National Treasure Silence Dogood Letters Font Help + Charlotte Note

[MurdocXXL]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

There are handwriting fonts that change their characteristics if you use the alt keys+numeric codes. For example, instead of writing "and" you can also use ALT+123 and the font inserts the full word "and" which is different from the word you created using the letters a, n, d. Similarly, if you suddenly want an inkspot you might use alt+325 or a crossed out word would be created using another set of keystrokes.

These features are typically associated with purchased fonts but the end result is striking because the font varies in characteristics - just like a traditional handwritten letter.

As an aside, its also a good thing to remember that the ink changes density as you write and this fading can be achieved using a specially created template you insert into the letters which gives the impression of fading or varying density ink. The insert you make (if you're using sepia ink for example) would grade itself from deep brown to a light brown in random areas.

Regards

MARK

@KramStaar: Is there an on-line tutorial for this font fading template you mentioned?

bfd

Following this thread with great interest :thumbsup

Great font find Barneyrfd ! Think your "test" letter looks realy cool.
Already tried to find a font for the SD letters while back with no success.
Beside the font questions i would like to repeat Barneyrfd questions about the "online tutorial for this font fading template" mentioned by KramStaar. Such tutorial would be pretty cool, not only for this SD letter

In addition: Do we know if the content of the original SD letters have been modified for the movie to match the deciphered code?
Or the they made the code to match the original letters? :wacko :confused

 

[RickDeG]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

Why not print it off and trace the letters?

 

[Tom1971]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

Following this thread with great interest :thumbsup

Great font find Barneyrfd ! Think your "test" letter looks realy cool.
Already tried to find a font for the SD letters while back with no success.
Beside the font questions i would like to repeat Barneyrfd questions about the "online tutorial for this font fading template" mentioned by KramStaar. Such tutorial would be pretty cool, not only for this SD letter

In addition: Do we know if the content of the original SD letters have been modified for the movie to match the deciphered code?
Or the they made the code to match the original letters? :wacko :confused

The only thing on that I have been able to find out is that they are not the complete letters and Magnoli said he doubted there was even one complete letter in the prop. Although he did not know for sure.

Very good question though. Must investigate.

 

[DBCooper]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

For reference:

The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, Volume I: Boston and London, 1722 - 1726

Best,
DBCooper

 

[Barneyrfd]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

@MurdocXXL: When I put together the test draft I found the text in the 3 or 4 screen grabs i have followed the actual text of the Silence Letter the code is in pretty much word for word. They maybe missed the odd hyphen but otherwise looks like they followed the text in that particular page of that particular letter.

You can also see (but not read) about 16 or 18 sheets full of writing in a wide shot of the scene showing the letters in the cases.

@DB: that's the reference I used as well.

bfd

 

[MurdocXXL]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

Thanks for your replies guys. Realy appriciated.
To be honast i think it would make more sense to match the code to the excisting, real content of the SD letters, then to "bent" the original letters to a match a fictive code.
But who knows...ehehe

@DB...same reference here

According to some screenshots, my investigations shows that at least letters no 2 and 6 of the SD letters are used for the movie. So far i couldn't identify more

 

[Barneyrfd]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

Been working on the signature to get it closer to SA.

The writing style of the signature seems quite different than the style of the writing in the main.

bfd

 

[KramStaar]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

Ok, in answer to the questions I had about ink and making up pages here are some quickly roughed out images to try and illustrate what I was talking about. Please note, I'm not trying to make an accurate Dogood letter here, but rather trying to show how it might be possible to make something that looks half decent.

The font I used is fairly close to the screen caps but not perfect. Its called Lamar Pen and it costs about $30.00.

Top Image:
Taking the text from the 3rd Dogood letter, I dropped it into the font. As you can see, its fairly uniform and in my opinion, its easy to see it wasn't generated by hand. The Signature is the font's default letters

Middle Image:
Because a (dipped) ink pen doesn't always hold enough liquid, you'll see the ink thin out as you write, In a quick attempt to change the thickness of the ink in various places, I have selected places where the writer might logically recharge his/her pen. Assuming that the writer was not an anal calligrapher where they are especially careful about surplus ink, its safe to assume that you would get variations similar to what I have here.

