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
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Yoda and Luke on Dagobah Review
Play this in new tab, then play video (below) muted
Please pause the video when I say pause. Sorry, this is the only way I could figure out to present it.
Please pause the video when I say pause. Sorry, this is the only way I could figure out to present it.
I really like this image by Sally Mann because it can represent the duality of human nature, and also the changes of the human body throughout a lifespan. I chose to re frame the image in this way to display a "forever young" kind of mentality. It also represents the ability to choose your actions and be an almost completely "good" person in the duality perspective. There are still some scratched and scared areas on his body, but it is mostly pure.
It is easy to see why Ms. Mann framed the image the way she did, if she would have focused in on either side of the mans' body, the photo would not have the two meanings I discussed earlier. They would have either portrayed a completely scared or completely pure body, which would not show any contrast. The shot is a medium shot, taken from the waist up. I believe she chose a medium shot because it shows where all the vital organs are, and the places your body is hit hardest with during old age. In the other perspective, it really highlights the chest of the man, where the soul of a person is typically thought to be. The lines of the shot are mainly linear and straight, including the faded lines in the background. The only lines that are curved are the lines in the scars that are on the mans' body. These provide a great contrast with the rest of his body and the rest of the image, which really draws your eye to them. The image uses depth cues by having the pure area of the mans' body light and visible, and the scared portion dark and fading into the background. However, in the background, behind the dark side of the man, there is a light shining in a downward angle, which helps you determine how far into this dark room the man is.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Brainwashed
Brainwashed
Acknowledge The Lizard is about not being afraid to be yourself. This section of the article talks about how
many people let the reaction of others scare them out of doing or sharing something that they are passionate about. Godin, the author, says that this fear was put in us long ago by adults who didn't want us deviating from the social norm. These fears must be acknowledged in order to overcome them.
Be Generous is about willing to give without expecting to receive anything. I think this is an idea that many people have trouble with in the current economic state. Even if money wasn't spent in producing something, you still put time into it. Putting your product out for everyone to have without anything in return is hard to do when there is so much possible potential to make money off of it. If something is free however, it will most likely be better distributed, and more people will discover it.
When we are posting on our blogs we are acknowledging the lizard and being generous. For many people, this may be the first time they have shared their work online for anyone to see, or possibly at all. There is an aspect of fear that you have to get over to allow other people to see what you've put time and emotion into. There is also a feeling of greed that you have to fight when posting something on our blogs that you would much rather mass produce and sell. For instance, someone may have really liked the song they just made and would have rather put it on itunes and try to make some money rather than putting it on the blog for free. The practice of getting over the negative ideas of fear and greed by making our blogs does make us better creative people.
Acknowledge The Lizard is about not being afraid to be yourself. This section of the article talks about how
many people let the reaction of others scare them out of doing or sharing something that they are passionate about. Godin, the author, says that this fear was put in us long ago by adults who didn't want us deviating from the social norm. These fears must be acknowledged in order to overcome them.
Be Generous is about willing to give without expecting to receive anything. I think this is an idea that many people have trouble with in the current economic state. Even if money wasn't spent in producing something, you still put time into it. Putting your product out for everyone to have without anything in return is hard to do when there is so much possible potential to make money off of it. If something is free however, it will most likely be better distributed, and more people will discover it.
When we are posting on our blogs we are acknowledging the lizard and being generous. For many people, this may be the first time they have shared their work online for anyone to see, or possibly at all. There is an aspect of fear that you have to get over to allow other people to see what you've put time and emotion into. There is also a feeling of greed that you have to fight when posting something on our blogs that you would much rather mass produce and sell. For instance, someone may have really liked the song they just made and would have rather put it on itunes and try to make some money rather than putting it on the blog for free. The practice of getting over the negative ideas of fear and greed by making our blogs does make us better creative people.
You Give Love a Bad Name
The song "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi is a classic 80's song that the band Atreyu covered for the soundtrack to the 2005 movie "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." Atreyu brought an intense new take on the song, creating contrast by making it much heavier than the 1986 original. They achieved this heavier sound by changing four major aspects of the song, the key, the tempo, the timbre, and the rhythm.
The original version of the song is in the key of c minor, the cover is in bb (b flat) minor. This means that every corresponding pitch in the cover is a whole step lower than the pitch of the original. Lowering the key makes the song sound and feel much darker. I think the lower key fits the words better, because the song is about an almost evil sort of woman.
The tempo of the cover is around 140 bpm and the original is around 120 bpm. This large difference in tempo gives the song more intensity, and more of an angry feeling to accompany the angry lyrics.
The original has classic "80's sounding" guitar and drums, the kind of sound that you'd hear in many hard rock songs of that time. The cover has more distortion, which in combination with the lower key, also contributes to the darker timbre of the song. The drums on the cover also sound similar to hardcore drums of bands today rather than the brighter sound of the 80's hard rock drum set. The screaming vocals also bring a very different timbre to the song, as does the darker timbre of the singer.
