Visual Language: movie characters

Here are some more characters I worked on in class today:

Type III: The Show

Here are a few samples of individual screens for a presentation of work. Still quite a lot more to shoot and the cover to make.

Plane progress

Here is the new layout with some extra markings. This is now a single sheet of 8.5"x11" for the masses!

Here's the new script for the video:

We all love to send messages. We do it everyday. Are are we successful at it, or do we get easily frustrated?

Following is a brief look at a communication model and how you can learn from it to send a message on a paper airplane. If you haven't already, download your airplane template by going here.

Before you write your MESSAGE let's look more closely at the diagram.

You will be the SENDER so think about what you want to say and how you will say it. Write clearly and legibly. What are your OBJECTIVES?

You should also think about the RECEIVER of your message. Their age, cultural background, even what language they speak. Be sensitive to whether they are open to receiving a message right at this moment, that is, if you want FEEDBACK.

Now one last thing, this huge grey area in the middle is called NOISE. NOISE is not just sound, it can be other types of interference, like wind or rain. If you're outside be aware of the elements. You don't want your message to end up in the wrong hands!

There are many different CHANNELS you can use to send a message. Let's hope this one, your paper airplane, is a success!

And here's the video so far, still drawings and animation to do plus adding an opening screen and a soundtrack.

Communication model progress

After looking at the project in a group yesterday some feedback was as follows:

1. Add some more user interaction to the video: click for the individual instructions
2. Add color to make more visually engaging
3. Look at color coding to make instructions more clear
4. Add website to the plane artifact

Some feedback from Jamie (faculty):

Utilize the fact that this can be reproduced by the masses:
1. 8.5" x 11" sheet only (not everyone has an 11" x 17" printer)
2. Black and white only
3. Take instructions off the video, put on the plane (add Royal Air Force graphics)

In-class group discussion

As a group, our common denominators or shared critical approaches to the problem are linear, educational, instructional, narrative, user interaction.

Considering the projects objectives, here are some things that need to be added, altered or eliminated:

Jess - add playfulness and fun so that the flipping of the book stays engaging and not too repetitive, clarify copy.

Sean - clarify viewers choices with instructional page and design the glasses as an artifact.

Amanda - needs some graphical adjustment, a name, and box.

Tom - add some more user interaction to the video: click for the individual instructions, add color to make more visually engaging, also look at color coding to make instructions more clear, add website to the plane artifact.

Paper plane video beginnings

This is an animatic, a very rough version of the movie. It shows timing and some transitions but mostly timing. The final will be in sketch form. There will probably be more sketches added and of course, fine tuning them also. I will probably add some elevator type music in the background. It will also have a link to the website and a button to press when you're ready to make the plane.

Here's the [shortened] script I used:

"We all love to communicate, we do it everyday. But are are we successful at it? Or do we get easily frustrated?
By making this simple paper airplane you can learn how to send a message and get a response.
If you don't have your paper airplane, you'll need to download it and print the template by going here.

First, take a pen and write your message in the space provided.
You are the sender so be aware of the recipient. Their age, culture, language. Make sure you can read the message. Make sure the person you want to send it to isn't asleep! Be aware of factors that could make your message end up in the wrong hands. If you want a response, how will you ask for it?
Now, let's make the plane:
When you're ready to proceed click the button and we'll start construction.

1. Ok. First fold the paper in half longways. Use your fingernail to make a good crease.
2. Now open it and fold the corners down to the middle.
3. Now, with the corners folded down, take the entire top section and fold it over.
4. Fold those outer corners in to the middle.
5. Now you'll see a small flap which you can fold up.
6. Now, pick up the plane, keeping it flat and fold it in half, so the small flap is on the outside.
7. Lay the plane on the table and fold each wing down to the dotted line. You're almost ready.
8. Now fold the wings back out and shape it a little.
9. Before you fly it, there's something else you should think about.

In any communication there is always going to be noise. Noise can be anything between you and the recipient of your message. There might be things in the way. Check to make sure the channel is open. Make sure there's not too much wind. Is it raining? Will your message get spoiled before it reaches its destination? Is the recipient even aware that you're about to send them a message? If you think about noise, chances are you'll get a message back!
Now, you've learnt about communication you're ready to send your message. Happy communicating!

