Sorry for the inconvenience, I guess my audio decided not to publish!
Here is the direct link to the playlist
http://www.podsnack.com/playlists/9f2e1a2445e5c870cf1ac62b7a558388
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Blog 8B
The first super hero and villain would like to compare are the super people that Katie Mack created. While watching I noticed that there was a lot of emphasis on SATURATION and MOOD. Saturation was demonstrated well by both characters. First the super hero, Sonica, was dressed in extremely bright colors and her powers were represented in very bright colors. There were points I had to turn the brightness on my computer down because the colors started hurting my eyes. But Sonica was wearing pure yellow and shouted out bright blue sonic waves. Psycho was almost the exact opposite of Sonica. You could also see the mood of the characters quite clearly though the way they moved. Sonica used flying as her main transportation, and while Psycho was grounded, one could sense his power though the intense purple psychic flames that emanated from his body.
The second super hero I would like to discuss are the ones that Morgan Messenheimer created. I can’t remember their names but I do remember what they represented. The first I would like to point out is the Villain. I think that he demonstrated a bad guy quite well. Even in the picture that they created for them had SHADOWS in the background as well as scattered around the English lord, which was directly paralleled by the Irish boy that he frequently fought against. The second thing that I noticed was HUE. The Villian was cloaked in blacks and blues, which I think gave him a more mysterious feel and made him look more cunning than brute like. This was also paralleled by the hero by using reds and yellow to explain his goodness. Though red is often used as more of an evil color, when pared with the right complementary, the person in question tends to look more confident and powerful, then evil.
The Third villain/hero combo I am going to critique are Lauren Worthington’s. I would like to discuss WEIGHT and BRIGHTNESS for her two super people. I chose weight because I thought that her villain was an almost perfect example on how a person’s stance can give the same person more weight than they actually have. As you can see for his picture, the villain is crouching close to the ground with his arms out and his hands pointing down towards the ground. This pose creates weight in the character, not only giving off the impression of physical weight, but also the fact that he is a powerful opponent and is not likely to be pushed around. This is directly contrasted with the hero, the nurse, who looks to be light on her feet and though she does not create much visual weight, she does give off the impression of cunning and being light on her feet. Brightness can be used for both of them as well. The hero is incased in bright pink, automatically making the viewer think that she is the good guy or at least a better person than the villain, who is dressed in dark reds and blacks.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Blog 10
http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/45.02.FreakFactor
There were three suggestions that I was not sure about. The first was about how one should not change the flaws that they have. I would think that there are some instances that one would have to change their flaws. If the flaws that you have are hindering the way you can progress as a person and a business owner, then it would be in your best interest to change that flaw. It doesn’t matter that you stay true to yourself if you have started many businesses but can’t keep them open because you are extremely rude to your customers or bring in bad merchandise because you are too cheap to buy good products. So I completely disagree with his notion of forgetting your flaws. Realizing and adapting your flaws help to make you grow into a better person.
I do like how he says that it is extremely difficult to fix your weaknesses and to build your strengths. I can completely understand where he is coming from when he says this. If a person tries to do both, they often are let down by then end product because they realize that they ended up accomplishing neither. His analogy of K-mart, Target and Walmart was a perfect example of this point. Even though I think that target is a bad example of the opposite of walmart (though I am not sure what would be a better equivalent) he demonstrated his point extremely well, and helped to bring his point to light to those who are not quite sure of what he means. From this manifesto, I learned many things. But the one that I never realized was that K-mart went bankrupt. This may be from the fact that I have one right by my house and many people I know still work there.
