Mini-thesis Prototype 1 -Melissa

For the first prototype I increased the complexity of the model of my space. I first began with creating simple animations with light to be used for the "walls" of the space. Since lighting is a major element of my project, I took some abstract pictures of light and animated the light in After Effects. Then I mocked up a blank space and used the light animation for the walls of the space. This prototypes what it would look like of the animation was projected onto the walls of a space that you could walk through.







The next issue with my project was deciding what type of space to depict. With recent class discussion and research about the continuity of space used in narrative and films, I thought it would best suit my project to navigate through multiple spaces and present it as if it were one space. I will accomplish this by using photographs that I have taken of all kinds of interior spaces including rooms, ceilings, floors, walls, etc. Then I will 3d-ify the photographs in After Effects, move through the space and then transition into the next space as if it were all part of the same "house" or structure. The 2nd part of my project was to manipulate space with lighting design, animation, and sound. For the final piece I would like to combine a bunch of different photos and navigate through them as if they were one space to demonstrate continuity of space. This next video prototypes the idea of navigating through a 3 dimensional photo and creating the illusion of multiple environments for one space. It's really rough and I have to work out the technical issues with using the After Effects camera, but this demonstrates my idea. Also in this prototype I use not only motion, but light to navigate through the space.



The next video is the same except I changed the color to give the space a different feeling. I plan to do much more than change the color but it just shows how the environment changes over time through color.

Mini-thesis: Storyboard 1

Mini-thesis Research Paper: Outline

A. Introduction
i. Introduce topic:
Connection between human experience and design of environment or space
ii. State arguments
a. Design creates an atmosphere for space through the design of ambient elements including lighting, sound, and aesthetics
b. Design impacts the human experience of space and produces psychological, sociological, and physiological responses to and behaviors within environment
iii. State thesis:
Elements within environmental design have the power to transform and create a sense of atmosphere for space, as well as influence the overall human experience, behavior, and response to the space.
iiii. Summarize supporting points
The arguments will be supported through examining precedents in set design, interior design, and venue design, as well as the aesthetic significance and ambient elements of each. The arguments will be further supported through exploring the factors that influence human behavior and response to the design of different types of environments or spaces stated above.

B. Body
i. Define Environmental Design
a. Creating the everyday environment in which we live involves complex systems of cultural meaning, visual communication and the use of tools, technology and materials. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_design)
ii. Basic functions of Ambient design
a. Set Mood
b. Engage senses
c. Encourage social interaction
d. Communication
e. Branding



C. Introduce Precedents
i. Classical examples
a. theatre, set/scenic design for the stage
b. interior design and architecture
(http://www.bartkresa.com/)
c. new media examples
projected/interactive environments
(http://www.2minds.de/phyletic-museum.107.0.html)



D. Discuss links between human needs and environment (http://www.wbdg.org/resources/psychspace_value.php)
i. Social
a. comfortable meeting places
b. attributes that encourage social interaction and engagement
c. attributes that attract people to the space
ii. Cultural
a. celebratory spaces
b. cultural symbols
c. sense of uniqueness
iii. Psychological
a. control level of social interaction
b. privacy or distance
c. informal social spaces to encourage relationship development
iv. Aesthetic
a. interesting visual environment
b. design inspired by nature
c. organic patterns, layout, and form
v. Natural
a. light
b. sound
c. space
vi. Sensory
a. light
b. color
c. pattern
d. texture

E. Discuss human response to environment
(http://www.usace.army.mil/usace-docs/design-guides/dg1110-3-122/c-2.pdf)
i. Influential factors
a. sociological
b. psychological
c. physiological
ii. Psychological Reponses
d. perception
e. cognition
f. spatial behavior
F. Closing: Restate the thesis and summarize the entire analysis; share final thoughts

Sources
“Environmental Design”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_design

“Psychosocial Value of Space”, by Judith Heerwagen
http://www.wbdg.org/resources/psychspace_value.php

BARTKRESA Design
http://www.bartkresa.com/

“Creative Venues: Designing for the Experience”
http://www.iaam.org/Facility_manager/Pages/2004_Aug_Sep/Feature_3.htm

“Human Behavior and the Interior Environment”
http://www.usace.army.mil/usace-docs/design-guides/dg1110-3-122/c-2.pdf

Robert Seidel “Phyletic Museum”
http://www.2minds.de/phyletic-museum.107.0.html

Social Change Project: Prototype 2

Concept

We created a piece of street art to be wheat pasted within the Lower East Side (near Tompkins Square Park) commemorating the 1988 Tompkins Square Park Riot, that is representative of how the music and the people influenced and created social change in the area.

We want this piece to remind people of the events that occurred, why they occurred, and what happened as a result. The style and imagery aim to show the current residents the historical significance the square has had to music and society. The tree is a metaphor for how the events branched out, and how social change is so deeply rooted in the events of that night. The social change that resulted was a conglomerate of different ethnicities, musical styles, and social classes. The people who currently live in the area, are not necessarily connected each other than their geographical space, thus the tree becomes not only a symbol of the park, but also a way of unifying different groups within a single space.

Mini thesis concept/pitch

Concept: Create a narrative that explores the relationship between sound and image by composing a piece of visual music.

