The best part of this job was the inside access I had to information as part of the cast. That can also be a curse sometimes, because I want to use every opportunity in the design to convey what the episode is about. I spend an insane amount of time choosing fonts, because most people really don’t read, which makes subtext that much more important. Terra Incognita is an adventure comedy full of unexpected twists, and I hope the bold, playful font of the show name, used with colorful shadowing, conveys that.
For the main font, I wanted shades of the paranormal without being too on the nose, so I chose a font that was structured, because we had a definite final destination, but also distressed and with negative space, because we never knew where we would end up next trying to get there. After that, it was simply a matter of choosing a font for each location name that had that vintage postcard feel we wanted and was also specific to that episode’s location.
For the main font, I wanted shades of the paranormal without being too on the nose, so I chose a font that was structured, because we had a definite final destination, but also distressed and with negative space, because we never knew where we would end up next trying to get there. After that, it was simply a matter of choosing a font for each location name that had that vintage postcard feel we wanted and was also specific to that episode’s location.
For Ancho, I was determined to tackle those classic postcard picture letters, which necessitated choosing five images of New Mexico that were unique but had the same look and feel. I lucked up on some WPA-era travel posters that did the trick!
Choosing the background images and all the unique touches that tie in to the script is simply pure fun. Elizabeth set Episode Three in a literal ghost town, but the images of current-day abandoned buildings I found online didn’t jibe at all with the bustling little town her script conveyed. In the end, because the town was never actually there, but the ghost train was a very real part of the sisters’ experience, I chose a sepia-toned steam engine smoking its way across the vast, New Mexico desert. The colorful WPA letters add needed color and a sense of timelessness, I think. The map background had NEW MEXICO lettered right across the bottom, so I couldn’t change maps after I saw that!
Choosing the background images and all the unique touches that tie in to the script is simply pure fun. Elizabeth set Episode Three in a literal ghost town, but the images of current-day abandoned buildings I found online didn’t jibe at all with the bustling little town her script conveyed. In the end, because the town was never actually there, but the ghost train was a very real part of the sisters’ experience, I chose a sepia-toned steam engine smoking its way across the vast, New Mexico desert. The colorful WPA letters add needed color and a sense of timelessness, I think. The map background had NEW MEXICO lettered right across the bottom, so I couldn’t change maps after I saw that!
When Bridgette told us she’d decided to write Episode Four as a cartoon, Scooby Doo style, we could not have been more excited, but jinkies, what a challenge! It was by far the hardest of the seven design projects, but also the most fun. Layer upon layer of images, so there was no way that map was changing this time. You can’t do Missouri without doing the Mississippi River, and you certainly can’t do the river without a riverboat queen, one of those great, classic paddlewheel steam boats. And what better place for a Scooby-style mystery than a big, old antebellum mansion?
It turned out that Louisiana, Missouri was not only a popular Mississippi River shipping port in its day, but is chock full of antebellum mansions as well, so I was able to do exactly what I wanted! Drop in the midnight sky (with a full moon, of course), add the obligatory monster (MoMo is actually a local legend) and the indefatigable Bertha the Buick, and we were ready to rock…except for one thing. Who knows why, but I could not get that song, “Ode to Billie Joe” out of my head, and the Mississippi is known for its bridges. I had to add one, a steel bridge just like the Tallahatchie bridge in the movie. That done, we were ready to embark upon a truly creepy adventure.
It turned out that Louisiana, Missouri was not only a popular Mississippi River shipping port in its day, but is chock full of antebellum mansions as well, so I was able to do exactly what I wanted! Drop in the midnight sky (with a full moon, of course), add the obligatory monster (MoMo is actually a local legend) and the indefatigable Bertha the Buick, and we were ready to rock…except for one thing. Who knows why, but I could not get that song, “Ode to Billie Joe” out of my head, and the Mississippi is known for its bridges. I had to add one, a steel bridge just like the Tallahatchie bridge in the movie. That done, we were ready to embark upon a truly creepy adventure.
The final episode of Terra Incognita stages Thursday, October 20th at Octopus Literary Salon in Oakland. 7:00pm, admission is free but seating is limited. To guarantee yourself a spot, reserve online at exnihilotheater.weebly.com/events