Tuesday, 9 December 2008
Monday, 8 December 2008
"Panik" - Mixing research with SWEDISH HIP HOP!
"Panik" Far & Son Musicvideo from Finsta on Vimeo.
Another Rube Goldberg/Der Lauf der Dinge.
Let me just say that Swedish Hip Hop is kind of amazing.
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Further interface development for the iPhone clock.
I'm getting closer to a final design, I think.
Looks a bit like a sonar screen, or the U.S.S. Enterprise!
Looks a bit like a sonar screen, or the U.S.S. Enterprise!
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
What a coincidence!
I just read that last night there was a rare conjunction between the Moon, Venus and Jupiter!
Monday, 1 December 2008
Presenting the iConjunction
iConjunction - Aligning your future.
iConjunction is an iPhone alarm clock application that utilizes a unique direct interaction for setting times and dates. Inspired by astronomical conjunctions, that is, when two celestial bodies seem to pass close to each other, times are set on a series of nested orbits. Each orbit represents a unit of time: seconds minutes, hours, etc. Even lunar cycles and the zodiac can be represented.
The alarm is set by pressing on each ring or orbit, in the location that corresponds to your desired date, time, etc. This sets a marker at the desired time. As the rings continue to spin at their respective paces, (each ring completes one rotation for every unit of time) eventually the markers will align, signalling the event.
The user can customize how the iConjunction looks and functions. The user can choose from a number of different skins. Below are a few examples:
Minimalist:
Solar System:
Antique:
Below is a sped up capture of the Antique version:
iConjunction - iPhone Orrery-inspired alarm clock. from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
As one can see, there are a whole variety of options in terms of the visual interface. Different rings can be interchanged, depending if one wants to focus on a calendar feel, or more of a day to day feel. Also, additional markers can be added on each ring to signal repeating events, such as weekly meetings, or daily wake up calls.
Below is another alternative minimalist design, which has more detail:
By choosing your settings, the iConjunction can function as anything from a fully readable clock, to a more abstract "visualizer of time".
iConjunction is an iPhone alarm clock application that utilizes a unique direct interaction for setting times and dates. Inspired by astronomical conjunctions, that is, when two celestial bodies seem to pass close to each other, times are set on a series of nested orbits. Each orbit represents a unit of time: seconds minutes, hours, etc. Even lunar cycles and the zodiac can be represented.
The alarm is set by pressing on each ring or orbit, in the location that corresponds to your desired date, time, etc. This sets a marker at the desired time. As the rings continue to spin at their respective paces, (each ring completes one rotation for every unit of time) eventually the markers will align, signalling the event.
The user can customize how the iConjunction looks and functions. The user can choose from a number of different skins. Below are a few examples:
Minimalist:
Solar System:
Antique:
Below is a sped up capture of the Antique version:
iConjunction - iPhone Orrery-inspired alarm clock. from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
As one can see, there are a whole variety of options in terms of the visual interface. Different rings can be interchanged, depending if one wants to focus on a calendar feel, or more of a day to day feel. Also, additional markers can be added on each ring to signal repeating events, such as weekly meetings, or daily wake up calls.
Below is another alternative minimalist design, which has more detail:
By choosing your settings, the iConjunction can function as anything from a fully readable clock, to a more abstract "visualizer of time".
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Brief 5 - iPhone Clock Ideas
I have changed directions in terms of what I want to do for Brief 5, the iPhone brief.
I quickly realized that my ringtone idea, while stylistically something appealing to me, didn't really do much to reinvent the way people interacted with their phones. It seemed to me just a pretty skin for a very basic interface. I decided that I could more deeply explore the iPhone interface by looking at the clock.
Preliminary ideas:
iTree - My initial thought process took me in the direction of natural processes that reflect time, and how I might translate these to the screen. I thought about how flora react to the seasons, and considered a tree as a visual representation of time, changing with the seasons, with a leaf falling every second. However, I thought that this didn't really allow for quick reference.
iMunch - I thought about time in terms what kind of food we eat at different times of the day, but found it conceptually constricting in terms of representing times when we don't typically eat. And what about the person who's daily schedule isn't very consistent?
iBrand - I also thought of other ways in which we interact with different objects during the course of our day. This idea came from a cool chart by Jane, an advertising executive, documenting her day by the brands of objects she interacts with. It's worth checking out.
iVey - I also considered having a little "Pocket-Yenta" who would kvetch and grumble whenever you're supposed to do something, depending on the time of day. This would also tie in with the ringtone. "Did ya brush your teeth?" "Eat your lunch!" "Your gonna be late for work, you want I should have a heart attack?" "Your brother is calling, be nice and pick up!"
I would call it the iVey. (Get it? "Oy vey!")
iZone - I thought about a time spectrum, with different bars across the screen showing time in different countries, using webcam shots of famous landmarks. This way, you could get some sort of visual representation of the passage of time across the globe, a spectrum of daylight, if you will. The user would then be able to customize by choosing landmarks.
Progression Towards Final Idea
I eventually thought about different measures of anything really, and how they might be applied to time - distance, volume, area - and thought about amounts in terms of percentages. What if time was thought of as a percentage of a whole? This translated into a pie chart, which is essentially what a circular wall clock is. However, my thought was about having a series of inscribed circles, piecharts, with each circle representing a different unit of time: milliseconds, seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years.
This idea then changed slightly, because I couldn't see how it was that different from a standard wall-clock. Instead, I thought about rotating measures, so that the current time was indicated by stationary marker, and various rotating dials. This is inspired less by a wall clock but by the idea of marking time by observing the alignment of celestial bodies.
I liked the idea of marking dates and reminders by physically pressing on each ring to mark the time and date of the event. When the markers all align, that's when the alarm goes off. In that sense, there is also a visual representation of how far away the event is from occuring. Different events could have different colored markings.