Visual music is a way of using art and design to interpret sound. The narrative will exist in the form of a “living canvas” in which I will create a painting that follows a musical composition in order to illustrate sound. The visual part of the composition will require documentation of painting through either video or photography, and then converted to digital media for further manipulation. The style of the piece will include techniques that range from fine arts to stop motion, and motion graphics. The music will inform the visual, and the visual will be interpreted from the point of view of the artist. Change over time in the story will be depicted in the build and transformation of paint, as well as in transitional elements of the sound. While the piece will be non-representational, a sense of narrative will be developed in the tone of the music, as well as in the different characteristics and emotions that can be expressed through paint.

Example: "One", Michal Levy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qypqwcrO3YE

Narrative Analysis #1: "Eternal Sunshine"

For this narrative analysis I will discuss the work “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” directed by Michel Gondry, a film I recently viewed. A brief summary of the plot is that a man wishes to undergo a procedure to erase the painful memories of his ex-girlfriend. However, during the procedure he realizes he wants to stop the erasure, and struggles to hold on to the memories. The narrative elements that I found to be most significant to the film include elements within the plot such as structure, perception of time, conflict, and suspense and surprise. While these are typical elements of any narrative, I think that the way in which the director has chosen to present these elements to the audience is unique in “Eternal Sunshine.”

In terms of plot, the story is quite simple. However, the unfolding of events and information in the plot is more complex. Most of the important information is revealed to the main character, Joel, as well as to the audience, while he is dreaming and literally watching his memories being erased. While the memory erasing processes takes place during the present time in the film, the memories we see are actually events that happened in the past. Based on this information it could be argued that the plot is not presented in chronological order. This refers to discourse, which is how the director or author chooses to order the events of the story, as well as which parts of the story to reveal.

On the other hand, there are facts presented in the story that change our perception of time from the past to the present. During Joel’s procedure, both him and the audience can hear voices outside of his dream. The voices are coming from the people who are monitoring his memory erasure. In this case there is a sense of synchrony because we are viewing events from the past, as Joel revisits his memories, and being exposed to audio that is occurring in the present, and these are both happening at the same time. More importantly, it is through these voices that both the audience and the character learn new information about events and other characters. While everyone knows that Clementine has erased Joel from her memory, we find out that one of the medical technicians for Joel’s procedure is Clementine’s new boyfriend. We also learn that this character has “stolen” Joel’s memories, in addition to his girlfriend.
As Joel revisits memories of Clementine before they are erased, the details of their relationship and past events are presented to the audience. While the viewer learns of the problems in the relationship between the characters, Joel has an epiphany and realizes that he wants to hold on to the memories, and wants to wake up from the procedure. This fact reveals to us that Joel is experiencing an internal conflict. The conflict is that he is stuck in a dream and is being forced to revisit his memories, and then watch them be erased. The turning point of the story is when he realizes he has control over his memories and he fights to hold on to them and hide from the force that is erasing them. This aspect of the story is very much like a video game that the character is trying to beat. It also takes on a “choose-your-own-adventure” quality. As Joel relives memories of Clementine, he tries to change the events and hide her from being erased from his memory.

It is in the final events of the story that the elements of surprise occur. From outside of Joel’s character, the doctor working on his procedure has noticed glitches in the system, due to Joel’s desire to escape. Despite this, the doctor fixes the problem and is successful and erasing Joel’s memories. However, we are surprised when Joel and Clementine meet again, and even more surprised when someone has given them access to the tape recordings from when they both revealed to the doctor that they wanted their memories of each other erased. Here, both the audience and the characters find out even more information about the problems of their past relationship.

Gondry’s “Eternal Sunshine” is an extraordinary example of narrative. While it contains many of the traditional elements of narrative, they are presented in a new and complex way. In many scenes of the film, both the audience and character are finding out new information at the same time, which mainly occurs during Joel’s dream sequence. I think that this technique is useful in helping the audience relate to the character. Perhaps we may even put ourselves in this character’s shoes and question whether we would want to erase painful memories from our past, or live with them and try to change the present instead.

Project 1: Exploded Comic: Final Model

After the critique of our initial prototype, we realized that we needed to make some modifications in order to work more like an exploded comic. The problem with the first prototype was that it really was only one scene, or "event", with multiple viewing points depending on which side of the box you look through. Therefore, we used a larger box and divided it into four panels. Each panel contained the same set of 3 characters and structure, but as you looked into each panel the characters changed positions, facial expressions, etc.
Here are the images for our final model. The materials we used were a shoebox, colored paper, paint, and clay. Oh...and to view the story you have to shine a flash light through the keyholes. Kind of cheap, but I think it adds to the drama and suspense of the story. Enjoy.

Project 1: Exploded Comic

The first project for major studio narrative was to create an exploded comic. The goal of the project was to think spatially about narrative, and to show how the events of a story are connected through space.

Our concept was to create a scene consisting of 2 or 3 characters and place them in a space in which you could only see the events by looking through keyholes. Here are some images from our first prototype:

Major Studio: Final Project

Major Studio: Final Project

This was an experimentation with kinetic typography that I showed at my final studio presentation. I played with the movement of the letter forms and also the background color to provide an environment for the type. This purpose of this experiment was to demonstrate expessive type through motion.