"Chow Time Challenge" show opener

I'm having trouble uploading the video, so we have stills for now.. sorry :(

I need more time!!

..But don't we always, just need more time! This is the version I presented for critique, I plan to continue working on this and making revisions for final review at the end of semester. I will upload the final show opener when finished - so stay tuned!

My show, "Chow Time Challenge" is about 5 contestants - a grandma, housewife, chef, college student and a bachelor. I tried to make it fun and colorful to lure the viewer into watching the show. Although the show would not be in stop motion animation, I used this form because I wanted to be able to portray the characters with no identity. Each week throughout the show the types of contestant stays the same, but the player switches out.

revisions:
I need to have the show title, "Chow Time Challenge" appear on screen, adding this to my visual communication channel will help clarify the voice over - I also need to take another shot at this! I wanted to push myself and attempt to make a little jingle about the show, I'm afraid that my first attempt has failed. I plan on rerecording the voice over. I need to articulate better and not be so self conscious about my voice, add more information about what happens in the show, and clarify a few things in the lyric - like what the bonus points are for.

I need to work on my technical craft in a few places throughout the animation. I'd like to work on the transitions from scene to scene and work on a few things like how the groceries go into the grocery bag.

I'd also like to introduce the contestants. When they are running into the grocery store, you only have a few seconds to figure out what they are. The Grandma has the cane and the cook has his hat, I'd like to give the characters more accessories. The housewife - an oven mitt, college student - a baseball cap, and the bachelor - a tie.

opener / data - concepting

I am rethinking doing a data presentation and considering doing a show opener..
some inspiration:
supermarket sweep show opener is pretty awesome.
twilight zone

For the next phase of the project I am choosing to display my activity in a data presentation. The purpose would be to inform my audience of tips to help them get through the grocery store more cost effectively and more time efficiently. My audience would consist the regular adult, out of school moving in the direction of establishing a career (gotta save money on groceries when you've got all those student loans to pay off). This sequence of five important and interesting statistics would be displayed in an advertisement of some sort for a grocery store or an email campaign commenting on consumerism. I plan on using image, text, and voice (I will most likely narrate - also to push myself) as my main communication channels. I can also see a few sound effects thrown in (cash register and money sfx) and maybe cozy grocery store music in the introduction.

start of research - grocery tips

Make a grocery list - and don’t leave home without it. Who wants to take the time to make a list, when I can just “wing it.” Any good efficiency expert will tell you that organizing your thoughts in list form will make you more productive, and is well worth the time. A grocery list will also help you stay focused and lessen the chances of you picking up frivolous items on a whim.
impulse buying

Never shop hungry. I used to make the mistake of shopping on an empty stomach. Shopping while hungry makes everything look good and before you know it you’ve completely blown your grocery budget.

Look high and low for deals, literally. The hottest real estate on a grocery store shelf is eye-level, and is usually where the worst deals are found. Make the effort to look at lower shelves to find the best deals, and look for store-brand alternatives frequently stored along the top.

Compare unit costs, not list prices. Simply divide the price by the total number of units (ounces, items, etc.) to get each package’s unit cost. Many times you will find it is cheaper to buy two smaller packages than one slightly larger. This is especially true of paper products, where stores rely on consumers believing the myth that bulk packages are cheaper.

Buy only the minimum amount you need. Many people are suckered into buying more than they really need by store’s “2 for $4″ sale prices. All this means is that the cost of each item is $2, and you can either buy one for $2, or 2 for $4. If you don’t need two items, just buy one. Some specials require a certain quantity, so be sure to check the fine print. If the pricing represents rock-bottom pricing, and you have more than one coupon, it may make sense to stock up, but don’t do it unnecessarily because the store’s signage persuaded you.

Ditch the basket or cart.
If you’re dashing into the supermarket to pick up milk and bread, don’t use a basket. Baskets induce people to buy more. If you’re limited to what you can carry, you’re more likely to avoid impulse purchases. Only use a basket (or shopping cart) if it’s absolutely necessary.