The cover also takes some rhythmic liberties from the original. While most of the song keeps a close affinity to the original rhythmically, the second verse of the cover uses a modern hardcore style. By using palm muting, fast, and heavy picking, the verse is made much more rhythmically interesting. The screaming vocals also differ in rhythm from the original singing.
Although I like the original by Bon Jovi, I would much rather listen to the Cover by Atreyu. It is more upbeat because of the increased tempo, and the intense rhythm of the second verse. The increased distortion in the guitar makes the melodic lines and solos sound more impressive. The lower key makes the cover more hardcore, and the screaming is more appropriate for the lyrics.
Overall, the Atreyu cover of "You Give Love a Bad Name" is more exciting, and fun to listen to than the original. Each of the aforementioned aspects they changed gave the song a lot more tension, and no release until the song ends.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Good Idea
http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/14%20Ways%20to%20Get%20a%20Breakthrough%20Idea.pdf
The first suggestion to get ideas in this list is to "follow your fascination." As simple and obvious as this thought may sound, I think it is valid and needs to be stated. If something interests, even in the slightest, why not look into it more and see what it's all about? If you don't end up liking it, then you have a new experience. However, it's possible that you could really enjoy it, and end up making a difference amongst others with similar interests. I would think that most people in our busy world would not take the time to entertain a thought that they find fascinating, and that's why maybe it's not such an obvious statement after all. I feel like I already do have this thought implemented in my life. I'm involved in so many different activities that interest me that I don't necessarily have time for any additional ones. I do however, research topics that fascinate me online in order to gain a better understanding and appreciation of them.
The fourth idea on the list is "make new connections." I think this is a very important statement because many inventions and ideas are simply two previous ideas put together. It seems to me that most of these ideas are used to improve convenience and accessibility to things we already have, but do not have readily available. In our modern times, there is nothing more profitable than creating a product that helps people do less work, or work faster. I especially like his idea of listing random verbs, nouns, and adjectives and then seeing what connections you can make between them. That seems like a good way to possibly make some new connections between things you never would think to put together otherwise. I think most of us have tried doing this suggestion before, typically after seeing an infomercial of a new product like a blanket combined with a sweatshirt. I think that I could take this idea further by using it more often throughout my day, and not just when I'm sitting alone thinking.
The tenth idea on the list is "hang out with diverse groups of people." This is one of the most important suggestions on the list because I believe it will lead to the best results. You will learn to see an issue from a new point of view, or someone may already have the solution to the problem you are having or vice versa. It is important to have your ideas challenged and disputed, because it gives you ways to reform them and your way of thought. The more well rounded you are in the needs of other people, the better an idea for something new you can produce that will help a broader population. I think I do this to a certain extent because I do hang out with many different groups of people. The only problem is I don't think that they are different enough to help get more different perspectives. Most of the people I hang out with are from the Midwest, come from similar families, and attend the same college as I do. Being in college, this is almost impossible to avoid, but once I leave, I hope to be a part of as many different groups as possible.
The fourteenth suggestion is to suspend logic. The prompt for this idea is how asking me how I can suspend practicality and logic this week, in order to bring about my big idea. I don't think this would be a good idea for me to think about or follow through with because I feel like I'm on track to reach my goals right now. It may just be fear talking, but any attempt to get to them sooner could lead to never getting there at all. I'm on the path right now and just need to ride it out. There will be a time when I need to put practicality to the side, but that time is most likely years away.
The first suggestion to get ideas in this list is to "follow your fascination." As simple and obvious as this thought may sound, I think it is valid and needs to be stated. If something interests, even in the slightest, why not look into it more and see what it's all about? If you don't end up liking it, then you have a new experience. However, it's possible that you could really enjoy it, and end up making a difference amongst others with similar interests. I would think that most people in our busy world would not take the time to entertain a thought that they find fascinating, and that's why maybe it's not such an obvious statement after all. I feel like I already do have this thought implemented in my life. I'm involved in so many different activities that interest me that I don't necessarily have time for any additional ones. I do however, research topics that fascinate me online in order to gain a better understanding and appreciation of them.
The fourth idea on the list is "make new connections." I think this is a very important statement because many inventions and ideas are simply two previous ideas put together. It seems to me that most of these ideas are used to improve convenience and accessibility to things we already have, but do not have readily available. In our modern times, there is nothing more profitable than creating a product that helps people do less work, or work faster. I especially like his idea of listing random verbs, nouns, and adjectives and then seeing what connections you can make between them. That seems like a good way to possibly make some new connections between things you never would think to put together otherwise. I think most of us have tried doing this suggestion before, typically after seeing an infomercial of a new product like a blanket combined with a sweatshirt. I think that I could take this idea further by using it more often throughout my day, and not just when I'm sitting alone thinking.
