This is my blog for an Art and Technology class I am taking at the University of Tampa. I post many of my assignments onto this blog, yet if there is something that interests me, I will also blog about it. Enjoy!
For my flip book I really didn't know what I wanted to make it about. I started it off as random thoughts that came into my head, but as I kept moving forward with the book, it took on a nature theme. First with the tree, then the water, then the flower, then the rainbow then the sun transforming into the moon. Along with the nature features I added some abstract parts as seen in the rainbow scene. My person favorite part of the flip book is the ending when the sun transforms into the moon and it finishes with the rocket ship and the shooting star.
Overall, I enjoyed this project and it showed me how animations are made.
When asked to read this link, I had no idea how important this was. This demo, presented by Doug Engelbart and 17 other researchers, was a revolutionary presentation for many computer geeks at the time. This demonstration showed what they had been working on for years. This was the public debut of the computer mouse as well as many other life changing computer factors such as hypertext and the shared-screen collaboration.
It was recently the 45 year anniversary of this public presentation, and I have to say, thank god it happened. This was a big step for the advancement of computers and without this, I honestly do not know where commuters would be today.
I found another website that discussed this matter: http://sloan.stanford.edu/mousesite/1968Demo.html From this, I watched clip 3 what was very interesting. This was, what it seems like, the words Word processing. It shows how using a computer mouse and a keyboard, you can write words, delete words, cut, copy, and add a header. Since this, Word has come a very long way. Today, these simple things are something we all use when on a computer and we don't even realize the amount of energy and time it took to create these functions. I think this shows that we have a fast paced and changing future ahead of us. Though this took them a while for them to make back in the 1900s, with today's advancements and technologies almost anything is possible and with the work of many, I think many will be surprised what the future will bring.
It was sad yet interesting to read this article on Turing. Not knowing much about this situation and what had happened to him came as a shock to me.
Thanks to Turing and his efforts during World War II, he saved out country from starvation. Yet, due to unequal right back then, he was to sentenced to chemical castration for the crime of gross indecency for being a gay man. Alan cracked coded messages sent by the Germans which in part, saved America.
I think it is really sad what happened to Alan. Just as the article puts it, what could this brilliant man have done for our country if he was still alive? What if he had lived his life to the full potential? Yet, I think it is great how he is being honored with the Icon award. With this, his name is getting more recognition and many more are hearing this story. Rather then look at someones sexuality, it is more important to view their POTENTIAL and what they can bring to the world. I know times were different back then and it was considered the worst to be seen as gay, yet Alan could have done so much for America if he was still here. I think it is important to realize that we should not judge a book by its cover, rather what someone has to bring to the world, such as Turing.
The work of Mark J Stock is very interesting. He creates beautiful artwork using different codes through nature, physics, chaos, and computation. With these codes, he makes still life images turing them into different art forms using different colors and techniques. He has been showing his work since 2000 and has been featured in many exhibits.
There are many pieces of his collections that I enjoyed but there was one that stood out to me.
The code he used for this piece was an intricate color code. As seen in the photo, many different colors are used. As a very vibrant piece, I feel it would be amazing to see in person. The way the colors flow together so nicely in really cool, especially since there is a mix of warm and cool colors. If an artist attempted to paint this I think that all of the colors would mix together turing a brown or black color. But, since this is an inkjet print on canvas the colors can be separated and easily seen.
It was interesting to read and learn about Ray Kurzweil, one of the worlds leading inventors, futurists, and thinkers. Also known as the "restless genius" he was named the "ultimate thinking machine" by Forbes magazine.
Ray has invented many life changing objects like the first CCD flat-bed scanner, the first omni-font optical character recognition, the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, the first text-to-speech synthesizer, the first music synthesizer capable of recreating the grand piano and other orchestral instruments, and the first commercially marketed large-vocabulary speech recognition.
He has also received many honors and written a few books in his lifetime.
Many of his inventions were changed the way our future has evolved. The scanner was an important revolutionary invention that made society able to scan different objects and papers. Many of us use this everyday yet we take it for granted. Without this, many of the things we do today and documents we read would not be in existence.
Another great invention was the print-to-speech reading machine for the blind. This gave the blind the ability to read documents they could not see, changing the way the approach different papers, now.
I watched an interesting video by Kurzweil called "Immorality by 2045." He states that in the future, the non-biological parts of us will dominate the biological aspects. The non-biological parts, or the machine parts, will overtake us and the biological parts will not even know. Virtual reality will be as real as it gets as long as the virtual body. He said we can change our bodies in the virtual world instead of keeping a frail and failure real life body. We will be able to change our bodies and our environment very quickly. All in all, we are headed towards a radical life expansion.
