Freak Factor
In David Rendall's "Freak Factor," his main message is to accentuate your freak factor. Let your freak flag fly. Accentuate the positive in you, and eliminate the negative. In most aspects, he's right; why focus on what's wrong with you instead of harnessing and being proud of what you're good at. Some are good at sports, but excel in art or music. Some excel in academics and suck at sports. Some are good at sports and academics, but have no creativity. What Rendall is saying is if you've found something you're good at, your strengths, spending your time strengthening your strengths is more valuable then trying to fix your weaknesses.
2. What's my problem?
Here, Rendall's explains that why dwell on your flaws or weaknesses, when you have the ability to use these flaws to your advantage. In questioning your weaknesses, you're viewing yourself in a negative way, when you can channel these weaknesses into something productive. Like he says, being talkative could be seen as a negative quality in a person, but rather than working on learning how to not be talkative, use this quality to your advantage; be a stand up comedian, be a talk show host, be a professional speaker. Sometimes people with ADHD see it as being a flaw to themselves, but those with high energy can definitely be put to use better than people with low energy.
4. Forget It: Don’t Try to Fix Your Weaknesses
I don't completely agree with this point. In most situations, it is more beneficial to concentrate on enhancing your strengths rather than working on your weaknesses. However, I think it would be a good idea for someone who's an asshole to spend some time trying to not be an asshole, while balancing their time working on their strengths...so this isn't entirely true. Then again, assholes finish first. If Mark Zuckerberg wasn't such an asshole, he wouldn't be where he is today...like before he's utilizing one of his flaws to be beneficial to him.
6. Focus: You Can’t Do Both
I believe this is true. Personally, I'd rather be super good at something and not work to be good at something I suck at. I see no point. Maybe others don't but if you think about it, it makes no sense. Many artists have horrible addiction problems, but instead of trying to perfect their art while working on their addictive personality, their art becomes even stronger as its focused on more. That's how rock stars are known. Many have died but they've made history. If they had spent all their time working on their flaws, they wouldn't have produced their music in such an epic way. Besides, like Rendall says, what would you enjoy more: strengthening your strengths, or working on a weakness. Focusing on your strengths is just going to make you feel better overall than being miserable trying to fix your weaknesses.
As for me, sometimes I wish I was better at more of the different media outlets we have learned in class. I'm not very good with animation, and I don't play videogames, but I really enjoyed creating soundscapes and using garageband and recording software. But I guess I feel better about myself thinking maybe I have more strengths where someone else has weaknesses, but I respect others have strengths where I have weaknesses.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Collapsus
Collapsus.com
As technology progresses, forms of media have been woven and combined together to create truly unique experiences for their users. In other words, trans-media is becoming a more prevalent form of media. Today, we can combine plots, storylines, interaction, animation, fictional, and non-fictional elements to create new forms of media. By doing this, involvement in the story and how applicable it is creates something an audience or user can connect to on another level. Media is no longer limited to single forms, or single outlets. They are combining and intertwining, and Collapsus is doing just these things.
Collapsus is an interactive transmedia piece developed by Tommy Pallota. Its design's purpose was to allow the user an interactive look into the future, particularly the near future and what will become of the energy crisis. The user sees the possibility of how the energy crisis may cause mankind to look to alternative energy sources for energy rather than fossil fuels. What's interesting is through the interaction of the user and the piece, the story line goes between fact and fiction. And yet, the fictional characters in the piece can be applied/mimic people in real life experiencing the current energy crisis. The fictional aspects of the piece, however, are realistic examples of what could be the world to come. I believe this is what makes the piece more powerful to whoever is experiencing it.
At the beginning of the quarter, I never took a step back and looked at what exactly we were doing. We aren't simply making an animation, a song, a video. Now, an animation can be combined with music and audio; the same goes for videos. I think we have built up how we began to combine types of media into more complex forms of media. Beginning with our soundscape, we then created songs, video jokescripts, then videos with audio and music, then animations. Finally we've created a video game, and even though we simply came up with the concept, the video game combined all of these elements. It's interesting how Palotta has combined forms of media outlets that are out of the ordinary, such as animating what is already captured on film, and then combining that with interaction such as in a video game. The more individual elements of media, the more creativity comes out, and the more the content hits closer to home.
