Communication Fail

My animation depicts a sender, message, channel, noise, receiver and feedback. It is based upon my experience during a previous project in which me and another individual were to communicate back and forth via blog. After I did not receive a reply from this individual in the time frame I expected, I began to develop my own ideas about the project and was forced to rely on those ideas to carry out the objective.

In this animation the channel (Cell Phone, and text messaging) is responsible for noise (a late, or unclear message) which is then received and interpreted a certain way. The end result is the feedback (Characters become frustrated with one another.)

Communication Fail from Jonathan Richardson on Vimeo.

NA - Proj. 4

Here is my narrative for the 5 facts. I decided to do the data presentation because I felt I would be able to convey facts better rather than a show opener. In the beginning I had decided on the show opener but was having trouble coming up with a concept, and visualizing a basic idea. I started thinking about some facts, and realized there were more potential concepts there. SO, at the very last minute I decided upon the presentation of the following facts that relate to Jiu-Jitsu.

• The average human loses consciousness after 2 minutes without breathing.

• During certain rotations the average human shoulder can only withstand 14 lbs of pressure.

• With the right leverage it is possible to break the human arm with only 8 lbs of pressure.

• Without flow from the carotid arteries, the average human loses consciousness after 8 seconds.

• 20 -30 seconds without carotid artery flow will cause need for resuscitation.



The Storyboard

The presentation changed a little from the final storyboard. Some of the transitions I used in the storyboard didn't make much sense as far as relation to the subject. So they were thrown out. Also I wasn't sure how I was going to treat the text. This would come later.


I represented these facts with medical diagrams, as well as some other visuals that weren't quite as literal. I tried to make it not so literal, but at times felt it was hard to clearly communicate the fact.

Before each fact I showed a stop motion animation that shows 2 Jiu-Jitsu practitioners demonstrating the techniques in which the fact that follows is relevant. I felt this would be a good way to tie the whole thing together.



Here is the "stage" for the live action stuff that takes place while the facts are being displayed. I thought it would be interesting to transition between stop motion and live action during the presentation.



Here is another shot while getting ready to shoot some more.



These guys were there to help, but really just got in the way.





For the type I used Bodoni. The thick and thin parts of the letters resemble something organic and lifelike. I printed the typed facts a bunch of times and then crumpled each piece of paper, giving each piece a different look in an attempt to create a wavy or organic look to them when I animated them.

Overall I am satisfied with the project, although I still feel there is room for improvements. This was a project that I had a lot of fun doing, while not only learning new and mysterious software (AfterEffects) but also learning how to convey facts or ideas with imagery in motion.

jRichardson_data from Jonathan Richardson on Vimeo.

Type 3 Proj. 4 (Me)

At the beginning of this project I had a lot of crazy ideas. Most of them probably weren't very good ideas to use though as this will probably be sent out to a wide variety of potential internships/employers.



I decided to make my resume look more professional for this reason.



But this wasn't very fun, and lacks personality. So, with a helpful suggestion from Kidwell, I decided to use my blog as inspiration.

This is the 7" x 9" resume


And this is the 3" x 4" business card.


The pdf version of my portfolio is also finished. I am currently trying to figure out a way to make it available for download.

Resume Iterations

Here are the iterations I have made to my resume since we started this project. I am wondering about color at this point, and how I can make my resume stand out, without screaming at someone or standing out for the wrong reasons. It will be 7" x 9". I am also considering paper other than white copy paper at this point.

Progress 11/20

I am really struggling with my project up to this point. I don't feel like I have a clear direction for the diagram or the video. I have made a few refinements to the diagram, but am not sure about how it's represented. I have also tried another idea, but don't think it's a very good solution.

In-Class Progress 11/16

Today in class I made some refinements to my storyboards by attempting to make them more dynamic. Using suggestions from Jamie I am making use of reveals, zooms, and pans to enhance my storyboards.

The first on will be a live action video that uses 2 humans to play out the roles of the characters. The story is pretty much the same, I have just made more use of camera techniques to make the video more dynamic. The locations of the characters has changed as well.




The second one I will attempt to use mannequins to act out the roles. The video will start out zoomed in very close, with the phone being the main focus for the first exchange of messages, but will zoom out revealing the mannequin characters. As of now I would shoot this inside a department store. I would have to get permission, or be careful not to get into trouble.




I will spend some time this week refining my diagram and these 2 storyboards for crit on Friday.

VisLang Weekend Progress 11/15

So I have been trying to come up with creative ways to render my video other than just using a couple people to act it out. I guess if I fail to develop an idea thais good enough I will have that plan to fall back on.

