No.4

This blog is the last for the semester. In this blog you'd like to hear from me about the
course. What worked for me, and what didn't, whether in the lectures or the labs.

I felt like the lectures and hands-on labs sometimes did not match up quite as well as they should have, but when they did, it was a big help. Personally (not criticizing the teaching, but the method of doing so), I think that trying to show a lecture class how to use Photoshop is such a waste of time. Watching Photoshop on an overhead projector without being hands-on is virtually impossible to learn. The lab is really where that needs to take place.

On the flip, I think a lot of what was explored during the lectures was essential and surprisingly necessary. I was surprised at how many students were not aware of simple things, such as the process of registering a domain name. When I was a mere 18 years old, I already had a domain name, by the time I was 21, I had several (the main one now being m2j.us).

I was shocked at how shy all of the aspiring artists were when it came time to do some hands on exercises, such as lighting. Perhaps it is an age thing, despite looking deceptively young, I'm old.

I enjoyed speeding through my work and being able to lend Fivel a hand helping out my fellow classmates. I'm also glad he lent me a dollar that one afternoon where I was jonesin' for some Pop-Tarts® and all I had were large bills. I look forward to attending the follow-up class next semester.

Finally, to end things on a high note, here's a cartoon I once made during a period of time where I may or may not have had the munchies.

Design I Like

A design I am fond of is a t-shirt that is meant to represent and market the World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Randy Orton. At some point in Randy Orton's career, his shirts began consisting of a gas mask. Although it never really made any sense why, it is recognized as his symbol on WWE merchandise. Later in his career, Randy Orton gained the nickname, “The Viper,” presumably for behaving in a reptilian-like “cold-blooded” way. References to his antics in the ring such as, “the Viper is coiled and ready to strike,” became common expressions of the announces. After a few iterations of Randy Orton shirts, we arrived at this design. It is part of the WWE's “Top Rope” selection, which basically means they shirts aren't silk-screened and cost twenty dollars extra, but that isn't the point. The design we end up with is the now trademarked gas mask, with the addition of snake eyes. Of course, we add cool chains for effect as well.

The very top of the gas mask shows the beginnings of a lobotomy being performed on the gas mask occupant's head. This is because Randy Orton's character is that of a loose cannon, somewhat of a psycho. At some point, he was diagnosed with I.E.D. (intermittent explosive disorder).

So the cool thing about this shirt is that it captures everything, the viper references and the insanity association, while maintaining the gas mask meme.

What I See

A movie that comes to mind which used very specific framing and composition was the movie Unbreakable. The basis of the movie is that of a comic book story, but told which much subtler characters and more realistic obstacles. When watching this film, I noticed that many of the scenes were comprised of only a few shots. Rather than have cuts (such as a reverse angle for a conversation between two people) the camera would remain in place, continue to focus on one party, or even pan back and forth (sometimes there is even a long, slow, zoom – beginning from far away). This was done to try and emulate the way that comic books present stories. Looking at a page of a comic book, one can see that the story is typically divided into frames. The usual number of frames on an average comic book page is roughly six. The film was cut in a way that could be replicated on a page of a comic book. This effect is pulled off very well and is consistent for the entire movie.

The other fine detail is the use of color. Main characters are typically wearing bright/radiant colors that contrast the shades of gray to the extras in each scene. This makes the movie almost have a cartoonish appearance, but it is done well enough that it still maintains the film's subtlety and legitimate “real life” comic book story telling.