Whether you agree with its politics or not, you simply can’t deny that Knife Party‘s award-winning animation short What Barry Says is a thing of devastating beauty. Just like Neville Brody referenced the graphic style of the 1930s depression era as a metaphor for Britain’s regression under Thatcher rule, Simon Robson updates the graphic style of WWII fascist propaganda and Russian constructivism to illustrate a monologue by Barry McNamara exploring U.S. imperialism and the Project for the New American Century.
The film makes excellent use of a stark minimalistic black, white and red palette, icon-like 3D modeling and posterized images. The animation is very fluid and energetic and invites for multiple viewings. It follows the narration perfectly and is underlined by an excellent IDM score by Mustache‘s Jody K. Jenkins.
The choice of type is spot on. Bold words set in Tasse Black punctuate and emphasize Barry McNamara’s speech. Guy Jeffrey Nelson‘s modernization of Topic, also known as Steile Futura by Paul Renner, is both stylistically and historically correct, and lends the words the necessary urgency.
Yep, truly the best motion graphic piece I’ve seen since the Six Feet Under intro.
Not only well done, I do believe the message is true too.
On my “permanent” Top-5 movie list.
I especially like the choice of Tasse because it isn’t the first typeface you’d assume someone would use for a constructivist-inspired design. It’s geometric and utilitarian, but with soft corners to give it a modern, unique feel. And…yeah, the animation is great too.
The use of dark gray and tan (the paper type background texture) is very nice as well. There is more definition by negative space used here than I have seen in quite some time (the red to define the faces of politics).
And, yes, a truly stunning execution of motion graphics. I wish I had the time to learn about such things. Pardon me whilst I create yet another invitation for an educational figureheadďż˝
-t
Superb presentation, matched by the accuracy and candor of its content. The only slight fault was the closing credits taking away from the effect; a longer black silence after the end of the movie would have helped. But again, very high on the list of “keepers”.
hhp
It’s a beautiful piece of work, marred only by the unfortunate misspelling of “Cheney” as “Cheyne.”
The message is good, and so is the execution of that message. Swish.
Typographica has turned into an America hating circle jerk.
Good riddance to you you all. I’m not returning.
Glad you brought up the paper background, Terry. It’s one of the things that struck me as well and I simply forgot to mention it. It’s those kind of little details that set this project apart, along with the slight flickering in the end titles which refers to old black and white movies from the same era.
Hrant, you can be such a drama queen sometimes! :D
Martin, I really don’t see the point of your “America hating circle jerk” comment. What gets discussed here is a short movie which happens to criticize the international politics of the American government. If it were an equally fascinating project lauding the Bush administration, I think it would receive the same attention. I really don’t buy this “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” anti-democratic nonsense.
If I must be a queen (and there are worse fates) than dramatically so is the only way I would have it.
RE Martin: Very often expats can be more blindly patriotic than the “natives”. I first noticed this phenomenon during my US citizenship ceremony, where some people were going to whip the little flags off the little sticks they were shaking them so feverishly.
And can you believe those CIA backstabbers?!
Dissent is unAmerican.
hhp
I’ll tell you what’s fucking unAmerican. Using the tell tale swastika to characterize and demonize your hated opponent.
And listen to the dry, sardonic British accented voice over diatribe. For one moment, imagine the same words screamed by an extremist like, say, Hitler himself. The hate is there, if you choose not to overlook it.
You people are the ones with double standards, overlooking the swastika, complicit in this hate-filled schpiel. “Look at the pretty animation; the colors; the beautiful typography…”
You make me sick.
Martin – As a long time reader (first time commenter) your anger seems a bit misplaced. I would normally be the first to address the political content of a piece like this, especially one so ruthless in its propogandizing.
But like it or not (I do, but am a bit bored) Bush hating is a genre now, and as such, it should be fair game on what is essentially a formal blog.
As to your “imagine the same words screamed by an extremist like, say, Hitler himself,” it seems pretty clear that that is exactly what knife party is doing.
A few words to you, Martin. This from The Netherlands, one of the few European who’s governments supports your countries actions in the Middle East.
Firstly en foremost – this is a site about typography. Am I a Nazi if I admire the design of German posters from the Second World War? I think not. This renders your heated comment slightly irrelevant.
Secondly – and yes, this is off topic – the political content of your comment is an excellent example of the reasons so many people outside of your country resent America. Patriotism is not a bad concept of course, but patriotism without any room for other voices or opinions is just another form of fundamentalism.