The idea of setting an alarm by actually marking a rotating wheel comes from an early alarm clock, invented in by Taqi al-Din, of the Ottoman Empire, which was set by literally sticking a peg into a notch on a wheel. At the appropriate time, the peg would then engage the alarm mechanism.
I find the idea of physically marking the time an engaging way of interacting visually and tactilly with the clock. Below is an initial sketch of a pared down interface:
The concentric circles represent (as yet unspecified) measures of time - seconds, minutes, etc. - and rotate at the corresponding rate. The pink markers represent a specific event that an alarm has been set for. When all the markers align with the white horizontal line, the alarm goes off. This version is very abstract and shows the idea in its essential form. However, there are many other factors that need to be considered, for example, how to actually read the time.
Below is a sort of moodboard I put together, which includes various pictures of concepts that I found relevant to developing this gizmo.
The interface of this website is really cool and sort of relates to my idea.
In the example below, I played around with an antique feel (and blatantly ignored the last clause of the brief "roman numerals and other pastiches of old clocks are discouraged") in reference to the old clocks that I used as inspiration. I also wanted to evoke the feel of an orrery, in reference to the idea of time represented as orbits. Apart from the months, the various scales are not clearly marked, and I have yet to figure out how I will do this in a way that is not overtly "clock-y".
In this interface, I have also introduced other events along the side. Each little dot represents an event that the user has set an alarm for. The user can scroll through these. The dot adjacent to the dial then reveals the corresponding time markers on each dial. In this case the red dot reveals red time markers, which the user has manually placed on each dial.
In the above configuration, the dials represent the event as being twenty-three hours, 11 minutes and 3 seconds away (provided the dials are turning counter clock-wise, which I now realize is counter-intuitive.) The month and day are already in place, so we needn't concern ourselves with those. It's important to note that the entire dial turns, not just the marker.
Below the configuration is aligned, and the alarm is currently going off. I picture an accompanying graphic of some sort.
The above is just a "skin" and I picture many customization possibilities, so users can choose their preferred look. They can also choose various dials, such as "weeks" or "zodiac symbols" or perhaps rotate through different calendar sets, such as "Gregorian Calendar" or "Jewish Calendar". They can add and remove dials as desired, depending on whether they want to use the app as just an alarm clock, or also a calendar. In addition time markers can be omitted on certain dials, so that the alarm goes off at the same time EVERY month, or EVERY day, which is good for planning recurring events, e.g. birth control regimens, doctor's visits, weekly meetings, etc.
In terms of varying numbers of days in the month, or varying numbers of months in the year, I think my solution for that would be to have the maximum available days always displayed, and then have a few grayed out as necessary, depending on the month.
I quickly realized that my ringtone idea, while stylistically something appealing to me, didn't really do much to reinvent the way people interacted with their phones. It seemed to me just a pretty skin for a very basic interface. I decided that I could more deeply explore the iPhone interface by looking at the clock.
Preliminary ideas:
iTree - My initial thought process took me in the direction of natural processes that reflect time, and how I might translate these to the screen. I thought about how flora react to the seasons, and considered a tree as a visual representation of time, changing with the seasons, with a leaf falling every second. However, I thought that this didn't really allow for quick reference.
iMunch - I thought about time in terms what kind of food we eat at different times of the day, but found it conceptually constricting in terms of representing times when we don't typically eat. And what about the person who's daily schedule isn't very consistent?
iBrand - I also thought of other ways in which we interact with different objects during the course of our day. This idea came from a cool chart by Jane, an advertising executive, documenting her day by the brands of objects she interacts with. It's worth checking out.
iVey - I also considered having a little "Pocket-Yenta" who would kvetch and grumble whenever you're supposed to do something, depending on the time of day. This would also tie in with the ringtone. "Did ya brush your teeth?" "Eat your lunch!" "Your gonna be late for work, you want I should have a heart attack?" "Your brother is calling, be nice and pick up!"
I would call it the iVey. (Get it? "Oy vey!")
iZone - I thought about a time spectrum, with different bars across the screen showing time in different countries, using webcam shots of famous landmarks. This way, you could get some sort of visual representation of the passage of time across the globe, a spectrum of daylight, if you will. The user would then be able to customize by choosing landmarks.
Progression Towards Final Idea
I eventually thought about different measures of anything really, and how they might be applied to time - distance, volume, area - and thought about amounts in terms of percentages. What if time was thought of as a percentage of a whole? This translated into a pie chart, which is essentially what a circular wall clock is. However, my thought was about having a series of inscribed circles, piecharts, with each circle representing a different unit of time: milliseconds, seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years.
This idea then changed slightly, because I couldn't see how it was that different from a standard wall-clock. Instead, I thought about rotating measures, so that the current time was indicated by stationary marker, and various rotating dials. This is inspired less by a wall clock but by the idea of marking time by observing the alignment of celestial bodies.
I liked the idea of marking dates and reminders by physically pressing on each ring to mark the time and date of the event. When the markers all align, that's when the alarm goes off. In that sense, there is also a visual representation of how far away the event is from occuring. Different events could have different colored markings.
The idea of setting an alarm by actually marking a rotating wheel comes from an early alarm clock, invented in by Taqi al-Din, of the Ottoman Empire, which was set by literally sticking a peg into a notch on a wheel. At the appropriate time, the peg would then engage the alarm mechanism.
I find the idea of physically marking the time an engaging way of interacting visually and tactilly with the clock. Below is an initial sketch of a pared down interface:
The concentric circles represent (as yet unspecified) measures of time - seconds, minutes, etc. - and rotate at the corresponding rate. The pink markers represent a specific event that an alarm has been set for. When all the markers align with the white horizontal line, the alarm goes off. This version is very abstract and shows the idea in its essential form. However, there are many other factors that need to be considered, for example, how to actually read the time.Below is a sort of moodboard I put together, which includes various pictures of concepts that I found relevant to developing this gizmo.
