Oscar Shortlist Spotlight: The Graphics From I.O.U.S.A.

One of the things that impressed me the most about Patrick Creadon's I.O.U.S.A. was the graphic design work from his collaborator Brian Oakes.  I'd previously linked to an interview with Oakes over at Design Observer, which is a fascinating look at the process of designing "information graphics" for documentary films.  An excerpt:

"When you are dealing with many graphic sequences that are popping up throughout the film, it is very important to connect all of those sequences visually. The graphics should become a character of the story. Once the overall visual vocabulary for a film is established, the information you are presenting becomes much more digestible and you’re not asking the viewer to “switch visual gears” every time a graphic comes on screen. You also get a film with higher production value and one that looks much more polished...

Patrick and I were in constant communication throughout the process. Because he’s in Los Angeles and I’m in New York, we turn on IM and basically keep it open all day. We did the same thing with Wordplay as well. It does help that we’re friends on a personal level but Patrick is great at letting the people on the team spread their wings and do their thing. There is always a free flow of ideas and communication but the director directs, the editor edits, the producers produce and I design. We all figure out the best way to do it, and then we’re off."

Here's a sampling of the work that Oakes did for I.O.U.S.A.:

 

Comments

[Matt Sherman]

It's puzzling that "I.O.U.S.A." is being considered for such a high honor when it does such a poor job of investigating the issue. The film is great fodder for libertarians and deficit hawks, but it completely ignores one of the most powerful solutions to the long-term deficit: health care reform. If our health care system were anywhere near as efficient as other industrialized nations, then our deficit would disappear in the long-term. Also, at a time when our economy needs a big (deficit-expanding) stimulus to prevent a deepening recession, I.O.U.S.A. will also have the misfortune of bad timing.