And here's the plane layout itself, text still to be added:

Plane progress

This class session I conducted a feedback session with two other class mates Mo and Luke.

The feedback was positive although they thought the background was too busy. We discussed using hand renderings and computer generated text as a good combination.

Here's an image of where I'm at so far. Still a ways to go on the final artifact but for now I'll be concentrating on recording the voice over for the video and producing an animatic with the existing rough storyboard.

Narrative in Sound and Motion: storyboard

Here's the story board for the dinner plate that gets the engine oil, pesticide, silicone, animal waste and the dead bird.
The dinner plate setting is going to be pristine in appearance, as if waiting for that first first class silver service dinner.Image from about.com

Sound
I wonder if in the background I have some sounds of being in a restaurant... then at the end of the movie you actually see someone pick up the knife and fork and eat what's on the plate... that would be kinda shocking, if it looked like they actually ate the dead bird.

Some things to do:
Collect sound from a restaurant
Determine durations frame to frame and overall movie
Collect products to shoot; pesticide, silicone, etc

Storyboard, storyline and layout

This week I've been working on furthering the design and layout of the plane:


And here's the story line that the video will follow:

"We all love to communicate, we do it everyday. But are we successful at it? Do we get the results that we want or are we frustrated because there are factors that we didn't think about.

By making a simple paper airplane with the instructions that follow, you'll learn about how to send a message and get the response that you want!

If you don't have your paper airplane, you'll need to download and print the template by going to mypaperairplane.net

First, take a pen and write your message in the space provided under 1.
You are the sender so think about what you want to say carefully. Be aware of the recipients age, cultural background, even the language they speak. Don't write something too difficult to read, make it clear and don't try to cram in too much, this is not essay writing! Be aware of the state of mind of your sender, are they open to receiving a message right now? Do you want feedback? Do you need to ask for it? Do you need to put their name on the message somehow so it doesn't end up in the wrong hands? Writing a message takes more thought that you think. Think about how your sender will respond. What are your objectives? Do you need something from them? How will you ask for it? These are all questions you need to think about before you send your message.

When you're ready to proceed click the go ahead button and we'll make the plane.

Ok. Step one: Fold the paper in half longways and open it again. Use your fingernail to make a good crease.

Then fold the corners down into the middle.

Now take the entire top section and fold it over.

Now you want to fold those new corners in to the middle.

This will reveal a small flap which you will fold up.

Now, pick up the plane keeping it flat and fold the wings down. Your plane is almost ready.

Next, take a wing and fold it down to the dotted line. Turn the plane over and do the same to the other wing.

Pick up the plane and fold the wings out. Now, you're almost ready to fly it, but first, a little tip:

In any communication there is always going to be noise. Noise can be anything between you and the recipient of your message. In this case there might be things in the way. Check to make sure the channel is open. Make sure that your plane won't fly to someone else because there's too much wind. What's the weather like? Is it raining? Will your message get spoiled before it reaches its destination? Is the recipient aware that you're about to send them a message? Are they about to leave? Are they in the middle of something important. If you give these things some thought before you fly, the chances are you'll get a message back and it will be positive!

Happy communicating!

Here it is in storyboard form:
P.S. I think I'm going to make this in flash with animated stick figures. I think they'll add a lot of humor to this :)

Narrative in Sound and Motion: refined facts

1. U.S. farmers spend $8 billion per year on chemical pesticides = 3.5 pounds per person per year (Kingsolver, 165)
2. Animals like sheep and cows are raised in such extreme confinement they consume their own waste (Forbes.com)
3. Mercury, a potent brain toxin was found in 9 of 20 samples of sweeteners (ehjournal.net)
4. Silicone-based polymers are used to control the level of foam in large vats so more food can be cooked (

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
Forbes.com - http://www.forbes.com/2008/11/10/burgers-health-food-forbeslife-cs_rr_1110health.html
ehjournal.net
http://www.divinecaroline.com/22177/47505-lab-lunch--chemicals-food

