Blog 10A: Freak Factor

Freak Factor

David Rendall provides 14 steps on how to overcome your weaknesses with one key factor in common: don't overcome your weaknesses. For most people (including me), this seems backwards, but Rendall contends that efforts to fix weaknesses often fail and the time is better spent building on strengths.

Unfortunately for Rendall, I disagree with him on just about every step. Like Step 3: Flawless - There's Nothing Wrong With You. In this "step", he states that every strength has a corresponding weakness, and vice versa. Adventurous people are usually irresponsible and realistic people are often negative. He then goes into different weaknesses, like addiction and dyslexia, and talks about the benefits gained from each one if you harness the power of the weakness and use it to your advantage. Where Rendall lost me on this one is when he talks about a drug addict who switched to being an Ironman Triathlon Addict. He talks about his road to recovery, how he started multiple non profit organizations to help other addicts, and how he didn't try and fix his addiction. The next sentence is, "he has lost everything again. he’s had cars repossessed and houses foreclosed and that is after becoming sober. his financial losses are due to his fanatical pursuit of the organization’s mission and he makes no apologies". Yeah, sounds like a great idea to me.

The next step, "Dont Try to Fix Your Weaknesses", lists reasons why you should ignore things you aren't good at.
It is slow. It is difficult to make progress in our areas of weakness. Its difficult to do anything worthwhile in life. Just because it's hard doesn't mean that people should ignore it. Working on a weakness might help you find other strengths that you can use to your advantage. For example, I used to be really bad at socializing with people I didn't know very well. I was awkward at small talk, so I realized the problem and battled it, forcing myself to be put in situations where it was required. Over time, I became much better at it. When I went to California for an internship, I was working with a very talented cinematographer. While we were setting up lighting equipment, I started up a small talk conversation that grew into a very intelligent discussion on DSLR cameras. He gave me advice on lenses, the name of a good website, and his business card in case I wanted to email him about any questions.
It is painful. We don't enjoy working on our weaknesses. And? I don't enjoy going to class every day, but I do because I believe a degree will help clear the path that I want to follow of thorns and branches. I don't enjoy these blogs but I do them because getting a good grade in the class will make things easier in the future. Sometime things suck, but the end result just might be worth it.

Step 6: "Focus: You Can't Do Both". Easily the most common excuse I hear. Focusing on strengths and weaknesses takes up too much time, effort, slows progress, is difficult, doesn't work, blah blah blah. Kind of like how you can't have a job and work on a project at the same time, you have to quit your job for it. You can work on both at the same time, you might just have to cut down on the three hours of television you watch every night or the time you spend reading these manifestos.

I found my weaknesses very early on in life by simple self reflection and listening to the constructive criticism of others. I am not a people person, I would prefer to sit in the back and make pizzas at Donatos instead of working up front with the customers. I am not a big reader either, and creating a good story involves analyzing the structure and content of other stories. I procrastinate very frequently, My weaknesses define me as a person, but if I work to eliminate them, I believe that will only make me better.

Blog 8A: Superhero Powers

Click here to listen to the First Act of "Superpowers"

Easiest assignment ever. Spider man is the superhero of all superheros (Superman sucks). Although I haven't had any experiences like Chris Ware where I thought I was actually a superhero or wore a costume hoping that someone would think for a split second "that guy is a superhero!", I used to dream about slinging webs out of my wrists and saving hot babes from complete destruction. You could go anywhere, but unlike teleportation, you get to experience the traveling in a whole new way. Of course, I never dreamed about being evil. I always wanted to be the superhero, never the villain. Superpowers are meant for helping people who cannot help themselves. I am drawn towards both Peter Parker and Spider man because one is easy to relate to and one is easy to dream about. Peter Parker is a completely normal guy, just like me, but also has the ability to change into Spider Man. This inspired me in ways to try and transform myself into something greater than myself.

Extra Credit Assignment

Here is a picture of a research project at the Creative Expo

The project was about a new way to store information using three dimensional hologram space instead of traditional two dimensional ways like CD's and blu-ray disks. Although I looked at a lot of other creative projects, this scientific one caught my eye. The student involved with the project explained the process to me, which involves a lot of chemistry and math, but I didn't understand it completely. He said they are using a new compound that is easily created to store information, and storing it in a 3D area allows a lot more information to be held than before.

