Creative Technology Lab: March 2020

Monday, March 30, 2020

ok great job today guys, thanks for joining me.
I hope the Unity experience is somewhat fun for you...
We are done for today, but feel free to contact me during the week: I'll make sure to check my FIT email. If anybody has any good Unity tutorials they find for themselves make sure to post them here..
Be well! 😸

Victoria Emond - Rollerskate Video Plans

This past week I thought through what exactly this video should include. Since we are in such unique circumstances, I feel like it's not only necessary but important to include that in the video. So the overall goal of this video will be to:

1) document learning to rollerskate
2) document my time social distancing
3) give updates in a diary fashion

Video:
Since I am currently in a suburban town, it is unavoidable to have this be a part of the video look. I have researched making it feel like a home movie, with a handwritten diary feel, very casual. The summary of each day can go side by side to the video (maybe with handwritten type?)

There would also be typography over the screen, using a more vintage look that related to the aesthetic of most rollerskating brands.

I'm thinking that the video wouldn't have to talk and instead would focus on handwritten statements.

I have started a Pinterest board of the look, but putting a grainy effect on the video and keeping things simple with the main focus on skating, camera angle on the ground.

Things to focus on:
- stopping
-turning
-spinning
-something fancy?

Side by side, the video can also give a separate fact about what has happened in this world. My family has already had a lot of crazy experiences in relation to Coronavirus, which I think should be tied into this experience.

Overall the focus is on how this is a way to find routine and bliss in such a stressful time.

Project idea, outline and progress.

Sold Shit

Hosted on my theoretical channel “Pootie’s personal home shopping network” I am going to create and sell products, that would otherwise seem useless or indirectly used.

I have always been engulfed in pop-culture, maybe it was because I was plopped in front of a TV at a young age to have something “safe” to do. I have often noticed that the media pushed products that can be useless. As a New Yorker you see hundreds, even thousands of ads a day. Infomercials, cars, paper towels, things that one would generally buy on their own, but the ads are there to manipulate and guide the consumer to their “superior” product.

In this project, I will be creating a video, made with photos, animation, clips and other mediums to express my project entitled “Sold Shit”. (open to change the name, I would love some feedback from everyone)

The past week I have been designing the headers and imagery to be used in photoshop and after-effects. As well as creating new obscure ideas for my “new products”.

One new example is “Tear absorbent” which is just a cotton tissue, with the words “enough, enough” sewn into it.

shown here is the first draft of the layout for the video and the first idea called "the social interactor"

attached here are some screenshots of old retro home shopping network layouts.

Attached is a link of a clip of a creepy doll being sold for $130 the strange banter and ongoing salesmanship is very interesting to me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFL6wYCQQ4Y

attached is a second clip, where the sales person is using an unsecured product but still pushing the sale till the end

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZhMfzc9RbU

Binary Code Progress

My idea is to convert words into binary code, and then turning binary code into a visual.

I've mainly been just experimenting with different ways I can interpret binary code.

VISUAL:
I experimented with the line "Hi my name is Angela". Using an already existing converter, I translated that line to binary code.

I then turned the 0s and 1s to circles and lines (circle = 0, line = 1). What I found interesting about this is how the space has its own binary code, so that got me thinking: can I arrange the code in a way where a recognizable image is formed?

Here are some other possible icons:

SOUND: (This is more like something I came up with randomly and just wanted to try)
Recently, I found the chance to play the piano again. I was looking through my music sheets and seeing the letters made me think about converting words into music.

I experimented with my name, and come up with my own conversion:

(I'm sorry if this looks confusing at the moment.)

I came up with a few variations, but they're super rough and slow at the moment.

(I swear I'm not that bad. Here's proof: https://youtu.be/FbRDMzSOBuo)

Progress on Sounds of the City

With the corona virus going on, I am not able to get the footage I wanted. I searched years of video footage on my phone and have found some good footage and audio to use.

Screenshots of videos I have found (potential videos):

1. Rockefeller Center
2. Central Park
3. Washington Square Fountain

I started to add them into TouchDesigner, and I am thinking of changing the colors for each sound wave to give it the look and feel of the environment it is projecting in. This is a new element I came up with so I now have to experiment with the colors to get that right for each atmosphere.

Below is the ramp in the program, this is where you change the colors.

For example the middle picture in Rockefeller Center would have purple, brown and yellow hues. The subway one is almost done, though I might experiment with the colors a bit more to get the tone right. I am looking forward to working on the other two, and the virtual gallery on Unity seems interesting!

Unity

Dear Ayana, Rebecca, Angela, Victoria, Anna, Anika-Marie, Serena, Max, Emily, Lauren P, Patricia and Lauren S!