Narrative in Sound and Motion: First half of Earth Hardening

Some interesting stats on our food consumption in America taken from Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver a New York TImes bestseller, ehjournal.net - Environmental Health online and the Consumers Union:

1. Each food item travels an average 1,500 miles to get to our plate.5
2. If each American family ate one locally grown meal per week we would save weekly 1.1 million barrels of oil.5
3. U.S. farmers spend $8 billion per year on chemical pesticides - 3.5 pounds per person per year.165
4. an estimated 67 million birds die each year from pesticide exposure on U.S. farms.221
5. ehjournal.net a science commentary reports that mercury was found in 9 of 20 samples of commercial
high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a common sweetener of foods and beverages. Mercury is a potent brain toxin.
6. Consumer reports finds 71 percent of store-bought chicken contains harmful bacteria.

Now that I'm getting these facts down I'm beginning to see that I can approach this in a different way. Rather than tell people the benefits of gardening, I tell them the negative effects of all that pollution and watch the effects of it over time. Here's a couple different ways to present that kind of an idea:

1. The empty plate that fills up with oil, bacteria, mercury, pesticides and a dead bird. The final image is like a still life that wraps round a carton and finds itself on the store shelf. A nice thing to eat?

2. The couple enjoying a romantic meal for two in a parc. The stats appear next to the things that are dying. The last scene is with no grass, no tree, dead birds, poisoned brains and sick insides. When's our next date?

3. The woman at the supermarket slowly filling up her cart with oil, pesticide, mercury etc, all to make the most appetizing cake. Mmmm.

Plane design feedback

From the group crit:
1. The video will be a documentation of the communication process using the plane
2. Make a flash web page which has the communication diagram and a link to download the plane
3. Put the web address on the plane
4. The video should be able to stand alone - it's a mass communication tool, much greater audience than passing the piece of paper around
5. Finish up the plane design/layout and move into story boarding the video
6. Stage the video outside to fit with the icons of the wind and the rain, watch for clutter
7. Number the plane, this was helpful in the user testing to build the plane
8. Put scissor marks on the 11"x17"
9. Add more annotations (text) to the communication diagram under sender, receiver etc

Plane design progress

Based on the video research, the progression of the communication model (see previous post) and some research in some old aviation books from Cameron, I'm beginning to lay down the airplane model and look at how I might render the video. The storyboard for the video will come next and it'll follow the communication model shown below.


This design is 11"x17" will tear in half leaving the right page fully for instructions. This will allow me to diagram the communication model which you see in the center.

This plane design plus instructions goes on one sheet of 8.5"x11".

Here are a few screen shots of what the video might look like.

And here's some cool renderings from a few of Cameron's books on Aviation.

My communication model!

All communication starts with a source, and like it or not, that source will have noise that affects it. If the source is human, the noise can be emotional, knowledge based or even spiritual. These things will affect what the human says and how he/she says it.

The message has objectives and requires a result, even if it's only a nod of agreement or a look of approval. It's interesting to note this. Do we ever put anything out there that doesn't require something back?

The receiver is the opposite of the sender/source and is also surrounded by noise that will affect how they hear and receive the message. If the receiver lives in a different country and the channel is the internet, there will likely be some noise in the form of cultural differences.

Paper plane user testing 3

This is the final round of testing before I move on to thinking about finalizing the paper plane graphics, paper color and instructional video. Here are three more user testings:




The paper plane basic design is there (see below). What is needed now is refinement in making it look good. It's turned out simpler than I thought.

Narrative in Sound and Motion: opener

Why does this piece exist?
To show that gardening is easy, anyone can do it, get gardening, garden on your window sill, on your roof, flower pots, doesn't matter if you don't have a yard... you can grow tasty food really simply.

Why a data presentation and not an opener for a TV show?
I think the message has interesting facts, testimonies and results that are interesting enough to grab people and get them interested. I'm not sure that many people would watch a documentary or program on gardening, they can be very overwhelming.

What is the opener supposed to do?
Encourage everyone to grow food.

Context for this work:
This should not require a presenter, it should be a stand alone, useable on the internet teaser if you will. There will be a music soundtrack, some video and narration, some stats and facts, testimonies and results.

