10 words [in no specific order] that describe the feelings/reactions I want it to inspire in the viewer..
1. Fresh
2. Lively
3. Bold
4. Eloquent
5. Legitimate
6. Intelligent
7. Stylish
8. Organized
9. Educational
10. Humorous
If I had 5 more..
11. Developed
12. Dynamic
13. Energetic
14. Reliable
15. Methodical
I will use these words to guide me in forming the look and feel of my project.
Then, I can use these graphics to convey something specific to the reader.
[In response to Monica's comment on a previous post.]
Friday, September 30, 2011
Class Discussion - Changing Content Style
"Travis was reading articles on cracked.com, feeling happy and laughing. After all, the site describes itself as 'America's Only Humor Site since 1958.' He read an article called 5 Bad Ideas for Dealing With Bullies You Learned in Movies, and it was a bummer. Read the article and some of the other Cracked content. Do you think the blog site was right in presenting material that was outside of the type of content normally featured? Do you think there would be a better way to manage it? In your opinion, what is the responsibility of a site editorial team?"
Okay, let's start by establishing that there is no good or bad, right or wrong, move in this situation. This means that there is no better or worse thing to do in this situation. We can only bring ideas like good or bad into a situation when we define the parameters and limit the context.
We are all just a bunch of organisms living, and communicating with each other. In the grand scheme of life, this is not that big of a deal, to me. Somebody giving a depressing story and opinion on a comedy based blog just doesn't matter.
If we limit the context to the site getting viewers, I can only talk from my perspective and what I would want. If I go to a website for a person's writing, I would probably like this insight into the person's life and beliefs. If I go to a website for the intended purpose of the site, maybe to learn about video techniques, I would absolutely not want to read something like this.
If we broaden the context and perspective of this, a little, to include the intent of the creator of the website and their satisfaction with the site, it could be a successful move. The creator wanted to talk about a situation that happened to him, and have people listen. From his perspective, it was a success.
It comes down to whose perspective we are looking from, the creator, the audience, or the website/company. In my opinion, the responsibility of a site editorial team would be to define what the goal of the site is, and help each other follow that definition of those guidelines. A better way to manage it would really depend on the creators' intent for what the website should be and what it should function as. This includes personal satisfaction, if they want revenue, how revenue is attained and how it is divided, if they have a target audience that they make content for or if they make content to express themselves and an audience finds them, etc.
Okay, let's start by establishing that there is no good or bad, right or wrong, move in this situation. This means that there is no better or worse thing to do in this situation. We can only bring ideas like good or bad into a situation when we define the parameters and limit the context.
We are all just a bunch of organisms living, and communicating with each other. In the grand scheme of life, this is not that big of a deal, to me. Somebody giving a depressing story and opinion on a comedy based blog just doesn't matter.
If we limit the context to the site getting viewers, I can only talk from my perspective and what I would want. If I go to a website for a person's writing, I would probably like this insight into the person's life and beliefs. If I go to a website for the intended purpose of the site, maybe to learn about video techniques, I would absolutely not want to read something like this.
If we broaden the context and perspective of this, a little, to include the intent of the creator of the website and their satisfaction with the site, it could be a successful move. The creator wanted to talk about a situation that happened to him, and have people listen. From his perspective, it was a success.
It comes down to whose perspective we are looking from, the creator, the audience, or the website/company. In my opinion, the responsibility of a site editorial team would be to define what the goal of the site is, and help each other follow that definition of those guidelines. A better way to manage it would really depend on the creators' intent for what the website should be and what it should function as. This includes personal satisfaction, if they want revenue, how revenue is attained and how it is divided, if they have a target audience that they make content for or if they make content to express themselves and an audience finds them, etc.
WDIGTS Review
Why Did I Go To School .com is a project that I have wanted to work on since I was sixteen. Having no access to education in fields of my interest, I found other ways to learn: books, training DVDs, and online resources. One site in particular, VideoCopilot, was of such high quality and had so much free education that it singlehandedly decided part of my career path, and took me from knowing nothing to knowing what I know now in the world of motion graphics, today. This inspired me to take what I know and give back to younger versions of me, and even people my age, who want to learn something, but don't know where to start.
Why Did I Go To School .com is meant to organize learning sources for people into cohesive logical groups, in an order that makes sense for people to learn the best. It will be a lot of written content, as the mold to hold all of the resources that I want to bring together and organize into different subjects. The idea is to come up with a very organized structure (list of topics and subjects) before I start organizing and writing content. This is where you come in..
