(Film-to-book)
Investigate graphic design as a process of interpretation and translation, embodiment and reconstitution, one that speaks across/through/over mediums, time, and surfaces. The outcome will be to produce a “typotranslation” of an essay film, transposing moving-image to the printed page to produce a film-to-book adaptation that sits ‘between facsimile and typeset translation.
The essay film “Cameraperson” is a visually striking and emotionally compelling exploration of the art and ethics of documentary filmmaking. As a collection of diverse footage from various documentary projects, the film showcases the power of cinema to capture and convey the human experience in all its complexity. This project is a design translation of the visual essay film “Cameraperson” into a printed book format. The goal of this project was to create a successful translation that would preserve the visual language of the film in a different medium.
Essay Film
cameraperson by Kirsten Johnson
– A boxing match in Brooklyn; life in postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina; the daily routine of a Nigerian midwife; an intimate family moment at home with the director: Kirsten Johnson weaves these scenes and others into her film Cameraperson, a tapestry of footage captured over her twenty-five-year career as a documentary cinematographer.
Through a series of episodic juxtapositions, Johnson explores the relationships between image makers and their subjects, the tension between the objectivity and intervention of the camera, and the complex interaction of unfiltered reality with crafted narrative. A work that combines documentary, autobiography, and ethical inquiry, Cameraperson is a moving glimpse into one filmmaker’s journey and a thoughtful examination of what it means to train a camera in the world.
The creative
To achieve a successful translation, the focus was on creating a visual language that would complement and enhance the written text. Experimentation with typography, layout, and image placement was necessary to ensure that the essence of the original film was captured in the printed format.
The resulting book is a unique and compelling visual experience that effectively conveys the emotions and complexities of the original work. This project showcases the ability to translate complex visual concepts into effective and engaging designs. The design translation captures the essence of the original work while standing on its own as a compelling piece of design.
