Whiplash
Type:
Helvetica Garamond
Software:
Adobe InDesign Adobe AfterEffects
Dimensions:
5" by 8"
Description: The movie Whiplash follows Andrew Neiman, an ambitious young jazz drummer pursuing the top spot in his elite music conservatory. Terence Fletcher, an instructor known for his terrifying teaching methods, discovers Andrew and transfers the aspiring drummer into the top jazz ensemble, forever changing the young man's life. But Andrew's passion to achieve perfection quickly spirals into obsession as his ruthless teacher pushes him to the brink of his ability and his sanity.
Objective: Showcase a specific narrative or perspective from the movie Whiplash through an artist's book and motion piece.
Solution: A hand-bound book with covers made from used drum heads, eerie yet energetic long-exposure photography, and die cuts and foil that the reader chases through the book. A motion design inspired by mid-century motion and jazz cover design paired with the Duke Ellington song "Caravan" that's compulsively played by characters throughout the movie. Together, they explore the pursuit of greatness and what's left in its wake.
The Chase
This book explores the movie Whiplash’s theme of pursuing greatness at all costs. While paging through the book, readers get a peak at a glimmer of gold through a hole in the page, only for it to move somewhere new on the next page. Chasing the gold flecks through the book, the reader reaches the end to find one last hole through the back cover.
Good Job
A motion piece accompanies the book and animates a famous quote from the movie: “There are no two words in the English language more harmful than good job.” This quote sums up the characters’ toxic pursuit of “greatness.” Scored to Caravan by Duke Ellington, the eerie mid-century graphics reference classic jazz album cover art and the physiological games that play out in the film.