Check your receipt.
Make sure your prices are scanned correctly. Make sure your coupons are scanned correctly. Sale items, especially, have a tendency to be in the computer wrong, and yet few people ever challenge the price at the register. You don’t need to hold up the line: simply watch the price of each item as it’s scanned. If you suspect an error, step to the side and check the receipt as the clerk begins the next order. If there’s a problem, politely point it out. It’s your money. Ask for it.

Only use coupons for items you were already planning to buy. Don’t let them trick you into buying something that’s not on your list, just to “save” money.

Get cloth grocery bags. You’ll save tons of plastic over time, and help the environment tremendously.

Interactive - Sound + Motion

This project started by collecting sounds related to our original topic, mine was grocery shopping. We made a solid collection of sounds that give an accurate sense of our activity. This is phase two of our project -- constructing an interactive framework in which all previous story elements may be placed.

Q: How can I design an interactive framework with all of my elements (sound, image, and movies) that allows participants to construct their own stories?

restrictions: 

because this is our first interactive project, participants will only be able to engage in a few basic actions

- clicking an item to play a sound

- clicking an item to enlarge and view image or movie

- click image to remove it from the screen

- drag elements around on screen to re-compose or sequence images or movies

considerations:

how much control do you want the participants to have in your narrative?

how mall, large, long, short, etc, should each component be?

how can you build something that will make people want to actively participate in your narrative?

Throughout this project, I learned a lot of things about the technical aspect of working with Action Scripting 3.0 in Flash, but also a lot about sound. Music, voice overs, and sound effects reinforce the emotion and environment of the visual communication channels. I have also learned the difference in hearing these sounds simultaneously compared to sequentially. For my interactive piece, I found that when the sounds are played simultaneously, (beeping, cash register noises, receipts printing, bags crumpling, noise of standing in line, voice over of "attention shoppers..") this added to the intense feeling in a grocery store with everything going on around you and all the people. In comparison to other interactive pieces, sequential sounds worked better for them because of their chosen subject matter. 

Normally in my work I like to be in control of the viewer. I took this opportunity to allow my viewer to have more control when interacting by allowing them to create their own arrangement of sounds, animations and images at the bottom. Also, if the participant interacted long enough they have the ability to discover how I intended some components to interact. For example, when the videos at the top are played simultaneously they can overlap and interesting juxtapositions and overlays are created.

At first I incorporated faces to bring in the family aspect of grocery shopping, I needed something clever to make my handles to be able to move around the images and animations in the basket. I first used children to play on the idea of when a child asks for something sweet or unnecessary and are told no, they throw a fit. So, instead of using a child crying, begging, or a typical noise that would come from this image, I wanted to add a surprise for the viewer by playing a different sound. The five children at the bottom are moveable and they also click to play sound. The first girl on the left is a voice over of "attention shoppers! clean up on aisle 7!". The second boy, plays a really cheesy grocery song and explains the sales going on in store. The third girl yelling plays a sound of a paper bag being opened on loop. The other two play background noise while standing in line and a vintage song about the newest register released. 

The items in the cart play an animation of things piling up in a grocery cart and the receipt printing. The receipt roll with a boys head on it plays the sound of a receipt printing and the girl on the scanner gun plays the noise of the scanner - expected sounds.  

I felt a little technically restricted because this was my first attempt at action scripting. It was definitely hard, but the struggle was worth it. The anticipation when you hit command + enter for the preview to come up to see if your code worked was the scariest part. After working in Flash and getting the hand of how things are set up and what I could do with my limitations, things got better. Overall I thought it was an awesome experience creating an interactive piece and I'm excited to dive in a little deeper and PLAY! 

Process:

Final

These are just screen shots for now, I hope to be able to upload the real thing soon

intro screen - click to remove:

this screen appears, move items out of the basket and arrange at the bottom to create your own narrative.  then, click on videos at top to play over the basket.

narrative arranged at the bottom - all the things that can be arranged either play a video, animation, or play a sound. click them individually or have multiple play simultaneously.

click 4 images at top to play:

Click to play videos simultaneously:

third postcard - final

research

Because memory is not just an individual, private experience but is also part of the collective domain, cultural memory has become a topic in both historiography and cultural studies.Memory is a phenomenon that is directly related to the present; our perception of the past is always influenced by the present, which means that it is always changing.

memories are the events that actually happened, while histories are subjective representations of what historians believe is crucial to remember. This dichotomy, it should be noted, emerged at a particular moment in history: it implies that there used to be a time when memories could exist as such – without being representational.