As technology progresses, forms of media have been woven and combined together to create truly unique experiences for their users. In other words, trans-media is becoming a more prevalent form of media. Today, we can combine plots, storylines, interaction, animation, fictional, and non-fictional elements to create new forms of media. By doing this, involvement in the story and how applicable it is creates something an audience or user can connect to on another level. Media is no longer limited to single forms, or single outlets. They are combining and intertwining, and Collapsus is doing just these things.
Collapsus is an interactive transmedia piece developed by Tommy Pallota. Its design's purpose was to allow the user an interactive look into the future, particularly the near future and what will become of the energy crisis. The user sees the possibility of how the energy crisis may cause mankind to look to alternative energy sources for energy rather than fossil fuels. What's interesting is through the interaction of the user and the piece, the story line goes between fact and fiction. And yet, the fictional characters in the piece can be applied/mimic people in real life experiencing the current energy crisis. The fictional aspects of the piece, however, are realistic examples of what could be the world to come. I believe this is what makes the piece more powerful to whoever is experiencing it.
At the beginning of the quarter, I never took a step back and looked at what exactly we were doing. We aren't simply making an animation, a song, a video. Now, an animation can be combined with music and audio; the same goes for videos. I think we have built up how we began to combine types of media into more complex forms of media. Beginning with our soundscape, we then created songs, video jokescripts, then videos with audio and music, then animations. Finally we've created a video game, and even though we simply came up with the concept, the video game combined all of these elements. It's interesting how Palotta has combined forms of media outlets that are out of the ordinary, such as animating what is already captured on film, and then combining that with interaction such as in a video game. The more individual elements of media, the more creativity comes out, and the more the content hits closer to home.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Character Design
The video is in Yuxi's blog post
This is Yuxi's animation
Color
Although the hero and villain in the animation outfits with colors that are not completely opposites on the color wheel, they contrast with their hue, saturation, and value. The hero's outfit is a brighter, less saturated outfit, with minimal value. This keeps him brighter, and allows the viewer/ tells the viewer he is the good guy or hero. In contrast, the colors in the villain's outfit have a stronger saturation. The hues of his outfit are blue/purple...and combined with the saturation is a deeper value, which makes him appear more grey and dark. This subconsciously tells the viewer he is the hero's nemesis.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Response to "This American Life
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/178/superpowers
If I could have any super power, I would FOR SURE have the power to be a speedster ( the ability to be fast as fu… well you know). I would be able to run anywhere I want, as fast as I want, be able to go through slow traffic, retrieve things I leave somewhere really fast, be amazing at any sport basicly that requires speed, probably be able to walk on water if I’m going fast enough, not need a car in order to get places, be able to run from police to avoid arrest, anything I do could be faster, easier, and more convenient. I think it has more options than powers like being able to teleport or even fly, because I could run somewhere almost just as fast as a teleporter, or probably fly a little if I run fast enough. And as far as heroes with this ability, I would pick to be Dash from the Incredibles. I am drawn to him, because ever since the movie came out, he’s been my dude. If you told him to do the things I listed before, no doubt he would be able to pull it off easily. Also, like me, he’s got an older sister with superpowers. His family, in a combined effort of all their powers, was able to defeat the villain of the movie; one more reason I am drawn to him. I don’t think things like invisibilty, being able to bend and stretch in any way, being able to turn green and big and destroy things, are things that are as versatile as being a speedster. Plus, for me, going faster is just more fun. Speeding in cars, rollercoasters, riding bikes down hills to go really fast, flying in planes; I’ve dug them all since I was a kid. Maybe someday I’ll have the power to be a speedster.
joke videos
joke 2
In our second joke video, there was no dialogue, it was in black and white, and ragtime music was playing in the background. These qualities of the movie go along with the qualities of movies made in the nostalgic silent movie era. But even though its nostalgic, these qualities attributed to the rhythm of the movie. Like in old silent films, shots are slightly sped up, which keeps the audience's attention. Music also contributed to the rhythm; also the key and mood of the music matched up with the emotions and what's happening in the movie. For the element of space, we manipulated parts of the mac lab to represent different rooms in the house. A kitchen was drawn up on the dry erase board, even though its hard to see; the outside of the maclab was the boy's bedroom, and the floor that's just inside the entrance to the lab was the living room floor.
joke1
In our first video, everything was filmed in the gridlab, so we had to use what was available to us in the grid lab to do our set design, which was a film noir according to the script. As for the audio, we filmed the movie first, then recorded the dialogue afterward, and ironically we had Lena act as the father but record her voice for the son, and me as the son but doing the father's voice. In the beginning of the film, after the boy starts using his dirty mouth, you see the father's face of disgust, creating subtext, telling the audience how the father is confused and how the audience should feel. Also, when the son is put in time out, you know how he is angry and pouting by his facial expression and his movements while crossing his arms. And while the son is in the corner, virtual lines from the door and the walls form a box around the son. Movement is established in this movie based on where the son is playing with his train. At first, he is metaphorically on his father's "bad" side when he uses words a young child shouldn't know. He comes back from timeout on his father's "good" side, and uses proper language...until the end when he offends his father.
