Concept Album

Coheed and Cambria is a rock band from the 2000's. They have come out with a 5 concept albums that combine into one large concept album. 1 concept album is a daunting task but 5 albums combined into 1 large concept album is extremely different. The lead singer has a very interesting voice especially because you wouldn't expect that sound to come out of the guy with the long fro-ey hair (standing in the photo below). It's high pitched and whiney but it works for the alt-rock style they're going for. They have a pretty large following and are successful in their genre.

Torn between music videos!!!

After thinking and thinking about which video to post to the blog, I chose Brad Paisley's "Online" because its a really funny song, fitting for the class, and a complete story video that matches the lyrics. However, my second choice was Alicia Keys "Like You'll Never See Me Again" because it is a beautiful song and emotional song/video.

The video plays with the concept of time by showing you the story in reverse. It begins with Common in the emergency room crashing on Saturday at 1:45am. The story unfolds in reverse by showing you that Common was on his motorcycle, then he was in a fight with Alicia Keys at their apartment, then he was on his motorcycle again, then he was waking up on his friend's couch, etc. The video is pretty self explanatory. The song is all about not knowing when you'll see the people you love again so make the most of every moment you have together and be sure to say goodbye when you part.

Lyrics:

If I had no more time
No more time left to be here
Would you cherish what we had?
Was it everything that you were looking for?
If I couldn't feel your touch
And no longer were you with me
I'd be wishing you were here
To be everything that I'd be looking for
I don't wanna forget the present is a gift
And I don't wanna take for granted the time you may have here with me
'Cause Lord only knows another day is not really guaranteed

So every time you hold me
Hold me like this is the last time
Every time you kiss me
Kiss me like you'll never see me again
Every time you touch me
Touch me like this is the last time
Promise that you'll love me
Love me like you'll never see me again

Oh Oh Oh

How many really know what love is?
Millions never will
Do you know until you lose it
That it's everything that we are looking for
When I wake up in the morning
You're beside me
I'm so thankful that I found
Everything that I been looking for

I don't wanna forget the present is a gift
And I don't wanna take for granted the time you may have here with me
'Cause Lord only knows another day is not really guaranteed

So everytime you hold me
Hold me like this is the last time
Every time you kiss me
Kiss me like you'll never see me again
(can you do that for me baby)
Every time you touch me
(see we don't really know)
Touch me like this is the last time
(see everyday we never know)
Promise that you'll love me
(I want you to promise me)
Love me like you'll never see me again
(like you'll never see me again)

Oh oh oh oh oh

After Effects

I HATE After Effects. It is entirely too complicated for what it should be. The entire interface is NOT user friendly and the help section is worthless because it just does a Google search!! It took me over 4 hours to figure out how to do a 007 blood drip down the screen and then we didn't even use it. I was also having a terrible time trying to figure out how to speed up some portions of the video and slow down others. I had to cut the footage, separate them into two levels and then speed up and slow down accordingly...which wasn't very smooth. I tried doing that in Premiere...still not intuitive. That took another 3 hours. At about the time I was ready to smash my computer because I hate Adobe, I gave the files to another group member to work the sound. 20 minutes later he tells me he CANNOT see anything I did! Then, he could see the blood drip and no video or text. So he and another member tried to figure out how to see it. The third member who got involved saw it, changed it, and sent it back out right when 2nd group member got to see my video! Its really stupid that After Effects doesn't save and export the video on it's own...as in if you don't have the actual footage you can't see the composited AF video! To make it even less useable, you can't export it into any format other than AF or Flash! Thank you Adobe for making a completely unintuitive, non user friendly, and unhelpful product built by masters for masters...

What is interactive??

According to James only humans can be interactive with one another. He said that games are not interactive because the choices and paths are predetermined. So Brittany asked him why is there a class called Interactive Storytelling then? He said he couldn't speak for the class or the teacher because he wasn't in charge of it. So I said, if interactivity can only be between two humans why do we take Interactive Storytelling, because everyone in the class is making a game, which according to him is NOT interactive. He said that the class projects didn't need to have anything digital...so I said then WHY is it a mandatory class offered by the DIGITAL World's Institute, because that would imply to everyone that your work in these classes should be digital. He proceeded to say that just because you go to the University of Florida doesn't mean you only learn about Florida. To which I responded that if you attend the Fischer School of Accounting you learn about accounting or the business school you learn about business. I suggested DWI change the name of the class since it is currently impossible to be interactive with a computer...according to the program's Director.