Recently, interest has developed in the area of 'embodied memory'. According to Paul Connerton the body can also be seen as a container, or carrier of memory, of two different types of social practice; inscribing and incorporating. The former includes all activities which are helpful for storing and retrieving information: photographing, writing, taping, etc. The latter implies skilled performances which are sent by means of physical activity, like a spoken word or a handshake. These performances are accomplished by the individual in an unconscious manner, and one might suggest that this memory carried in gestures and habits, is more authentic than 'indirect' memory via inscribing.

Memory can, for instance, be contained in objects. Souvenirs and  photographs inhabit an important place in the cultural memory discourse. Several authors stress the fact that the relationship between memory and objects has changed since the nineteenth century. Stewart, for example, claims that our culture has changed from a culture of production to a culture of consumption. Products, according to Terdiman, have lost 'the memory of their own process' now, in times of mass-production and commodification. At the same time, he claims, the connection between memories and objects has been institutionalized and exploited in the form of trade in souvenirs. These specific objects can refer to either a distant time (an antique) or a distant (exotic) place. Stewart explains how our souvenirs authenticate our experiences and how they are a survival sign of events that exist only through the invention of narrative.

This notion can easily be applied to another practice that has a specific relationship with memory: photography. Catherine Keenan explains how the act of taking a picture can underline the importance of remembering, both individually and collectively. Also she states that pictures cannot only stimulate or help memory, but can rather eclipse the actual memory – when we remember in terms of the photograph – or they can serve as a reminder of our propensity to forget. Others have argued that photographs can be incorporated in memory and therefore supplement it.

Research

postcard

dear josh, communication models..

communication models - postcard

communication models - postcard

kinetic type

VL - image collection

VL - choose an object + audience

a doll is an object that represents a baby or other human being, but includes likenesses of animals and imaginary creatures. Dolls have been around since the dawn of human civilization.

made from a vast array of materials, ranging from stone, clay, wood, bone, cloth and paper, to porcelain, china, rubber and plastic.

archaeological evidence places dolls as foremost candidate for oldest known toy, having been found in egyptian tombs which date to as early as 2000bc. In Egypt, as well as Greece and Rome, it was common to find them in the graves of children. Most were made of wood, although pottery dolls were buried with children from wealthier families. Dolls with movable limbs and removable clothing date back to 200 BCE.

Europe later became the center of dollmaking. In the United States, dollmaking became an industry in the 1860s, after the Civil War. The development of plastics after world war II led to the manufacture of new types of dolls and brought down their price.

Dolls have featured in modern art and fine art photography, notably in surrealist works. The "evil doll" has been a feature of horror literature, horror films and animation since the 1950s.

define an audience -
While dolls have traditionally been toys for children, they are also collected by adults, for their nostalgic value, beauty, historical importance or financial value.

Instead of choosing the obvious - small children/girls as my audience, I'm choosing to do an adult woman (for nostalgic value)

how were they introduced to this object? a woman would have been introduced to a doll during childhood.

why are they interested in it? desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life

is it related to a hobby or career? hobbies as a child.

what kinds of feelings/emotions are associated with this object? childhood memories - one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.

why would this person want to see an exhibit about this object? reconnection to childhood

famous types of dolls:
action figures
american girl
ball jointed dolls
bobblehead dolls
cabbage patch kids
barbie
bratz
my little pony
paper dolls
pinnocchio
raggedy ann and andy
strawberry shortcake
teddy bear
troll dolls
african dolls, japanese dolls, russian dolls
voodoo dolls
worry dolls

VOTE final posters

update - motion capture

book one - 10 frames refined:
book one - expanded into a 20 frame storyboard:
book two - ten frames refined:

book two - expanded into a 20 frame storyboard:
the two books combined:

motion capture

I originally was going to use "getting dressed in the morning" as my action.. i have changed my action to grocery shopping! Here are the first round of books consisting of ten frames..

vote poster audience : african american

1. what are some predominately shared values of this group? (broadly in life, not politics)
civil rights, activism, interested in maintaining their cultural heritage, racial advancement, poverty / aim for middle class, religion, family, close communities, material fashion (chains, hip hop, colorful clothing, metalic) - status.