I think I liked his eighth point the best, mostly because it told you to be different. Though this point is extremely cliché, it makes most people feel better about themselves. It helps to bring hope to those who think that they are too weird to function in normal society. It also makes others jealous of the confidence that exudes from those who are dubbed “weird”. These are truly the people who do not care what “normal” society thinks of them. They do not try and change themselves for others and stay as true to themselves as they can. I admire them because I can’t help but be embarrassed when I have to admit that I play WoW. Or any of the other EXTREMELY nerdy things that I do, sometimes I wonder what I spend more time with, my computer or my friends. Normal society would say that it is bad I would have to question it. I just like to think I am getting more acquainted with the tools of my future trade. But even by brushing them off, I can’t help but feel ashamed that I might spend more time with an inanimate object.
I think I have found what it means to be creative for me. Unfortunately I still have a hard time trying to figure out what other people want or to make up original ideas. Though it is hard to thin of anything that is not already out, I would still like to be the one who things of a great idea and be recognized for it, just like everyone else. I think that is why I decided to specialize in digital media. I can make a great work of art with other great minds and though the main company would be recognized for it, I would still be in the team that made it.
There were three suggestions that I was not sure about. The first was about how one should not change the flaws that they have. I would think that there are some instances that one would have to change their flaws. If the flaws that you have are hindering the way you can progress as a person and a business owner, then it would be in your best interest to change that flaw. It doesn’t matter that you stay true to yourself if you have started many businesses but can’t keep them open because you are extremely rude to your customers or bring in bad merchandise because you are too cheap to buy good products. So I completely disagree with his notion of forgetting your flaws. Realizing and adapting your flaws help to make you grow into a better person.
I do like how he says that it is extremely difficult to fix your weaknesses and to build your strengths. I can completely understand where he is coming from when he says this. If a person tries to do both, they often are let down by then end product because they realize that they ended up accomplishing neither. His analogy of K-mart, Target and Walmart was a perfect example of this point. Even though I think that target is a bad example of the opposite of walmart (though I am not sure what would be a better equivalent) he demonstrated his point extremely well, and helped to bring his point to light to those who are not quite sure of what he means. From this manifesto, I learned many things. But the one that I never realized was that K-mart went bankrupt. This may be from the fact that I have one right by my house and many people I know still work there.
I think I liked his eighth point the best, mostly because it told you to be different. Though this point is extremely cliché, it makes most people feel better about themselves. It helps to bring hope to those who think that they are too weird to function in normal society. It also makes others jealous of the confidence that exudes from those who are dubbed “weird”. These are truly the people who do not care what “normal” society thinks of them. They do not try and change themselves for others and stay as true to themselves as they can. I admire them because I can’t help but be embarrassed when I have to admit that I play WoW. Or any of the other EXTREMELY nerdy things that I do, sometimes I wonder what I spend more time with, my computer or my friends. Normal society would say that it is bad I would have to question it. I just like to think I am getting more acquainted with the tools of my future trade. But even by brushing them off, I can’t help but feel ashamed that I might spend more time with an inanimate object.
I think I have found what it means to be creative for me. Unfortunately I still have a hard time trying to figure out what other people want or to make up original ideas. Though it is hard to thin of anything that is not already out, I would still like to be the one who things of a great idea and be recognized for it, just like everyone else. I think that is why I decided to specialize in digital media. I can make a great work of art with other great minds and though the main company would be recognized for it, I would still be in the team that made it.
Blog 9A
I thought that there were a couple things that we did not get across well in the presentation. This game seemed to get away from us as we were trying to figure out what exactly it would entail. One of the things that I think we did not get across very well were the OBJECTIVES. I think that they were difficult to get across because the game did sort of run away from us. But what we meant was that the player could choose how to get their materials. They could go along with the natives and get limited amounts of food and materials given to them or they could go out and defy what the natives want and get unlimited amounts off supplies but they would have to find them around the island. One thing that I think we got across well was the MECHANICS. I think this is because mechanics of games are usually straightforward and are easiest to explain. There are not any ways explain health bar any more clearer.
One thing I wish we did though was make a couple of freeze frames. I am a very visual person and I find it difficult to be able to sufficiently understand a concept with out some sort of visual. I think by doing this, we could have cleared up much of the confusion our audience was experiencing along with creating a more enjoyable presentation and presenting a more complete idea.
