NA: Project 8 Critique Statement

In my interactive diagram, I have explored the use of a designer controlled structure, employing occasional interactive elements. Most of the interactive elements grow/ enlarge when hovered over, peaking interest and prompting the user to click on them. By using flash, any information that could not be fit into the bubbles in my print versions could be contained, better relating to the shapes, and creating less clutter. While my schematic does not employ code, uses rollover and movie clips to keep the user interested, and to keep the animations moving quickly. Moveable buttons also keep the user going so they don't become too bogged down with any one particular button. Color transitions have also cut my schematic in half. In the printed version, feedback section had to be another linear segment, much like the first blue to orange length. However, since in a digital medium color transition is simple, the same could be accomplished in a single length by changing the colors, and heading the opposite direction.

NA: Information Project Response/ What I learned.

In my information project for Narrative, I set out to create an instructional video to operate a Holga 120 CFN. We've done demo's and went roughly over creating and moving text in space in after effects. However, after the past lomo projects, I've been using analog methods and combining them with digital methods to create interesting effects. So with this project I decided to shoot my text as print with a video camera, and then bring that in on top of my recorded video.

In the process of filming Casey (My subject for handling the Holga), stability was a major issue. Walking with a camera creates a lot of shaking, so I set out to learn to make a poor mans steady cam. Essentially I filled 3 water bottles and attached them to the legs of my tripod. This greatly reduced the shaking when lifting it with the camera on top.

Shooting the text on paper creates a lot of shadows. Other than levels, I learned to use white clean surfaces (paper in this case) behind my white subject matter. With less shadows in the recording, there were far less shadows flying around the screen. I particularly enjoyed the areas where the cameras focus blurred the type. If I had created the text in after effects, it all would have felt too perfect and clean.

In the process of overlaying the text and video, I had to cut the video. I learned that shooting from multiple sides of a subject can create for interesting jump cut transitions, and can help cut down time that would have taken for the camera to move or pan around the object. The text movement was a learning experience as well. Rather than trying to line its movement up perfectly with Casey's movement in the video, I learned that letting the movements be drastically different helped to create contrast. This was essential after choosing to pause the video in the places where text entered the project. In this way, the type wouldn't distract from the video, and the text could be easily taken in and legible. The relationship in the narrative in terms of timing was a difficult process as well. I didn't want it to feel to start and stop, so in several cases, I learned to combine several type segments together, eliminating a few stops and letting the video continue for a while. That jumpiness also got in the way of some of the cut transitions in the audio editing.

The text acts as the instruction in the video, and the video sort of confirms the text or the action the text was trying to convey. I thought this relationship was more interesting than having them run simultaneously and stopping the video also creates a reference to photography.

Throughout the project, I was greatly limited by the recourses. It occurred to me too late into the project that I should have started finding a lomo to use at least a week earlier. I could have shot and had more time for editing had I done that. I was also bonded to the Media centers schedule in using the hd sony handicam. Having more time in the check out would be nice.

In the integration process, I've learned basic green screen idiology, though I did it with black and white. It was an interesting experiment in using the switches/ modes in after effects to knock out flat planes of color. I am frustrated that I couldn't figure out how to make my type white rather than black after applying those effects. I hope to figure out what went wrong in future projects. Perhaps it was just an error on after effects part.

Throughout the narrative, the contrast between video and text times was a key part in the informative process. Keeping the 2 channels separate but still integrated was a great learning experience in creating multilevel narrative.

Narrative: Project 5

This is my final file for the project 5 turn in (formerly refereed to as "the combination".)

Narrative: The combination from Brandon Lyon on Vimeo.

By printing out the text and recording it digitally, I was able to create transitions that give space between the elements of text and audio. I was originally afraid that both elements couldn't run at the same time, however, with these new little breaks created by the fades and focusing, I found that my brain at least, could take them both in at the video's pace. I originally had the text filmed straight on, but I enjoy the angled recording I did later. It makes it a little more dynamic, and it shows bits of the other slides. Since I wanted the printed text to relate to the linear strip of film, showing the other text brings simultaneity and foreshadowing of the next slide of text.

Narrative: The combination

So following the film canister project, and the history of lomography audio project, I've been tasked with combining these 2 media. This is certainly a learning experience in taking an existing project and reinventing it in a different format to work well with another existing project.

Now my dilemma is that I have text and audio, and they are both on different subjects. Can the human brain sift through 2 different channels of information and not become completely lost and thrown off?

So I'm taking the text from the film canister and taking the text into flash, where I can pair it with the audio. I'm hoping that by creating pauses in each of the 2 channels for the other to exist, alternating the channels if you will, that the confusion won't occur. Once the project is finished, I'll upload the flash file. Wish me luck!

Lomography Project 2 Statement

In the 2nd part of the Lomography project series, I attempted to make a handout using only typography. It was a difficult process that I'm still struggling to get right. The idea was design a series of "slides" with information describing Lomography and it's 10 rules to a new and unknowing viewer. I used a variety of colors for the type, but mostly kept things simple. I was hoping for my final product to be a film strip of photos taken from the printed text. I learned that by taking shots showing text that would come up in the next shot. This would create a feeling of simultaneity. The film would also be semi-transparent so you could hold the negatives up to the light to make the colors brighter and see things beyond the text in cases like my light leak and vignette filter panels. In order to get the colors right on the negative however, I learned that I have to shoot the colors inverted. I also figured out that shooting a flat black comes out more transparent than shooting white in film negatives. I guess I still have a lot to learn however, when it comes to light and film photography. My indoor lighting conditions weren't getting enough light to my film, other than the film rolls that turned out way over exposed, possibly due to heat from last summer, 4 of my 6 rolls turned out with nothing on them, completely underexposed. So I'm still learning to deal with that and I'll be redoing the project as intended at a later date.

In the meantime, I printed the text and attached it to the inside spool of an empty film canister. This represents the analog film used in Lomography, and creates a user experience and reading order as the viewer pulls the strip out of the canister to read it. I enjoyed learning how to open a film canister and close it back up.

Narrative: Lomography Promotional video

So here's my first project for Narrative, sound + motion. The intended audience would be point and shoot camera owners. I apologize for the distortion of the content, it appears my flash format was incorrect or something, so I'll have to get that fixed. 

Lomopromo from Brandon Lyon on Vimeo.