I think that Ray is a very smart man and his theories on the future quite interesting. We will have to see whether they are true or not, but as of right now, his theories seem to be accurate.
The War of the Worlds broadcast fiasco is very interesting and coincidentally enough, I recently did a presentation on this in my media writing course. I presented about the magic bullet theory which states that the intended message from the media is directly received and wholly accepted by the receiver. The War of the Worlds broadcast is the example I used for this theory. Many people who were so consumed by the media took this broadcast seriously, though in the beginning of the drama show, the announcer stated that this was a fake news story. It was interesting to hear the difference, though, from radio back then compared today. When we turn on the radio today we either hear music or some sort of talk show. There are many commercials and advertisements in-between, also. Yet, during this broadcast and radio back then, it was more of stories and radio shows for families to sit down listen too and it was a group activity. There were no interruptions rather just a long story. I found it interesting how people were so affected by this. If this was broadcast today I believe that people might think it was a joke. Yet, media influences our society in different ways today whether it be a fake story written in a magazine or a joke a late night talk show host pulled and everyone believed.
This scene in the film, though highly grotesque and controversial, proves many analytical points.
In this scene, Alex sings and dances with singing in the rain while beating a husband and raping his wife. The use of art is what Alex and the others use to disconnect themselves from the violent acts do. With Alex using Singing in the Rain, the scene takes a more creepy turn. The fact he is so oblivious yet so involved in his actions makes this scene horrific. Alex is able to distance himself from the horrors he is doing rather than realizing the suffering he is implementing onto his victims.
The use of irony, also, is almost comical. Such a happy song with such a violent act. The louder he sings and the more "into" the song he gets, the more Alex beats and hurts the couple. He uses the song to intenisfy the beating and rape.
Though the scene is horrific, without the song this would not be the same. This song adds horrid nature to what s going on. It is interesting to see how different songs, whether good or bad, can be placed into a movie and completely give it a different meaning.
The first stop motion film I watched was called The Carved Pumpkin. This was an interesting film and I could tell right away from the beginning that it was going to have intricate animation. Right away there was the crumpled piece of paper introducing the film which then led to the complex movement of the silverware. The actual carving of the pumpkin seemed more to me as a dissection due to the sounds and background music. It was cool to see the separation of the seeds and the pumpkin goo.
The film was more of a deeper analysis of carving a pumpkin and baking the seeds. The music made me very anxious of what was to come next and it was even a little bit scary when there was the combination of the hard and intense music along with the pumpkin falling apart and piecing itself back together.
Scintillation. In the beginning of the video was wasn't quite sure what was going on. There was no animation and thats what threw me off at first. It wasn't until there was the lighting of the flowers. It was cool how the flowers were exuberating with different colors in a synchronized manner. I found the wall to be beautiful when it was all lit up. I also really liked the part when the legs were lit up with a chevron pattern and moving around. Overall, this was a nice combination of different motion, sound, and lighting techniques.
In class today we watched a short youtube video on how Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs was created. Being a Disney lover, I finished the video in my room and found it to be very interesting. It really showed how long of a process this film took as well as many other films that would follow.
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs was the first Walt Disney film and it was created in 1937. This continues to be one of the most popular Disney movies and a favorite of many.
Yet, the process to making this movie was complex. Starting with 300 people, this movie now took about 700 different animators, musicians, writers, and many more to complete this movie.
The movie begins as a bunch of different pages, almost like a flip book telling a story. Soon after that the score is added. Then, animators copy and draw the "flip book" on transparent paper. This is when the pages are "played" and this is the rough draft of the film. There is no color and the movie is pretty much just a moving drawing.
The drawings are then moved to the ink department and the pencil is traced to ink and copied. Chemists, then, develop a wide range of colors. The new ink copies are colored in and stage setting are painted in watercolor. Each ink page now with a backdrop is photographed to make a movie. Sound is added and the orchestra played the scores, completing the film. This is the last step of making Snow White.
Much advertising goes on and eventually there is a wold premiere. Many different characters dress up to promote the new file and many come to watch. Once the movie is over, critics rave about this film in technicolor and the first of many of Walt's classics.
The movie took more than 1.5 million dollars to make. Though the price was expensive, this is one of the most memorable Disney movies of all time.
This was an interesting film to watch and it seems as though it was one of the more complex films of this time period. With live action, background music, and the movement from scene to scene, it is advanced and shows many different techniques and forms used for old film in the 1900's.
