I made some slight tweaks. I hope you enjoy.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Screenwriting Reading Response
The reading for class today gave me the important reminder that unlike the presentation tool the visual aspect of the narrative tool is the most important component of this assignment. The script writing is merely supporting the visual presentation of my story. I am also eager to create a script for my story rather than the information heavy slides of the powerpoint.
I think also, that having decided to use Xtranormal lends itself well to my sense of humor and my writing style. I intend to make a "good" story by writing a contrary and humorous script to draw the audiences' attention. I understand better after having done the reading that I need to keep my audience engaged and make them want to like the characters and care about what they are saying.
The difficulty is writing effectively for a 1:30-3:00 minute video. Because of this difficulty I think that including only two characters and keeping the dialogue fast and funny will help keep the audiences' attention. The "lessons" or "goals" of my story will have to be interjected within the text I write for the script.
I am passionate about cycling, so, I hope that while writing my script I can appeal to those who are not passionate or not aware and make them feel like I did when I first started riding.
I think also, that having decided to use Xtranormal lends itself well to my sense of humor and my writing style. I intend to make a "good" story by writing a contrary and humorous script to draw the audiences' attention. I understand better after having done the reading that I need to keep my audience engaged and make them want to like the characters and care about what they are saying.
The difficulty is writing effectively for a 1:30-3:00 minute video. Because of this difficulty I think that including only two characters and keeping the dialogue fast and funny will help keep the audiences' attention. The "lessons" or "goals" of my story will have to be interjected within the text I write for the script.
I am passionate about cycling, so, I hope that while writing my script I can appeal to those who are not passionate or not aware and make them feel like I did when I first started riding.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Zimmer Twins Cartoon Animator
Check out this cool cartoon I made with ZimmerTwins. Its alot about socks mostly.
Click the link. Do it. Click it.
Click the link. Do it. Click it.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Narrative Tools
So, I have actually been wanting to play around with Xtranormal since I first saw a video illustrated from there about a year ago. I didn't look too much into the other narrative tools because I had been excited about using this one.
For starters, I really liked the interface the website provided. It took a minute at first to understand what all the different buttons did and how the actions worked, but after that it was very intuitive, especially if you watch tv and movies.
The script editor was very simple and with the use of some well placed punctuation it is actually very easy to make the "actors" talk a bit less robotically. I didn't mess around at all with the animations but did make some adjustments to the camera angle, which actually make much more of an emphasis than I would have expected.
The script writing using a narrative tool rather than a presentational tool seems to allow a much more authentic voice. At least in the case of Xtranormal I was able to write a short little script which seems funny and believable with very little effort.
The final encouraging thought regarding using this particular tool is that while you can make a very simple narrative, with the right amount of time, effort, and planning you could actually produce something very indepth.
For starters, I really liked the interface the website provided. It took a minute at first to understand what all the different buttons did and how the actions worked, but after that it was very intuitive, especially if you watch tv and movies.
The script editor was very simple and with the use of some well placed punctuation it is actually very easy to make the "actors" talk a bit less robotically. I didn't mess around at all with the animations but did make some adjustments to the camera angle, which actually make much more of an emphasis than I would have expected.
The script writing using a narrative tool rather than a presentational tool seems to allow a much more authentic voice. At least in the case of Xtranormal I was able to write a short little script which seems funny and believable with very little effort.
The final encouraging thought regarding using this particular tool is that while you can make a very simple narrative, with the right amount of time, effort, and planning you could actually produce something very indepth.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Bicycle Adovacy Narratives
Bicycle advocacy is quickly becoming a worldwide issue. Hopefully, it is also becoming a worldwide solution.
Here are some narratives detailing the social, physical, and economic benefits of bicycling.
I am going to start with a link that is a little drier, but, very informative. League of American Bicyclists: Advocacy this will take you to the advocacy page of the LOAB website. I know it seems a little dense, however, if you are looking for hard facts about bicycle legislation this website is invaluable.