I would like to ask for your input, because -- for one reason or another -- you have gained my respect, and I consider you to be awesome. I need help with organization and subjects.
I have three main areas to learn about: video, photography, and graphic design.
Within these areas of learning are three Microsoft Word documents with headings like this..
Photography (Main Subject - Title of Page)
What is it? (Page - Link to page with info)
THE CAMERA (Main Topic - Not a page)
Cameras (Page - Link to page with info that is tabbed below)
Film Cameras (Info for page above)
(I have a few links that can be disregarded. Just found some links while writing and wanted to have them for later.)
Why Did I Go To School .com is kind of a cheeky title, and I'd like to address the attitude that the site will have. School is definitely a valuable source of learning. I obviously believe in its worth, because I am in school. I believe that the purpose of school is not just to educate, but to teach people how to learn and educate themselves. I am surrounded with so many students that expect school to teach them everything that they will need in life, and it is sad to watch. This site is for people who do not have access to school as well as people who are in school, who want to find more information on things in the main subjects that the site covers. I have spent many years fumbling through my own education, and I feel like all of the time that I spent searching around for information could have been massively shortened, if I had the questions of what information and where to find that information laid out for me.
I don't think that I am a master of knowledge or better than everyone. But, I do feel that I have a keen ability to communicate. If I truly understand something, I can generally find a way to present that concept to others that do not. If the first method doesn't work, I try a different approach, until we find a metaphor or visual representation that works for the person learning. This is the approach that I take in my classroom, and this is the approach that I want to take for this site. I want to have a few different ways to learn the same material, so that, if one source doesn't work for some people, there will be alternatives.
If you do decide that you will help, there are three different sections. It might help to glance over the different sections, as well, just to get an idea of what I'm going for. This should be something that you can use if you are teaching a class; I want this to be used as a resource for students by teachers in classrooms. So, think about this in terms of, "If I had a class of students, what would make this a good resource for them to use?"
If you decide not to help, it is no big deal. :) Life is busy, and helping someone work on a capstone project isn't always the most fun thing to do with your spare time!
Why Did I Go To School .com is meant to organize learning sources for people into cohesive logical groups, in an order that makes sense for people to learn the best. It will be a lot of written content, as the mold to hold all of the resources that I want to bring together and organize into different subjects. The idea is to come up with a very organized structure (list of topics and subjects) before I start organizing and writing content. This is where you come in..
I would like to ask for your input, because -- for one reason or another -- you have gained my respect, and I consider you to be awesome. I need help with organization and subjects.
I have three main areas to learn about: video, photography, and graphic design.
Within these areas of learning are three Microsoft Word documents with headings like this..
Photography (Main Subject - Title of Page)
What is it? (Page - Link to page with info)
THE CAMERA (Main Topic - Not a page)
Cameras (Page - Link to page with info that is tabbed below)
Film Cameras (Info for page above)
(I have a few links that can be disregarded. Just found some links while writing and wanted to have them for later.)
Why Did I Go To School .com is kind of a cheeky title, and I'd like to address the attitude that the site will have. School is definitely a valuable source of learning. I obviously believe in its worth, because I am in school. I believe that the purpose of school is not just to educate, but to teach people how to learn and educate themselves. I am surrounded with so many students that expect school to teach them everything that they will need in life, and it is sad to watch. This site is for people who do not have access to school as well as people who are in school, who want to find more information on things in the main subjects that the site covers. I have spent many years fumbling through my own education, and I feel like all of the time that I spent searching around for information could have been massively shortened, if I had the questions of what information and where to find that information laid out for me.
I don't think that I am a master of knowledge or better than everyone. But, I do feel that I have a keen ability to communicate. If I truly understand something, I can generally find a way to present that concept to others that do not. If the first method doesn't work, I try a different approach, until we find a metaphor or visual representation that works for the person learning. This is the approach that I take in my classroom, and this is the approach that I want to take for this site. I want to have a few different ways to learn the same material, so that, if one source doesn't work for some people, there will be alternatives.
If you do decide that you will help, there are three different sections. It might help to glance over the different sections, as well, just to get an idea of what I'm going for. This should be something that you can use if you are teaching a class; I want this to be used as a resource for students by teachers in classrooms. So, think about this in terms of, "If I had a class of students, what would make this a good resource for them to use?"