House of Horror

Since I was one of the three AP's for the House of Horror I was required to attend both nights. Since I was in charge I'm sure I won't receive extra credit but I'll blog about the vent anyways! The first night was the movie portion of 2 night horror fest. We worked all day setting up the Digital Worlds hallway and staircase and finished just in time to get into costume for the first arrivals. At the beginning, the turnout looked grim...we had all of 6 people attending at 7:45. Finally a large group arrived and we ended up with about 15 people for the movie night. It went well, Xingy's Chinese friends were scared during the movie and she did a great job of scaring them more! She dressed up as Sadako (the little girl in Ringu) and walked next to the audience at a suspenseful part, her friends actually got up and moved seats to be in the middle of the auditorium! Then she crawled under the seats and grabbed her friend's ankle, scaring the crap out of that person!!

The second night went much better! The game night had a turn out of about 25 people. People played Left for Dead 2 and Dead Rising 2 on the huge Reve screens. Chris had a whole bunch of fun dressed up as a scary vampire downstairs, he jumped out and screamed at the unsuspecting gamers entering the Reve. Everyone had a good time playing the games and scaring the gamers.

Overall I think it was a success!

Run Lola Run

So, I FINALLY saw Run Lola Run. Yes I'm a little late but it took a while for it to arrive from Netflix. I have to say that I'm not a fan of it. I didn't understand why or how the two got to "redo" the day 3 times. It also didn't make sense to me that sometimes she remembered bits from the previous storyline but she didn't remember everything...for example she remembered how to unlock the safety of the gun and the guy's bike is stolen in story two but she never remembered that her father isn't her real dad or that he is cheating on her mom.

Also, what is the point of the side stories? To show that life can be different if there is a tiny difference in your day? I think they are just distracting. I wanted to know the significance of the side stories and hoped they would tie in to the main plot in some way. Also, the characters that had side stories were stupid characters! There should have been a side story on the bum who took the money or the woman cheating with the father...characters that I'm actually interested in.

Overall, I didn't think the movie successfully played with the concept of time. Yes, it showed three different sequences of time that somewhat correlated with each other but they didn't explain how or why we watched 3 versions of the same story....FAIL!

TIME

Today in class we discussed the concept of time and how people are fascinated by manipulating it. Zack Morris was hands down THE coolest Saved By The Bell student, not just because he was the heartthrob or main character but he could TIME OUT time! Hiiro in Heroes can travel through time, slow it down, freeze it, and speed it up. He encounters the age old issues with the philosophy of time travel such as; you can't change the past without altering the entire course of the future, and you can't really change the past only the now which creates an alternate future. Time travel is a theme in many movies: The Time Traveler's Wife, The Time Machine, Back To The Future, Terminator, The Butterfly Effect, Hot Tub Time Machine, Groundhog Day, and 13 Going on 30.

Everyone has had the feeling that if only I could go back and redo that situation, or pause time to study more for a test, or fast forward to next week. Unfortunately the present is the only time humans can alter, and by alter I mean react, live, and make choices that will change their future.

Something that has always bothered me about time is that people always say, if the universe ends time will still persist. I think time is similar to money in that it is a human invention. If no one is around to monitor and keep time it will not continue only the cycles of the universe. Granted, how long stars, galaxies, and the universe live will be determined by an indeterminate amount of time. But who cares "how long" it will take? People care about time, the stars, galaxies, and universe don't care about time. The objects in the universe experience cycles, but time is not a factor to them...time is only important to those who keep it, therefore, if there are no beings to track it then it ceases to exist.

Things I know by Heart

I know A LOT of things by heart. Especially songs!! I could sing/rap more songs acapella than I could possibly write down! A few are: "Sittin on the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding, "Keep Ya Head Up" by Tupac, "Grillz" by Nelly, "Sexy Love" by Neyo, "Unpredictable" by Jamie Foxx, "Lookin at Me" by Mase, "Ticks" "Mud on the Tires" and "Alcohol" by Brad Paisley, as well as several songs by Dierks Bentley, Toby Keith, Aaliyah, Ciara, Alan Jackson, Josh Turner, Jimmy Buffett, Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, The Dream, Postal Service, Incubus, Jack Johnson, oldies, and many many many more!!!

