鑄字人

鑄字人  The Lead Type Founder

品味無聲正體文字之美、感受活字千年文化餘溫

導演：王明霞

活字印刷曾是訊息傳遞的主宰，直到二十世紀網際網路的崛起，活版印刷正式宣告走入歷史。即便如此，世界各地仍有少數人，細心地保存活字工藝的一熄微亮星火，其中包含台灣的日星鑄字行。

透過本片，我們將看到台灣現存唯一活字店：日星鑄字行的現況和鑄造活字的工藝，同時也見證了鑄字人與一群熱情志工們，參與復刻華人世界珍貴正體楷書的計畫，以及眾人一同努力保存銅模，和成立活版印刷保存協會的過程。此外，影片也跟隨鑄字之人前往中國，拜訪資深字體設計師與雕刻活字的耆老，聆聽其對於文字的創造與實用之美的獨特見解，並走訪日本的百年活字店，廣泛瞭解活字的現況及文字的創造與實用之美。

The story of “The Lead Type Founder” tells from the last one Type Foundry- Ri Xing and the craftsman Chang Chieh-kuan in Taiwan.

Ri Xing was established in 1969; now still preserves three kinds of the original form of the simplified Chinese character letters. The copper molds which used to make letters are disfigured as forty years passed by, so CCK raise “Letterpress Rehabilitation Project” to renew the copper molds and digitize lead typefaces. Many volunteers come from Taiwan, France and Japan all join CCK’s project; they wish to preserve the fading culture heritage for next generation.

Through this documentary, we also can see some old craftsmen and type designers in China and Tokyo, to see how they turn this culture industry to a modern art. Also   learn to appreciate the unique principles of creating the original form of the simplified Chinese characters and the esthetics of this fading craft.