Blog 7
We went with two different approaches to the jokes. The first was just an interpretation of the actual joke and how it could have been filmed. This first one focused on RHYTHM and MOVEMENT very much. Because it was a silent film, there had to be a ton of emphasis on movement. Everything the actors did had to somehow convey the appropriate emotions and feelings since sound and inflection of voice couldn’t describe the situation. Rhythm was crated through the flashing of the text “cards” and the banter between the sister and the brother. This helped to bring the attention of the audience directly to the two characters as well as create an illusion of arguing or volleying of words. At some points, this also made the audience physically move their heads as if the characters were in the same shot.
The second movie was more of what would happen if the brains were switched. I thought that it was a creative way to look at the punch line of the joke. There was a lot of TENSION AND RELEASE through out the piece. The tension was mostly centered in the beginning of the video, where the parents were worrying over the son and as they were leaving from the hospital. This was immediately released when you heard the two doctors talking and as you saw the aftermath of the surgery. There was also a lot of CONTRAST to the first video. The second video had more subtle humor while the first had more of slapstick. There was also AFFINITY through these videos because of the common theme that they had. There was also emphasis in the way that the videos were shot and executed.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Blog 6B
This is the video game cinematic that I decided to chose. This video accurately portrays the aspect of Lighting.
Blog 5A
I chose to use the last image by Ben Goossens. The image had a picture of an owl sitting on a chair. I am not sure why I am drawn to this picture, but I think it may be because of the way the picture fits. Though it may have very different objects in it, nothing looks out of place like a lot of his pictures. I also like birds so that may have been another reason I was drawn to it.
I chose to reframe the picture the way I did was because I had always thought that the picture was too light on the side that the window was on. So I just got rid of it. The widow didn’t really contribute any thing to the picture itself, all the window did was direct the eye to the owl in the chair. By getting rid of the window, I focused more on the owl.
The chair that the owl is sitting on directs the eye down by two different ways. The first are the two columns that support the back of the chair. Your eye is drawn to the top of the columns and directed downward by how heavy the seat of the chair is. The second is the decorative carving that are on the horizontal rods. the very first rung has the largest carving on the top, directing the eye to it. As you follow the carvings, they seem to shrink in size and finally you hit the top of the owl.
Finally the room directs the eye from the bottom right corner into the chair, as do the other lines that the room creates. the book that the owl is sitting on completes the way that the chair frames the owl. This frame comes from the horizontal rungs on the back of the chair, the two arm rests, and the seat of the chair and the book.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Blog 4A
I would like to summarize both fail and learn
Fail is the first I would like to address. I know that they are trying to be frank about how we think too much about how one’s ambition is hindered by others and how they think of their work. But I cannot help but think that they used the wrong word to try and convince people. Fail automatically gives off a negative connotation and a sense of hopelessness. To fail is to give up and maybe try again, but that chance is unlikely. They could have used “Try” or some other synonym of the word but “Fail” seems too final. I know what the author is trying to say but he just didn’t hit the mark with this.
The second I would like to address it “Learn”. I was somewhat confused about this short article because in the beginning he seemed like he was unhappy with the school system and how they are teaching kids the wrong things. But in this article, he is saying the opposite. What I do not think he took into context was that there is a purpose to the silly math problems that the teacher had us do. Those problems are the beginning points to helping kids find out what they want to do in life. I know that I do not like math, but there are some aspects of it that I do really enjoy, such as trig and finding out what “x” is. These math problems are more puzzles than they are necessary to some peoples lives but if I ever wanted to know when train A is going to be 50 miles ahead of train B then I would know how to figure that out.
Overall I did not really like this article. I thought he seemed rather cynical to the school system and a bit bitter that he didn’t get to do what he wanted. I also don’t think he took into account, if it wasn’t for a school system and a kid that was kept in line, he would not be posting his thoughts online and be typing them on his computer.