Audience
It should be targeted at the younger generation if anything so it can be put on youtube, facebook blogger etc.

Research
Nice use of old computer graphics and music with no real people or images but quite effective on this one: http://www.good.is/post/subways/
I like the illustrative technique here coupled with the music and the narration with live interview: http://www.good.is/post/inventions-sleep-running/
This is quite inspiring in so much as it's obviously amateur: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=lonelygirl15

Paper plane user testing 2

Here's the new revised paper airplane. I've simplified the text instructions into diagrams. They definitely work better and are faster to read.


Here are some examples of the style I'm going to use with this airplane. I think I might use a different color palette though, one that's a bit more approachable, the blue is quite cold (images from Fingerprint by Chen Design Associates).



Here are the second round of videos of user testing for the second paper airplane. There's lots of good feedback here to consider for the next design:







I've looked at the communication model in light of the changes to the plane from the first round of research and this is what it's changing into (see below). The noise is like a cloud that the plane passes through. This design is based on a three part communication paradigm: source, objectives, result. The first two circles have to do with the source (sender and senders objectives), the third cirlce is the message which contains the objectives and the last two circles relate to the receiver (result and feedback)

Type III: final Russel Wright cover

Here is the final cover design with spine and inside cover flap showing a brief bio of the designer, Russel Wright. The type on the cover is now clear, in two colors, instead of three. The full page image of Russel's beautiful American Modern glassware from the 1950's sets off the title with greater depth and meaning than simply having a plain flat color. Russel's work on the front of the book is in my view a must. It not only inspires the reader to open, it also is in line with the flow and design of the interior.

Narrative in Sound and Motion: insights learned

What's been interesting is that towards the end of this project a new way to bring everything together emerged. Originally I thought I would put all the videos, sounds and narration into a view-of-a-garden type interface or maybe looking out of a shed window. However when I was thinking about the music it struck me, that we are all like little plants ourselves and how we need someone like a gardener to take care of us. That was when I thought of the song "All you need is love" by the Beatles and decided to play the videos on the surface of a persons heart. Just like in growing plants, even the smallest act of kindness can help a person flourish become confident and a moment of love can give meaning to a life (that line I heard in Blood Diamond)

Above all, the process of bringing everything together in this stage of the project, using the sound effects, narration and videos has opened up a whole world of possibility. An interface like this is a way to bring everything together and not only that, there is more power available in communication using all of these medias in one module. I have a new appreciation for advertisements on the TV, for title sequences at the movies and documentaries made for screen. I think if I could do anything differently, I would think about just exactly what I wanted to communicate right from the beginning, now that I know how to harness (in a beginning way) each part of the whole.

Flash is an excellent tool to be able to bring the mediums of speech, sound and music together into one seamless unit (a few screen grabs of the project in the build stages):




I think user testing could have been a huge part of this project to get the interface really singin. From the feedback I got I could make tweaks to make the user experience much better. I think it would be fun to do this. I need to work on image placement, sound quality, taking some of the sounds off and replacing them with better ones etc. I have 5 roommates so they will be able to see if they can break it too. User feedback is so important to getting this thing to a point where it makes sense. Otherwise, what is the point of making it if people can't enjoy it?

Statement for non-linear project

In this final stage of our Narrative in Sound and Motion project the addition of music, voice and sound effects bring texture, color and depth to a set of visuals that would otherwise be two dimensional, silent and very flat.

The voice tells a specific story along a very linear sequence. The tone is soft and descriptive evoking feelings of determination and passion. The lyrics in the music also tell a story but the addition of the music and its mood, emotions are felt and maybe some memories are recalled. The power of music to dig deeper than words is evident in the range and depth of the sounds and the tone of the piece. The sound effects on the other hand carry no words at all and the addition of these is useful allowing the user ‘space’ and the ability to ‘feel’ with no descriptive narrative of what to feel. The abstract nature of sounds on their own gives a broader and deeper field of experience.

The six videos by themselves are sequential in presentation, i.e. frame 2 comes after frame 1 and the story is told in a linear fashion. When you add choices to add sound and music to the narrative as I have done here the user is able to choose at will which experiential direction to go in first and not only that but can layer sounds one on top of the other to make the experience even deeper. This kind of communication is more simultaneous.