If you decide not to help, it is no big deal. :) Life is busy, and helping someone work on a capstone project isn't always the most fun thing to do with your spare time!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Type in Motion 5
The very unique thing about this video, especially when compared to kinetic typography, is that the artist didn't just use different fonts, styles, and color for different parts of the video; the artist created different brands for each section of the video.
The mix of color, graphics, lighting, and font selection creates a different look and feel about every three to eight seconds. This is a very noteworthy accomplishment to have done something based around text with such variation at such a fast rate. The type isn't just thrown around, either. It is carefully thought out, kerned, tracked, and leaded with a purpose, and it really shows in the end result.
The video does a great job of referencing things by the use of recognizable fonts. [1:04 Sega Genesis reference] [1:55 Fox reference] It's fun to look at how much a font can remind us of a brand is by its typeface. This shows how important and valuable a good typeface is to represent a brand and stick out in the minds of people that see it.
The retro feel of this video is great. The designer created classic old school effects. These effects look old and primitive, but they are actually very complex graphics and effects. The transitions between type/branding is great, the best of which is at 2:33. This transition from DVNO to the keys on a piano is awesome.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Type in Motion 4
I was actually surprised to find such a cool video that I haven't seen before! My personal taste conflicts with a lot of the video, but it is such a well done video that I will talk about it positively.
This video , as I talked about in another video, did a great job of staying true to, for what I can see, sticking with only text in this video. Everything that was made was created out of text. From the building to the streets to the street lights to the cars and people, everything is expressed by showing text. The very cool and interesting thing about this video is that they didn't just stick to forming figures out of text. They actually had legible words creating the objects, labeling what the objects were, such as "pregnant woman" with words describing what she is wearing.
To complement the typography, the creators used the music and sound bites to help describe the different things happening. I loved the car crash. Using color and variation of type size, they created something that really represents a cop car, without being in the shape of an actual car, at all. I think that the reason that I enjoy this so much is really because they chose not to create visual representations of the physical world with type. They did something different, and they were very successful.
The camera movement and lighting was great. It added so much to this video. The creators really did a great job creating a 3D world out of all text, lighting, and movement. They were really able to convey a story in a unique way.
WDIGTS Updates
Well, my Gantt chart really put things into perspective.. I was planning on taking a lot more time to do research, but -- as it turns out -- I don't have that much time to do research lol! My original Gantt chart was, I thought, pretty reasonable. But, I was mortified to see when I would end this process. I had to cut a lot of time periods in half. I'm currently working ahead to try to be on top of this schedule. It was a really helpful tool, to be able to visually see everything by when it's due, rather than a classic calendar look.
I'm having a hard time with logo design. I want at least 3 comps done by this Sunday, so I can get feedback from my graphic design teachers, fellow designers, and one or two professionals. WDIGTS wind up being the acronym of Why Did I Go to School. It's not very memorable, but the title is pretty memorable. [I'm not worried about the website being remembered so much. I think it's good.] The problem that I'm having is deciding what the logo should be, and if it should include the title of the website, or if I should try WDIGTS. I prefer typographic logos to symbols, because letters give another level of remembering something. [One doesn't just remember the look, they remember letters that correspond with the name of the company.] My title is too long to have as a logo, though. I'm trying different things out. We'll see what happens.
I realized that a sitemap cannot happen until my content lists for Video, Photo, and Graphic Design are complete. So, I'm working ahead on getting those done.
I realized that I need video content for this site to be successful. I'm planning on creating an animation for the main page explaining what the site is and how to use it. I don't want to be in the video, but I may need to do the voice. I really want to be able to stay consistent for the rest of the life of this site, so I think the only way to ensure that is for me to be able to produce it [unless I find someone that is close to me, who I won't lose contact with, who has a cool voice.] I hate my voice.
Until next time..
I'm having a hard time with logo design. I want at least 3 comps done by this Sunday, so I can get feedback from my graphic design teachers, fellow designers, and one or two professionals. WDIGTS wind up being the acronym of Why Did I Go to School. It's not very memorable, but the title is pretty memorable. [I'm not worried about the website being remembered so much. I think it's good.] The problem that I'm having is deciding what the logo should be, and if it should include the title of the website, or if I should try WDIGTS. I prefer typographic logos to symbols, because letters give another level of remembering something. [One doesn't just remember the look, they remember letters that correspond with the name of the company.] My title is too long to have as a logo, though. I'm trying different things out. We'll see what happens.
