2001 typography
Martel art
An update/retraction:
A while back I was cruising these newsgroups just like you...anyway, someone
asked about the type in 2001's title cards and I expounded in great length
about it being Futura Extra Lite.
Just saw most of the film again tonight 3/28/98 on TCM. Missed Dawn/open
credits, but "Intermission" was Gill book/med, white on black background with
Ligeti music I think--which is what Geoff uses on TKS. "Jupiter and Beyond.."
was Futura book or so, as were closing credits. Memory or video playing tricks
with me, really thought the type mych more delicate in theaters.
When I saw it a few months back at the New Neon in Cinerama, it seemed the
Intermission credit was on a diffuse, multi-colored background and not black.
Any confirmation?
Geoff, looks like we're both right.
geoffrey alexander
mart...@aol.com (Martel art) writes:
>An update/retraction:
Well, maybe we are, or maybe not :). What I use on the site still doesn't
seem exactly right to me but it is in fact Humanst Light, which I track with
.2 em (if I remember right) in all caps for the title and the names of
persons in the scroll. And yes, the intermission seems to actually be in
Gill perhaps, although Humanst is VERY close to a Gill sans; and it was
always (unless one that was artifically cut in -- the 35mm release had no
intermission) white on black, with wildtrack sfx over as it faded out.
--
Geoffrey Alexander
The Kubrick Site @ http://beethoven.iavalley.cc.ia.us/~tks
Martel art
<<Geoff:
What I use on the site still doesn't
seem exactly right to me but it is in fact Humanst Light, which I track with
.2 em (if I remember right) in all caps for the title and the names of
persons in the scroll.>>
I think Humanist is an alias of Gill; it's relatively nearby alphabetically
which is always a clue. One thing that threw me is the reverse type on screen.
FIlm has odd properties. If one uses too thin a weight it fills in with dupings
etc, which may be why I remember Futura book as being thinner.
geoffrey alexander
mart...@aol.com (Martel art) writes:
Humanst, not 'Humanist' -- though you may be right, I still detect a
difference by the naked eye although I haven't compared them yet directly.
Something I should do when I work on titles again this week.
g.
cine...@hknet.com
geoffrey alexander wrote:
>
> mart...@aol.com (Martel art) writes:
>
> >An update/retraction:
>
> >A while back I was cruising these newsgroups just like you...anyway, someone
> >asked about the type in 2001's title cards and I expounded in great length
> >about it being Futura Extra Lite.
>
> >Just saw most of the film again tonight 3/28/98 on TCM. Missed Dawn/open
> >credits, but "Intermission" was Gill book/med, white on black background with
> >Ligeti music I think--which is what Geoff uses on TKS. "Jupiter and Beyond.."
> >was Futura book or so, as were closing credits. Memory or video playing tricks
> >with me, really thought the type mych more delicate in theaters.
>
> >When I saw it a few months back at the New Neon in Cinerama, it seemed the
> >Intermission credit was on a diffuse, multi-colored background and not black.
> >Any confirmation?
>
> >Geoff, looks like we're both right.
>
> seem exactly right to me but it is in fact Humanst Light, which I track with
> .2 em (if I remember right) in all caps for the title and the names of
> Gill perhaps, although Humanst is VERY close to a Gill sans; and it was
> always (unless one that was artifically cut in -- the 35mm release had no
> intermission) white on black, with wildtrack sfx over as it faded out.
Sorry to muddy the discussion with an uncertain recollection, but I >did<
read in either a James Monaco text, or perhaps Thomas allen Nelson, that
Kubrick used Helvetica for the 2001 titles. That may have been
speculative on whoever's part, but I also recall him explaining the reason
for Kubrick's choice.
Out of interest, what is/are your source(s) for info. on the typefaces used?
derek
Martel art
<<Sorry to muddy the discussion with an uncertain recollection, but I >did<
read in either a James Monaco text, or perhaps Thomas allen Nelson, that
Kubrick used Helvetica for the 2001 titles. That may have been
speculative on whoever's part, but I also recall him explaining the reason
for Kubrick's choice.
Out of interest, what is/are your source(s) for info. on the typefaces used?
derek>>
Helvetica may have been named simply because it's the Microsoft of sans serif
fonts--ubiquitous and well-known I mean, but also gorgeous if used right. My
initial post was based on memory, and I thought it was Futura Lite. When I saw
it again the other night I could tell it's either Futura Book or Regular.
Type's a specialty of mine, being a graphic designer/illustrator. The
"Intermission" font is a middle weight of Gill, or a derivative font--check out
the capital R, distinctive to this font. The book/poster title is futura also.
Those are basically on target but the film was made several typographic
generations ago, and in England (different typesetters possibly). Still, Futura
dates back to the Bauhaus era without significant variations, and Gill is named
after the premier font designer of his period, Eric Gill. I'd guess that font
dates from mid-century. Gill seems to be somewhat preferred by designers across
the pond over Helve or Futura.
Art H13315
The following may have been hashed over already, but...
Isn't the "Dawn of Man" title a different font from any other in the film? The
two titles added after the film was premiered ["18 months.." and "...beyond
the Infinite"] look like Helvetica or the like to me, but Stylistically
speaking, surely they should have been the same font as the Dawn of Man one.
Unless they're considered subheads of "Dawn," and "Dawn" is a subhead of "A
Space Odyssey"...
"Dawn of Man" may state the "theme" of the film, expicitly emblazoned
on-screen, but I've always wondered it *it* wasn't added to the film late in
the editing game, out of fear that after the celestrial Main Title, viewers
might not be clear what planet they're supposed to be on.