Blog 3A
Come On Eileen Original
Come on Eileen Cover
I have chosen this cover of Come On Eileen because it is gutsy to make the song so different from the original. The lyrics are the same for the most part. There may have been an extra line added to the song but there have been no major changes made. The melody much different from the original, you do hear traces of the original song but that is the only indicator of what they haven’t changed. This version, by Save Farris, seems like it has a slightly darker tone to the song. There are more minor notes, and it seems like it is at a lower octave than the first. Though when you look at it from this point of view, the cover is actually at a higher octave but there is a female singing. It is obvious that the singer seems to be pushing the limit on how low her voice can go.
The cover song had a completely different music quality than that of the original song. The Rhythm was faster than the original, which made it more like rave music than folk music. The intensity and pitch were much higher than that of the original. The cover song was loud, which ruined the feel of the original song. The timbre was only a little bit different by the fat that the cover song was led by the electric bass while the original was led by mostly a string bass. The speed and the organization were also different. The speed seemed so much faster than the original. This is one of the reasons why the song seemed so rocky. The organization was different because there was no organization. In the original song, the listener can hear almost all aspects of the songs. You can hear all the different instruments in the original. While the cover song, the listener cannot hear all the different instruments. It seemed like there was so much going on, the listener could not relax and just enjoy the song.
Between these two songs, I do like the original song the best. I may like it just because I have a taste for more folksy music right now or if it is just because I want to learn how to play it on a banjo. But whatever reason it is, I think that this version fits the feel of the song so much better. The cover of the song is too rock and roll for the song to have the same effect that the original had.
The cover also makes the song much more generic than the original. What I think made the original song a hit was because it sounded new and different. The cover cheapens it by adding such a common sound to the lyrics. There is a certain feel of the original that the cover song just does not accomplish what it should have. I think that the cover song could have been more successful if they had incorporated more of the original song into the replica.
Come on Eileen Cover
I have chosen this cover of Come On Eileen because it is gutsy to make the song so different from the original. The lyrics are the same for the most part. There may have been an extra line added to the song but there have been no major changes made. The melody much different from the original, you do hear traces of the original song but that is the only indicator of what they haven’t changed. This version, by Save Farris, seems like it has a slightly darker tone to the song. There are more minor notes, and it seems like it is at a lower octave than the first. Though when you look at it from this point of view, the cover is actually at a higher octave but there is a female singing. It is obvious that the singer seems to be pushing the limit on how low her voice can go.
The cover song had a completely different music quality than that of the original song. The Rhythm was faster than the original, which made it more like rave music than folk music. The intensity and pitch were much higher than that of the original. The cover song was loud, which ruined the feel of the original song. The timbre was only a little bit different by the fat that the cover song was led by the electric bass while the original was led by mostly a string bass. The speed and the organization were also different. The speed seemed so much faster than the original. This is one of the reasons why the song seemed so rocky. The organization was different because there was no organization. In the original song, the listener can hear almost all aspects of the songs. You can hear all the different instruments in the original. While the cover song, the listener cannot hear all the different instruments. It seemed like there was so much going on, the listener could not relax and just enjoy the song.
Between these two songs, I do like the original song the best. I may like it just because I have a taste for more folksy music right now or if it is just because I want to learn how to play it on a banjo. But whatever reason it is, I think that this version fits the feel of the song so much better. The cover of the song is too rock and roll for the song to have the same effect that the original had.
The cover also makes the song much more generic than the original. What I think made the original song a hit was because it sounded new and different. The cover cheapens it by adding such a common sound to the lyrics. There is a certain feel of the original that the cover song just does not accomplish what it should have. I think that the cover song could have been more successful if they had incorporated more of the original song into the replica.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Blog 2
The story that he makes in the beginning was the one that struck me the most. It is about one of the first red wolves that were returned to the wild. But they had been in captivity for so long, they no longer remembered how to howl. One wolf, Mumon was the first to leave the pack to find his howl. He came across a couple of animals, such as the deer and the raven, as well as a human. In the end all he had to do was forget himself and follow his instincts and that would lead him to his howl as well as his pack.