The interface of this website is really cool and sort of relates to my idea.
In the example below, I played around with an antique feel (and blatantly ignored the last clause of the brief "roman numerals and other pastiches of old clocks are discouraged") in reference to the old clocks that I used as inspiration. I also wanted to evoke the feel of an orrery, in reference to the idea of time represented as orbits. Apart from the months, the various scales are not clearly marked, and I have yet to figure out how I will do this in a way that is not overtly "clock-y".
In this interface, I have also introduced other events along the side. Each little dot represents an event that the user has set an alarm for. The user can scroll through these. The dot adjacent to the dial then reveals the corresponding time markers on each dial. In this case the red dot reveals red time markers, which the user has manually placed on each dial.
In the above configuration, the dials represent the event as being twenty-three hours, 11 minutes and 3 seconds away (provided the dials are turning counter clock-wise, which I now realize is counter-intuitive.) The month and day are already in place, so we needn't concern ourselves with those. It's important to note that the entire dial turns, not just the marker.
Below the configuration is aligned, and the alarm is currently going off. I picture an accompanying graphic of some sort.
The above is just a "skin" and I picture many customization possibilities, so users can choose their preferred look. They can also choose various dials, such as "weeks" or "zodiac symbols" or perhaps rotate through different calendar sets, such as "Gregorian Calendar" or "Jewish Calendar". They can add and remove dials as desired, depending on whether they want to use the app as just an alarm clock, or also a calendar. In addition time markers can be omitted on certain dials, so that the alarm goes off at the same time EVERY month, or EVERY day, which is good for planning recurring events, e.g. birth control regimens, doctor's visits, weekly meetings, etc.
In terms of varying numbers of days in the month, or varying numbers of months in the year, I think my solution for that would be to have the maximum available days always displayed, and then have a few grayed out as necessary, depending on the month.
Saturday, 29 November 2008
Brief 4 - Fischli and Weiss Response
Further inspiration for my piece: Opto-scientific.
This is visually very close to what I am hoping to achieve, especially in terms of emulating the cause and effect processes in "Der Lauf der Dinge". I think it's funny that they also chose to use a traveling dot as their "protagonist" just as I have. However I am also trying to focus on the idea of suspense, which I don't, for the most part, consider a focus of the above piece. Of course, I realize in trying to do my piece, that the inherent suspense of something perhaps going wrong is lost in a piece that doesn't rely on physics to achieve a desired outcome.
Anyway, enough rattling. Here is something I've been working on. Please excuse the interlacing issues. After Effects and Premiere are not being nice.
Test - Scene 1 from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
And here's another scene. This time around, the sound didn't come through. I need to figure out all this formatting stuff. It's giving me a needlessly hard time.
Test - Scene 2 from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
This is visually very close to what I am hoping to achieve, especially in terms of emulating the cause and effect processes in "Der Lauf der Dinge". I think it's funny that they also chose to use a traveling dot as their "protagonist" just as I have. However I am also trying to focus on the idea of suspense, which I don't, for the most part, consider a focus of the above piece. Of course, I realize in trying to do my piece, that the inherent suspense of something perhaps going wrong is lost in a piece that doesn't rely on physics to achieve a desired outcome.
Anyway, enough rattling. Here is something I've been working on. Please excuse the interlacing issues. After Effects and Premiere are not being nice.
Test - Scene 1 from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
And here's another scene. This time around, the sound didn't come through. I need to figure out all this formatting stuff. It's giving me a needlessly hard time.
Test - Scene 2 from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Fischli and Weiss - Creative Response
I have lots of ideas in response to what I have seen, but most of them are technically unfeasible(building a massive chain reaction, making a bullet-time sequence).
My current idea is a step away from the heavily ornate aesthetic that I usually default to. I want to concentrate on choreography, movement, of very basic elements, inspired by the kinetic nature of Der Lauf der Dinge. I want to deconstruct the basic chain reaction and apply it to geometric shapes. I more importantly want to see if I can establish a sense of suspense using only shapes.
Initial inspirations include the title sequence of "Hard Candy"...
...Saul Bass's Title Sequence for "The Man with the Golden Arm"...
...the lines in the title sequence for "The Laws of Attraction"....
and more to come.
My current idea is a step away from the heavily ornate aesthetic that I usually default to. I want to concentrate on choreography, movement, of very basic elements, inspired by the kinetic nature of Der Lauf der Dinge. I want to deconstruct the basic chain reaction and apply it to geometric shapes. I more importantly want to see if I can establish a sense of suspense using only shapes.
Initial inspirations include the title sequence of "Hard Candy"...
...Saul Bass's Title Sequence for "The Man with the Golden Arm"...
...the lines in the title sequence for "The Laws of Attraction"....
and more to come.
Monday, 24 November 2008
Early photographs of the"Moon"
This is an interesting video I happened upon, that touches on the themes of deception that came up in my research of Peter Fischli and David Weiss. In the early days of photography, because of necessarily long exposure times, and the fact that the moon moved, astronomers would instead take photos of plaster models of the moon, which many hailed as a marvelously accurate depiction.
Connections to Fischli and Weiss
Looking at the work of Fischli and Weiss brought to mind many associations.
Naturally, Der Lauf der Dinge suggested I look at other examples of cause and effect chain reactions. However, what really struck me by that film is the amazing amount of tension that builds up in the sometimes lengthy processes. A lot of Der Lauf der Dinge is spent waiting for that inevitable moment when the water level rises to a tipping point, or a slowly unravelling pendulum finally makes contact with the next object. This is the source of the comedy in the film, which owes a lot to the slapstick of Buster Keaton.