I realized that a sitemap cannot happen until my content lists for Video, Photo, and Graphic Design are complete. So, I'm working ahead on getting those done.
I realized that I need video content for this site to be successful. I'm planning on creating an animation for the main page explaining what the site is and how to use it. I don't want to be in the video, but I may need to do the voice. I really want to be able to stay consistent for the rest of the life of this site, so I think the only way to ensure that is for me to be able to produce it [unless I find someone that is close to me, who I won't lose contact with, who has a cool voice.] I hate my voice.
Until next time..
Sunday, September 18, 2011
WDIGTS Research
My current research consists of a lot of books, websites, and videos. I'm comparing and contrasting how other people organize learning these subjects from the ground up, and seeing what I like and don't like (based on my own learning experience). I'd like to give a list of recommended books, as well as the website, video, and picture links that I will be providing. I still enjoy getting information through books, and I usually have no trustworthy source for recommending them. I've purchased a lot of video resources, throuhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifghout my learning experience. One ofhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif them was a video seminar by Vincent Laforet. This was very extensive, especially for video. Another video seminar was released, similar to his, by Philip Bloom.
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
I'm almost done with Vincent Laforet, and then I willhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif move on to Philip Bloom. I have a few more videos to consult, and then I should have a final list for my video section.
In the realm of Photography, I have a lot of videos that I've been going through, including those by Joey L., Zack Arias, and Dean Collins.
For both video and photography, I have many more resources that I am looking through, but right now I am focusing on resources that are not free, to see how I can cover all of the bases that they cover through the free materials online.
I have over 35 books in the realm of video and photography that I'm consulting. I find that looking through table of contents sections of these books is helping with the organization of information. [Again, there's no reason to re invent the wheel.]
Graphic design is a little bit different. As far as http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giffree resources on the internet go, graphic design has had so many that I haven't ever needed to pay for any video training. Video and photography training were pretty exclusive, when compared to graphic design. But, since the rise of things like YouTube and cheap hosting, photography and video have been catching up. So, I have only Lynda and a few other paid graphic design resources to look at. I feel comfortable with this, though, because of the extensive options that we have in the realm of free resources for graphic design. I have plenty of graphic design books to supplement this section of the website.
I'm excited to get through more information! It's nice, being able to do research about things that I thoroughly enjoy!
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
I'm almost done with Vincent Laforet, and then I willhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif move on to Philip Bloom. I have a few more videos to consult, and then I should have a final list for my video section.
In the realm of Photography, I have a lot of videos that I've been going through, including those by Joey L., Zack Arias, and Dean Collins.
For both video and photography, I have many more resources that I am looking through, but right now I am focusing on resources that are not free, to see how I can cover all of the bases that they cover through the free materials online.
I have over 35 books in the realm of video and photography that I'm consulting. I find that looking through table of contents sections of these books is helping with the organization of information. [Again, there's no reason to re invent the wheel.]
Graphic design is a little bit different. As far as http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giffree resources on the internet go, graphic design has had so many that I haven't ever needed to pay for any video training. Video and photography training were pretty exclusive, when compared to graphic design. But, since the rise of things like YouTube and cheap hosting, photography and video have been catching up. So, I have only Lynda and a few other paid graphic design resources to look at. I feel comfortable with this, though, because of the extensive options that we have in the realm of free resources for graphic design. I have plenty of graphic design books to supplement this section of the website.
I'm excited to get through more information! It's nice, being able to do research about things that I thoroughly enjoy!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Type in Motion 3
One thing that I really like to see in still typography design is creating a scene and or things, creatively, out of only type. It is something that takes time and a lot of detail work. I was surprised to find a well done animation using this visual technique. As much work as it takes to create a still frame of typography like this, adding motion adds a new level of complexity.
There are three elements of animation going on in this video: animation of the camera, animation of elements (groups and separate within and outside of the groups), and masking (creating a drawn on affect).
I love that each element used is a letterform of some sort. The beginning really caught my eye, where the commas are falling as rain. One of the most brilliant parts of this entire video is when the commas hit a surface, bounce up into an exclamation point, and a ripple is made out of parenthesis.