What I think he is trying to say in this story is that you can’t let yourself be confined to just what you know and the social norms. Sometimes you have to let your inhibitions go to let the creativity and your true self flow in.
My howl is in the link above.
Blog 1B
In the article, 14 Ways to Get Breakthrough Ideas, there were many suggestions on how to create and work with ideas that one would think up. It is mostly just brainstorm ideas but I think if one already had an idea to work with, then this would be good to work with. I had trouble with working with it because I am not currently looking for an idea and I don’t really need one for right now.
The first suggestion that I would like to critique is number two, which is Immerse. It asks the thinker to put off some time to just think over ideas that they have. I do not think that this is an accurate way to create and refine ideas because creativity isn’t always there. I kept on thinking that when I needed to write a paper or make a video, it is almost impossible for me to say, “I am going to find an idea for this project!” and actually get it done. I find that I get most of my ideas when I shower, but when I shower to get ideas, I am usually blank minded. I think that getting ideas is usually a spur of the moment thing, and all you need is time.
The second I would like to criticize is number five: Fantasize. It asks you to think about a fantasy cure to your challenge. Though this may help for mechanical problems, I do not think that this could help for more creative venues. I actually tried this idea and all I could think about were things that just couldn’t happen or something that I would not do. I was trying to figure out a way to put my computer on the floor with out getting out of my bed (I have a loft) but all I could think about was putting a slide onto the side of my bed so I could slide it down, the I could slide down. I think that this could work for some people (the fantasize option, that is) but my mind is just so out there that nothing realistic would come from it.
The third I would like to comment on is number ten: hang out with a diverse group of people. I would like to say that I could never do this. It is a good idea in itself but I am just too shy and opinionated to mesh with people who are completely different than me. Also people choose who to hang out with based on how much they have in common and once you get that group, it is difficult to go outside of it. This might be in fear of rejection from the original group, or rejection from the new group. I was also thinking, if one would pick out a group of the most diverse people they know, I can see the chosen to be basically the same person. I know that there are more than two types of people, but when basing the chosen people off of what is completely opposite of yourself, then it would be difficult to get a diverse group of people.
I will use an idea that I had a while ago for my example. I was trying to think of a video game, just for the heck of it. I had thought of something after much showering, and mindless Hulu watching when I finally thought of an idea. It is a game that is for the younger demographic, most easily played on the DS. The main objective was to get off the island that you landed on. Though it was technically a free reign game, the character would be guided through out the island by a path and would be introduced to good and bad characters along the way. But the only problem was that I could not think of any characters. I knew that there had to be some sort of currency that would be traded through the main layer and a shop keep NPC but I did not know how get the money and how to introduce new tools into the game. At first I was thinking a chest would work but so many other games have used that mechanic that I wanted something unique. Well I thought back to the different memories that I had through out playing games and my life experiences.
Well I never thought that this would come in the form of Farmville. My mother is obsessed with that game. To the point where she calls up her best friend and they collaborate on how to get the most coin for their crop. Well I remember her saying something about how one of her animas seems like it doesn’t give anything. When I called her up to ask what the animals name was, she told me it was a treasure seagull, Which I immediately put into my game. So I think for this I used number nine. I used the current trends to influence my game. Though Farmville popularity isn’t what it used to be, I still think that it does have some good and simple ideas that can be implemented into other ideas. I also used the current trends on the way that I made my game. I remember that I first thought of this idea when I heard the new Legend of Zelda game was coming out and I took snippets of that and used it to influence my game. I also used the subtle guiding from the different first person shooters that I have come across.
