Silence is Golden
Silence is Golden is a typographic book emphasizing on the use of facial expressions in Silent Films. I started my research from every perspective of silent cinema, from the very first gadgets and technology of films to different art movement such as the German expressionism and the Soviet Montage. Through my explorations, I decided to focus on the communication of the use of facial expressions as I find this interesting. The use of facial expressions is one of the most crucial part of acting, especially in silent films where sounds are not in use. Without the use of facial expressions, silent films would be unable to communicate and provoke emotional reactions from its audience.
The main goal of my typographic document is to explore the various uses of facial expressions in silent films. I want to highlight the importance of each face feature in conveying the different range of emotions in various scenes. Examples of scenes are shown to demonstrate the different use of facial expressions in films. Films such as the Battleship Potemkin and The Passion of Joan of Arc are perfect examples as it uses extreme closeups to truly convey their inner emotions throughout the film. Moreover, different cutouts are shown in my typographic document as I want my readers to interact with the different funny, serious and angry facial expressions of Charlie Chaplin.
The overall design of my book uses serif typefaces and a bright yellow as a way to communicate and highlight the important points, as well as to give the overall document a touch of a contemporary style. It is produced in both black card paper for the cover and white smooth paper for the contents with stich binding method to hold up the pages together.
Target audience
People who are interested in silent films, anyone ranging in age from teenagers to adults, will be my target audience. I believe that a certain amount of people watches silent films without realising the importance of facial expressions. I had asked several people about their first impressions on Silent Films, and the majority answered “black and white”, “no sound” or “Charlie Chaplin”, no one has mentioned about the use of facial expressions. Through reading my typographic document, I hope that one will have a greater awareness of the use and importance of facial expressions and is able to gain interest in silent films.