I have been thinking hard on how can we create an interesting vehicle for producing (or presenting) your projects.

I came up with a pretty exciting idea (suggested by my friend Joe McKay).

The idea is using Unity game engine. This software is free for private users.

It is a software for creating games but it could be used for making simple walk-through environments, virtual galleries, animations etc.

It is really versatile. It is also an awesome opportunity for us to actually learn something brand new during this next month, that will stay on your resume (and hopefully in your brain) for the rest of your life. I posted below examples of unity projects applicable to all of your projects.

You could approach it on a very basic level and just use the provided tutorial to create a virtual gallery. You could go a step further and experiment with adding various media like video and some user interactivity. Finally, you cold put together a simple game, or game like environment. These is some programming involved but it is mostly downloadable… the video tutorials I linked for you are fantastic. You could start with something really easy and then keep adding on!

Install unity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlKaB1etrik

Link to software download: https://unity3d.com/get-unity/download

Unity Manual: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/index.html

Making a virtual gallery:

https://faculty.purchase.edu/joseph.mckay/ndvs2019fall/covidspecial.html

Add video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG2aq_CY7pU

Full 10 step tutorial to make a simple interactive game (challenging, but literally step by step and clear): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPV2KyIb3jR5QFsefuO2RlAgWEz6EvVi6

Making an online VR/game environment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-OEpSZoiHI

For those that want to make a book:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAEA3sSb92A

Project Progress

I started last week by creating a very detailed project outline.

I spent some time working on cutting images out on Photoshop for the style portion of my project and imported them into InDesign.

I began working on a cover page title art on Illustrator.

I also started a Pinterest Board for some inspiration for some parts of my project.

Some Past Experimentation

Some tests I did while figuring TouchDesigner out!

Monday, March 23, 2020

Useful basic Maya

Sounds of the City

My video piece will be called Sounds of the City, it will showcase urban sounds in the form of waves motion and color. Sounds of the City will be a set of 3 pieces all 10-15 seconds long using the program TouchDesigner.

Overview

Title: “Sounds of the City”
Medium: Set of 3 video pieces
Description: Showcasing urban sounds using waves, motion and color. It will contain 3 videos, all 10-15 seconds long.
Technology: TouchDesigner & Aftereffects (possibly)

Screenshots

Below: Picture of the program and my piece in action. This is one style I have been thinking of pursuing.

Below: A close up on the sound waves and operators. The different operators linked in certain ways make the piece work.

class links

Hey guys, it was great to hear/see all of you today!

I added a class link section on the right margin containing most videos I was showing in previous classes...

About me (Lauren S.)

Video piece from a previous class detailing my passions and what I hope to create.

MaxM CT Project Brief

Creative Technology Spring 2020

Max Martuscello

Prof. Marcin Ramocki

For my project I plan to animate surreal environments and abstractions in both Aftereffects and autodesk programs such as Maya and Mudbox. After doing these animations I plan to bring them into a physical environment using a projector, while having some sort of activity/movement happening under the projections. I will record several videos of this and am considering projecting the final version of those videos into another physical environment, or maybe incorporating it into a still 3D rendering.

Schedule:

March 23 - Start modeling environments/models

April 6 - Finish Modeling/Strategize Projection

April 20 - Finalize Animation/Video

Production Credits: Max Martuscello, Kayla Dotero

Technology Used: Mac Book Air, Photoshop, Illustrator, Aftereffects, Maya, Mudbox, Projector, Canon T3i

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Dear Ayana, Rebecca, Angela, Victoria, Anna, Anika-Marie, Serena, Max, Emily, Lauren P, Patricia and Lauren S!

As we have expected, this class is going to take place online until the end of the semester.
I'm sorry this happened... I really enjoyed hanging in that lab!
I hope you are all healthy and doing ok... It's a tough moment to live in NYC...
But guess what: like everything, this too will end. And we will be fine.
Let's make the best out of this situation.

After examining various tools FIT has for online instruction I felt both overwhelmed and disappointed. I though we needed some kind of a base, a place where all your ideas would
sit together and, at the same time, a platform where we can communicate at our own pace...
Thus I present you with this highly obsolete little blog.
I'm going to keep it private (only us, the authors will be able to view the content) so feel free to also post whatever you think could be useful, fun and interesting for your classmates.

I would like you all to post all the videos, images and texts you have produced for the class so far.
Post them as separate items and label with your name. This way you (or any other user) will be able
to see all you posts at once. I also encourage commenting on each others posts...

I'm planning to start our weekly session with a videochat, where we just reconnect, talk about our progress, new business etc. If I discuss any new content I'll post the links, media etc. on this blog.
Please familiarize yourself with posting text, links and videos. Make sure you label your posts.

Welcome!