Here's a video of me reflecting on my groups video design presentation..
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Blog 9B
First here's a link to a sweet site/video/lots of stuff: Collapsus.com
Second, Here's an audio clip of me discussing Collapsus, trans-media, and the way MDIA 203 has changed my media perspectives:
Second, Here's an audio clip of me discussing Collapsus, trans-media, and the way MDIA 203 has changed my media perspectives:
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Blog 8B
Below are 3 links to the people's blogs on which I critiquing their animations:
Stephen Hicken's Blog
Sissi Xiao's Blog
Adam Martinelli's Blog
Stephen Hicken's Blog Critique
In creating this pair of characters Stephen and his partner employed several tactics. First thing that is noticeable about the two animations is the difference in Lighting. In the Swordfish video the scene is very bright which gives off the feeling that it isn't really that unsafe of an environment. The Octopus animation on the other hand is much darker and employs the usage of shadows, specifically in the cave lair of the Octopus. This suggests that this is a much more unsafe environment and that the Octopus must be up to no good from the begininning. The lighter the scene the more relaxed the mood and the darker the more tense the mood gets. It is somewhat hard to examine the way in which the hero Swordfish is lit, seeing as how he is simply black outlines and no color was added to him after he was drawn. However, the Octopus is a very dark blue, easily the darkest thing in the scene. This is symbolic right away of the fact that he is the bad guy in the instance. Had the Swordfish been colored in it would have been logical for him to have been a much lighter colored blue than that of the Octopus.
When it comes to contrast and affinity there are a few examples of both terms that can be found in this Hero/Villain pairing. To state the obvious, the two affine in the fact that they are both sea creatures. Aside from that feature there are some obvious differences. The Octopus moves in a creepy slithering like fashion while the Swordfish seems to fly into the scene to save the day. The Swordfish is adorned with a chest emblem denoting his super abilities, while the Octopus possesses no costume and appears to simply be an evil octopus. The Swordfish is smiling throughout the scene, while the Octopus possesses an obvious scowl. Also the colors of the two, contrast as I earlier stated. Tension and release is also used in the Swordfish animation as the fish hold up takes place and is tense, and then the tension is released as Swordfish scares the criminals away.
Sissi Xiao's Blog
The pair of characters that Sissi posted are interesting when it comes to examining them as a Hero and Villain pair. What I find to be the most interesting aspect is the use of color. The hue of the two characters and how they compare is what I found most intriguing. First of all, the villain is a greenish color. The green is more of a dark value being not very bright, which is helpful in creating the perception of him as being the villain. However, for a good portion of the animation the villain has a smile as well as a pleasant expression of his face. This is counter productive because these characteristics are usually attributed to a character that is good. The hue of the hero on the other hand is a saturated dark red. Red is an interesting color because it can be associated with good and bad attributes. It can mean anger and aggression as well as it can mean courageousness and ambition. The hero arrives on the scene with a happy facial expression that makes it clear he has good intentions. However, after he engages the apparent villain the hero's facial expression changes to a rather unpleasant grimace that remains on his face for the remainder of the animation. This is another contradictory of symbols within the animation.
The use of contrast and affinity is also apparent in this animation. The Villain is more skinny and possesses a triangular face that shows he can't be trusted, while the Hero has a more rounded figure as well as a rounded face which shows he is trustworthy. Also it can be said that tension and release are present as well. The tension builds as the villain kicks the creature initially and continues in an implied hunt for more destruction and is released as the hero swoops in and knocks him out.
Adam Martinelli's Blog
The contrast in characters within Adam's animation is very good and easy to critique. Sticking with the aspect of color, this group did a great job using it to effectively create a contrast between the two colors. The lumberjack hero in this instance is wearing vibrant bright colors including hues of red and two different shades of lighter blue. The villain ghost thing makes his intentions clear through his wardrobe which consists of black and two shades of grey, one being more saturated than the other. Also, there really are no other physical characteristics of the hero and villain that conflict with the message that their color schemes send out. Another interesting aspect of the color choices for these two characters is the way in which they chose to use the color red. It is the primary color of the Lumberjack's costume and is quite apparent the color is supposed to be viewed in a positive light. However, when the same exact color is used to fill in the eyes of the ghostly villain it is apparent right away that this character must be evil. This is because it is nearly impossible to not associate red eyes with evil.
Contrast and affinity is more apparent in these two characters than any of the previous pairings I've examined in this blog. The Lumberjack is brightly colored and stands stationary for much of the animation with a big smile on his face. The villain contrasts from this by being a dark, jagged, and hovering around menacingly for the entire animation. Perhaps the only characteristic that I can see as being affine between the two is that they share the color red. The Lumberjack wearing it on his chest while the Ghostly villain possesses red eyes. Tension and Release is also very present in this animation. The tension begins to build the moment you see the menacing villain hovering and increases as the Lumberjack's axe initially fails to take him down. However the tension is soon released as the Lumberjack approaches the villain and vanquishes him with a mighty bang from his axe.