I also know a lot of movie quotes by heart. My brothers and I have always played movie quote games and even though the two of them are way better than I am, I'm still pretty good at guess movie quotes and using them in conversation! One movie I can recite frequently is "Pulp Fiction". I have a few of those monologues and conversations down pat. I also know some stories by heart, mostly greek mythology and children's stories, but I'm not confident enough to say that I could get through all of them without messing up.

Songs are by far the easiest things to remember. They have the melody coupled with the rhyming that gives them the perfect combination to remember every word. I also tend to get obsessed with songs and play them constantly until I get so sick of them I can't listen to them for a month! I have an eclectic taste in music which is why it is my favorite art form. I love how music can transport you to the exact place and time of when you listened to that song. Older songs are like instant nostalgia that flood your mind with memories.

Chapter 1 of the Text - Internet

Another part of the text mentioned in class was the idea that the Internet is all about attention. I completely agree! The internet is the perfect platform for people to get attention! People can spill their guts on a blog or online journal, share their pictures with flickr, Facebook, or one of the other hundred photo sharing sites, talk about their day on Facebook and Twitter, get naked on websites and chat roulette, and share every aspect of their life with the rest of the world. Companies also use the internet for attention in order to advertise and gain market share. Its all about the "look at me" factor and the hope that other people actually care about your perspective and want to hear your story or keep up with your life... which in most cases they don't! Most people want everyone else to care about him/her and his/her life, but don't care about anyone else's! The internet is a way to show how self absorbed people can be in a completely acceptable manner!

The internet has been a revolutionary discovery and while it has transformed from an academic and research based platform into a look at me platform, it is still a vital tool. Despite the attention seeking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Livejournal, YouTube, Blogger, personal porn sites, email, photo sharing sites, advertisements, and the classifieds, the internet can provide people with research, history, and information with convenience and ease. Not all attention is bad either, people can easily and effectively use the internet to sell things on Craigslist, read news articles, research for papers and general knowledge, and connect with one another. While the majority of the content on the internet is about getting attention, being seen, and showing the world a certain perspective it is not all bad or trivial. Because while I don't care whether or not my parent's friend's 14 year old daughter "likes" 700 silly sayings on Facebook or what her step by step plan is for the day, I do like the internet and am addicted to the phenomenon that is Facebook!

Chapter 1 of the text - Perspective

I forgot to blog about chapter one prior to class on Tuesday, however, we discussed many elements of the chapter in class which I'm interested in blogging about now! Perspective has always been intriguing to me. There are so many different ways to talk about perspective. When regarding film, perspective can be the view from the camera, whether it is tilted, zoomed in or out, focusing on an object, first person, or omnipotent, but it can also be the character's outlook on situations in the plot. In art, perspective is the angles of the objects to create the illusion of depth and the view from which the drawing or painting is created.

In the real world, perspective is the point of view of people. Not one creature in the entire universe (currently and historically) will ever have the same perspective as another creature. I love the idea of each person's perspective is completely original and unique. The eyes that you view the world from are different from everyone else. No one has had the exact same experiences and therefore each person's viewpoint and out look on life is different. You can try to understand where a person is coming from and "see it from their perspective," but you will never truly know their perspective.

I had an idea for a horror movie a few years ago, which played on the idea of perspective. The movie was about 5 college students living off campus in a house on a creek woods, and spans over a 2 day period. The murderer is on the run and hiding out in the woods behind the house. On Friday night, the students go out to a bar while the killer goes into the house, eats food, tries on clothes, looks through their pictures and other personal belongings in order to get to know his targets. On Saturday night, the students decide to take magic mushrooms. The movie would play on the perspective of the tripping students (with distorted and colorful special effects) and the sober killer. I also wanted to include the view of each student as they died and explore the idea of the very last image a person sees before they slip over to the other side. The camera cannot see the depth and colors like the eye can, so special effects would be extremely important to distinguish between each person's viewpoint, because not everyone sees colors and the world in the same way. Perspective is a vital point of film, art, and life. It shapes the way people think about the work and the world. Perspective is key to film because it tells the viewer exactly what is going on and what and who are important.

R.I.P

Today is the 14 year anniversary of Tupac Shakur's death. He was honored on the radio and TV all day. Its a shame he died but at least I got rewarded with a WHOLE DAY of Tupac music videos on MTVJams!!! All of his songs tell different stories. He wasn't the type of rapper to make 15 songs about how much money and jewelry he had or how he liked to get drunk and party all the time. He has some really deep tracks and corresponding videos like "Brenda's Got a Baby" and "Keep Ya Head Up". He also had the fun "California Love" and "How Do You Want It" songs as well. Some of the videos such as, "How Do You Want It" and "I Get Around" are about having fun and partying with lots of beautiful women. However, most of the videos I watched during the all day marathon created a visual story to match his words. Even though I'm not a huge fan of "Brenda's Got A Baby" the video shows Brenda's plight to survive with a child in the ghetto.