The user or participant of the interface is able to discover different parts of the story line by switching different combinations of sounds, music and story on or off. This ability gives much more depth to the narrative than say just having a straight story with narration and music playing automatically with no choices whatsoever.

As the designer of the interface the range of choice and depth of narrative is as deep and flexible as I want it to go. The possibilities are endless and I have the control of where I want to take the user. The users ability to control what’s going on is only as limited as I allow it.

Here are a couple of screen shots of the animation in use:

Paper plane user testing 2

Here's a summarization of the critique:
1. Improve on the communication model, specifically developing my personal theme of Source, Objectives and Result
2. The ability to photocopy the message will add to the stability of it going out versus someone copying the plane design down for themselves
3. The instructions can be included on the plane if they fit with the way the plane folds - nice!
4. This week I will be user testing to ascertain feedback and ways to improve the model so make a first draft of the plane and test it out, even if it is done in pencil
5. Two ways to do the video - documentation of the plane being made and it being used versus documentation of the communication process using the plane

The paper plane prototype




Here are some things I learnt from the three user testings:
1. The instructions need to be more clear - step 1, step 2 etc, some people got lost
2. Additional fold lines needed on other sides of folds
3. The message writing should either be the last step or the first step
4. Hierarchy - instructions as to what they are making should be clear
5. Step 9 is not clear enough - two people got confused here
6. Move step 10 in a little
7. Maybe put the Message portion underneath the wings and the feedback on the top of the wings
8. Add instructions to leave feedback

Paper plane design

PAPER PLANE DESIGN ARTIFACT

Research
Look at different designs of paper planes and find one that works really well.

Hierarchy of design
This will be important in the design and layout of all the elements, making sure the information is read first before any action takes place.

Annotations
1. Sender: you are sending a message, make sure it is clear, make sure you read the instructions carefully and understand how and when to throw it. If you don't follow the instructions your message might not get to the receiver. Choose the time of sending very carefully. If you're too late in sending it, the receiver might leave out of frustration! Also, put the receivers name in the box provided. This will ensure the wrong person doesn't take the message.

2. Channel: learn about communication from a sender to a receiver... what the paper plane is for (sending a message and getting feedback, try it out now. It's easy to make, follow the instructions below and send your message!)

3. Message: what do you want to say? Think about this. Bear in mind the receivers cultural background, age, ethnicity, religious beliefs, sex, state of mind etc

3. Noise: watch out for wind, this could send your message to someone else! Will that be embarrassing? Will that make the wrong person angry? Be sure to take in the essence of time-delay. Will your message be old when it gets there? This is not instantaneous communication like speaking face to face.

4. Receiver: be sure to write your message in the space marked 'Feedback' Failure to follow these instructions could result in your message not being heard. Write clearly and preferably with a permanent marker: if it rains your message could become unreadable.

5. Feedback: space for a response to the message. Read the message carefully and think about what you want to say in response. Take into consideration the senders cultural background, age, ethnicity, religious beliefs, sex, state of mind etc

Instructions
The plane will include dotted lines for folding, annotations for reading about communication. The actual instructions will be in the form of an educational video (see VIDEO ARTIFACT)

Choice of material/paper type
This should be robust, waterproof and tear proof, foldable, easy to manipulate, cheap for reproduction purposes

How many colors
The more colors used will make the design harder to read so two colors might be advantageous in prioritizing the information.

Size
If this is to be easily reproducible I think 8.5" x 11" will be a good size most people will have.

How many sides?
If this is to be easily reproducible I would think one sided would make people's life easier. Maybe the blank side could just be colored with no pertinent information on it so that if a copier was used to reproduce this then only one side would need to be copied.

Message and Feedback area
These will be need to be large enough to write in but not so large that they overpower the message and instructions:

Product placement
Will they be placed in a pile or will we make a Point of Sale carton to display them in. Something like, "Fly and airplane and learn about communication!"


VIDEO ARTIFACT

Handy
The video will play alongside the stack of paper airplanes. It will also be available online and easy to share around.

