Punctuation and Word Spacing
Hello, here is the documentary I completed on punctuation and word spacing. Overall I found this to be a challenging and rewarding experience, and hopefully the final product is worth a watch. I chose this topic as it triggered a memory of me in university learning about the Frankish emperor Charlemagne and his push to standardize writing. I remember thinking at the time that I had never thought of word spacing or punctuation as something one would invent. It was a rather eye opening experience to do further research and see how much change has occurred to something that we tend to overlook when reading.
I chose to create the movie using a series of clips of me sketching pictures that relate to what is being narrated. I chose this method as I wanted to avoid a movie using all still images. This allows me to provide some sense of motion to a topic that would otherwise be discussed through a series of photographs. Additionally the video details how we have created and nuanced a system of graphical symbols to produce an effective means of information delivery. It seemed appropriate to use another system of graphics to deliver meaning to what is being spoken.
The greatest challenge for me was to create the images that would be interesting to look at, while still relaying the rather abstract information being discussed. I am not an artist, at most I am a doodler. I spent a great deal of time mapping out what I would draw and practicing on my notebook. I had to complete every drawing from start to finish in one take or I would have to start at the beginning again. This meant that filming was rather time consuming. In the end I was pleased with the final product. I feel that the drawings don’t detract from the narration and I think the finished product is a unique visual experience.
I hope you all enjoy the film and learn something about the rarely discussed history of punctuation and word spacing.
