The Freak Factor
This article is basically about how to come to terms with weaknesses that you feel you have, in order to be a stronger person. His suggestions are to acknowledge the weakness, realize it's not wrong to have flaws, forget it, work on your strengths, and then put them to work.
I like the idea of number seven, because I believe that anyone can contribute to anything if they are placed where they can best use their skills. I learned this at a young age from my dad, who coached my rec. league basketball team. There were stand out athletes that could do anything with a basketball, and then there were others that didn't seem like they should ever be on a court. My dad was always great at finding one thing that everyone was good at, and then having them focus on it. He found out that one kid was really good at setting picks to let the ball carrier get away from his defender, another kid couldn't keep up with defenders, but if the ball was put right in front of him, he would always steal it. My dad always found these small ways for everyone to contribute, and everyone had their place. I always try to find my place in a group where I can best contribute.
I also like the third idea, to realize that just because you have flaws doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. Everyone has flaws, and commonly these flaws are the flip side of a strength we posses. I think accepting this helps keep a more positive attitude about yourself, and boosts your self esteem. I feel that I do this, I don't forget about my flaws all together, but I just do the best that I can to not make the same mistakes that I have in the past. I believe that with hard work, flaws can be overcome.
My last statement obviously puts me in direct contrast with the fourth idea; forget about your weakness. I think this is a terrible idea. His bullet points supporting his idea such as it takes time, and it's painful are straight from the mind set of a loser. Successful people don't simply realize they have faults, and then forget about them because they take too long, or are too difficult to fix. This idea of indifference about weakness is the greatest weakness of all in my opinion. I would never criticize a person for being overweight that I see in the gym, they are doing their best to get in better shape and overcome the physical dangers of obesity. Someone who decides that exercise takes too long to make a difference, and it hurts too bad, so they decide to just forget about being overweight does not have the mindset of a successful person, and will have to face the dangerous consequences. This is just one example of how forgetting a weakness can come back to hurt you. Other weaknesses are not as serious, but some can tear you apart inside. I think that every weakness should be acknowledged, accepted, and dealt with to the best of one's ability.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Hero/Villain Critiques
I really liked Yichen and her partner's characters, and their animation was my favorite in our lab. They made great use of color, the hero and villian had affinity because their bodies were both blue. However, the villain's blue skin was much darker than the blue of the hero's uniform, creating a classic light vs. dark contrast. The animation made good use of tension as the villain was destroying the city, and release when the hero comes and stops him from doing any more damage.
Ryan and his partner did an excellent job of creating contrast between the hero and the villain. They best way they did this was by using different materials to create their images. The villain is drawn in a thick dark pastel color, and the hero is drawn in a light and fluffy style crayon. The only affinity the characters share is in shape, they both have broad shoulders, and triangle shaped heads. The villain has his head tilted slightly, and a strange expression on his face mainly achieved with his eyes, which subconsciously adds to the dark and evil feeling of the villain. The hero is framed in a row of city lights from the buildings below which subconsciously create a feeling of purity. The lack of shadows, and presence of many lights creates a bright mood, and symbolizes the good that the hero represents.
Ryan and his partner did an excellent job of creating contrast between the hero and the villain. They best way they did this was by using different materials to create their images. The villain is drawn in a thick dark pastel color, and the hero is drawn in a light and fluffy style crayon. The only affinity the characters share is in shape, they both have broad shoulders, and triangle shaped heads. The villain has his head tilted slightly, and a strange expression on his face mainly achieved with his eyes, which subconsciously adds to the dark and evil feeling of the villain. The hero is framed in a row of city lights from the buildings below which subconsciously create a feeling of purity. The lack of shadows, and presence of many lights creates a bright mood, and symbolizes the good that the hero represents.
Video Game Reflection
Our game was called The Walking Dead. It is a mmorpg take on the hit AMC television show by the same name. I really like the idea, and it's actually a game I've been waiting to be made because I would play it. Not necessarily a "Walking Dead" game, just an mmorpg zombie game in general. We added the show tie-in for investors, and to bring in more profit. I think that we had all of the information present to represent our idea completely, but the order and organization could have been better. So to better represent our idea, I would like to outline the game again.
The Walking Dead - MMORPG Zombie Game
Starting the Game
- 3/4 Humans 1/4 Zombies in beginning of game
- Humans begin game in different sections of the city (urban, suburb, downtown, etc.)
- Zombies begin game outside of the sections
- Human killed by zombie - turns into zombie
- Zombie killed - dead, does not re spawn
- Human killed by human - dead, does not re spawn
- Last section of humans to survive wins
- Zombies to survive with most kills are also recognized
- Each section has different resources to help you survive (try to steal from other human sections)
- Starvation meter - make sure you eat or you will lose strength and speed, and eventually die
- Zombies - starvation meter, eat or die, eat a lot and speed gradually increases
This is the basis of the game, without any of the marketing aspects. It is very free, and lets you do anything you can to survive. You obviously need to kill zombies, but you can also go on missions to steal supplies from other human sections, or go attack them for fun. All of these things will bring you closer to being the last section of humans alive. In our presentation we did not lay things out in a good order for comprehension, so I hope this outline makes the game make more sense.