I have a big issue with rap music nowadays because its all about money, cars, jewelry, hoes, how I'm the new best rapper ever and everyone else sucks, and making up a dance that is not only stupid but annoying! Few rappers tell stories anymore. While I have to admit I enjoy Gucci Mane's "Wasted" because its fun when you're going to a party or at a bar there isn't any real quality in the lyrics. Everyone thinks Lil Wayne is the most amazing rapper but I don't think he makes sense half the time! I rarely understand what he's saying because, to me, it sounds like whining syllables then a clever metaphor followed by more whining syllables. I think the new school rappers need to take a cue from the originators and realize that just because you have 1 hit song on the radio DOES NOT mean you're the new best rapper alive.

Arcade Fire video

I really love the Arcade Fire music video! I love music videos in general and it is so refreshing to see something completely new and creative. At first I typed in my childhood address and it told me that there weren't enough street views to use that address so I typed in my current Gainesville address instead. The views for this address weren't that good either, I saw the street and my neighbor's houses but I didn't see MY house! So after a first run of being a bit disappointed by the views I tried again, typing in the street I lived on in Florence, Italy during my summer study abroad in undergrad. It was pretty awesome! I saw the gate to my apt, the 24 hour Kebab place next door, the liquor store down the street, the pasticerria on the corner, and even the restaurant with the best carbonara!!

The graphics tied together the video of the running man and the Google Earth views in an interesting way though I didn't understand why huge trees were taking everything over. I also thought the postcard idea was cute and an easy way to take up time because there really can't be that many views of one street. The only down side to this video is the only way people can watch it is on the Internet, but I think it's worth it!

Projects

I feel like the three classes I'm taking overlap and are a bit redundant. I have to create THREE different final projects over the course of the semester when ONE would not only be a more efficient use of my time, but also result in a higher quality finished product, and would pass for all three classes. IS requires group work and so does ET but of course they will end up being different groups and IRS is a solo project. I'm still not fully grasping what it is I'm supposed to be producing. I really want to learn more than just relying on my TV production skills. I DO NOT want to make a movie. I made two during my undergrad and have no desire to make anymore...unfortunately I think I'll be making at least one more. I would really like to learn different digital media techniques but most of the people in my classes aren't interested in pushing the envelope and want to rely on traditional medias instead.

Samorost and Mythology

I just finished playing Samorost and while the animation was interesting I'm not a fan. The 6 level game makes you figure out random and weird puzzles to divert a branch from running in to your branch ball world. The game is interactive because you are clicking around to solve the puzzle and advance your little man but the outcome will always be the same. I don't think I'll be playing Samorost 2.

Mythology has always been an interest of mine. When I was a little girl I read books about Greek mythology and loved the stories. The Gods and humans that they interacted with were such vivid characters and the stories were so fantastical that I read them over and over. Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and ate one seed in the underworld so for the 3 months she is separated from her mother is supposed to explain the winter season. Pandora and her box is the reason for all the bad emotions in the world because she couldn't resist the temptation. Icarus, Medusa, minotaurs, nymphs, and chariots flying the sun across the sky filled my mind as a child. Even though I knew they weren't true it was a fun way to explain natural phenomena.

I also liked Aesop's fables including The Ant and the Grasshopper, The Lion and the Mouse, The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs, and the Town Mouse and City Mouse. I never liked The Tortoise and The Hare because it is so unrealistic. The hare would never stop for a nap he would just finish the race and nap after!

Other favorite childhood stories/myths of mine came from a book by Julius Lest called "How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have?" THere are lots of stories about why the sun and moon live in the sky, why dogs chase cats, and tug-of-war. Myths, fables, and other stories are a great way to teach kids not to be vain, jump to conclusions, and to listen to their parents.

Interesting Article

http://www.switched.com/2010/08/23/valves-portal-now-mandatory-reading-for-college-freshmen/

The article discusses Wabash University's required reading for incoming freshman. The reading is required for a mandatory class and is used to introduce the freshman to college life, perspectives, and perceptions. The class requires that all students "read" the first person puzzler Portal and couple it with Ervin Goffman's "Presentation of Self in Everyday Life".