The two movies had affinity because of their similar story lines, and that they both were supposed to appear nostalgic, even though were filmed with modern equipment. In contrast one is in color and dubbed over, while the other is in black and white and is silent with written dialogue. The silent film has the audience actively thinking when they see the exaggerated movements of the mother and child, and the characters faces, while the noir film is didactic in that the dialogue is spoken and you are told what's going on.
In our second joke video, there was no dialogue, it was in black and white, and ragtime music was playing in the background. These qualities of the movie go along with the qualities of movies made in the nostalgic silent movie era. But even though its nostalgic, these qualities attributed to the rhythm of the movie. Like in old silent films, shots are slightly sped up, which keeps the audience's attention. Music also contributed to the rhythm; also the key and mood of the music matched up with the emotions and what's happening in the movie. For the element of space, we manipulated parts of the mac lab to represent different rooms in the house. A kitchen was drawn up on the dry erase board, even though its hard to see; the outside of the maclab was the boy's bedroom, and the floor that's just inside the entrance to the lab was the living room floor.
joke1
In our first video, everything was filmed in the gridlab, so we had to use what was available to us in the grid lab to do our set design, which was a film noir according to the script. As for the audio, we filmed the movie first, then recorded the dialogue afterward, and ironically we had Lena act as the father but record her voice for the son, and me as the son but doing the father's voice. In the beginning of the film, after the boy starts using his dirty mouth, you see the father's face of disgust, creating subtext, telling the audience how the father is confused and how the audience should feel. Also, when the son is put in time out, you know how he is angry and pouting by his facial expression and his movements while crossing his arms. And while the son is in the corner, virtual lines from the door and the walls form a box around the son. Movement is established in this movie based on where the son is playing with his train. At first, he is metaphorically on his father's "bad" side when he uses words a young child shouldn't know. He comes back from timeout on his father's "good" side, and uses proper language...until the end when he offends his father.
The two movies had affinity because of their similar story lines, and that they both were supposed to appear nostalgic, even though were filmed with modern equipment. In contrast one is in color and dubbed over, while the other is in black and white and is silent with written dialogue. The silent film has the audience actively thinking when they see the exaggerated movements of the mother and child, and the characters faces, while the noir film is didactic in that the dialogue is spoken and you are told what's going on.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Fallout 3 Scene Analysis
Color
-Hue--> some parts, mainly indoors as well as buildings, rubble around the city, the subway, looks based between the colors of blue and green.. When it cuts to clips where light is exposed there is a yellow/burnt orange hue. This is what you can imagine hues of your surroundings would be like during a nuclear fallout.
-Brightness--> none of the rubble/city/buildings are bright. The sky however, always is much brighter than the ground below it, which contrasts much with the city.
-Saturation--> Ithink the saturation in all colors has had very little white in it. It's what makes these colors dull and ugly and creepy. The dark green/blue hue and the yellow burnt orange both are deprived of white. Again, this makes the player experience what you can imagine it would look like after nuclear fallout.
Manipulation of color
-Burnt yellow tint of surroundings and the faded clothing of the 3 runaways indicates to viewer of the era--> great depression
-People in robes come into scene in bright white clothing--> viewer knows they must have something to do with angels/god
Movement
- The robed people walking through the forest walk slowly, which can be seen as angelic or God-like.
- 3 men become surrounded by the robed people, so you know they will most likely be whisked away to be saved
- All the church-goers are moving in the same direction, so viewer knows the 3 runaways will most likely follow them in the direction they were going.
Shape
- Everett (George Clooney) has square features indicating his intelligence/ skeeming personality
- Pete is long and slender looking with a round head, so you know he's the thinker of the group
- Delmar has pointy features, he's short, and the look of his head/face is pointy, so you know he's the dumb one, easily swayed or talked into things.
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