In the above clip from Steamboat Bill, Keaton is unfazed as the wall falls around him, and his innocence commands our empathy. This innocence is transferred to the inanimate objects, as they prevail against all odds to continue along their chain reaction.
Here are some examples of suspense in various forms:
Domino Day - Builders race against the clock to complete a sequence of dominoes:
Hitchcock's the Birds. Here, the emotional narrative supplants, say, the slowly rising water level in Der Lauf der Dinge. Clues are revealed one by one, much like dominoes falling.
In viewing the photographs from Quiet Afternoon, of collapsing structures frozen in time, I am reminded of the bullet-time effect exhibited in the Matrix, and various music videos:
Music Video for Sting's "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot"
Skateboarding bullet time:
Toshiba's Time-Sculpture Ad:
Naturally, Der Lauf der Dinge suggested I look at other examples of cause and effect chain reactions. However, what really struck me by that film is the amazing amount of tension that builds up in the sometimes lengthy processes. A lot of Der Lauf der Dinge is spent waiting for that inevitable moment when the water level rises to a tipping point, or a slowly unravelling pendulum finally makes contact with the next object. This is the source of the comedy in the film, which owes a lot to the slapstick of Buster Keaton.
In the above clip from Steamboat Bill, Keaton is unfazed as the wall falls around him, and his innocence commands our empathy. This innocence is transferred to the inanimate objects, as they prevail against all odds to continue along their chain reaction.
Here are some examples of suspense in various forms:
Domino Day - Builders race against the clock to complete a sequence of dominoes:
Hitchcock's the Birds. Here, the emotional narrative supplants, say, the slowly rising water level in Der Lauf der Dinge. Clues are revealed one by one, much like dominoes falling.
In viewing the photographs from Quiet Afternoon, of collapsing structures frozen in time, I am reminded of the bullet-time effect exhibited in the Matrix, and various music videos:
Music Video for Sting's "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot"
Skateboarding bullet time:
Toshiba's Time-Sculpture Ad:
Fischli und Weiss - continued
A theme that runs through the works of Peter Fischli and David Weiss is the misuse of objects and distancing them from their original purpose.
In Der Lauf der Dinge, objects exist solely as a means of transfering energy in a linear fashion. They are taken out of context, used in a way that completely undermines their purpose. Fischli refers to the "pleasure of misuse".
Fischli and Weiss have played with the concept of falsification with their polyurethane objects, sculpted replicas of mundane everyday objects. Much time is spent creating meticulous reproductions of every day objects, and Fischli and Weiss talk about the Schadenfreude involved in counterfeiting worthless objects.
(This quote reminds me a bit of the "Uncanny Valley" of Human Appearance)
Below are some photos of these reproductions:
Their work, while in a sense a fetish of everyday objects, differs from the ready made movement and Duchamp's use of found objects, because the replicas they carve have are removed from their original purpose. They are objects from the world of utility, but have become useless.
One of their most famous works is Stiller Nachmittag (Quiet Afternoon) a series of photographs depicting physically unstable arrangments of objects, taken at the point of near collapse. These sculptural works can only exist in the immortalized frame of a photograph. They are documents of an ephemeral state, a state much like that of the objects in Der Lauf der Dinge, though they are never allowed to resolve themselves.
Stiller Nachmittag and the Polyurethane sculptures invoke acts of devotion. Fischli und Weiss spend a lot of time immersing themselves in objects that are not particularly appealing, by carving them, or by placing them into these unstable arrangements, both processes that take large amounts of time.
Information and quotes from:
Söntgen, Beate. "Interview" Peter Fischli - David Weiss. London, UK: Phaidon Press Inc. 2005
In Der Lauf der Dinge, objects exist solely as a means of transfering energy in a linear fashion. They are taken out of context, used in a way that completely undermines their purpose. Fischli refers to the "pleasure of misuse".
Part of the merriment of the film rests on this false use. Here, again, objects are freed from their principal, intended purpose. Perhaps this can be something beautiful. If you identify with these objects, it has a liberating effect.
Fischli and Weiss have played with the concept of falsification with their polyurethane objects, sculpted replicas of mundane everyday objects. Much time is spent creating meticulous reproductions of every day objects, and Fischli and Weiss talk about the Schadenfreude involved in counterfeiting worthless objects.
Part of the appeal of this deception lies in the slight deviation, the failure, the incompleteness. A gap appears between reality and reflection. Strangely enough, this space in between can be exactly the point where you're best able to access the work.
(This quote reminds me a bit of the "Uncanny Valley" of Human Appearance)
Below are some photos of these reproductions:
Their work, while in a sense a fetish of everyday objects, differs from the ready made movement and Duchamp's use of found objects, because the replicas they carve have are removed from their original purpose. They are objects from the world of utility, but have become useless.
One of their most famous works is Stiller Nachmittag (Quiet Afternoon) a series of photographs depicting physically unstable arrangments of objects, taken at the point of near collapse. These sculptural works can only exist in the immortalized frame of a photograph. They are documents of an ephemeral state, a state much like that of the objects in Der Lauf der Dinge, though they are never allowed to resolve themselves.
Stiller Nachmittag and the Polyurethane sculptures invoke acts of devotion. Fischli und Weiss spend a lot of time immersing themselves in objects that are not particularly appealing, by carving them, or by placing them into these unstable arrangements, both processes that take large amounts of time.
Information and quotes from:
Söntgen, Beate. "Interview" Peter Fischli - David Weiss. London, UK: Phaidon Press Inc. 2005
Friday, 21 November 2008
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Fischli und Weiss - Der Lauf der Dinge
"Your aim is to create a piece of work which will form a part of your developing practice, which is inspired by an aspect of the research undertaken into your given character or group."