Another drawback of a computer generated font is that all of the letters slant exactly in the same manner. Also, each of the letters and words are exactly the same when written (every "and" is identical). With the better fonts available, you have the option of changing the way some words and letters are inserted by using the ALT key+[numbers]. By going through the document carefully it is possible to insert numerous changes to specific words and letters. This will seduce your eye into thinking that there are more variations in the formation of the sentences then there actually are.
Another technique is to vary each line - change the kerning and change the slant on a sentence. The result is a visually pleasing assortment of shapes, slants and lines.

Bottom Image:
Not only does the thickness of a written line vary as the pen is recharged, but the color of the ink will do the same. Using a Sepia colored infill (See last image sample), I've inserted the fill into the letters, modified some of the sentences individually and tried to make the thicker letters darker then the rest.

As a final touch, my sloppy writer dropped a few splotches of ink onto the page and I roughly remade the signature to more or less match the screen featured one..

The texture I created for the ink..

---------------------------------------->

Hope this is of some interest..

Regards

MARK

 

[Onkelpsycho]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

I think the thick Ink should be not so thick, it looks a little bit unnatural... Maybe thats my personal opinion, but its not a must be...

But anyway, great work...

 

[KramStaar]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

I think the thick Ink should be not so thick, it looks a little bit unnatural... Maybe thats my personal opinion, but its not a must be...

But anyway, great work...

Um yes.. that why I said it was a rushed tutorial - just to give you guys a rough idea…

M

 

[Barneyrfd]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

Thanks for the info KramStaar. It is of course a very arduous process to make a font look like handwriting. Its something you have to have both time and patience for.

I like the background in the third image, the parchment with age spots. It looks like its maybe your own creation rather than a "stock" background image?

By the by, the font i used in my draft is called P22 Dearest Script and I think it is very close to the handwritten text in the body of the letters. Its a commercial font I obtained packaged with a couple of other script style fonts awhile back. The signature however almost looks like it was written by a different person and the Dearest Script is not quite right.

bfd

 

[Onkelpsycho]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

Well, I think even stuff what should look like handwritten, does not show perfectly handwritten letters...

Handwritten is handwritten...

After all it will make a great prop even if its not handwritten...

 

[Barneyrfd]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

Totally agree Onkelpsycho, it will make a great prop no matter what script style font is used. With a little aging, staining, weathering, wearing, etc. it will a great addition to our collections.

bfd

 

[Tom1971]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

Totally agree Onkelpsycho, it will make a great prop no matter what script style font is used. With a little aging, staining, weathering, wearing, etc. it will a great addition to our collections.

bfd

Not to mention we will have a better prop then the film prop because we can have all the letters complete.

This work is so awesome.

You guys rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!love

 

[MurdocXXL]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

Great work guys

Many thanks for making this happen (i hope so )!

Iam trying to rewrite the signature by hand. If the result is sufficient i will post here.
I do not think i have the skills to do the whole letter, but it may work for the signature.
Maybe i will give it a try....

But i think we never have seen a complete letter, do we?

 

[KramStaar]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

By the by, the font i used in my draft is called P22 Dearest Script and I think it is very close to the handwritten text in the body of the letters.

Bravo mate, P22 Dearest is a lovely font and it certainly carries some great characteristics of real handwriting.

A wonderful suggestion and many thanks for sharing!

Highest regards

MARK

 

[Barneyrfd]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

@KramStaar; Glad you like the font, your sample letter looks great.

bfd

 

[Onkelpsycho]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

Yeah, even if it's not 100%, Im always excited to see what you guys work out... thumbsup:thumbsup

 

[Barneyrfd]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

It was raining today so I thought I'd go do some cleanup in the attic and I found this old letter in a dusty trunk that belonged to my grandfather.

Hmmm....

Bit of a lame/rushed attempt at aging but I just wanted to see how it would look. i used yellow parchment paper, sanded the text side and rubbed cooking oil into the back side of the page to give a more weathered look. i tried the oil thing with my Raiders map and it gives a surprisingly good, old worn, parchment look.

bfd

 

[MurdocXXL]

Re: National Treasure Silence Doogood Letters Font Help

Great work bfd Congrats its turned out realy, realy nice.

I have tried to replicate the Signature by hand and it turned out being not too
bad at all. Will scan it this evening an post the result.