Stephen Hicken's Blog
Sissi Xiao's Blog
Adam Martinelli's Blog
Stephen Hicken's Blog Critique
In creating this pair of characters Stephen and his partner employed several tactics. First thing that is noticeable about the two animations is the difference in Lighting. In the Swordfish video the scene is very bright which gives off the feeling that it isn't really that unsafe of an environment. The Octopus animation on the other hand is much darker and employs the usage of shadows, specifically in the cave lair of the Octopus. This suggests that this is a much more unsafe environment and that the Octopus must be up to no good from the begininning. The lighter the scene the more relaxed the mood and the darker the more tense the mood gets. It is somewhat hard to examine the way in which the hero Swordfish is lit, seeing as how he is simply black outlines and no color was added to him after he was drawn. However, the Octopus is a very dark blue, easily the darkest thing in the scene. This is symbolic right away of the fact that he is the bad guy in the instance. Had the Swordfish been colored in it would have been logical for him to have been a much lighter colored blue than that of the Octopus.
When it comes to contrast and affinity there are a few examples of both terms that can be found in this Hero/Villain pairing. To state the obvious, the two affine in the fact that they are both sea creatures. Aside from that feature there are some obvious differences. The Octopus moves in a creepy slithering like fashion while the Swordfish seems to fly into the scene to save the day. The Swordfish is adorned with a chest emblem denoting his super abilities, while the Octopus possesses no costume and appears to simply be an evil octopus. The Swordfish is smiling throughout the scene, while the Octopus possesses an obvious scowl. Also the colors of the two, contrast as I earlier stated. Tension and release is also used in the Swordfish animation as the fish hold up takes place and is tense, and then the tension is released as Swordfish scares the criminals away.
Sissi Xiao's Blog
The pair of characters that Sissi posted are interesting when it comes to examining them as a Hero and Villain pair. What I find to be the most interesting aspect is the use of color. The hue of the two characters and how they compare is what I found most intriguing. First of all, the villain is a greenish color. The green is more of a dark value being not very bright, which is helpful in creating the perception of him as being the villain. However, for a good portion of the animation the villain has a smile as well as a pleasant expression of his face. This is counter productive because these characteristics are usually attributed to a character that is good. The hue of the hero on the other hand is a saturated dark red. Red is an interesting color because it can be associated with good and bad attributes. It can mean anger and aggression as well as it can mean courageousness and ambition. The hero arrives on the scene with a happy facial expression that makes it clear he has good intentions. However, after he engages the apparent villain the hero's facial expression changes to a rather unpleasant grimace that remains on his face for the remainder of the animation. This is another contradictory of symbols within the animation.
The use of contrast and affinity is also apparent in this animation. The Villain is more skinny and possesses a triangular face that shows he can't be trusted, while the Hero has a more rounded figure as well as a rounded face which shows he is trustworthy. Also it can be said that tension and release are present as well. The tension builds as the villain kicks the creature initially and continues in an implied hunt for more destruction and is released as the hero swoops in and knocks him out.
Adam Martinelli's Blog
The contrast in characters within Adam's animation is very good and easy to critique. Sticking with the aspect of color, this group did a great job using it to effectively create a contrast between the two colors. The lumberjack hero in this instance is wearing vibrant bright colors including hues of red and two different shades of lighter blue. The villain ghost thing makes his intentions clear through his wardrobe which consists of black and two shades of grey, one being more saturated than the other. Also, there really are no other physical characteristics of the hero and villain that conflict with the message that their color schemes send out. Another interesting aspect of the color choices for these two characters is the way in which they chose to use the color red. It is the primary color of the Lumberjack's costume and is quite apparent the color is supposed to be viewed in a positive light. However, when the same exact color is used to fill in the eyes of the ghostly villain it is apparent right away that this character must be evil. This is because it is nearly impossible to not associate red eyes with evil.
Contrast and affinity is more apparent in these two characters than any of the previous pairings I've examined in this blog. The Lumberjack is brightly colored and stands stationary for much of the animation with a big smile on his face. The villain contrasts from this by being a dark, jagged, and hovering around menacingly for the entire animation. Perhaps the only characteristic that I can see as being affine between the two is that they share the color red. The Lumberjack wearing it on his chest while the Ghostly villain possesses red eyes. Tension and Release is also very present in this animation. The tension begins to build the moment you see the menacing villain hovering and increases as the Lumberjack's axe initially fails to take him down. However the tension is soon released as the Lumberjack approaches the villain and vanquishes him with a mighty bang from his axe.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Blog 8A: If I could have a Super Power...