I drew Fischli and Weiss. Knowing nothing about them, I began (began) my search at wikipedia where I discoverd that this swiss duo is most famous for their installation Der Lauf der Dinge (The Way Things Go). This installation follows the form of an intricate series of actions, in the spirit of Rube Goldberg: various causes and effects generate a long chain reaction:
Here is the work in its entirety:
With this project, Fischli and Weiss haven't really created anything new per se: Rube Goldberg first published his cartoons featuring humorously complicated devices in 1914.
Flame from lamp (A) catches on curtain (B) and fire department sends stream of water (C) through window. Dwarf (D) thinks it is raining and reaches for umbrella (E), pulling string (F) and lifting end of platform (G). Iron ball (H) falls and pulls string (I), causing hammer (J) to hit plate of glass (K). Crashof glass wakes up pup (L) and mother dog (M) rocks him to sleep in cradle (N), causing attached wooden hand (O) to move up and down along your back.
The popular Rube Goldberg machines have spawned thousands of real attempts at creating such complicated devices. The popular children's game "The Mousetrap" comes from the same idea, as does the early computer game "Incredible Machine."
Der Lauf der Dinge stands apart not only because of its scope - full 30 minute sequence utilizing all sorts of various materials - but also because of the various transitions of energy involved: gravitational, thermodynamic, chemical, centrifugal. All the traditional four elements are in some way or another utilized: Wind (through blowing air), Water, Fire and "Earth" (solid matter).
In addition, the objects within the sequence are divorced from their original purpose.
I drew Fischli and Weiss. Knowing nothing about them, I began (began) my search at wikipedia where I discoverd that this swiss duo is most famous for their installation Der Lauf der Dinge (The Way Things Go). This installation follows the form of an intricate series of actions, in the spirit of Rube Goldberg: various causes and effects generate a long chain reaction:
Here is the work in its entirety:
With this project, Fischli and Weiss haven't really created anything new per se: Rube Goldberg first published his cartoons featuring humorously complicated devices in 1914.
Flame from lamp (A) catches on curtain (B) and fire department sends stream of water (C) through window. Dwarf (D) thinks it is raining and reaches for umbrella (E), pulling string (F) and lifting end of platform (G). Iron ball (H) falls and pulls string (I), causing hammer (J) to hit plate of glass (K). Crashof glass wakes up pup (L) and mother dog (M) rocks him to sleep in cradle (N), causing attached wooden hand (O) to move up and down along your back.The popular Rube Goldberg machines have spawned thousands of real attempts at creating such complicated devices. The popular children's game "The Mousetrap" comes from the same idea, as does the early computer game "Incredible Machine."
Der Lauf der Dinge stands apart not only because of its scope - full 30 minute sequence utilizing all sorts of various materials - but also because of the various transitions of energy involved: gravitational, thermodynamic, chemical, centrifugal. All the traditional four elements are in some way or another utilized: Wind (through blowing air), Water, Fire and "Earth" (solid matter).
In addition, the objects within the sequence are divorced from their original purpose.
Brief 5 - The iPhone ringtone!
"Propose, design and make either an animated ringtone or a clock for the Apple iPhone"
I'm planning on making a ringtone template with clock-like qualities...
"Think about the caller, the receiver, sound and image, synesthesia, modularity, loops and customisation Conduct thorough secondary research to uncover previous art/design/sound projects to inspire you."
I had several ideas for the ringtone, including having pictures of people ringing various types of bells, the joke being that when the phone rings, the person rattles around the bell, instead of the other way around. But I realized then that someone had previously done "people ringing" so I scrapped that idea.
So now I'm thinking of creating little scenes with sprites that are associated with individual callers. My current idea is to present a dark urban back-alley sort of space, and instead of a ring, there will be loud noises that are associated with what you might hear late at night in a back alley: meowing cat, crying baby, car alarm, trash can lid falling, tv channels changing. Each noise is assigned a caller in your phone book. In addition, I am considering introducing qualities that indicate time passing, such as the changing of the sky's color, though I am still undecided.
For now, I am thinking only of this alleyway scene, but I imagine continuing with other sorts of urban scenes: a diner, a basketball court, etc.
For now, here is a moodboard that I put together, to show various inspirations for the dark city scene:
In addition, I made a "mood sketch" to show the basic composition and textural quality I am thinking of:
Accompanying each noise would be a small animation, plus the appearance of the person's name in an appropriate typeface (in this case, I thought of each letter being different, like a ransom note)
I'm planning on making a ringtone template with clock-like qualities...
"Think about the caller, the receiver, sound and image, synesthesia, modularity, loops and customisation Conduct thorough secondary research to uncover previous art/design/sound projects to inspire you."
I had several ideas for the ringtone, including having pictures of people ringing various types of bells, the joke being that when the phone rings, the person rattles around the bell, instead of the other way around. But I realized then that someone had previously done "people ringing" so I scrapped that idea.
So now I'm thinking of creating little scenes with sprites that are associated with individual callers. My current idea is to present a dark urban back-alley sort of space, and instead of a ring, there will be loud noises that are associated with what you might hear late at night in a back alley: meowing cat, crying baby, car alarm, trash can lid falling, tv channels changing. Each noise is assigned a caller in your phone book. In addition, I am considering introducing qualities that indicate time passing, such as the changing of the sky's color, though I am still undecided.
For now, I am thinking only of this alleyway scene, but I imagine continuing with other sorts of urban scenes: a diner, a basketball court, etc.
For now, here is a moodboard that I put together, to show various inspirations for the dark city scene:
In addition, I made a "mood sketch" to show the basic composition and textural quality I am thinking of:
Accompanying each noise would be a small animation, plus the appearance of the person's name in an appropriate typeface (in this case, I thought of each letter being different, like a ransom note)
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
"It's Alaska" in Review -OR- "How do you make a piece that expresses confusion but isn't confusing"
Well, my project is, for all intents and purposes, finished. Watch it below.
