Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film
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0:03 - 0:07Pull out the one below half way.
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0:07 - 0:08Then pull out your case
-
0:08 - 0:12far enough
to reach the back row of boxes. -
0:13 - 0:16[music box plays]
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0:26 - 0:28My name is Paul Collier.
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0:28 - 0:30I'm the Letterpress
and Typography technician -
0:30 - 0:33at the University of Plymouth.
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0:36 - 0:41Letterpress is an old form
of mass production, -
0:41 - 0:43an old form of printing,
-
0:43 - 0:47invented around about 1450s
by Johannes Gutenberg. -
0:47 - 0:51This workshop tends
to work in the same way -
0:51 - 0:53as it did back in that time.
-
0:53 - 0:58So by using these pre-molded,
reusable letters -
0:58 - 1:02made of metal and wood,
moveable type, -
1:02 - 1:05we can produce words and sentences
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1:05 - 1:11and paragraphs and pages of text.
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1:25 - 1:29This is a 500 year old process
and it moves -
1:29 - 1:31like a 500 year old process.
-
1:31 - 1:35It requires
a greater degree of consideration -
1:35 - 1:38when you're using this,
-
1:38 - 1:42mainly because there are no quick
highlight and change sizes -
1:42 - 1:44or typefaces like we can do on the computer.
-
1:44 - 1:49That's where technology
has really pushed forward, -
1:49 - 1:51is that we can change things
in an instant. -
1:51 - 1:54Here if you setup a paragraph
or a sentence, -
1:54 - 1:56if you get it wrong
or if this-- -
1:56 - 1:59if you haven't planned your way forward
through that, -
1:59 - 2:01then you just have to take it all apart
-
2:01 - 2:04and start all over again.
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2:05 - 2:08[chaotic music plays]
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2:30 - 2:32Once you're there amongst it really,
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2:32 - 2:34because I know the layout of the case;
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2:34 - 2:37I'm familiar with all the letters
are in the boxes. -
2:37 - 2:39My mind tends to wander.
-
2:39 - 2:42I'm listening to what students
are saying in the room. -
2:42 - 2:44I'm making sure their body language
is alright; -
2:44 - 2:45they're not struggling with things
-
2:45 - 2:49and bit by bit I'm putting my letters together
-
2:49 - 2:52and I know
whats it's going to look like. -
2:52 - 2:54I have a vision
of what it's going to come out like. -
2:54 - 2:57I'm looking forward
to seeing it basically -
2:57 - 2:59and getting it finished.
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2:59 - 3:04But the process is quite therapeutic.
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3:04 - 3:07You can calmly put this thing together
piece by piece, -
3:07 - 3:10It's a very enjoyable process.
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3:12 - 3:15[music continues]
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3:39 - 3:41I think Letterpress is going through--
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3:41 - 3:43we're going through a revival right now.
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3:43 - 3:47We almost, particularly this country,
nearly lost the lot -
3:47 - 3:49and jumped on the Lithography bandwagon
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3:49 - 3:51and just threw everything else away.
-
3:51 - 3:55The equipment now
is becoming a highly sort-after now. -
3:55 - 3:58We're in the process of people wanting
to have this machinery -
3:58 - 4:00and get hold of it
-
4:00 - 4:02and that's not easy now
because its difficult to find. -
4:02 - 4:05Sometimes even harder are spare parts
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4:05 - 4:07and bits and pieces like that and
-
4:07 - 4:09It's old school.
-
4:09 - 4:12It's all nuts and bolts
and highly mechanical -
4:12 - 4:16and that makes life a little bit easier
for us really, -
4:16 - 4:19but there are one or two pieces
on each bit of kit -
4:19 - 4:22that are difficult to find.
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4:22 - 4:24That's just the way it is.
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4:24 - 4:26[electronic music plays]
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5:11 - 5:17The quality of image produced
by Letterpress is quite sort after. -
5:17 - 5:21The inked in depression
that is the characteristic mark -
5:21 - 5:23left in the sheet by the letters
-
5:23 - 5:26is something that people
don't see very often -
5:26 - 5:28because the laser print and inkjet
-
5:28 - 5:30don't produce that anymore
and that's the familiarity. -
5:30 - 5:33So when they see this,
it has the wow factor -
5:33 - 5:36and I always like to see the look
-
5:36 - 5:38when a group of students come in
for the first time -
5:38 - 5:40and I'm showing them
how the room operates and how it functions -
5:40 - 5:42and how they function in the room.
-
5:42 - 5:45It's very clear
that they've not seen that before -
5:45 - 5:46or they really get it.
-
5:46 - 5:49They really get
what the quality of that is. -
5:49 - 5:53It's something that you can't really
reproduce in any other way. -
5:53 - 5:55It's that first look
at the quality of the way -
5:55 - 5:58that the type impresses into the paper,
-
5:58 - 6:00It's very special.
-
6:00 - 6:04The digital age does remove us
from the tactile work, -
6:04 - 6:06the more hands on
-
6:06 - 6:10and I think there is a longing in our soul
to get back to that. -
6:10 - 6:13Even if we can't
there is something about these places -
6:13 - 6:17that people want to occupy and try out.
-
6:17 - 6:20Certainly as an art form,
it is very appealing, -
6:20 - 6:24It's very current now,
whether that will fade... -
6:24 - 6:26I think it's interesting to note
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6:26 - 6:29that there are other universities around Europe,
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6:29 - 6:33who are opening their own Letterpress
studios as we speak. -
6:33 - 6:37That really tells a story there I think,
-
6:37 - 6:40that this is here to stay.
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6:42 - 6:45[upbeat music plays]
- Title:
- Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film
- Description:
-
A short film about letterpress and one of the few remaining movable-type printing workshops in the UK, situated at Plymouth University, featuring Paul Collier. www.plymouth.ac.uk
A film by Danny Cooke www.dannycooke.co.uk
Soundtrack by Tony Higgins www.tonyhiggins.org
(Available to download here: http://goo.gl/exGL1)Follow us on twitter @dannycooke @junior85
- Video Language:
- English
PortlandCC DisabilityServices edited English subtitles for Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film | ||
PortlandCC DisabilityServices edited English subtitles for Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film | ||
PortlandCC DisabilityServices edited English subtitles for Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film | ||
dannycooke edited English subtitles for Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film | ||
dannycooke edited English subtitles for Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film | ||
dannycooke edited English subtitles for Upside Down, Left To Right: A Letterpress Film | ||
dannycooke added a translation |