Of course you are welcome to oppose the political content of the movie. But it would be great if you would do so with arguments in stead of exclamation marks.
Great piece. Strange of me to say that as my motto is usually, “if it moves, I leave”. Sorry about that motion designers. Maybe it’s post traumatic stress disorder from my early years of dial-up service. But great piece.
Anyway, not only is the concept of anti-Americanism absurd but it requires a deep acceptance of totalitarian rule. Americans citizens didn’t make up the concept, they’re rulers did. If Brits speaking out about Blair were called anti-British, people would laugh.
The graphic design is very well done, but at some point if message is so objectionable, it does get in the way of appreciating the technical achievement.
I am with Martin here on how outrageously unjust this piece is. I opposed Bush and did all I could to get him defeated. But this piece is insufferably smug, one-sided, and wrong.
What tears it for me is the statement that the attack on the World Trade Center was “just one response” to the fascist militarism of America. This is to say that cruel Islamist fanaticism has nothing to do with it, or is so small a matter as not to mention. And, of course, he expresses no sympathy for the suffering of the families of those killed in the US.
The idea that the US is fascist is just absurd. You certainly can make a case for excessive US militarism, but this is not the same as fascism, and claiming so is just empty headed and vicious blather.
Who is closer to fascism, the US or the Taliban government and the government of Saddam Hussein, whom the US and England attacked?
The US is has helped elections to take place in Afganistan, and is trying to in Iraq, while the resistance is killing whomever they can to stop elections. According to the logic of this film. The one fighting for democracy is fascist, and the ones opposing it and supporting oppressive governance are not worth mentioning.
I experienced this same kind of smug and empty-headed anti-Americanism when I lived in England in the 60s. When Mao was in full cry with his ‘cultural revolution’, some, as noted in the John Lennon song, were “carrying pictures of Chairman Mao” their anti-American hero. Now this period of great and pointless suffering is looked on with great bitterness by a whole generation in China. This film is just as empty headed and wrong as those in late ’60s London carrying the Mao pictures.
Personally, I detest all propaganda style art, right or left wing, and I think it is fundamentally morally flawed by its refusal to recognize the humanity of the other side. It is also easier to do, because you can just pile on the name-calling and negative images. No big artistic achievement, in spite of its technical excellence.
The piece is absolutely beautiful in it’s execution. It is, of course, also propoganda. There are quite a few absurd statements in this piece, particularly the ending statement: “… And so, who’s next you wonder? … Iran, North Korea, France, England… ? ” Come on, you’ve got to be kidding me.
Rather than be outraged I am inspired to examine the statments made (particularly the “Project for the New American Century” and the bit about arms manufacturers driving this “insatiable appetite for conflict.”
I do think there is a global sentiment that the U.S. is imperialistic. I think we need to be prepared to discuss these concerns. It’s the only way to deal with these issues. That and maybe make a beautiful quicktime movie with some nice typography.
To suggest that the US is fascist may be shrill and alarmist, but it’s not absurd. Sort of like if, say, I had a really bad cold and my doctor misdiagnosed it as pneumonia; that would be overstating the problem but it wouldn’t be absurd. But I agree, it’s ridiculous to equate Bush to Hitler — Bush’s army is *much* more powerful and capable of destruction.
“Fascism should more properly be called corporatism
because it is the merger of state and corporate power.”
– Benito Mussolini
Thanks for sharing the link to the movie. The typography and motion graphics took my breath away, even if the content was old news.
I fully agree with J.T. Movies like this of course overstate things, and I think they should. A designer tries to convey the message at it most powerful, nuances only diminish the statement.
And – a bit more off topic, excuse me if this rouses nausea in some readers – even if the intentions of the Bush administration were fully benign, stemming from a heartfelt desire to better the world (i sincerly doubt that, but for sake of argument), it still has a massive problem with perception.
Just think: my parents were in full support of our ‘transatlantic big friend’, the country that aided them with the Marshall help after the second world war, the countrie where freedom was the thing.
It took only one generation to waste that image. You’d be surprised at the way non-americans perceive America today. It comes across as an arrogant nation, a superpower lacking ears, basically. And this sentiment is strong even in most Western nations, nations that share democracy and a free market. I am not even talking about countries where Islamic fundamentalism fuels the hate.
I feel compelled to stress that my own resentment is about America’s leadership and administration. It would be a very false generalization to feel Americans themselves are all that way.
