “The Pin” Pinegar

“Our dreams drench us in senses, and senses steep us again in dreams.” — Amos Bronson Alcott
“If eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Sound conducts the symphony of life.” — Anonymous
“Everyone eats and drinks, but few appreciate taste.” — Confucius
“Nothing conjures a more vivid memory than a familiar scent.” — Anonymous
“The sense of touch adds dimension to our existence.” — Anonymous

Storyboards:
Brent Barson
Jessica Blackham
Analisa Estrada
John Jensen
Regan Fred Johnson
Colin “The Pin” Pinegar

Construction, Paint & Glue:
Brent Barson
Wynn Burton
Analisa Estrada
Meg Gallagher
Olivia Juarez Knudsen
Casey Lewis
Reeding Roberts
Deven Stephens

Brain Sculpture:
Brian Christensen

Animators:
Brent Barson
Wynn Burton
Analisa Estrada
Meg Gallagher
Olivia Juarez Knudsen
Reeding Roberts
Deven Stephens

Cinematographer:
Wynn Burton

Editing:
Brent Barson
Wynn Burton
Analisa Estrada
Meg Gallagher
Reeding Roberts

Hand Models:
Analisa Estrada
Meg Gallagher
Olivia Juarez Knudsen
Deven Stephens
Michelle Stephens

Original Music:
micah dahl anderson
www.micahdahl.com

Shot with a RED One, a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, a Canon EOS 40D, and a Nikon D80.
Stop motion created with Dragon Stop Motion.

Special thanks to Kevin “Laser” Cole and the BYU waterjet cutting crew.
Effusive thanks go to Eddie King and Rubberball Productions for the RED shoot.
Thanks to Font Bureau for the usage of their handsome typefaces.
Much obliged to Verite, Bethanne Anderson and Paul “P-Dudey” Adams for the lighting & equipment, and Adrian Pulfer for the Mark II.
Thanks to the Amanda Knight Hall for the ghosts, and lingering nagchampa smell.

Posted on Motionographer