I am exhausted, so I will use these guiding questions formally for my reflection.
What did I actually achieve with this piece of work?
This piece was born out of studying how typography was treated in old trailers. Through observing various examples, I managed to recreate and reinterpret the way type looked and moved in various contexts. I managed to streamline my work-process and consequently became more comfortable with using After Effects. My final piece of work is, in spite of any narrative setbacks, in my opinion a fairly solid exercise in pastiche and style.
Which were the most difficult parts, and why?
It seemed the most difficult part was to find a balance between the audio and the visuals. The visual style did not initially add anything to the source material, an interview with a self-proclaimed alien abductee, because the source material was already ridiculous on its own. I was married to the idea of using these visuals as a jumping off point, and rather than start from scratch, I thought of using a Sarah Palin interview (one of my initial ideas for this project). Through the use of dated typography - influenced by anti-communist propaganda, sci-fi and horror films, and commercial suburban fantasies - I hoped to comment on Ms. Palin's old-fashioned views and the way she appeals to the sensationalist fears of those attempting to hold on to their American dream.
Which were the most straight-forward parts, and why?
I found the entire project fairly straight-forward, in the sense that technically I already had all the tools that I needed to execute the project. The only difference is the extent to which I pushed myself in terms of the shear quantity and complexity of material. I must admit that imitating the old styles was fairly easy, in the sense that I never lacked any motivation. I just kept adjusting various qualities to get that perfect "imperfect" look.
How well do I think I achieved the intended learning outcomes for this task?
I think I deviated from the intended learning outcome in the sense that as I further developed the piece, I was less focused on the typography, and more focused on the visual context. It is no coincidence that the part people responded to most is the map section, because it is the only one where I really deviated from my "rulebook" and played with the camera. I originally planned to play with the conventions more, but in hindsight find that "achieving the look" became more of a priority.
Where could I have improved my achievement? Why didn't I improve it at the time?
In terms of my stated achievement, there isn't a whole lot I would have done in terms of further imitating the style, save actually going out and filming things the old way. However, that would defeat the purpose of using new technology to emulate old technology. As I stated, the piece was successful as a pastiche, however, guided by the general response and the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I recognize that there were failings in other areas.
What have I got out of doing this project?
Most of what I have learned, actually came the day I presented it... so... yesterday. The response did not quite match the feeling of swelling pride that I had upon completing it Monday night. It seemed that much of the humor, references and overall intention was over-shadowed by the sheer magnitude of disjointed imagery that I packed into the piece. The irony is that I approached this piece with the direct intention of it being just that: disjointed, random, strung together. However it's nature over-shadowed the intent, and it seemed that's what people were responding to most. It makes perfect sense looking back at it now.
I didn't storyboard this project in any linear fashion. Rather, I conceived of it as a series of "set pieces" which formed the primary skeleton: Narrow Maritime Border, Our Neighbors, and Putin Rears his Head. These were the first sequences I created and consequently the most successful. The rest of the piece essentially filled in the gaps. I didn't initially see this as a problem because I thought that my process, fragmented as it was, perfectly suited the effect that I was going for. This made perfect sense in the tunnel-vision of my creative "storm", but looking back I understand how this did not serve me very well.
(In my defense, however, I might also argue that some of the humor was lost on the audience simply because they weren't as emotionally invested in the subject matter as myself or my target audience.... but that is no excuse for bad planning!)
What worked least well for me and why?
There is a specific section which I thought was hilarious, but seemed to lose others. That would be the part where Palin defends herself and can't think of the word "mock". I wanted to show her losing her train of thought by tacking together lots of disjointed images, followed by film scrolling past a broken shutter, implying her train of thought breaking apart. However it seemed to confuse the viewers, and proved somewhat distracting.
With hindsight, how would I go about this project differently?
PLAN MORE! I made the excuse that I could get away without storyboarding because the piece wasn't supposed to look linear. Of course I shot myself in the foot because if you don't properly plan an arc for your piece, you lose your audience. Although I think I did conceive of certain sections carefully, others were inserted without as much consideration, and it shows. However I will also state that my creative decisions in placing things where they were followed the audio very carefully, and the audio's inherent confusion didn't particularly follow a clean narrative arc to begin with.
None-the-less, I acknowledge the need for more planning and storyboarding before diving into the actual making of the piece. By reversing that process I became extremely involved in the visual vernacular and gave less priority to the planning, perhaps losing sight of the final outcome.
I will admit that the irony is slightly frustrating: although I achieved my desired outcome of a visually confusing piece, I ended up with a visually confusing piece. Therefore the inferences I can make as to how I might make alterations range from "subtle changes to make it less confusing" to "total overhaul of the concept".
I will not be editing this piece any further. No-one, that I can recall, commented negatively on my aesthetic choices, or how I could have done any specific sections better. For this, and other reasons, I think the critique reflects the planning and conceptual process more than anything else. The best thing is to take what I have learned, and apply it constructively to my next piece.
Over and out.
I am exhausted, so I will use these guiding questions formally for my reflection.
What did I actually achieve with this piece of work?
This piece was born out of studying how typography was treated in old trailers. Through observing various examples, I managed to recreate and reinterpret the way type looked and moved in various contexts. I managed to streamline my work-process and consequently became more comfortable with using After Effects. My final piece of work is, in spite of any narrative setbacks, in my opinion a fairly solid exercise in pastiche and style.
Which were the most difficult parts, and why?