> America hating circle jerk
> Good riddance to you
> f*cking unAmerican
> You make me sick
Surely all views are respected, if expressed with respect. No other response to Mr Archer’s comments is required.
Interestingly, given my shared office environment, I watched the film with no sound. It absolutely blew me away, but I imagine it was a great deal easier for me to decouple the stunning design from the political message given that I did not hear the soundtrack.
Another issue triggered by Mr Archer could perhaps be mitigated if people did not feel the urge, when commenting on a design issue, to add the kind of “of course I agree with the message” aside. I can truly see how this has given the impression that Typographica does have a genuine political bias. Why tell us your political views when commenting on design? I have no quarrel with making reasoned political points, but this slightly prim “don’t worry, I’m liberal” justification in otherwise apolitical comments does rankle somewhat.
If your comment is not a political one, keep the politics out. If it is, give a proper political argument.
The design of the piece is amazing–not just the visuals but the sound, execution, timing, voice talent, and especially the 3D effects like splattering blood blobs arranging and lining up into posterized portraits of The Evil Cabal.
On the other hand, the message is puerile, ad hominem, adolescent and delusional. It doesn’t matter how well you tart it up in state-of-the-art motion control graphics, an authoritative-sounding voice over, “Intelligent Dance Music” or what have you. (Heh, dance music that thinks for itself. Not so sure.) And I own more squishy analog music than most people.
And the style reminds me of a lot of things Barnbrook has already done. I guess no one can really lay claim to a parody of an idea, but when I see design like this, I think of Mr. Barnbrook. He is better at articulating his points, though, as in this poster. At least in that respect he can mount a cogent argument. And his lettering style is distinctly his own.
I don’t quite mind seeing stuff like this on this board, because the more exposure there is for such obviously hate-based arguments, the more their proponents lose what little legitimacy they might still be able to scrounge. I seriously believe that Bush’s popular landslide in the recent election owed much to the behavior of his political opponents at home and abroad. People who would not have voted for him ended up voting against his opponent. So keep pouring your money and time into your hate, and let me know how it works out for you.
I agree with John, here. When one browses the internet, especially “international” sites like this one, there is a common assumption made by most posters that everyone out there in cyberspace is a liberal, too. They take it for granted that everyone else out there thinks that Bush is a baboon (at best), or the anti-Christ (at worst). They share light-hearted jokes about the red states (“Jesusland”), and will believe long-disproved conspiracy theories for years to come.
Either they believe that Bush really did steal the election, and that thereby there cannot be any mass of people in the US who really support him, or they assume that people who do support him are not intelligent, and would never show up in their midst, or on the “internets” and cyber forums like this one.
Well, as we have seen, there are people here among us that aren’t crazy Evangelical Christians, who voted for, or support George W. Bush. For these people, the weight of the (often quite ridiculous or naive) criticism of Bush and his supporters builds up to a point where they cannot no longer tolerate it. It can be hurtfull to these people when their feelings or political beleifs are so quickly trounced by careless statements (or even quite beautiful and well designed pieces like the one we are talking about).
I know, I knowďż˝ many liberals will want to respond, “but we live in a society directly with these conservatives! There actions directly effect us, and now they run the entire government! We have to put up with their evil, why can’t they put up with their criticism?” And people who think this way have a point, too! Real dialogue must be the answer, then. Martin, I hope that you don’t blow us off just yet.
> my own resentment is about America�s
> leadership and administration.
And conveniently not the majority of voters of who put that in place? And not the 65% who now think the results of the elections were “good”?
This piece is one-sided. Because it’s not journalism, it doesn’t need to be objective. Of course things are not so simple, but -predictably- the facism apologists don’t seem to complain about all the mainstream “news” channels being coopted by the military-industrial complex… Let’s talk about fairness and objectivity at the level of individuals. There’s very little of it, especially on the side of the powers that be.
> landslide
You see what I mean?
Don’t accuse this movie of being lopsided when your own responsability for being a balanced world citizen is so seriously out of whack. Don’t ignore the fact that you have made most of the world hate you, when most of it loved you a short while ago. And this forum naturally reflects that – don’t look the other way.
> It can be hurtfull to these people
Dan, get on your knees and give thanks for being among the privileged. Tolerate dissent, knowing that the bulk of your fellow humans aren’t even remotely close to having a computer, much less download a 25Mb movie.
We need to have the grace to share our material wealth, more than the vanity to impose our personal ideologies.
hhp
Come back Oliver Stone. All is forgiven.