Hero/Villain Assignment

Villain Picture

Villain Animation

Joke Video Critique

I chose to contrast my video with this video

 There are noticeable differences within the first few seconds of each video that helps contrast the two and stand them apart. One example is the use of lines. The other video has a very strong usage of lines made by the table, couch, and counters that helps frame the main character and separate them from the rest of the background. In our video, the usage of lines was a lot weaker and may have negatively affected our video. Although it was weak, there were still some lines that helped frame the main character in our video, like the implied lines from all of the office supplies and the card on the table. 

Another key aspect of the videos is movement. There is an affinity between the videos when it comes to using movement to emphasize important objects in the shot. For instance, to emphasize the train in the other video, nothing else is moving while the character plays with the train. The same goes with the bandana being put on the main character in our film; while it is being tied, nothing else is moving in the tightly framed shot. This being said, the movement during the office scene may take away from the phone call, but it places importance on the frantic and busy aspect of the scene.

Overall, both videos utilize these key topics to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the film. The video my group created is below, and the other video can be found with the link above.

 

Video Game Audio Critique

In a video game, lighting is very important because it helps focus attention on important objects, invoke emotion, and create shape and depth. I chose portal 2 because it has an aesthetically beautiful environment with creative and puzzling game play.
A good example of using lighting to create emotion is given right at the start of this level. After falling through a tunnel, you end up in a mysterious place, with bright fires that create harsh shadows in the corners.
PAUSED: The hard lights that point to the wall helps the player identify which walls they can shoot portals at. There are three lights; one closer to the player that is usable, one that is not, and one that is usable but on the other side of the fence. Without those intense lights above the walls, it would be difficult to separate them from the rest of the less intensely lit environment and would result in much slower game play through a part that is supposed to be pretty easy.
Most of the usable walls are lit with lights, especially if they are far away. Here are a few examples.
If this tiny pathway wasn't lit brighter than its surroundings, many players wouldn't think to jump and walk on it. Because it is brighter, it is separated and easily identified.
When the "do not enter" signs start popping up, the player knows that something difficult is coming up. The lighting creates an affinity with the danger signs when it progressively gets darker as the player moves on, up to where it is almost black. The game designers put this as a very symbolic way to create a buildup of suspense when traveling down this path.
PAUSED: The way lighting can create space is used when the player looks up at the ceiling of this seemingly endless room. The top of the room through the fog seems to be really bright, reinforcing the idea that you are reeeallly far down when contrasted with the dark corners that are all around you. It is also very blue, creating a mysterious or sad emotion, while dispersing throughout the entire room. When the light gets more dispersed, it helps create distance between the player and that object.

Video Response to "How to be Creative"

How to be Creative

(The video above is just me reading what is below. It kept cutting out because I couldn't simultaneously read what I wrote and record at the same time, and however I am exporting seems to be incompatible with blogger. Below are some of the images that I put in the original video)

After reading more and more of these "How to"'s, '#' steps to spark creativity manifestos, I agree with them less. I've come to the conclusion that the summation of all these writings, put together in one sentence, speaks "You don't need to read these". Differences aside, they all convey the idea that creativity resides within yourself. I feel the same about these blogs, but I understand why they are required.

I did agree with the "dying young is overrated" step, but that's probably because I get extremely annoyed with drugs. From taking adderal to study for a big test to using dangerous drugs in order to get that "creative edge", it all bothers me. If you can't pass the class without using adderal, then you shouldn't be taking the class, and if you can't make a great piece of art without smoking weed to see the vision, then you shouldn't be creating the art in the first place. That is like giving marijuana a title of "co-author", and if I'm going to do that, then weed better start scheduling some shoots or getting me coffee or something.

Even before finishing the first step to "being creative", I found myself in disagreement with the author. "Ignore everybody". I'm pretty sure a blog we read or a video we watched last week stated that great ideas are found in the combination of smaller ideas between people. I believe that the greatest story ever created doesn't have one author. Listening is an important skill, and being able to use constructive criticism to your advantage is even more important of a skill. Do not ignore anyone; that 'spark' of creativity might be encoded in their words when they tell you that your idea sucks.

I am in between agreeing and disagreeing on the last step I picked, which states that the most important thing a creative person can learn, professionally, is to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do and what you are not. I agree with MacLeod that a line should be created, but I think what a lot of people do is create the line too close to familiar ground instead of venturing out a little bit farther, and I think that's where a lot of artists tend to sell themselves short. You have to keep going until you get a little uncomfortable, go a little bit more, then settle down for a bit. Once you get comfortable with that, repeat. I don't think you should ever take a permanent marker, draw a line, then say "I'm not budging from this spot". World changes too fast for most people to do that and still "climb their everest", reaching that highest goal that they set out for. Get a dry erase marker instead, and draw with that.