John Burke's 1World2Wheels Speech:
This is an awesome kind of TED talk from the President of Trek Bicycles. Again really great information, but a little easier to digest. Highlights are the physical and environmental benefits of a bicycle friendly world.
Dutch Bicycle Advocacy:
I included this because I think it is interesting to see how other countries view bicycle use. Often, Americans view bicycle riding as childish and counter productive, the Dutch clearly disagree. Even without being able to understand the language in these commercials the message is clear.
Xtranormal Bike Shop Humor:
As a bicycle shop employee this video is funnier to me than I am sure most other people reading this post. I picked this one out mostly because it uses Xtranormal for animation which I used on my most recent project posted above. A few inside jokes never hurt.
Bike Racing Rap:
This video is just a funny video, again, more of an inside joke. However, I think most people can find the humor in it. It shows how seriously amateur cyclists take the sport that the spend so much money to participate in. Aye, there's the rub.
Lastly, I will post a few regional cycling blogs, including one for Morgantown, WV. The internet has connected cyclists all over the country uniting them as riders, friends, and advocates.
Bike Pittsburgh: Local PGH advocacy and regional cycling blog.
Bike Blog NYC: New York City Urban cycling blog with many valuable subsections.
TheWashCycle: Bike advocacy and community from the nation's capital.
MonBikeClub: Morgantown, WV bicycle community, ride calender, and advocacy forum.
Here are some narratives detailing the social, physical, and economic benefits of bicycling.
I am going to start with a link that is a little drier, but, very informative. League of American Bicyclists: Advocacy this will take you to the advocacy page of the LOAB website. I know it seems a little dense, however, if you are looking for hard facts about bicycle legislation this website is invaluable.
John Burke's 1World2Wheels Speech:
This is an awesome kind of TED talk from the President of Trek Bicycles. Again really great information, but a little easier to digest. Highlights are the physical and environmental benefits of a bicycle friendly world.
Dutch Bicycle Advocacy:
I included this because I think it is interesting to see how other countries view bicycle use. Often, Americans view bicycle riding as childish and counter productive, the Dutch clearly disagree. Even without being able to understand the language in these commercials the message is clear.
Xtranormal Bike Shop Humor:
As a bicycle shop employee this video is funnier to me than I am sure most other people reading this post. I picked this one out mostly because it uses Xtranormal for animation which I used on my most recent project posted above. A few inside jokes never hurt.
Bike Racing Rap:
This video is just a funny video, again, more of an inside joke. However, I think most people can find the humor in it. It shows how seriously amateur cyclists take the sport that the spend so much money to participate in. Aye, there's the rub.
Lastly, I will post a few regional cycling blogs, including one for Morgantown, WV. The internet has connected cyclists all over the country uniting them as riders, friends, and advocates.
Bike Pittsburgh: Local PGH advocacy and regional cycling blog.
Bike Blog NYC: New York City Urban cycling blog with many valuable subsections.
TheWashCycle: Bike advocacy and community from the nation's capital.
MonBikeClub: Morgantown, WV bicycle community, ride calender, and advocacy forum.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
English 303 Multimedia Presentation
This is a Power Point presentation I created using the newest version of the program from the Windows 2011 Office Suite. It is a narrative about the personal, social, and environmental benefits of riding a bicycle. Cycling is something that I am admittedly crazy about. It has quickly made the shift from hobby to lifestyle in a few short years.
I attempted, during the presentation, to use a very simple template as well as short concise pieces of text accompanied by consistent text animations and slide transitions. I encountered issues early in the process that required some reworking but once I reverted to the "keep it simple stupid" approach things progressed nicely. Anyhow, I feel the strength of the presentation is its simplicity and repetition. I think finding authentic voice in text can be difficult, so, hopefully that shines through. Again, contrast and alignment were kept simple and consistent. I hope you enjoy. Also, seriously consider getting out and riding a bike. Seriously.
There are some formatting issues with the presentation when embedded from scribd. If anyone wants a better, animated, version please contact me and I will email you the file.
Thanks!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)