A Trip To The Moon is about a group of men who travel to the moon in a bullet lit off by a cannon. Looking for answers and wanting to discover, I believe that they had forgotten of the catastrophes that could take place on foreign land. After then landed, they all fell asleep and many interplanetary things take place such as stars with faces and a comet. Once they have awaken, they go to explore only leading to them being attacked by aliens to which they can not keep away. The men are taken by the aliens to the head alien king, yet the men attack and escape. They quickly run back to their bullet and make their way towards Earth, landing in an ocean. Once rescued, the men are congratulated with a ceremony and a parade.
I enjoyed this film though it was silent, none of the actors were talking. I find it interesting to compare this movie to movies we see today or even 10 years ago. Film has evolved so much. After watching this, then going to a movie theatre, there are so many differences I can point out between films. Film is an evolving media and it will continue to change over time.
I thoroughly enjoyed Professor Vaughn's presentation. Though I had to leave early due to my 6:00 p.m. class, from what I saw, the art portrayed was beautiful.
She had many themes for her artwork: gender identity, temporality and chronology, performance, transgender issues, art as a social tool, and labor as salvation. Throughout every piece, at least 2 or 3 of these themes were shown.
I really enjoyed her Safety in Numbers performance. It was an interesting concept and the room that was created for the piece was amazing. All of the stripes tricked my eyes. Her meaning behind the exhibition was interesting, creating more people to look like herself so she felt more anonymous.
The art work is beautiful and I recommend everyone to check out the website!
After watching this documentary, I was able to gain a greater understanding of opera and how it has evolved, and through this, I can now say I appreciate opera more than I used too.
Opera was born 400 years ago in Italy and much of its history lies in Italy. The Camerta, a mixed bunch of people including poets, writers, and scientists, were excited to form a new kind of musical drama that included a story along with music. They mixed different media to form opera.
It was interesting to see how opera evolved through the ages and due to what was going on in a specific time period, opera would adjust and change.
I really enjoyed learning about La Marriage De Figaro composed by Mozart, especially because I recognized some of the music from this opera. This opera is about a count trying to use his higher position to take the virginity of a helpless maid in the household. This is all to get revenge on Figaro, (the maids soon to be husband) who tried to ruin plans between the count and his wife. Though it seems like a simple story, it portrayed true messages of what was going on at that time like how the rich and powerful were treating their workers like slaves and play things. Yet, at the end of the opera, the servant outwits the powerful count. This opera was a big hit and some said it was revolution in action.
After watching this documentary, I am able to see just how greatly opera has influenced broadway, and without the creation of opera, broadway musicals would not exist.
There were many opera songs in the documentary which we all still hear today and are still popular. The one that stuck out the most was the first opera song performed in the whole documentary which is names Nessun Dorma. I remember hearing this many times yet the one time it stuck out for me was an audition on Britain's Got Talent.
In the play South Pacific, there are many racial prejudices that occur. The main act of this is in the song "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught," in which "if prejudice is learned, it can also be unlearned" (1). This song received an uproar of response and many wanted it out of the play. Yet, the directors insisted on it staying in play saying that without it, there was no play.
I feel as if we should think about this today. Though not as prevalent, prejudice does still occur in our country. We are all different and are made differently, yet no one can help who they are and how they were raised.
One of the lyrics in the song is "You've got to be taught before it is too late." I believe this is a statement we should all live by keep in mind. Though one might thing one way, there is always another side to something and one might take back their way of mind, but we have to be taught all of this.
Today in class we continued to discuss broadway and its history. This was a very special class for me and it brought back many memories of my childhood. It was touching to see some of the videos we watched in class today. Since we are on the topic of broadway, I wanted to share some of my favorite musicals and the memories going along with them. From when I can remember, my family has been obsessed with broadway musicals. Though at a very young age, I still remember the first play I ever went too. As a surprise one day, my parents decided to take my sister and I to see our favorite movie live. And this play was Annie. I remember being in awe seeing this live and to this day it remains one of my favorite musicals.
Another play of my childhood was The Lion King. I was able to see this in Chicago, and once again, I was blown away by the great number of performers and the monstrosity and details of the set.
Throughout the years, I have seen many different plays with my family including Legally Blonde The Musical, Wicked, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Rent, Mamma Mia, Beauty and the Beast, Cats, and many more.
