Speech Typography

For typography class we are making a motion graphic type video to a famous speech, either from a given list or one of our choosing. After spending hours listening to speeches on the list as well as various speeches that I looked up, I was getting really frustrated with not finding anything that was jumping out at me. Finally a friend suggested I look a speeches by Nelson Mandela, and I found one that I liked. So if it gets approved, I am going to do a clip from Nelson Mandela's speech after he was elected as president.

 

I am planning on using the clip up until 42 seconds, and then editing in the part where he says "Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all." I wish I could do the whole part of this clip, but the full thing is 1:30 and that would just be too much.

 Here is the part I'll be using:

"The time for the healing of the wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divides us has come. The time to build is upon us. We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender, and other discrimination....Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all."

Some Q & A about my chosen speech:

_ Who is speaking? Nelson Mandela

_ Why was/is the speech important to society? He was the first non-white to be elected as president of South Africa. His efforts during his lifetime and more specifically during his presidency helped end racial segregation and ushered in a peaceful transition into majority rule.

_ Why do you feel it is important or interesting? I feel this is important because Mandela made a huge impact on South African history as well as a huge impact worldwide.

_ What is the emotion, mood, tone, personality, feeling of the speech? The tone of the speech is serious, yet successful. He speaks in a serious tone but the words he speaks are freeing.

_ What is intonation, emphasis, what is loud, stressed, or soft. Where are there pauses? There are parts that he pauses before/after he says "has come" and he emphasizes these words. He emphasizes the words poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender, and discrimination. He speaks clearly and uses pauses between spoken lines and is sure to emphasize little two word combos like, "for all" and "has come".

_ What do you FEEL should be loud or soft, long pause or rushed? I feel these little bits that he emphasizes through surrounding them with pauses or fluctuating his voice a little bit should be emphasized. Ex: "has come" "at last" "for all"... it is these phrases that shows the purpose of the speech. That South Africa has been fighting for equality, and these phrases show that it has come.

_ Is there a call to action? When listening to it what are key/emphasized words? The last snippet that I want to include in my speech feels kind of like a call to action. It's where Mandela says, "Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all." It's like he's telling what is to come - but also reminding the listeners this is what they need to fight and live for because it's what they deserve. 

_ How does it make you feel? It makes me feel proud of Mandela and peaceful - I would say happy but that isn't the word to describe it. This is a man who has been discriminated his whole life because of the color of his skin - and he has been fighting for his country for equality ... and now it is coming. It's happy in the way that you know injustice has taken place but now that will change and THAT makes you feel happy. It makes your heart smile.

_ How do imagine that the audience felt? I would imagine the audience felt excited and happy and free. I need to do more research on the election and how the people of South Africa felt during this time -- but I imagine they would be happy. 

_ Could there be another interpretation of the speech? Like I said I need to do research, but I assume there were people who didn't want him to become president like there all in all elections. Perhaps the white people who were used to being the "best" in society were not excited for equality, but this is something I need to research more.

ABOUT NELSON MANDELLA:
Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mveso, Transkei, South Africa. Becoming actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement in his 20s, Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1942. For 20 years, he directed a campaign of peaceful, nonviolent defiance against the South African government and its racist policies. In 1993, Mandela and South African President F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to dismantle the country's apartheid system. In 1994, Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first black president. In 2009, Mandela's birthday (July 18) was declared "Mandela Day" to promote global peace and celebrate the South African leader's legacy. Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg on December 5, 2013, at age 95.

(I found this information from: http://www.biography.com/people/nelson-mandela-9397017)

Here's the excerpt I'm using from his speech:

"THE TIME FOR THE HEALING OF THE WOUNDS, HAS COME. THE MOMENT TO BRIDGE THE CHASMS THAT DIVIDES US HAS COME. THE TIME TO BUILD IS UPON US. WE HAVE, AT LAST, ACHIEVED OUR POLITICAL EMANCIPATION. WE PLEDGE OURSELVES TO LIBERATE ALL OUR PEOPLE FROM THE CONTINUING BONDAGE OF POVERTY, DEPRIVATION, SUFFERING, GENDER, AND OTHER DISCRIMINATION ...... LET THERE BE JUSTICE FOR ALL. LET THERE BE PEACE FOR ALL."

Studying my speech:
the following picture shows the different emphasis/pauses during my clip. The words underlined are emphasized, the words boxed are emphasized around pauses and the stars show where the dramatic pauses occur.

Planning the flow:
The next part I cut up my speech and decided how it would flow best, and which words would work best on a spread based on the emphasis/pauses of the speech. Each line shown is a separate spread.