Even without lines defining a ground, this video demonstrates some really intuitive techniques for showing space and perspective, including linear and areal perspective minus elements that we're used to seeing as signs of perspectives (defining lines).
The sprouting growth of the "Y" trees was also something that I liked. Some of this video, however, I didn't like. Some of the camera movement wasn't very well done, and a lot of the letterforms looked very bitmap/non-vector. Also, it doesn't look like the project was rendered at a very high quality. This, however, was a fun project to observe, and the person responsible did a great job.
WDIGTS - Site Design
I'm thinking a lot about the design of the website [not the development]. I'm the type of person who loves a design for a month, and then wants a new one. It's really hard for me to settle on a design. I want something that will come across as a neutral design, but I know that even a "neutral" design will have to conform to styles and colors. I would love to define an age group, but I know that my audience is not age specific. I can estimate that most of the viewers will be male, based on career statistics and purchases of equipment, but I do not want to appeal to males, only. I want this to be open and welcoming to everyone.
The thought of having a few designs and customizing it when you enter the site crossed my mind, but I don't actually feel like coordinating that. Plus, I want brand recognition, and - because my product is a website - I want to have a standard.
I'm really attracted to so many different styles that I'm not sure what to go with. I definitely want a clean look. Part of the reasoning behind the website is organization of information on the internet, so I do want something that isn't distracting: I don't want grunge, particles, or small detail stuff.
I'm thinking of a very clean 3D look with some soft shadows and high key lighting, only using slight shadows to define and separate text or simple shapes.
Copyright Videocopilot [Andrew Kramer]
I'm potentially looking for something like this, but with more diffused and feathered shadow, brighter light, and the light source would be closer to the camera, making the shadow closer to the text, itself [not so dramatic].
I probably won't go the 3d route, just to make things easier in the design process and workflow with consistency. But, it may be an option for the logo.
I'm currently tabbing pages in a book that I ordered with a lot of visual inspiration. I'll have some updates [hopefully something to show] soon. I'm going to have to start working on the logo, as a part of the design. I have a little cartoon school stuck in my head, but that really goes against the look and feel that I'm going for. WDIGTS is too long and hard to remember to use as a good logo, probably. We'll see. I've got to put a pencil to paper to get some ideas.
The thought of having a few designs and customizing it when you enter the site crossed my mind, but I don't actually feel like coordinating that. Plus, I want brand recognition, and - because my product is a website - I want to have a standard.
I'm really attracted to so many different styles that I'm not sure what to go with. I definitely want a clean look. Part of the reasoning behind the website is organization of information on the internet, so I do want something that isn't distracting: I don't want grunge, particles, or small detail stuff.
I'm thinking of a very clean 3D look with some soft shadows and high key lighting, only using slight shadows to define and separate text or simple shapes.
Copyright Videocopilot [Andrew Kramer]
I'm potentially looking for something like this, but with more diffused and feathered shadow, brighter light, and the light source would be closer to the camera, making the shadow closer to the text, itself [not so dramatic].
I probably won't go the 3d route, just to make things easier in the design process and workflow with consistency. But, it may be an option for the logo.
I'm currently tabbing pages in a book that I ordered with a lot of visual inspiration. I'll have some updates [hopefully something to show] soon. I'm going to have to start working on the logo, as a part of the design. I have a little cartoon school stuck in my head, but that really goes against the look and feel that I'm going for. WDIGTS is too long and hard to remember to use as a good logo, probably. We'll see. I've got to put a pencil to paper to get some ideas.
Waka Flocka - A Serious Lyricologist
For my video, I chose the contemporary literary genius Waka Flocka, the most lyrically gifted artist on the market. The video does highlight some women. Some Questions that we will look at are those presented by Sut Jhally: How are women shown?, What is their role? Whose desires are being fulfilled?, What is their attitude?, Are they a part of the story, members of the band, dancers, or the audience?
Some of the women highlighted in this video are shown in quick cuts back and forth between the girl and the artist. [This implies that, somehow, Waka FLocka is responsible for or has some connection to hardly clothed women who dance and want you (the audience).] The women are hardly clothed, and what IS covering their bodies is skin tight. Wind is blowing in their hair as they dance and have gangster looks on their faces. The gangster looks are interchanged with confident “I know I’m hot” looks, involving eye contact with the camera, and looking off camera, still with the sense that they know they are being viewed.