It seemed the most difficult part was to find a balance between the audio and the visuals. The visual style did not initially add anything to the source material, an interview with a self-proclaimed alien abductee, because the source material was already ridiculous on its own. I was married to the idea of using these visuals as a jumping off point, and rather than start from scratch, I thought of using a Sarah Palin interview (one of my initial ideas for this project). Through the use of dated typography - influenced by anti-communist propaganda, sci-fi and horror films, and commercial suburban fantasies - I hoped to comment on Ms. Palin's old-fashioned views and the way she appeals to the sensationalist fears of those attempting to hold on to their American dream.
Which were the most straight-forward parts, and why?
I found the entire project fairly straight-forward, in the sense that technically I already had all the tools that I needed to execute the project. The only difference is the extent to which I pushed myself in terms of the shear quantity and complexity of material. I must admit that imitating the old styles was fairly easy, in the sense that I never lacked any motivation. I just kept adjusting various qualities to get that perfect "imperfect" look.
How well do I think I achieved the intended learning outcomes for this task?
I think I deviated from the intended learning outcome in the sense that as I further developed the piece, I was less focused on the typography, and more focused on the visual context. It is no coincidence that the part people responded to most is the map section, because it is the only one where I really deviated from my "rulebook" and played with the camera. I originally planned to play with the conventions more, but in hindsight find that "achieving the look" became more of a priority.
Where could I have improved my achievement? Why didn't I improve it at the time?
In terms of my stated achievement, there isn't a whole lot I would have done in terms of further imitating the style, save actually going out and filming things the old way. However, that would defeat the purpose of using new technology to emulate old technology. As I stated, the piece was successful as a pastiche, however, guided by the general response and the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I recognize that there were failings in other areas.
What have I got out of doing this project?
Most of what I have learned, actually came the day I presented it... so... yesterday. The response did not quite match the feeling of swelling pride that I had upon completing it Monday night. It seemed that much of the humor, references and overall intention was over-shadowed by the sheer magnitude of disjointed imagery that I packed into the piece. The irony is that I approached this piece with the direct intention of it being just that: disjointed, random, strung together. However it's nature over-shadowed the intent, and it seemed that's what people were responding to most. It makes perfect sense looking back at it now.
I didn't storyboard this project in any linear fashion. Rather, I conceived of it as a series of "set pieces" which formed the primary skeleton: Narrow Maritime Border, Our Neighbors, and Putin Rears his Head. These were the first sequences I created and consequently the most successful. The rest of the piece essentially filled in the gaps. I didn't initially see this as a problem because I thought that my process, fragmented as it was, perfectly suited the effect that I was going for. This made perfect sense in the tunnel-vision of my creative "storm", but looking back I understand how this did not serve me very well.
(In my defense, however, I might also argue that some of the humor was lost on the audience simply because they weren't as emotionally invested in the subject matter as myself or my target audience.... but that is no excuse for bad planning!)
What worked least well for me and why?
There is a specific section which I thought was hilarious, but seemed to lose others. That would be the part where Palin defends herself and can't think of the word "mock". I wanted to show her losing her train of thought by tacking together lots of disjointed images, followed by film scrolling past a broken shutter, implying her train of thought breaking apart. However it seemed to confuse the viewers, and proved somewhat distracting.
With hindsight, how would I go about this project differently?
PLAN MORE! I made the excuse that I could get away without storyboarding because the piece wasn't supposed to look linear. Of course I shot myself in the foot because if you don't properly plan an arc for your piece, you lose your audience. Although I think I did conceive of certain sections carefully, others were inserted without as much consideration, and it shows. However I will also state that my creative decisions in placing things where they were followed the audio very carefully, and the audio's inherent confusion didn't particularly follow a clean narrative arc to begin with.
None-the-less, I acknowledge the need for more planning and storyboarding before diving into the actual making of the piece. By reversing that process I became extremely involved in the visual vernacular and gave less priority to the planning, perhaps losing sight of the final outcome.
I will admit that the irony is slightly frustrating: although I achieved my desired outcome of a visually confusing piece, I ended up with a visually confusing piece. Therefore the inferences I can make as to how I might make alterations range from "subtle changes to make it less confusing" to "total overhaul of the concept".
I will not be editing this piece any further. No-one, that I can recall, commented negatively on my aesthetic choices, or how I could have done any specific sections better. For this, and other reasons, I think the critique reflects the planning and conceptual process more than anything else. The best thing is to take what I have learned, and apply it constructively to my next piece.
Over and out.
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Weekend Update
I've got a fair amount of animation down on my Sarah Palin project. I have a bunch of sequences that I really like, however they aren't yet making a cohesive whole. Obviously it is missing major chunks in between, however I am not too worried. I conceived of this project as a series of set pieces rather than a continuous narrative, which I think serves the audio well. Palin's disjointed "stream" of thought lends itself well to different styles of animation, and I don't regret using a "set piece" style of planning as opposed to a more linear path. This has also allowed me to move past the block of "what's next?" and figure out how to link those scenes that I already have, ergo "I've got points A and C, now let's find B".
I have the opening battle plan.
I have the neighbors sequence.
I have Putin's rearing head.
Now, all I need are the final scene of Putin wreaking havoc on Alaska (see picture below) and the various trade missions, which I conceive as arrows pointing "back" and "forth" between Russia and Slaska on the map.
For Katie Couric's questions, I really want to have very simple title-plates that stand in contrast to the erratic movement that accompanies Sarah Palin's answers.
Enough chatter. Here is what I have so far.
NOTE: Obviously all of it is "In progress" but I put the note there to show scenes which haven't yet been inserted.
Sarah Palin 3 from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
And here is my concept for the final scene (ignore the text, it belongs in the previous scene).
The lasers shooting out of his eyes will then sear away the film, and it will bubble and melt away.
I have the opening battle plan.
I have the neighbors sequence.
I have Putin's rearing head.