The tenth idea on the list is "hang out with diverse groups of people." This is one of the most important suggestions on the list because I believe it will lead to the best results. You will learn to see an issue from a new point of view, or someone may already have the solution to the problem you are having or vice versa. It is important to have your ideas challenged and disputed, because it gives you ways to reform them and your way of thought. The more well rounded you are in the needs of other people, the better an idea for something new you can produce that will help a broader population. I think I do this to a certain extent because I do hang out with many different groups of people. The only problem is I don't think that they are different enough to help get more different perspectives. Most of the people I hang out with are from the Midwest, come from similar families, and attend the same college as I do. Being in college, this is almost impossible to avoid, but once I leave, I hope to be a part of as many different groups as possible.
The fourteenth suggestion is to suspend logic. The prompt for this idea is how asking me how I can suspend practicality and logic this week, in order to bring about my big idea. I don't think this would be a good idea for me to think about or follow through with because I feel like I'm on track to reach my goals right now. It may just be fear talking, but any attempt to get to them sooner could lead to never getting there at all. I'm on the path right now and just need to ride it out. There will be a time when I need to put practicality to the side, but that time is most likely years away.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
My Inspiration
When it comes to creativity I have many ideas for content, or one aspect of a problem. I can imagine a small ideas impact on the whole, but can't imagine the entire solution. Pertaining to media specifically, I have many ideas for content, but not for reform of industry specifically. I don't feel like I know enough about the different media businesses to know what would need changing.
A theory of inspiration that I like to follow comes from the comedian Katt Williams. In one of his videos he said, something like, don't admire a celebrity for who they are as a person, but rather for their work and what they create. People will let you down, but that doesn't have to ruin how their work has inspired you. Since hearing this, I have adopted the thought because it allows you to be inspired by a person or group who may otherwise turn you away.
The first example of a group that inspires me is the band Hit The Lights. They weren't the group that got me into the music that I listen to, and I don't really listen to their style of music as much anymore. However, they really fueled my passion for music at a time when I had begun getting tired of if. Music was taking over my life, both in school and in my projects outside of it. At the age of 14, I was in too many groups and ensembles, and was beginning to burn out on the idea of music as a career. When I first started listening to this group the summer after my freshman year, it just wasn't as hard to get up and go to my different rehearsals and practices. I had new ideas of what I wanted to do, and something to strive for. It all started with this song.
It only took hearing this song once to know that I had found wouldn't leave my car CD player for a very long time. The contrast between the poppy sound of the music, and the dark, brutal lyrics was what really made the song stand out in my head. There was also a great contrast between it and everything else I had been listening to at the time in which when you heard poppy music, you got poppy lyrics. They also led to me listening to heavier music because of their affinity to heavier styles lyrically, and sometimes guitar-wise. The first band that I listened to that was in any way "heavier" than pop-punk was Senses Fail, and despite the major keys of Hit The Lights vs. the minor keys of Senses Fail, they were comparable in style of guitar, and lyrics of some of their songs. In 2007 the bands original singer left. I'm impressed with the way the band still held together and continued to make music, but this unfortunately serves as my first example for why Katt Williams was on to something as well.
The second person is a singer named Jonny Craig. He is my favorite vocalist in the type of rock music I listen to. He has a very high voice that has a lot of soul in it. He creates a lot of tension with very high notes that have a raspy quality. It gives the listener a pleasant feeling of uneasiness, and you can really feel the emotion of what the lyrics are meant to portray. The release comes when he goes down in his vocal range, and his voice becomes soft and soothing. Sometimes the tension begins with the introduction to the song, and the release doesn't come until it's conclusion. This is true of my favorite song he is the singer of, "The Past Should Stay Dead" by the band Emarosa.
The third group is the band Avenged Sevenfold. What inspires me about them is that they are an entire group of soloists, with no instrument taking a back seat. Each member is excellent at their respective instrument, and as a whole they make amazing music. Their music has a good variety of lyrical text and subtext. Songs such as "Warmness on the Soul" and "Shattered By Broken Dreams" are straightforward in describing the events the song portrays. They also have songs such as "Bat Country" and "Chapter Four" where the meaning of the song was left up to the listener. It is nice to have this variety because it gives you a good idea of what the band is about, while still giving you enough creative input to relate it to your own experiences.
If you like any of these examples, I encourage you to check out anything else by the artists and groups!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Music Production
I started my career at OU as a music major because I love music and have always wanted a career involving it. Me and the music program just weren't a good fit because I'm not into classical music, which is the focus in almost all of the music classes. I switched to music production this past fall because I'm able to work with music that I am passionate about.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)