The article also makes suggestions for other games that should be incorporated into the classroom however, I fail to see how Grand Theft Auto and Fallout 3 are essential to college students' curriculum. They may raise moral and ethical questions but to require them in a classroom setting isn't the necessary.

The good thing about the article is that universities are accepting video games as a legitimate art form and educational tool. As we have discussed in the DAS classes Second Life and other virtual worlds have become a popular way to reach students and utilize unconventional teaching techniques. I think this is a trend that will only increase with time as the current generation of youth grow up with and expand upon these platforms.

Possible thesis idea

I talked to James Oliverio today about an idea for my final project/ thesis. I want to create an iPhone/iPad cooking application. It would come with several recipes already but you can also import your own recipes into the program. The app makes your grocery list once you've selected what meal(s) you want to make, it helps time your cooking so the each aspect of the meal will be ready for your dinner party, if you enter ingredients you have and wish to use it matched up recipes to fit your needs, and it has an easy to use organized interface.

James said he thinks its doable but that he doesn't want me to depend on a programmer that might not come through in the end. So i need to find someone who would be willing to help me as part of their thesis so that we both succeed. I want to do an application because I would like to create something useable that I could turn in to a viable business once I leave the program. I don't want to waste the next to years on a project that isn't going to be useful to me. I still need to talk to Jamie Kraft or Bill Rossi and see what they think about the application. I don't just want something that could be a business I want it to be a worthwhile business!

Interactive assignment 1

Our first assignment for Interactive Storytelling is to talk about video games we've played a lot in our lives. I used to play computer games like Carmen SanDiego, Oregon Trail, and Echo the Dolphin because my brothers wouldn't let me play with their Sega and N64 very often. Carmen San Diego is a great game because it was fun and I learned a lot about geography and the world. Most educational games aren't as interesting and fun as Carmen. I always liked the Oregon Trail because I had family that went on the Oregon Trail in real life. After my Dad's side of the family emigrated to the US they trekked out west and settled in Idaho. I loved the game and felt like it was what my family went through without losing most of the members to snake bites, dysentery, and drowning when the river was too deep to wade.

When I would sneak in to my brothers' room to play the game systems I played a lot of Mortal Kombat and Sonic the Hedgehog. I was usually Kitana, Raiden, Scorpion, or Jax (when he got the metal arms). I remember sitting on the floor playing Mortal Kombat listening to the Spice Girls on the radio in 5th grade! haha I was a fan of Sonic and i was okay with his little friend but sometimes he just got in the way.

Now I play the Wii a little bit and stupid online games. I'm really good at the Wii target game, ping pong, and tanks. I also play Super Mario Brothers and Galaxy with my boyfriend but he pretty much carries our team! My real talent is in Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook. I'm really amazing at moving jewels around super fast to score as many points as possible in 1 minute. I got my highest score of 752,000 yesterday and as sad as it is, I'm pretty proud of it! I also do a lot of crosswords and play solitaire on my iPhone 4.

Week 1 of school

My first week of my new masters has ended and I'm nervous and excited about the coming semester. I'm still unsure what to expect from the program. Interactive storytelling confuses me a bit in that we don't need to know any software but we have to make something for a final project. Since it's a DAS class I would expect to be using different softwares to create the story or game and even though we "don't have to" I kind of feel like we need to. The story idea I pitched to my group is a cross between Clue, And Then There Were None, and Who's the Murderer. I've been trying to focus on how to make the story interactive so I was thinking:

The audience knows there is a killer on the loose and there are a bunch college students in a house. Originally I thought it would take place in 1 night and they could be on shrooms or some other drug because it would give way for cool effects and more movement...for example, they could be walking through the woods, in the backyard, upstairs in the house, down the street, etc... but drugs aren't necessary. Anyways the killer has been watching the students from the woods behind their house and on one saturday night he decides to kill them. The audience gets to decide who, how, where, and in which order they each die. Then they have to figure out which audience member is the killer and determine whether or not the killer dies, gets arrested, injured, or gets away.

The idea isn't completely thought through and I'm not sure how we would accomplish it. It stems from an idea I had for a movie during my undergrad but obviously the original idea had no interaction, so instead of a movie we would make it a game. The six words would be: Students. Murder. How will they die? I'm not sure what my group thinks about it yet but hopefully we'll decide who's idea we'll do soon. I'm happy with my group members and their different skills.