Now, all I need are the final scene of Putin wreaking havoc on Alaska (see picture below) and the various trade missions, which I conceive as arrows pointing "back" and "forth" between Russia and Slaska on the map.
For Katie Couric's questions, I really want to have very simple title-plates that stand in contrast to the erratic movement that accompanies Sarah Palin's answers.
Enough chatter. Here is what I have so far.
NOTE: Obviously all of it is "In progress" but I put the note there to show scenes which haven't yet been inserted.
Sarah Palin 3 from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
And here is my concept for the final scene (ignore the text, it belongs in the previous scene).
The lasers shooting out of his eyes will then sear away the film, and it will bubble and melt away.
Friday, 7 November 2008
A Change of Plan
Most of the feedback I received after presenting to my class regarded the mismatch of the audio and video. Because the spoken content is so crazy to begin with, poking fun at it using sci-fie trailer movie titles didn't really add all that much to it. But I was married to the visual style. I considered using an interview with Tom Cruise, but aside from the fact that it had an awful soundtrack, it was still too crazy. The visual style wasn't making a statement.
Finally I decided to go with one of my original ideas to visually represent an interview with Sarah Palin despite the fact that I am ready to wash my hands of her presence on the political scene. I am aiming to animate a good portion of the audio from the clip below.
I decided to let myself go a little, concerning how much I stayed true to the style of 1950s movie titles. The concept is to illustrate her the ignorance and fear-mongering of her words by imitating war-propaganda/documentaries of the cold war in terms of the visual vernacular, and introducing a 3D element to represent a battle-map.
So far I've made 12 seconds worth. Took me a solid 6 hours!
A Very Narrow Maritime Border from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
My aim is to use the crackling of the film to accentuate all her "ummms" and "errrrs".
In hindsight, LAND BOUNDARY should really be coming up from the ground. I just couldn't resist the cool fly-in effect.
Some sketches:
Finally I decided to go with one of my original ideas to visually represent an interview with Sarah Palin despite the fact that I am ready to wash my hands of her presence on the political scene. I am aiming to animate a good portion of the audio from the clip below.
I decided to let myself go a little, concerning how much I stayed true to the style of 1950s movie titles. The concept is to illustrate her the ignorance and fear-mongering of her words by imitating war-propaganda/documentaries of the cold war in terms of the visual vernacular, and introducing a 3D element to represent a battle-map.
So far I've made 12 seconds worth. Took me a solid 6 hours!
A Very Narrow Maritime Border from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
My aim is to use the crackling of the film to accentuate all her "ummms" and "errrrs".
In hindsight, LAND BOUNDARY should really be coming up from the ground. I just couldn't resist the cool fly-in effect.
Some sketches:
Sunday, 2 November 2008
My Extra-Terrestrial Husband
Here is further development for my kinetic typography piece:
My Extra-Terrestrial Husband from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
At the moment, I'm just experimenting with how closely I can replicate the experience of watching old projected footage. I added in some color using the colorama effect, and applied a subtle mesh warp to the entire project so that it looks like it was projected through an old lens or on an uneven surface. I also introduced the effect of the shutterspeed going all wonky, causing the picture to shift slightly. I did this by duplicating the composition (pre-color and mesh effects) aligning it off-screen and parenting it to my main composition. Then I could move the two around, and make it look like adjacent frames.
So far I am happy with what I know I am able to achieve looks-wise. Now I should perhaps do some actual storyboarding and proper development on the way the actual sequence will play out! And is there a way to use the elements that I have been playing with and "up-date them" or de-contextualize them? Would that be appropriate? Or am I just trying to imitate that specific style as closely as possible? How can the type better reflect what is being said?
Questions for the coming few days...
My Extra-Terrestrial Husband from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
At the moment, I'm just experimenting with how closely I can replicate the experience of watching old projected footage. I added in some color using the colorama effect, and applied a subtle mesh warp to the entire project so that it looks like it was projected through an old lens or on an uneven surface. I also introduced the effect of the shutterspeed going all wonky, causing the picture to shift slightly. I did this by duplicating the composition (pre-color and mesh effects) aligning it off-screen and parenting it to my main composition. Then I could move the two around, and make it look like adjacent frames.
So far I am happy with what I know I am able to achieve looks-wise. Now I should perhaps do some actual storyboarding and proper development on the way the actual sequence will play out! And is there a way to use the elements that I have been playing with and "up-date them" or de-contextualize them? Would that be appropriate? Or am I just trying to imitate that specific style as closely as possible? How can the type better reflect what is being said?
Questions for the coming few days...
Friday, 31 October 2008
Research for Kinetic Typography.
For the kinetic typography project, I chose to mimic the typographic styles and transitions of trailers for 1950s science-fiction films like the ones below:
Using the above as inspiration, I decided to try my hand at recreating the style as best I could in After Effects. This is the result of that initial attempt:
Invaders from Outer Space! from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
I wasn't, however, happy with the wipe on. I tried to mimic an alternative "tilt forward" effect.
Invaders from Outer Space! from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
I think this effect looks a bit better, but I realize that the higher resolution of this upload actually takes away from the look. Also, I need to make sure the title fills the screen, as in my first version, for a more authentic look.
Below is the clip that I'll be taking the audio from:
Using the above as inspiration, I decided to try my hand at recreating the style as best I could in After Effects. This is the result of that initial attempt:
Invaders from Outer Space! from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
I wasn't, however, happy with the wipe on. I tried to mimic an alternative "tilt forward" effect.
Invaders from Outer Space! from Gabriel Aronson on Vimeo.
I think this effect looks a bit better, but I realize that the higher resolution of this upload actually takes away from the look. Also, I need to make sure the title fills the screen, as in my first version, for a more authentic look.
Below is the clip that I'll be taking the audio from:
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