Another woman highlighted in this video is a woman in the car with the great Waka Flocka. She is seen doing her makeup in the car, and holding the phallic stick shift with Waka Flocka. This girl is shown looking at Waka Flocka in a very admiring and flirtatious way.
There is one shot showing only the hands, phones, and breasts of women. The women all have their phones out texting people, as if that is a gender role. [Ex: stereotype of women always texting on their phones..]
Something very interesting is the exclusion of women in shots of people having fun, dancing, and being a part of the group. There ARE group shots including women, but that is when the shots are of the whole neighborhood. When it is just a select group of 25 or less, the shot usually only contains males. This shows a distinct separateness of women and men. Regardless of the intercutting and the shots of women with men in shots of the whole neighborhood, there is a distinct separation of women and men in most of the shots in this video.
In conclusion, women are shown as a part of a young male fantasy in this video. They are shown dancing in similar settings as the main singer. The highlighted women of the video all seem to want sex from the great Waka Flocka or the audience (when the dancer makes eye contact with the camera, as if piercing an arrow of true love right through audience members’ souls). The role of the women is to be a sexual figure that is unrelated to the video, other than the deeper implied meanings and connotations. The only thing that seems close to a story, including a woman, is when Waka Flocka is in a car with a girl who is all over him.
Friday, September 9, 2011
WDIGTS
I'm still in the beginning phases of this concept, but I have a very clear and organized vision. Everything seems extremely straightforward; this, however, will be a very tedious endeavor. I am currently still working out details for topics in my three main areas of education [Video, Photography, Graphic Design]. It's hard to cover everything that I think someone would need to know, without getting too strung up on details. I want this to be organized in a way that is simply organized, but gets into heavy details for those who want them. A lot of this learning can go out of order, and I am keeping that in mind, when coming up with the final order of how these topics should be listed.
The hardest part seems to be some technical aspects of the site. I really want to combine a blog style site with a normal website, but I'm really not sure how to organize it. The main content isn't what I'm worried about. I'm most challenged by the overall layout.
I renewed the domain that I will be using.
I've got a few ideas for some things to drive traffic to the site. One has to do with keeping content free. The other has to do with giving valuable things away for free. More on that later..
The hardest part seems to be some technical aspects of the site. I really want to combine a blog style site with a normal website, but I'm really not sure how to organize it. The main content isn't what I'm worried about. I'm most challenged by the overall layout.
I renewed the domain that I will be using.
I've got a few ideas for some things to drive traffic to the site. One has to do with keeping content free. The other has to do with giving valuable things away for free. More on that later..
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Type in Motion 2
Well, I was actually going to choose another video. But, I stumbled upon this video afterward, and it can't be ignored. One of my favorite things to do is animate to music and sound. This music had some very interesting effects, and it's an animator's job to express different sounds, visually.
Some things could be better, but I really admire the way this animator stuck to good composition. There was good positive and negative balance, and the letterforms were interestingly played with. The motion had a good vibe; it had a good combination of fluid and jarring motion, to go with the music. Everything looked very controlled. One important aspect, that I always look at in video, is that if I were to take a still frame at any point where the text held for a second [not in the middle of a transition], it would make a good static design. It is easy, in video, to forget good composition [in animation AND cinematography]. Keeping the quality of a photographer or graphic designer -- even when in motion -- is what separates the best from everyone else.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Type in Motion 1
The reason I chose the opening sequence for Panic Room is because of its simplicity [of the idea]. Technically, this is an extremely complex feat: motion tracking, reflections, texturing, lighting, etc.. The idea, however, is to make text look like it's a part of a scene. Now, this is not a new idea. We've seen practical effects, where people actually create type in a scene out of food or written in a newspaper or license plate. This is unique because the text is not made to look like it is a part of an object in a scene. The text is an entity of its own. The scale is also something that I like. Generally, with this sort of typography in movies, there is a sense of believability. [I could believe that a license plate could have that on it. Or, I could believe that the tag on the shirt said that.] But, the scale of the text, when combined with the wide establishing shots, makes for something that we could never see in real life: suspended massive typography that perfectly melts into the scene as if it is there. Generally, in video, we stay away from serif fonts that have little baby serifs. They used a font with little serifs, but it seems to work because the text is so big. [And, because it is intended for a huge screen.] From the reflections on windows to panning perfectly with the shot this text really sells the idea of it being a part of the scene, and has made its mark on opening film sequences, forever.
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