Helvetica

The typography film, Helvetica, made me look at the world of type in a whole new way. I always thought of it as something you just choose because it looks good but I've learned that it's much more than that. It is the personality of the type or the personality that the words give the type. I also didn't realize how much effort is put into creating these types. To my surprise I found out that each letter is drawn and constructed by hand and it entails a long process.
At one point in the film they showed all the big brand names who use Helvetica as their main type. I never realized how many companies use this type. And even though many use the same type each company still has their own personal identity that goes along with Helvetica. Type must be selected very carefully and from now on I will look at it differently.

Decasia- The State of Decay by Bill Morrison

The video Decasia by Bill Morrison is very unique and interesting. The audio and the pictures go great together and it gave off a very creepy feeling. I've never seen anything like this before. Personally I am a big fan of this video because this is my area of interest in the arts. The overlays used throughout the video were particularly interesting and really complimented the atmospheric sounds that accompanied the movie. What really caught my attention was the juxtaposition of the classic film footage with the trippy overlays.

Walter Benjamin Reading

      So I read The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin and it was basically about the idea of reproducing art and how it can take away from the originality and authenticity of the work. Reproducing art started a long time ago with starting with etching then on to lithography to photography to film. Reproduction by way of machines can be better than reproduction by hand because it catches details that we cannot always see with the naked eye.
      I really liked the comparison of a magician to a surgeon and a painter to a cameraman. It is very accurate and it's true, the painter and cameraman are very different. Photos represent reality much better than paintings do.
      It was a very insightful reading and it made me look at the reproduction of art much differently as well as our role in the art world.