Content
Story boarded from the annotations above: Stage 1: Sender, Stage 2: Channel etc etc

Instructional - paper folding
After some research online, the best way I found to make the planes was to follow an animation or a simple how-to video. This could be presented at the point of pickup. The designed artifact could point to an online youtube video.

Instructional - sending messages
The video might also contain details on how communication works or doesn't work according to noise levels, nature of the receiver etc

Decent paper plane websites:
10paperplanes.com
airplanes.co.uk

Using postcard process for design of information graphic

The process between Kyle and I in our postcard dialogue is useful in that it has information useful to the communication process between a SENDER and a RECEIVER that I can use in CALL OUTS in my information graphic.

This project will be two fold:
1. a paper airplane (flat piece of paper with fold lines, instructions, annotations and graphics)
2. an instructional video - how to make and fly the paper airplane and learn about communication

The design will meet three objectives:
1. 1. be a visually engaging, clearly communicative and refined graphic design artifact
2. include all components of a traditional communication model in illuminating detail or annotations (referencing readings and lectures)
3. utilize, respond to, or reference the original partnered dialogue (see below)

Here are the points I collected from our Postcard discussion:
1. What is this paper airplane and what is it for? Enjoyment? Sending MESSAGEs? Include a welcome text: this is where you get to send a message using the CHANNEL of a paper airplane
2. Clear design of instructions on how to use it, where to write the MESSAGE and why, where to put FEEDBACK and why (use of hierarchy in design will be important here). Maybe the SENDER doesn't make the paper airplane very well. The SENDER should be KNOWLEDGEable in paper plane design and construction, the instructions should be clear). Both the SENDER and the RECEIVER should be instructed as to how to throw and catch the plane.
3. Include annotations about possible NOISE (this could be wind, rain, the plane hits the ground early and the message doesn't reach it's intended target)
(hierarchy is important here - the RECEIVER of the plane should find it easy to see instructions of what to do in order to send FEEDBACK).

Here is feedback from three classmates:

Micah:
"The paper airplane is wonderfully tactile. Us designers being the audience, we love the craft and participation of design, so this would work really well and be fun to see in action."

Tammy:
"Adding cohesive annotations of the postcard dialogue may be the challenge."
"The exciting part and good comparison to an actual fragile message is the lack of control (or noise) that could occur during the transmission."
"A fun (possibly off the wall) example for a miscommunication, would be if one shy and love-struck person wrote a note expressing adoration to a stranger (a love at first sight type of situation) and the message was intercepted by another."

Sean:
"...has the potential to become something bigger than the product itself."
"The spreadability that the product has is high..."
"If the product is always being used and reproduced than the idea of it will permeate much deeper into society and not simply be filed away."

And finally, my interpretation of what they are saying:
- usability: high, think of someway to make these very easy to duplicate
- make sure the design of graphics, hierarchy of design and annotations are clear and understandable
- research and make a robust design that doesn't fail in flight
- what about if the message was intercepted?
- think about where to place the product

Postcard process notes

Hierarchy of Design Problems: Microphone Project Analysis
(Application: paper airplane design and instruction sheet)

SENDER: Tom
RECEIVER: Kyle

MESSAGE One: to convey an idea about the microphone and it's use with a powerfully charged, emotional speaker, influencing a lot of people

Objective met: kyle understood what was being communicated by my PERSONAL EXPRESSION (use of image, tone, color, shape, copping, torsion, and repetition). The MESSAGE had CLARITY and MEANING. His INTERPRETATION was good.

The CHANNEL we communicated back and forth on was the internet, specifically a blog. With this medium there is a time delay and I couldn't see Kyle's facial reactions (one would have to be able to SEE the paper plane coming towards you in order to be able to catch it). This is what's called NOISE. Also, Kyle is American and I'm British so we might have had some difference in the way we see things (the RECEIVER might not understand the message - what is a paper airplane? That would need to be communicated to the reader, this is what it's for, write your message here, fold it up - step 1, step 2 etc and throw).

In this first piece, only a bit of information is shown, but enough to communicate what's going on. What matters is that the right information is shown (maybe the SENDER didn't make the paper airplane very well. The SENDER should be knowledgeable in paper plane design and construction, the instructions should be clear).