Blog 1A
I feel like this is going to be one of the nerdier of the blogs that we have to do, but I will not adjust my artist because of “geeky-ness”. My favorite artist is Shigeru Miyamoto, who is the creator if some of the biggest names in the Video game world. He has helped to create Donkey Kong, Mario, and my favorite, Legend of Zelda. I admire him because of the completely different worlds that he creates. I find myself struggling to even create something original as I am doodling on my notebook, while Miyamoto can create completely different cultures and worlds. I know that it wasn’t just him that did it but I am still impressed with the level of intricacy that goes into these games. Looking back on to Mario, it may seem like a simple game, but there was so much work that went into creating and making it function that it is difficult to see it as a simple game.
Super Mario Bros.
Each of these games is relatively similar or they have AFFINITY to each other in concept. In each game, the main character has to go out and save some one. In Zelda and Mario, it is Princess Zelda and Princess Peach respectively. While in Donkey Kong, it is a horde of stolen bananas that must be saved from evil. There is also something that you must collect along the way to help determine your score, such as Rupees or coins. And lastly, the main character usually always starts out as a pauper of sorts. Link, in Legend of Zelda, is a boy who was raised among the Kokiri, who are all forest children. Mario is a plumber, and Donkey Kong is a giant ape. The hold CONTRAST to one another in how the game actually is played out. Legend of Zelda was one of the first role-playing games out on the market and it became wildly popular, as more games have come out. This is the only game out of the three I mentioned that one has almost complete control on where the character moves, or it is the only game in which there is a non-linear map. Where as Mario and Donkey Kong both have linear maps, dictating which way to go which in most cases is forward.
These games also have TENSION and RELEASE. Release is most commonly found in the games as mini-games. For example, after a level in Mario, a path can unlock a mini game, which always gives the player an award. Though it depends on how well the player did in the mini game that dictates the usefulness of said award. In Zelda, the releases are the comical faces that Link sometimes makes. In the games, Link is a very stoic boy with very few emotional expressions. But when one does the right thing, one can coax the expressions out of him. For example, when the player has Link pick up a cat inside of a house then proceeds to walk out the door with the cat in hand, the look of surprise that appears on his face is so animated and funny. It almost makes you forget that you had just had a fight to the death with some goblin on a giant pig. The Tension in the games are usually the battles one gets into. In Zelda, it is extremely hard to relax while trying to knock the goblins off their pig or to shoot the weak spot of the boss at the end of a map. While in Mario, the question is whether or not you can hit the boss at the end of a level the third time, or if you can make the jump.
Lastly is CONSCIOUS and SUBCONSCIOUS. In these games, all the actions will somewhat effect the future of Your character. For example, through out the dungeons in Legend of Zelda there are many chests that are hidden in nooks and crannies. One can go through the dungeon and never see a chest, but what are in these chests are usually essential to ones success o the game. You can find many different weapons and ammo in the chests as well as the ever-needed Rupee. Because of the usefulness of these items, it encourages you to go out and search for them. Of course these chests are heavily guarded, which also benefits the player by getting in practice and helps with the accuracy of the attacks. But it also gives the player a chance to go out and look at all the hard work that the game designers put into the game. There are some sights that are only available through the exploration of the dungeon. And one can also find little hints on the wall or the floor that would help you in the game or remind you of a previous game.
Friday, April 1, 2011
My LEG! Post 1
Yes, that is my leg. With a beautiful rainbow of gummy bears on top of it, which describes be wonderfully!
I decided the 8AM lab time for several reasons. At first it was to have as few classes on Friday as possible, which I succeeded in. But it was also because I thought it would be most convenient if I decided to go home on a Thursday. Since earning that I could not miss, that goal was in vain. But I do not regret that decision, for this is the perfect way to fix my sleeping habits! No more staying up until four in the morning because I decided to take a super long nap. This class gives me an excuse to take a nap after as well, nothing is more refreshing than a mid morning nap...
I also chose this time because it makes the day feel so much longer and early classes make me feel like I accomplished something, even if it is just typing my thoughts on a blog.
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