Agatha Christie's book designs

In the crit yesterday a few people noticed i was having difficulty picking an appropriate type face for the indents. So recommended I look at Agatha Christie's book designs for inspiration.



I think these book designs work well at advertising the Mysterious tone set in the Agatha Christie novels. I have noticed they all use simple 'vector' like imagery set against a very dark background or dropped shadow.
The 'death on the Nile' book cover uses colour well at setting the scene of Egypt in the background. This hot calm, setting sun provides a contrast with the main foreground image of a suspicious man holding a subtle gun. The man is suspicious because he appears to be made up of dark shadow blocks.
I think the layout of text works well in the bottom image. The text appears to be spiraling towards the center of the page, guiding the viewer eye to a small vectored silhouette of laying down figure, which after having read the text you presume is a dead body (an instant way of setting the tone).
The text layout, in these round shapes also reminds me of other classic mystery imagery/objects such as the microscope and finger prints.

Prologue site

I visited the 'prologue' site today and coincidently on the first page of (what's new today) where the opening logos, main titles and credit sequence of the new sherlock holmes movie.
This imagery contains the stylish, moody and dark qualities i hope to achieve in my TV idents. The end credits are illustrated in detail using inks and textured paper, this also keeps in tone with the context of the film. Victorian, industrial, dirty, stylish and mysterious.

Pink Panther

Formative Feedback from presentation

Problem Analysis
Strengths- Good Questions
Weaknesses- Questions need to be answered, Make solid decisions!
Contextual Understanding
Strengths- Good understanding of structures of films- use it visually! clues...etc
Weaknesses- Research more visually Brainstorm and draw!
Research
Strengths- More posters would be good influence
You need to start looking at specific styles of design to inspire your future work.
Weaknesses- Use the research found to influence design direction
Design Direction
Strengths - blocks, Shadow...what else? the use of camera angles in the films to create anticipation and atmosphere. Could you use this in your idents in the same way?
Weaknesses- needs to be decided! Explore visual connections of the genre.
Additional comments
Look at other film titles
Website ( watch the titles, not the film)
Pink Panther
iconography of mystery genre

From this feedback i am going to set up an action plan. To address issues that have been mentioned...
Make solid decisions!
Brainstorm ideas
Draw ideas
Research more posters and film titles
What iconic images are related to 'Mystery' genre?
How am i going to create suspense?
view some film title openings
look at pink panther
Decide on a colour pallet
Decide on a specific style, decade ect or something to like all idents as a set.

These 2 sets of screen grabs contain the sort of imagery and tone I hope to create in my own idents for the Mystery season.
The first set is illustrated with a hand crafted quality I think this works well and also provides a fantasy element to the suspense/ horror created by dark shadows.
The Other set provieds the same sort of tone however through photography and surreal camera lenses associated with "spy".

Although it is very old, i've managed to find possibly the ONLY mystery movie ident ever made. lol

Film 4

I have decided to hold the 'mystery movie season' on the Film4 channel. This channel is known to showcase a wide range of titles including classics, the latest Hollywood epics, the best of US and UK independent cinema, foreign flicks and cult cinema.




I find these idents mesmerizing and therefore they are probably a very effective way to advertise a channel. I think the ident was produced by filming a car speeding (a classic action scene) form a few angles. Then to add an alternative twist they have slowed the film down a lot in timing with 'curious' sounding music. To eventually revel between the screens the film 4 logo. I think this advert works well at advertising 'Film 4' as an alternative, original and independent film channel.

Visual insperation

I have collected a group of images based on 'mystery' movies these include screen shots on sets of movies, posters, my own photographs...etc

The above sequence is the opening to the movie 'kiss kiss bang bang'. It has been produced using vectored silhouettes in a simple colour pallet of red, black and white. These images move/animate in time to the mysterious, yet upbeat, 'fun' soundtrack. The tone created is Mysterious, Comic and action.
I particularly like the entrance. To open with a black screen then have a few yellow squares appear, then all of a sudden you realize the vectored images have produced a street scene. This technique in time to the music works well at engaging the viewer to watch the flow/chain reaction of events that unfold in this movie opening.

The above is the opening sequence to se7en. I think it works in a similar way the kiss kiss bang bang sequence, as is uses visuals in time to sound effects/music to create a mysterious tone. It too also uses a similar, simple colour pallet of red, black and white. However it is lacking the comic/fun aspect, that was dominant in the "kiss kiss..." sequence. Instead, the se7en opening has a sinister/ horror tone created. The photographic images of razor blades/ scissors appear very realistic with a jerky/ uncontrollable movement. The bright flashing lights with dark heavy shadows move with the 'electric/scratchy' sound effects. All together this sequence is telling the viewer the film is going to be a horror/crime/mystery.

Mystery films

I have decided to use Mystery films in the tv idents. Mystery and detective films are considered a sub-genre of crime and gangster films also film noir, or suspense and thriller films that focus on the unsolved crime (usually the murder or disappearance of one or more of the characters, or a theft), and on the central character - the hard-boiled detective-hero, as he/she meets various adventures and challenges in the cold and methodical pursuit of the criminal or the solution to the crime.

Genres of thought

Thriller-suspense

Film Noir

Melodramas 

Mystery films

Fantasy

period drama 

Film ident considerations DIRECTORS

First step- Which selection of films am i going to promote??
Films by specific directors???
Some of my favorite directors and films are...
Danny Boyal
Films include, Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, The Beach and Slumdog Millionaire.



Joel and Ethan Coen
The Big Lebowski, O'Brother where art thou?, Intolerable Cruelty, No Country for old men...etc


Stanley Kubrick
Known for Directing, Lolita, A Space Odyssey, A clockwork orange, The shining, A.I Artificial Intelligence...etc




Martin Scorcese (although i think his films are good, they are violent! so i probably wont pick these for the project)
Taxi Driver, New York New York, Cape Fear, Gangs of New York...etc


Tim Burton (I think he is quite a diverse director covering a range of genres form horrors to musicals and animation for childeren)
Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands, Big Fish...etc




John Lasseter (Directs for Pixar and Disney, amazing CGI movies for children)
Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Walli-e, Up ...etc