I feel slightly humbled by the sometimes great writing in this post – this beauty of language i cannot hope to achieve, stumbling across the english language somewhat later in life than most of you.
I would like to thank you for making me learn a few things – in a sense what I read here is more real about America than what the usual sources tell me. We get CNN out here, albeit a Europeanized version.
By the way; it is strange to me to find myself following this thread when all I ever came here to do was to read some more about letters and the beautiful ways they sometimes find to belong to a word.
When people from outside the U.S. say things like “don’t get me wrong — it’s the U.S. government I dislike, not the American people,” are they being naďż˝ve, diplomatic, misguidedly polite, or what? I’m not sure why this news hasn’t crossed the Atlantic yet, but plenty of Americans simply don’t give a sh*t about what you think, and aren’t reluctant to belligerently express such sentiment; that’s one reason why they’re comfortable voting for a man like George W. Bush. We’re the most powerful nation on Earth, we’re *right*, and therefore entitled to go our own “steadfast” course no matter what the consequences. So goes the reasoning. We may have a faux-Texan president, but we have the Texas attitude — fortified, justified, and amplified by a toxic mix of military power, corporate greed, and media complacency.
The language of stereotype has thoroughly permeated political discourse in the U.S. — effete Brits, snobby French, uptight Germans, cowardly Spaniards, commie Chinese, etc. (and I needn’t mention what gets said about Arabs and Muslims) — is it any wonder that opponents of the Bush regime are resorting to (sometimes pointed, sometimes crass) stereotype?
To bring it back to the thread topic: in this context, the heavy-handed style treatment in “What Barry Said” makes perfect sense. The commenters on this thread who claim to be shocked are either being disingenuous, or haven’t been paying attention.
J.T., I’m not “shocked” by the message of the movieďż˝I hear the message every day. I’m just saddend by it, because not all of it is true. It reminds me of how much harder we all have to work for real tolerance to exist.
Agreed this is a beautiful piece. I’m with John Butler that the best sequence is the gun -> bullet -> hand -> blood -> Cheney, Rumsfeld, Pearle. Interesting to note that the film is entirely in red & black on a tan background… except for one little banner in royal blue that flies out at the top early on. My only criticism of the motion is that it briefly copped the matrix fly through armory.
The message pumps along, and then the punchline is delivered. Hmm… america to attack france and britain, because they don’t matter. It is unfornutate that both sides of the debate want to use fear to manipulate support. Being in new york city during this election was eye opening. I was surprised when my wife and I were having coffee in a cafe discussing the previous nights debate (at this point undecided), when a neighbor leaned in and with a dripping smile said, “You’d only consider voting for the monkey if you’re an uninformed idiot.” It bums me out that our political dialogue reduces the candidates to action figure status, or a pro-wrestling billing: The Facist Idiot vs. The Waffler. Even more vexing, both sides embrace this billing, prefering to caricature rather than articulate a plan. Where does this leave voters? Free to do the same.
R
DESIGN & FILM: I am somewhat split about the film, initially I was very impressed. The film is extremely well done. On the other hand it is a little bit of a one trick pony.
Using the retro graphics feels a little disapointing to me. It’s just the classic socialist style. That aspect feels ho-hum. There is obviously alot to commend in the style because it is very efficient – then again so are the graphics in airline safety cards – which would have been more interesting. Also the flatness of the design elements plays really well off the 3D motion. (It reminds me of the south park previews with the paint splats they use being moved in 3D space. The two are really similar in technique.) On the other hand the style lets you know its point of view too soon. I think that makes it less effective in speaking to an audience that is isn’t already decided.
LOBO’s video “DISCO WELT” uses flat 30’s ski poster graphics in 3D in an even more sophiticated way.
http://www.lobo.cx/site/popup/indexlegowelt.html
POLITICS: I am a blue american. I think that it is pretty clear that the secular humanists & other more tollerant folk have lost power to corprate interests & right wing religous zealots. This is clearly a tragedy.
The US isn’t just a benign power in the world. Neither is France. Not that the two are completely equivalent…
On the other hand I don’t think the phrasing in the fim regarding Sept 11th is acceptable because it seems to look neutrally at a terrorist event which is never going to be okay with me no matter who does it or for what reasons.
On the other hand there are alot of people who are angry with the US & some of their issues are *quite legitimate* (some are not).
So, as usual art & propaganda don’t reflect reality completely – no news there.