2. what political policies/issues are particularly important to this demographic in this election?
equal rights, war, economy, racial tension, civil rights movement, racism, discrimination, education - better schools and urban areas, less crime, create a dream and a future for yourself and future generations, healthcare, wages


3. are there any cultural references your demographic identifies with? what?
first black democrat, black history month, rosa parks, oprah, malcolm x, Martin Luther King, overcome struggles and look forward to future

older population - jazz + blues
younger population - hip hop + rap

4. what does their graphic landscape look like? (this is sometimes called a "visual audit") put another way, assemble a range of designed artifacts that are targeted toward this group - packages, posters, companies, logos, publications, etc.

choosing an activity / 1a - motion capture

the act of getting dressed

Macro - steps involved from wake up to fully dressed + out the door:
snoozing the alarm a million times
finally getting out of bed
bathroom / brush teeth / wash face / hair + makeup
check out clothes in closet
try clothes on until you find the perfect match
find accessories + shoes
purse, keys or my walkin shoes

Micro - steps involved in just getting dressed
find underwear, put them on
find pants, foot in each pant leg, pull up + button.. add a belt?
find shirt.. put it on.. Do you put your head in first or your arms?? does it have buttons? button em up!
find + put on socks, shoes, dont forget to tie your laces!
find + put on jewelry
pick a nice little purse to go with your outfit..

This summer...

remember family - (click on images to enlarge)

i've been workin on my studio:

i've been collecting found type:
working on multi function letter form furniture:

ideas of this came thinking of a furniture store like Ikea - taking their logo and rendering it in 3d and making furniture that has multiple functions to go in storefront or waiting area.
using HWA (the architectural firm i intern for) as an idea for large scale 3d type to be used as serving cheese + crackers with wine at a cocktail party or happy hour at the office

thinking at a coffee bar, the stools should be type!and i dream that the O could be a fish tank, like this:
and thrifted these awesome matches:
i've been makin' sketchbooks:
working on my room:
little mickey cat isn't so little anymore - he's wearing a bow tie, but it blends in too well :(

and working on the living room:

and made some drawlingsss..


last year right before school started Tezz and I took a trip to Oklahoma with my grandparents. one of the days tezz and I separated from them and took off on an adventure for a few hours to explore the country scenery and a bit of shopping in the closest towns. on our drive back to the town we were camping in, we decided we were going to get friendship tattoos.. so tezz drew the above monkey(tezz) and turtle(me). we arrived back in town which consisted of a four way stop, gas station / grocery + tattoo parlor. we walked in and showed them the drawing, ready to go! only come to find out Tezz left his wallet back at the house in kc - cant get a tattoo without an id, oh no! we even went to the extent to call a friend to go to our apartment, find the spare key and search for his wallet hoping to get a copy by fax... but the wallet was MIA.
SO.. we planned to get them in the future, we were both okay with that.. being designers in all we wanted to put a little more time + color into a permanent piece of art on our body.




Here is an initial sketch of the overall composition

start of color + line work
(click image to enlarge)
flowers in the above image are taken from painting for my cousin whom passed away aug07 - pictured below underneath the shelf.
I've turned the color and pattern of Tezz's hats into hot air baloons that will fill the sky of composition

start of refine + addition of color

"Z" memorial for Tezz

Showing Eddie

I'm showing eddie how to post a post on blogger. This is a picture taken this last weekend at the pool.

end o' year review

experimentation

possible directions:
where they are found in the ceremony
what kind of ceremony worn to
how they are made
how they are worn
**materials made from

materials for icons:
fabric - cotton / cotton plant
necklace - ivory / elephant
mask - wood / tree / forest
headdress - raffia / raffia palm tree
lip plate - clay
footwear - leather

i've been experimenting with images of cotton, ivory / elephants, woodgrain / trees and raffia palm trees.. but i think i'm going to edit out the headdress(raffia palm tree) because i think it gives off connotations i'm not going for..


starting my experimentation...
acetone transfers:




taken to photocopier:

I plan on also experimenting with photography, transparency, projection and handmade elements like beading and embroidery

!nspiration

click to enlarge