Hard to Explain
Hard to Explain
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Joke Videos
My group chose the elevator joke, and the two approaches we took were very different from each other, and from any of the other videos I have seen from my lab or the class. One thing that helped is that we were one of the few groups that did not pick the toy train joke, but we also did not make it an old time silent movie, as many other groups did. Enough about how our video was different from other groups, lets get into how the two videos my group made were different from each other.
The first video we made was a telenovela, a traditional Mexican soap opera. To achieve this style, we used a very choppy rhythm quickly switching back and forth between the three shot, and close ups on the various characters. I suppose the telenovelas do this to create drama, tension, and to keep the story moving at a fast pace. We simply did it to make it appear more authentic, but I think it also achieved those same effects. The rhythm of our second video with the robots had affinity in tempo, a two shot with sudden cuts to close ups of the robots. We also cut away to a screen telling what floor they are on as the elevator is moving, for some added ridiculous drama. However, there was some contrast, I think that the music of the first video also made the rhythm more dramatic. It changed with the shots for the most part, whereas the robot video had steady music throughout, which made the rhythm more fluid and less choppy.
I think both videos have great examples of tension and release. In the telenovela video, tension begins in the very beginning when the man entering the elevator bumps the man already in the elevator. From this point on, the tension rises until after the girl reveals the punchline (sorry honey it's Tuesday). The music does a great job of expressing the rising and falling action, it is faint in the beginning, becomes loud and bold during the climax, and smooth and lyrical during the release. The robot movie doesn't use music to enhance the tension and release, but uses sound effects to convey the robots emotions. The static used when the robot gets angry, and the scream when she begins pressing the button are the climax of action. Some comic relief is provided when the male robot begins whistling "The Andy Griffith Show" theme song. Release comes when male robot delivers the punchline, and exits the elevator.
We had a large contrast in space between the videos. The telenovela was filmed in a make-shift elevator made out of floor mats, so the space was flat, with no visible corners. This made the elevator feel a lot bigger to the audience, making the unnecessary closeness of the characters create even more tension. It also enhanced the theme of a telenovela because it was a cheesy set, with over the top acting. The elevator of the robot video was a real elevator, which felt a lot more mechanical and futuristic, because of the metallic siding. This fit the robot movie perfectly, because it was suppose to be a 50's science fiction movie, taking place in the future (around present time).
Overall, I was very proud and excited about the final videos we were able to make in the time we had. I felt we were able to do something original, and creative that other groups were not able to replicate.
The first video we made was a telenovela, a traditional Mexican soap opera. To achieve this style, we used a very choppy rhythm quickly switching back and forth between the three shot, and close ups on the various characters. I suppose the telenovelas do this to create drama, tension, and to keep the story moving at a fast pace. We simply did it to make it appear more authentic, but I think it also achieved those same effects. The rhythm of our second video with the robots had affinity in tempo, a two shot with sudden cuts to close ups of the robots. We also cut away to a screen telling what floor they are on as the elevator is moving, for some added ridiculous drama. However, there was some contrast, I think that the music of the first video also made the rhythm more dramatic. It changed with the shots for the most part, whereas the robot video had steady music throughout, which made the rhythm more fluid and less choppy.
I think both videos have great examples of tension and release. In the telenovela video, tension begins in the very beginning when the man entering the elevator bumps the man already in the elevator. From this point on, the tension rises until after the girl reveals the punchline (sorry honey it's Tuesday). The music does a great job of expressing the rising and falling action, it is faint in the beginning, becomes loud and bold during the climax, and smooth and lyrical during the release. The robot movie doesn't use music to enhance the tension and release, but uses sound effects to convey the robots emotions. The static used when the robot gets angry, and the scream when she begins pressing the button are the climax of action. Some comic relief is provided when the male robot begins whistling "The Andy Griffith Show" theme song. Release comes when male robot delivers the punchline, and exits the elevator.
We had a large contrast in space between the videos. The telenovela was filmed in a make-shift elevator made out of floor mats, so the space was flat, with no visible corners. This made the elevator feel a lot bigger to the audience, making the unnecessary closeness of the characters create even more tension. It also enhanced the theme of a telenovela because it was a cheesy set, with over the top acting. The elevator of the robot video was a real elevator, which felt a lot more mechanical and futuristic, because of the metallic siding. This fit the robot movie perfectly, because it was suppose to be a 50's science fiction movie, taking place in the future (around present time).
Overall, I was very proud and excited about the final videos we were able to make in the time we had. I felt we were able to do something original, and creative that other groups were not able to replicate.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
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