Another great memory I have with musicals is with The Sound of Music. I watched the movie once and fell in love with it immediately. I was so young and so obsessed I made my dad write the lyrics to Do-Re-Mi on a sheet of paper so I could memorize the words and sing along. I would then make him watch the movies for days and weeks straight, eventually learning all of the songs and lyrics. This movie is one of our family favorites.
When I was in grade school, the movie Hairspray came out on my birthday. So, of course, for my birthday party all my friends and I went to see it on opening night. Once again, it became one of my favorites and a popular favorite among all of my friends also. After the movie ended, we got home and listened to the songs all night. Then, that Christmas, my parents bought tickets for me and a few friends to go see the play live. After seeing the movie so many times, it was breathtaking to finally see it live. I really enjoy all of the songs, yet who doesn't love You Can't Stop the Beat. The play is so colorful and vibrant, it will always be one of my favorites.
Finally, Les Miserables is the last one I have seen and the one that has effected me the most. Not knowing much about the musical other then that it is my dads favorite play, we all went to see the movie on Christmas Day when it came out. I was absolutely blown away. I had never seen anything like it. I loved how all of the characters are intertwined together and it told a great story of the French Revolution. My sister and I were both astounded, honestly. Then for Christmas this year, my parents and sister surprised me with front row tickets to see the play. I was amazed once again and it was spectacular to finally see it live. This play is our family favorite by far. We laughed together and we cried together during it. I'm happy I enjoy it as much as my dad did because as a child I would laugh at him for liking plays, especially this one. I know now, though, that plays are so influential and have really changed my life and they gave me a new appreciation for acting and the time and work put into shows.
All in all, every musical film or broadway play I have seen has touched me in some way. I have so many memories linked with each one I have seen and they will continue to be one of my favorite things to watch.
This seems like a really interesting produce and a step towards enhancing and improving the technologies within our society. It really is a "new kind of visual experience." I like how it is used for concerts, entertainment, and video games. The opening paragraph was great and really gave me a feel of what this product is and does. The video was nice in the sense that it really showed readers what Beck saw during the show.
It's really cool how even though you are controlling the video game actions with a controller, when you move around you almost become part of the game and action. I found this video and it really interested me and gave me a better understanding of Oculus.
I chose this video because it looked old and it is something I have never seen before. This is a great example just how much broadway has changed. Watching the Dancing Man video, there was only two people on stage and the act was quite simple. Yet, when looking at broadway today, there is elaborate choreography and songs along with numerous people on stage all performing.
A Christmas Carol is a movie I have seen numerous times. This is why I was drawn to watch this video. When watching the video, I could tell right away there were differences between the movie and the show. The show seemed to be so much grander and even after watching just a short clip, I was able to tell that I would get more out of watching the musical. As one of my favorite movies, I now hope I am able to see the play eventually!
I chose to look at Nine because the name of the play sounded familiar. When watching the video, I did not recognize the song, yet I did realize that Antonio Banderas seemed to be one of the leads. When researching Nine more, I came across the reason why this musical rang a bell. It was the song Be Italian. When listening to this I then remembered that this song was a main part of the previews for the 2009 movie Nine. I always loved that song due to the tune and the fact I am Italian. This is a movie/musical I have not seen, yet now that I stumbled across it again I believe it would be worth a watch.
Wicked, one of my favorite broadway musicals, is a great story with an intricate plot. When seeing the musical for the first time, I was blown away with the monstrosity and greatness of the show. Yet, I never thought of all of the hard work and time put into the show.
This video gives viewers sense of the difficulty when producing and directing a show such as Wicked. Though the show has been playing for many years now, different directors have different visions. So though the story line is the same, what the actors and directors put into the play is different each time, making audiences fall in love with the musical.
Unfortunately, I am not a big opera person and most of the time I have a hard time understanding what is going on in operas. I'm not sure if it is because of the language barrier due to many operas being in different languages, or if it is the fact there is no talking, which to me is the greatest form of communication.
Many operas are long and I tend to lose focus when watching them, yet since this animation was short I was able to stay highly engaged in it. Not knowing much about Madama Butterfly and the story, this was very interesting for me to watch. The story itself really saddened me, especially the ending. I felt bad she waited the whole time for the captain to come back, only from him and his new wife to take Madama's child away.
It was interesting to see the suicide scene also. At first, I could not tell if the animation was trying to portray that she was broken from all of the distraught or if she was literally killing herself. I believe that it was both and the animation could not have done a better job of showing this.
All in all, after watching this, the story interests me and I would love to see it. The animation was great and got the point of the story across in a manner that everyone could understand what is going on.