Here is a link to an 'Audio Article' of sorts about super powers: Superpowers "First Act"
 |
| Wolverines ability to regenerate and survive virtually any injury is what allowed him to obtain his adamantium skeleton and claws. Without the ability no human could survive the procedure. |
I like Wolverines power of "Regeneration". Here is an audio explanation explanation below:
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Blog Assignment Week 7: Video Joke Assignment
Above is the video my group created for the Video Joke Assignment. I wrote, starred in and edited the production.
Heres a link to a video by another group in my lab: LINK HERE!!!!!
After examining both videos closely I've come to find a number of similarities and contrasts between the two.
One aspect that both videos share is the use of movement at some point in the production. The other groups video employed the use of movement most specifically in the scene where the car is driving down the curvy road. Here they are using the technique of object movement as the car drives in and out of the frame. In the video my group made we used movement in most of the scenes, from the begininning where my character is getting dressed in the room, to the sequence where the character is running across campus trying to get to an exam. For most of the running scenes object movement is what happens as my character runs in and out of the frame, however in a few scenes the camera followed the character, moving slightly to track his progress before exiting the frame.
The use of lines is also employed in both videos. The most apparent implementation of lines, in each instance, is the use of virtual lines, specifically lines in eyesight. In the other groups video virtual lines can be observed as the lines in eyesight can be seen when the male character is reading the newspaper, conversing with the girl and the other prisoner. The same lines can be found observing my character in our video as he looks at his alarm clock, notices his bike being gone and converses with the girl in the elevator. For the most part, these virtual lines are used to direct the attention of the audience to a specific point in the frame.
One of the six binary terms that could easily apply to both videos is contrast and affinity. The videos demonstrate affinity in a few ways. One way being that both videos include both male and female cast members. Another way they videos are affine is that the scripts for each one is based around a simple joke. A third way affinity can be found by noticing that the female character brings about the distraught of the male character in the end of each video. They contrast from each other often as well. For one, the other groups video is in black and white while ours is in color. Also, the other groups film is silent besides the silent film music, while ours includes sound effects, background music a recorded dialogue.
Another binary term that can be found in both videos is tension and release. My groups video starts out with very little initial tension when my character first wakes up and begins moving around. However when the realization is made that he is going to be late for an exam the tension instantly begins to build. The music is a big help to add tension as my character runs across campus and encounters troubles. When he finally reaches the elevator and lets our a sigh of relief, the tension is also released. In the other groups video the period of tension is much shorter as it consumes the portion of the video following the car crash. This tension is quickly released as it can be seen that both characters involved are unharmed and in good spirits.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Blog 6B
For this we needed to do a commentary on a scene from from a video game, so I did one from Assassin's Creed 2:
Blog 5B
Blog 5B Link: Requiem for a Dream Commentary
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Blog 5A
Above is Salvador Dali's painting "The Temptation of St. Anthony" seen from 2 different perspectives, the one on the left being the original artwork and the one on the left being a reframed to focus more on just St. Anthony and what appears to be a giant, disproportionate , white horse. A big difference can be made by simply reframing an image, especially this one. In the following few paragraphs I'm going to explore these incongruities and explain them using some very sophisticated terms.
First of all, I was drawn to the original image for a variety of reasons. The main reason being how bizarre the images. At first glance it is simply a cross bearing, naked man attempting to ward of a menacing parade of a giant horse and giant elephants, all with extremely elongated legs. The number of details incorporated into this ominous parade create visual intensity as the creatures are meant to represent several forms of temptation that have been sent to corrupt the naked man, St. Anthony. Also, the way Dali was able to create space in the image conveys how the odds are stacked against St. Anthony as he must stand up to this slew of giant creatures with literally nothing but a cross. The optimization of space also helps give an idea of how large these creatures must be as they fade into the distance while still maintaing such impressive stature.
I chose to reframe the image the way I did because it displays the place where the most action is taking place. By perceiving the lines of the image, specifically the arm and line of vision of St. Anthony, it can be seen that the giant horse is the most threatening creature at the moment.
I think Dali framed the image the way he did because it includes all the elements necessary to truly understand the paintings meaning. While the images affine in the fact that they portray a challenge for St. Anthony, they contrast in that the original shows the challenge as much more staggering. The interpretational views of the painting can also be changed by reframing. While the objective view that there is a challenge at hand for St. Anthony is demonstrable in both images, the subjective meaning of the painting (St. Anthony being faced with a number of temptations) is lost when the additional elements of the image are cropped out.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Song Critique
Here are some critiques of the songs a few of my classmates created, along with liks to each of their songs
Mike Mulig Song
Stephen Hicken's Song
Steven Martin's Song
Mike Mulig Song
Stephen Hicken's Song
Steven Martin's Song
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Brainwashed Response
HERES A LINK TO THE ARTICLE I'M ABOUT TO DISCUSS
So the first part of this assignment was to summarize two parts of this article. Thats thats what I'm gonna do now.