The RECEIVER was late in responding, not meeting the required deadline so there was some communication break down there, maybe he didn't hear or understand the requirements correctly. Maybe there was added noise (sound). Maybe something got in the way of his completing the task on time (this could be wind, rain, the plane hits the ground early and the message doesn't reach it's intended target).

MESSAGE Two: The RECEIVER responded with a new graphic, this time taking it to the product level. His graphic depicted what he thought my graphic was saying, essentially, propaganda. Here the message has to be DECODED and DECIPHERED.

I responded with my INTERPRETATION of the message. It is my responsibility as the RECEIVER to read the message and understand it in order to give FEEDBACK (hierarchy is important here - the RECEIVER of the plane should find it easy to see instructions of what to do in order to send FEEDBACK).

MESSAGE Three: Now the postcard and image is taken to the third level - systems and related products. Again a message is sent by me the SENDER and received by the RECEIVER. I took the idea of speaking through a microphone to a crowd and propaganda into the setting of modern day internet usage. This switched the idea from being microphone, Live, crowd based to an isolated man speaking to multitudes over the internet. This switched the conversation some causing some confusion on the RECEIVERs part.

Concept proposal online crit

Click here to look at the presentation. Leave comments below, thanks.

My communication model!

The six terms are concrete. The words underneath I'm just playing around with. This is my first model, it may change as we go through this project.

Narrative in Sound and Motion: a more interesting interface?

In my previous sketches the interface was very standard; the view of the garden from the kitchen window, or looking out from inside the shed. The design below is more intriguing in that it's not obvious. It uses metaphor. It's all about kind words and the mercy of a friend that overcomes harshness and hostile conditions. If the heart is nurtured and loved, it will excel and grow healthy.

The video, narration, music and sound effects are all controlled on the left hand side of the interface. The videos themselves would play where the heart is. The background will be sky and earth (top left), not wallpaper as in the others, that seems a little too abstract.

Postcard 3

Tom: "In Germany between the 1920s and 1940s, the Nazi party pursued a systematic programme of propaganda, distorting facts and spreading lies to encourage particular attitudes. From 1933 the Ministry of Propaganda, under the direction of Joseph Goebbels, took the use of propaganda as a means of mass communication to new heights, and propaganda became the science of moulding opinion rather than a medium for reliable information. Goebbels was able to manipulate every issue to fit with the ideology of Nazism. Radio, newspapers, books, and even school lessons were moulded to spread Nazi messages of the racial superiority of German Aryans, and condemn the Jews as the scapegoats of Germany's problems (from theFree Dictionary by Farlex) Today the internet is our radio giving wider access to more people to propagate negative messages to the world."

Kyle: "For the final collage that you sent there a lot of messages. At first glance the composition is very interesting with a dynamic cropping using the turned swastika. I like the idea that connecting the microphone wire thought the back of the computer to show the disseminating of information to the crowd. As it goes through the crowd the message grows stronger, and I especially like how it hits the one persons head in the front. I'm not sure about the connection between the computer with the microphone I feel it takes away from the original idea of the microphone and adds some confusion. The act of going to hear someone speak and listening to them in a crowd is a completely different situation than someone spreading propaganda over the internet. The internet requires participation you have to look for this information and read it. With a microphone it is instant and powerful especially in the hands of a motivational speaker. This leads to the speaker or provider of the information, who does not seem to be the motivated high energy speaker from the first composition.
The cropped swastika is a definite negative connotation, but is it a hidden message of hate? The swastika is almost lost behind him. Not that it should be shown outright, but is slightly a hard read. The message shows transfer from the dark figure to the crowd in the color being applied in a lighter color to the crowd from the bright red, to a darker red."

Postcard 2

Tom: "This graphic says 'multiplication': first there was one mic and hand, now there are four; first there was one person speaking, now there are many. The message is propagating, people are catching it and dispersing it, groundswell. The design is black and white so the message being spoken will divide down the middle, no grey areas, you either join or leave, stay or go, agree or disagree. The four parts of the image are arranged in a swastika shape which denotes movement or groundswell, also not positive but negative. The word propaganda according to Webster means (a) the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person or (b) ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause."