A Brief Conversation with
Rachel McCallister
Meet my grandma Rachel. She's always been a big part of my life. One cloudy day in December, we walked through her backyard while I took photos and recorded our conversation. We talked about her neighborhood, her neighbors, and how things have changed over the years. That afternoon gave me an idea: to create a book or website about Rachel, her hometown of Ruston, and the stories that make it special. Here's a little piece of our conversation. Have a listen.
Influenced by the slab serif type found on a series of vintage postcards, I chose Produkt — a versatile typeface from Commercial Type. Its light weights are elegant, the middle weights practical, and the heavy weights convey authority. If Rachel were a typeface, she would be Produkt.
Finally, it was time to go digital. I decided to elevate the recurring theme of smoke in my conversation with Rachel by creating a dedicated microsite. The first order of business was to animate the smoke and really make it feel believable. With a little help from After Effects, I managed to make Rachel's phrases look like they were being breathed out into the air.
As we walked around, I'd stop now and then to snap a picture of her.
Each shot was like a little keepsake of our chat, going along with the voice recording I was making in tandem.
The last order of business was to construct a trailer that offered a glimpse of our conversation. I utilized clips from Reefer Madness, a melodramatic anti-drug movie, capitalizing on the controversial topic of marijuana in the 1930’s. It seemed like something Rachel might have watched as a child.