The first segment, entitled Acknowledging the Lizard is basically how our brainstem that we've possessed ever since lizards existed and evolved is what stays in the way of much of our artistic ability. It is the part of the brain that keeps us from taking risks that others might think stupid and laugh at or critique harshly. Essentially, this fear of failure often keeps us from being creative and original with new ideas. The segments solution for this is to "acknowledge" the lizard brainstem and look past it when coming up with ideas.
The second segment i chose to summarize is titled "Ship". In it, a more business-like approach is taken to look at the aspect of creativity. The concept of "shipping" being that the person who gets things done and ships the product out first is much more useful and important to have around than a person who doesn't "ship". Importance is also put on the ability to first "Acknowledge the Lizard" in order to be able to "Ship" effectively.
Next we're supposed to discuss how these practices may relate to this Blog we're doing for the class...
Both of these practices can easily be connected to the purpose of these blogs. A lot of people probably get nervous of posting their personal opinions for all to see. That's why nobody ever raises their hands to answer questions in class, the "Lizard Brainstem" is telling them not to out of fear of a negative class reaction. On here you are given somewhere to state your opinions for all to see, but unless someone chooses to leave a nasty comment, you may never no how stupid some people may think your ideas are. An especially helpful tactic because it allows you to get your ideas out there, without the looming possibility of failure. The tactic of being able to "Ship" is also a good one. It can be connected to the blog through the various projects we post while doing group work. Being a person who "Ships" and gets stuff done makes you a much more desirable and appreciated partner. Its a very helpful tactic for these sorts of situations, as well as virtually any aspect of life.
So the first part of this assignment was to summarize two parts of this article. Thats thats what I'm gonna do now.
The first segment, entitled Acknowledging the Lizard is basically how our brainstem that we've possessed ever since lizards existed and evolved is what stays in the way of much of our artistic ability. It is the part of the brain that keeps us from taking risks that others might think stupid and laugh at or critique harshly. Essentially, this fear of failure often keeps us from being creative and original with new ideas. The segments solution for this is to "acknowledge" the lizard brainstem and look past it when coming up with ideas.
The second segment i chose to summarize is titled "Ship". In it, a more business-like approach is taken to look at the aspect of creativity. The concept of "shipping" being that the person who gets things done and ships the product out first is much more useful and important to have around than a person who doesn't "ship". Importance is also put on the ability to first "Acknowledge the Lizard" in order to be able to "Ship" effectively.
Next we're supposed to discuss how these practices may relate to this Blog we're doing for the class...
Both of these practices can easily be connected to the purpose of these blogs. A lot of people probably get nervous of posting their personal opinions for all to see. That's why nobody ever raises their hands to answer questions in class, the "Lizard Brainstem" is telling them not to out of fear of a negative class reaction. On here you are given somewhere to state your opinions for all to see, but unless someone chooses to leave a nasty comment, you may never no how stupid some people may think your ideas are. An especially helpful tactic because it allows you to get your ideas out there, without the looming possibility of failure. The tactic of being able to "Ship" is also a good one. It can be connected to the blog through the various projects we post while doing group work. Being a person who "Ships" and gets stuff done makes you a much more desirable and appreciated partner. Its a very helpful tactic for these sorts of situations, as well as virtually any aspect of life.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Song Project
We recently did a project that required us to maje some songs. These are those songs.....
SONGS LINK
SONGS LINK
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Blog 3B: Blog Critiques
Here are a few other MDIA 203 students soundscapes that I commented on...
Critique 1
Critique 2
Critique 3
Critique 1
Critique 2
Critique 3
Blog 3B: Blog Critiques
Here are a few other MDIA 203 students soundscapes that I commented on...
Critique 1
Critique 2
Critique 3
Critique 1
Critique 2
Critique 3
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Blog 3A: Song Covers
Above is the song "Lollipop", originally performed by the rap artist Lil' Wayne. The song is from the album The Carter III which was released in 2008. The song lasted 5 consecutive weeks atop Billboard's Hot 100 chart
Above is a cover of Lil Wayne's song "Lollipop" performed by the punk rock band Framing Hanley. This version of the song was released as a bonus track on their 2008 album The Moment. The cover would become certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Be it that one song is almost directly copying the format of the other, there are a number of apparent similarities. First of all, both songs are centered around the main chorus starting with "Shawty wanna thug" as well as including the "Call me so I can get it juicy for ya" portion towards the end of it all. Another similar feature shared between the two songs is the opening sequence. The opening of each song contains the same basic musical notes, be it synthesized or guitar riffs, the same opening of "She said he's so sweet, so i let her lick the rapper". On top of these factors, the opening vocals of each song are also accompanied by some sort of autotune.
