WEEK 6: Animation - T'was the Day of Halloween

Describe your idea for your Animation/Interactivity assignment.

At the time of working on this animation, Halloween is just around the corner. I have been having a very tough time on deciding what creation I want to make, but the thought of Halloween is stuck in my mind. I have never had any experience with the Flash program, and am struggling to understand exactly how to do anything and everything with this program. I have decided to do my animation of a house in pure day light and the transition to turn the house into a haunted house at night. I am going to use very basic shapes and bright colours, as I am gearing my demographic to young children.

What inspired this idea?

There is no particular inspiration that helped me come up with this animation. I had a phone conversation with my mom and we spent time discussing different things I could do. With our combined brainstorming, and the thought of Halloween, I thought of turning a ordinary house into a haunted house. With that decision in mind, my mom helped me think up ideas of what could be incorporated into the animation.

Which examples shown in lecture/lab gave you inspiration? Any Internet examples?

There were no specific examples in class or on the internet that gave me imspiration. This was just thought up in my mind.

What will you have to do to accomplish your idea (e.g. any research, skill building, etc.)? Which techniques in Flash will you employ to make it happen?

In order to accomplish this idea, I am going to have to be comfortable enough with the program to create the image in my mind. I am going to have to spend much time advancing my technical skills with Flash in order to get everything to work smoothly and efficiently. I am also going to need assistance from people who understand this program well.

WEEK 5: CD Cover Assignment

Post your Poster or CD cover to your blog along with your Artist's Statement

I created a CD cover that would communicate a message to those who are or who have ever suffered from a breakup. I strived to create a heart-rending story by altering the scene into black and white. I used my friend, Sinead, as my model for this photo. I chose to position Sinead against a tree, facing away from the audience to represent isolation and hurt. I placed her legs straight out in front of her to draw the viewers eye to the title of the CD, “A New Day.” This was to look as though she is looking towards ‘a new day,’ looking to move out of the dark. Also, I chose to cut out a bright butterfly from a picture I took and incorporate it, as I feel it is a strong representation of a breakup. The beginning of a relationship is like being secure in a cocoon, safe and comfortable. However, once the cocoon cracks, the opening into the ‘new’ world without that security and familiarity is new and scary. Finding the strength to move on and leave is very emotional for many people.

Although the CD is referred to as “A New Day,” it would contain breakup songs, as they help the ‘healing’ process. They aid the individual to move on from the past and into the future, into “a new day.” The target audience for this particular CD would be women, ages 18 – 30. I envision this particular age group because this is the range when women are looking for love and struggling to find it. Many have been through a painful breakup. In general, women tend to be much more emotionally involved than men, therefore have a much different way of dealing with it.

The challenges I suffered with during this assignment were getting the right lighting in the shot. Originally, I wanted to create the same picture but with light rays streaming through the top left corner. I wanted to use light; however I was unable to get a shot with distinct enough detail and the right lighting. Despite that, I was able to learn how to use some tools within Photoshop. I learned how to crop out images, such as the butterfly, and how to use the layering tactics. I have not had too much experience with this program; therefore it was a long process to gain the full understanding of how everything works. The finished product of this piece is one I am content with. I think it is an accurate interpretation of my message. My original expectations were to have light rays, but I am content with the decision to go with the butterfly, I believe it symbolizes hope. I trust I was able to successfully address the target audience for this piece because it is a very common issue that all women have to struggle to overcome.

What I have learned from the critique from the class and Professor Warwick, was that I should not have incorporated the butterfly. I was told that it was a "cliche" that was terrible. I thought that it was a nice element to the picture, however they had valid reasons to think otherwise.

WEEK 4: Lesson On Typography

Find 3 Designs and discuss the typographic choices made in each design.

I never realized how much thought and skill goes into creating different fonts. It was very interesting to have a lesson on typography. I had no idea how something as simple as a type of font, could give a sense of emotion, and a sense of change to how an advertisment can be portrayed. It was very interesting to learn the patterns arranged by type, and theerms of each individual element. Seeing the different examples that Professor Warwick showed us was very appealing.

Advertisement 1: 30 Days of Night ( Found at http://www.best-horror-movies.com/image-files/30-days-of-night-horror-movie-poster.jpg, October 2008)

This movie is a horror film. The font chosen for this particular poster has rough edges that cut off the letters on the ends. The font is choppy, rigid and gives the poster a "creepy" feel. For a horror movie, you do not want a font that has smooth lines and gives the poster a nice clean look. Instead you want the font to give across the same message as the movie poster would. This type of font chosen, gives this poster a feel of danger and discomfort. The center on of the "0" has a dot in the middle, which could be interpreted as an eye, staring out at the viewer.

Advertisement 2: Fun Dip (Found at http://www.candy.org/fundiplarge.jpg , October 2008)



When looking at the packaging of Fun Dip the big, bold, white letters stand out over the busy background. The choice of a bold font with smooth straight edges is a good effect for the candy. This type of candy consists of a rounded candy stick that is used to dip into a variety of different flavoured sugars and eaten. The rounded edges of the words, reflects what type of can is within the packaging. The font is simple, yet it is fun and works well for the young demographic this product strives to appeal to. Young children would see this packaging, and the font would stand out, grabbing their attention as they walk buy. This font is definitely a good choice for this product, as it is fun, smooth and enjoyable, similar to the candy it is advertising.



Advertisement 3: Ice Age (Found at http://www.popartuk.com/g/l/lgfp1623+scrat-the-squirrel-rat-ice-age-2-poster.jpg, October 2008)


The font used for this movie poster is a perfect choice. The movie is a story arctic animals living in the Ice Age. At first glance, the blocks of white lettering is very "eye grabbing." The lettering chosen represents blocks of ice and snow which is relevant to what the movie is about. The sqaure and curved edges and thinkness of the letters gives a heavy feel, as the words actually are ice blocks shaven out into letters. The lines of the font as not perfectly straight to resemble to mountains of ice surrounding the bottom of the frame.


Advertisement 3: Ice Age (Found at http://www.popartuk.com/g/l/lgfp1623+scrat-the-squirrel-rat-ice-age-2-poster.jpg, October 2008)