Interestingly there are a number of ways in which the two songs contrast. The first noticeable difference is the already stated alteration of the song's opening. While the Lil Wayne version employs the use of whats seems like a series of synthesized beats, Framing Hanley instead chose to use guitar riffs to achieve the same effect. By doing this and establishing it early in the song it tells the audience listening that this cover is going to be a whole different beast than the original. The speed of the guitar riff is also quicker than the speed of the synthesizer beats and in turn results in the music quality of the Framing Hanley version being faster than that of the Lil Wayne original. The pitch of each note seems to be much higher in the Framing Hanley version as well. Another difference between the two is that the lyric "Get on your knees" is used in the Framing Hanley and is not included in the Lil Wayne version. However, a good portion of rap lyrics from the original version are excluded in the cover by Framing Hanley. On top of that, the majority of inappropriate words that were incorporated into the Lil Wayne version were kept out of the new, punk rock version. By making all of these deletions, the Framing Hanley version is also nearly two whole minutes shorter than the original version. Another noticeable difference between the songs can definitely be attributed to the absence of Lil Wayne himself. In many of his songs, Lil Wayne really likes scattering random exclamations such as "Oh Yeah", "C'mon" and "Uh huh" all over the track. Since Framing Hanley doesn't share in this specific artistic technique, their version of "Lollipop" can be deemed 'random exclamation free'.
Similarities and differences aside i think both songs are great.
Above is a cover of Lil Wayne's song "Lollipop" performed by the punk rock band Framing Hanley. This version of the song was released as a bonus track on their 2008 album The Moment. The cover would become certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Be it that one song is almost directly copying the format of the other, there are a number of apparent similarities. First of all, both songs are centered around the main chorus starting with "Shawty wanna thug" as well as including the "Call me so I can get it juicy for ya" portion towards the end of it all. Another similar feature shared between the two songs is the opening sequence. The opening of each song contains the same basic musical notes, be it synthesized or guitar riffs, the same opening of "She said he's so sweet, so i let her lick the rapper". On top of these factors, the opening vocals of each song are also accompanied by some sort of autotune.
Interestingly there are a number of ways in which the two songs contrast. The first noticeable difference is the already stated alteration of the song's opening. While the Lil Wayne version employs the use of whats seems like a series of synthesized beats, Framing Hanley instead chose to use guitar riffs to achieve the same effect. By doing this and establishing it early in the song it tells the audience listening that this cover is going to be a whole different beast than the original. The speed of the guitar riff is also quicker than the speed of the synthesizer beats and in turn results in the music quality of the Framing Hanley version being faster than that of the Lil Wayne original. The pitch of each note seems to be much higher in the Framing Hanley version as well. Another difference between the two is that the lyric "Get on your knees" is used in the Framing Hanley and is not included in the Lil Wayne version. However, a good portion of rap lyrics from the original version are excluded in the cover by Framing Hanley. On top of that, the majority of inappropriate words that were incorporated into the Lil Wayne version were kept out of the new, punk rock version. By making all of these deletions, the Framing Hanley version is also nearly two whole minutes shorter than the original version. Another noticeable difference between the songs can definitely be attributed to the absence of Lil Wayne himself. In many of his songs, Lil Wayne really likes scattering random exclamations such as "Oh Yeah", "C'mon" and "Uh huh" all over the track. Since Framing Hanley doesn't share in this specific artistic technique, their version of "Lollipop" can be deemed 'random exclamation free'.
Similarities and differences aside i think both songs are great.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Week 2 Blog assignment
LINK HERE!!!
Here is a link to a story about the red wolf. In the seventies the red wolf nearly went extinct and were brought into captivity in an attempt to save the species. When they were felt to have been somewhat stabilized they were rereleased into the wild. However, while in the captivity they had forgotten how to howl and communicate which is essential to the social structure of the pack. The tale is told of a wolf named Mumon who goes on a journey to rediscover the howl. In his journey he is advised by a deer and raven who gave him subtle clues as to how he could fulfill his journey. He is eventually triggered to run through the wilderness and encounters a farmer with a gun and Mumon's spirit enters into the gun. Mumon then seems to enter a mystical realm where there are natives playing drums to the neat of the wolf's heart and surrounding a fire. Mumon enters the fire and as he does lets out his howl. He then comes to the realization of being surrounded by his pack and the connection is made that Mumon has become his howl.
For the second part of this blog entry here is a video of me explaining a quote you could say is my "Howl" it wouldn't upload to blogger so heres a youtube link My Howl
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Here is a link to a story about the red wolf. In the seventies the red wolf nearly went extinct and were brought into captivity in an attempt to save the species. When they were felt to have been somewhat stabilized they were rereleased into the wild. However, while in the captivity they had forgotten how to howl and communicate which is essential to the social structure of the pack. The tale is told of a wolf named Mumon who goes on a journey to rediscover the howl. In his journey he is advised by a deer and raven who gave him subtle clues as to how he could fulfill his journey. He is eventually triggered to run through the wilderness and encounters a farmer with a gun and Mumon's spirit enters into the gun. Mumon then seems to enter a mystical realm where there are natives playing drums to the neat of the wolf's heart and surrounding a fire. Mumon enters the fire and as he does lets out his howl. He then comes to the realization of being surrounded by his pack and the connection is made that Mumon has become his howl.
For the second part of this blog entry here is a video of me explaining a quote you could say is my "Howl" it wouldn't upload to blogger so heres a youtube link My Howl
c
LINK HERE!!
This is a link to a site that provides a list of 14 ways to think outside of the box and generate new, fresh ideas. The suggestions supplied here are intended to shake the reader from their everyday realm of thinking and allow their creative process to prosper. Some of the ideas are actually very good, and a few of them stood out to me:
#2 Immerse
The basic principal of this suggestion is if you have an idea you think may have the possibility of turning into something greater you should allow it to, in a way, consume you. Think of all the aspects of your idea and from every angle imaginable. It points out how big companies like Google, 3M and W.L. Gore give their employees a significant amount of on the job time that is supposed to be dedicated to them immersing themselves in their own personal projects. Apparently these companies see the opportunity for advanced creativity that may arise as a result of encouraging their employees to use their creative process for more personal projects that may spark their minds to think more openly and bring that to their job. This idea really makes sense if you think about it though, the more time an individual spends working on a specific topic the more they should be able to discover and learn about it. Logically the same can be said when it comes to learning about and exploring new ideas. When you want to become good at something it requires lots of practice and what better way to practice something than to immerse yourself in it! I may implement this process when trying to write a script about a historical event, by surrounding myself with all the info possible concerning that time period.
#3 Tolerate Ambiguity
The basic principal of this idea is to be okay with not knowing quite what your doing and to be okay with failure. The thought here is that, first of all, not knowing isn't necessarily a bad thing. When you don't quite know what you are doing you are at the same time generating as many ideas as you can for what alternative could possibly allow you to be successful. Not only does this process allow you to potentially solve what your trying to, but it also may provide you with ideas for other new things that you wouldn't have even fathomed without stumbling onto them accidentally. Learning from failure is an important part of this principle as well. When an idea fails to solve the problem you are working towards it doesn't necessarily mean that solution is a complete failure. The failure could be teaching you more about the aspect you are trying to solve because you will know one more way that isn't a solution, the example that Thomas Edison failed 800 times before inventing the first successful light bulb is used with great emphasis to bring home this point. I could use this strategy to help me when attempting to find the perfect ending to story or video I create.
#5 Fantasize
This suggestion for thought is perhaps the most obvious on the entire list. To fantasize is to sit and think, plain and simple. In order to come up with new ideas it is necessary for you to think about them. By fantasizing you are given the opportunity to think of ideas and solutions, regardless of whether or not they are at all realistic or even possible. Fantasy has brought us such great ideas as unicorns, mermaids, spider-man, superman, the loch ness monster, dracula, frankenstein, zombies, harry potter, frodo baggins, gandolph, luke skywalker, darth vader, pikachu, bulbasaur, the list could go on and on for eternity. Fantasy calls for the purest of creative ideas, ideas that are not possible anywhere but inside of the mind of the individual. Some may be possible i suppose, and for practical purposes those would be the ones a person may follow to find their most preferred solution. I feel as though the suggestion to fantasize to gain ideas is one you really do not need to tell people, because your just asking them to think! I could easily employ this tactic when working on an idea for a new internet short and have trouble generating practical ideas.
I actually employed idea number 5 and fantasized as a means to solve one of my own predicaments. A friend and I have been attempting to create an internet short to put on youtube and in turn achieve internet stardom. Out principal idea had been the concept of having a gay ghost inhabiting the dorm room and sexually harasses the inhabitants. In fantasizing what might happen if a gay ghost were to in fact haunt a college dorm room, we were able to generate some extremely creative and unique ideas and generate our first script. Hopefully the script will make the transition into being shot some time in the near future.
This is a link to a site that provides a list of 14 ways to think outside of the box and generate new, fresh ideas. The suggestions supplied here are intended to shake the reader from their everyday realm of thinking and allow their creative process to prosper. Some of the ideas are actually very good, and a few of them stood out to me:
#2 Immerse
The basic principal of this suggestion is if you have an idea you think may have the possibility of turning into something greater you should allow it to, in a way, consume you. Think of all the aspects of your idea and from every angle imaginable. It points out how big companies like Google, 3M and W.L. Gore give their employees a significant amount of on the job time that is supposed to be dedicated to them immersing themselves in their own personal projects. Apparently these companies see the opportunity for advanced creativity that may arise as a result of encouraging their employees to use their creative process for more personal projects that may spark their minds to think more openly and bring that to their job. This idea really makes sense if you think about it though, the more time an individual spends working on a specific topic the more they should be able to discover and learn about it. Logically the same can be said when it comes to learning about and exploring new ideas. When you want to become good at something it requires lots of practice and what better way to practice something than to immerse yourself in it! I may implement this process when trying to write a script about a historical event, by surrounding myself with all the info possible concerning that time period.
#3 Tolerate Ambiguity
The basic principal of this idea is to be okay with not knowing quite what your doing and to be okay with failure. The thought here is that, first of all, not knowing isn't necessarily a bad thing. When you don't quite know what you are doing you are at the same time generating as many ideas as you can for what alternative could possibly allow you to be successful. Not only does this process allow you to potentially solve what your trying to, but it also may provide you with ideas for other new things that you wouldn't have even fathomed without stumbling onto them accidentally. Learning from failure is an important part of this principle as well. When an idea fails to solve the problem you are working towards it doesn't necessarily mean that solution is a complete failure. The failure could be teaching you more about the aspect you are trying to solve because you will know one more way that isn't a solution, the example that Thomas Edison failed 800 times before inventing the first successful light bulb is used with great emphasis to bring home this point. I could use this strategy to help me when attempting to find the perfect ending to story or video I create.
#5 Fantasize
This suggestion for thought is perhaps the most obvious on the entire list. To fantasize is to sit and think, plain and simple. In order to come up with new ideas it is necessary for you to think about them. By fantasizing you are given the opportunity to think of ideas and solutions, regardless of whether or not they are at all realistic or even possible. Fantasy has brought us such great ideas as unicorns, mermaids, spider-man, superman, the loch ness monster, dracula, frankenstein, zombies, harry potter, frodo baggins, gandolph, luke skywalker, darth vader, pikachu, bulbasaur, the list could go on and on for eternity. Fantasy calls for the purest of creative ideas, ideas that are not possible anywhere but inside of the mind of the individual. Some may be possible i suppose, and for practical purposes those would be the ones a person may follow to find their most preferred solution. I feel as though the suggestion to fantasize to gain ideas is one you really do not need to tell people, because your just asking them to think! I could easily employ this tactic when working on an idea for a new internet short and have trouble generating practical ideas.
I actually employed idea number 5 and fantasized as a means to solve one of my own predicaments. A friend and I have been attempting to create an internet short to put on youtube and in turn achieve internet stardom. Out principal idea had been the concept of having a gay ghost inhabiting the dorm room and sexually harasses the inhabitants. In fantasizing what might happen if a gay ghost were to in fact haunt a college dorm room, we were able to generate some extremely creative and unique ideas and generate our first script. Hopefully the script will make the transition into being shot some time in the near future.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Who Inspires My Creativty
I've never really stopped to examine what specific kind of creative person I happen to be. However, when I think about it i feel the best way to describe myself as striving for originality. Originality in media is easily the aspect I admire the most and in return aspire to produce ideas and concepts of my own that may be equally if not more creative. The most prominent figure that i can think of who creates with supreme originality is director/writer Darren Aronofsky. Aronofsky has created a portfolio which includes the films Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler and the highly acclaimed, Academy Award Nominee The Black Swan. What makes his films so great is that the concepts, scenes, storylines, audio... I could go on forever but the fact of the matter is that what Aronofsky does with these elements of filmmaking is unlike anything that has been seen before. His directing style often includes unique angles and cut scenes, the sound effects employed are crisp and real and the stories he tells are blatant indicators a unique train of thought that is always cleverly displayed in his films. Seeing as I hope to be a filmmaker someday it should make perfect sense that i would be inspired by someone like Darren Aronofsky, someone who has been very successful employing a creative process i hope to one day rival.
Requiem for a Dream, probably my favorite Aronofsky film, tells the stories of four addicts and how drugs essentially bring their lives to ruin. In the film, examples of some of the concepts we have discussed in class. For example, here is a scene where an example of affinity can be found. (Link 1 Here!!!) This scene in particular is showing two of the main characters before, during and after shooting up heroin, all in a 30 second window and without any visual illicit drug use. What makes this possible is the short compilation of clips in the middle of the scene that displays the steps that take place during drug use (fluid injecting, eyes dialating, etc.). What adds the element of affinity to all this is the fact that this same quick compilation of 'drug steps' is used in the film whenever any of the addicts uses, thus creating a connection between all of them. Seeing as the characters somewhat contrast in their drugs of choice, it can be seen the process they go through to get high is essentially the same in each case. The style Aronofsky uses to portray drug use here is easily one of my favorite sequence styles i have ever witnessed in film.
Next I think I'm going to go with an example of tension and release, check it out (Link 2 Here!). The life of Sarah Goldfarb is a very sad one to say the least. The movie begins with her son Harry Goldfarb, heroin junkie, stealing her television in order to pay for more drugs. As the story progresses we learn that she is also a widow and an extremely lonely person who spends her days watching infomercials. When she receives a phone call informing her of a potential opportunity to be on television she is desperate to fit into an old dress of her's for the event. This desire to lose weight causes her to turn to diet pills, which become addictive, alter her lifestyle and ultimately spell her doom. In this scene the effects the pills have had on Mrs. Goldfarb's mental state can be seen. The tension in this particular scene is caused by the evil, seemingly volatile refrigerator. The release comes when she can relax and escape back to the false reality inside the infomercials. The way Aronofsky is able to display such a clear meaning in the midst of a scene of pure insanity simply amazes me.
Finally, i would like to demonstrate an example of text and subtext from Requiem for a Dreams. This is a link to the final closing minutes of the film (Link 3 Here!). This scene quickly sums up where drug addiction has gotten each of the characters through the course of the film. As an example I am referring to the end of the clip specifically, where Sarah and Harry Goldfarb are reunited inside the infomercial. This is a prime example of text and subtext. When looking at this scene from a textual standpoint, this reunion seems very real and could have possibly happened at some point. However, the subtext of this scene is saying something else. As the prior scene is one of Sarah Goldfarb laying in her bed institutionalized, then transitioning to the infomercial it is intended for the audience to interpret this reunion as yet another one of her infomercial fantasies. The creative element that I admire most about this finally series of events is the way Aronofsky pairs it with music, adding strong emotion and gravity to the situation of it all.
Requiem for a Dream, probably my favorite Aronofsky film, tells the stories of four addicts and how drugs essentially bring their lives to ruin. In the film, examples of some of the concepts we have discussed in class. For example, here is a scene where an example of affinity can be found. (Link 1 Here!!!) This scene in particular is showing two of the main characters before, during and after shooting up heroin, all in a 30 second window and without any visual illicit drug use. What makes this possible is the short compilation of clips in the middle of the scene that displays the steps that take place during drug use (fluid injecting, eyes dialating, etc.). What adds the element of affinity to all this is the fact that this same quick compilation of 'drug steps' is used in the film whenever any of the addicts uses, thus creating a connection between all of them. Seeing as the characters somewhat contrast in their drugs of choice, it can be seen the process they go through to get high is essentially the same in each case. The style Aronofsky uses to portray drug use here is easily one of my favorite sequence styles i have ever witnessed in film.
Next I think I'm going to go with an example of tension and release, check it out (Link 2 Here!). The life of Sarah Goldfarb is a very sad one to say the least. The movie begins with her son Harry Goldfarb, heroin junkie, stealing her television in order to pay for more drugs. As the story progresses we learn that she is also a widow and an extremely lonely person who spends her days watching infomercials. When she receives a phone call informing her of a potential opportunity to be on television she is desperate to fit into an old dress of her's for the event. This desire to lose weight causes her to turn to diet pills, which become addictive, alter her lifestyle and ultimately spell her doom. In this scene the effects the pills have had on Mrs. Goldfarb's mental state can be seen. The tension in this particular scene is caused by the evil, seemingly volatile refrigerator. The release comes when she can relax and escape back to the false reality inside the infomercials. The way Aronofsky is able to display such a clear meaning in the midst of a scene of pure insanity simply amazes me.
Finally, i would like to demonstrate an example of text and subtext from Requiem for a Dreams. This is a link to the final closing minutes of the film (Link 3 Here!). This scene quickly sums up where drug addiction has gotten each of the characters through the course of the film. As an example I am referring to the end of the clip specifically, where Sarah and Harry Goldfarb are reunited inside the infomercial. This is a prime example of text and subtext. When looking at this scene from a textual standpoint, this reunion seems very real and could have possibly happened at some point. However, the subtext of this scene is saying something else. As the prior scene is one of Sarah Goldfarb laying in her bed institutionalized, then transitioning to the infomercial it is intended for the audience to interpret this reunion as yet another one of her infomercial fantasies. The creative element that I admire most about this finally series of events is the way Aronofsky pairs it with music, adding strong emotion and gravity to the situation of it all.
Friday, April 1, 2011
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