Here are some ideas so far:

fruit
cats
dogs
a cat & a dog
phones themselves
vegetables
clothes
mannequins
action figures
real people
drawings
paper cutouts
pictures
animals
shoes

Right now I feel like the actual subjects will kind of dictate the style whether it be stop motion, or live action. It could possibly be a mix.


I have also made some revisions to my diagram. I added annotations, as well as completed the communication cycle.

In-Class Progress 11/13

I started the day with 3 directions I wanted to take my video. They were as follows.

The first would be a conversation between 2 friends. Friend 1 would text friend 2 and ask "Can you pick me up from work later if I don't have a ride?"

Friend 2 would then say "Yea probably"

Friend 1 would then assume he'll have a ride from friend 2 and doesn't respond.

Friend 2 doesn't get a response so he makes other plans.

Friend 1 is off work and texts friend 2. He asks "Are you still coming to pick me up?"

Friend 2 is surprised. He texts back "Dude! I didn't hear anything and made other plans, I didn't drive."

Now friend 1 must walk home in the rain.




Girl texts a guy she has been dating for a week and asks "wuts up?" using slang or abbreviated text messages.

Guy texts back "Not much, what are you doing?"

Girl texts back "NM, jus cn if U wntd 2 go 2 a flick l8r"

There is a long pause because guy is unclear what the message said.

Guy texts back "What?" because he had trouble understanding the message.

Girl texts back "NM" meaning never mind. She is frustrated and unsure what to think about the long pause between messages.

Guy ignores because he has no idea what "NM" means.



This idea would start off with a guy and a girl having aa conversation via text messaging. The Guy says he has some stuff to do but he will text the girl later.

Girl says "OK Fine."

Guy texts her back and asks "Are you mad?"

Due to normal reception issues with service providers (Noise caused by the channel) there is a long pause, and guy doesn't hear from girl. He texts her "??".

He finally gets a message back from girl that says "NO IM NOT MAD, just text me whenever it's convenient".

Guy receives the message and feels like girl is mad. He texts back "Excuse me for being busy".

I like to call this idea WWIII.






After a small crit with Lance and Jessica and their feedback, I am really leaning towards the 3rd idea. I am now thinking about how this would be produced. I am considering a live action video using 2 real people. I am also considering using objects to represent the subjects and using voice overs. I will continue to figure out rendering ideas over the weekend and bring them in on Mon for crit.

I have also made the following refinements to my diagram...


This was where I was when class began. After looking at it I realized that it didn't make much sense. The squares get bigger which doesn't really show how feedback gets back to the sender. My intentions were to show a linear diagram by using scale, but I don't think it's successful.



This is where I am now. I feel that this not only communicates the 6 elements better but also fits with my video as well. I feel like the feedback is still in the wrong place and it's something I need to figure out. I also need the annotations. Improvements will be made this weekend and will have a refined version of this for crit as well as a more detailed storyboard and rendering ideas for my video.

NA - 4A

I think for this project I am going to go with a 30 sec. show opener. It was a tough decision (I'm not use to having this much freedom as we are allowed in this last set of projects). I think it will be beneficial for me to pursue this option because I enjoy the freedom that it comes with.

This piece of graphic design exists in order to draw the viewer in. It be entertaining and visually pleasing at the same time. It should entice the viewer. It should also become the identity for the program. When people see it, they should think about the program that it represents.

The opener will come before a program based around Jiu-Jitsu. It will show the viewer techniques and demonstrate them as well as real fight situations where Jiu-Jitsu is being used in victory. I imagine this show on Spike TV or ESPN 2. I feel like other sports shows would surround it, like shows about boxing for instance. It will be a stand alone piece that will use images, type, music, and possibly a voice. I will need to find someone for this job, as I don't think it should be myself.

The target audience would be martial arts enthusiasts, mixed martial arts fans, and people interested in self defense. The target age group would be 15-35 yrs old.

Statement For Non-linear Narrative

This project was a lot of fun (though at times I thought I was going to have an aneurysm). It was really interesting to experiment with how sound can change or alter the meaning or mood. In the beginning my narrative took on a more serious feeling, but by adding sounds that weren't so literal, I was able to make it more playful and at time comedic thus changing the meaning.

At first I was a little hesitant to relinquish control to the user, I was afraid that certain things in my narrative may be missed. I also kind of had a preconceived idea of where the sounds should play before we started on this and that may have been a reason as well. But once I started laying out the narrative I began to embrace the idea of 100% user control. Now the user can control every element to the narrative. I believe this adds to the user's experience.

In the beginning I had some ideas that had a more traditional look for the layout with a stage and buttons below that would control the actions. These were boring. I then started kicking around this idea of a comic book, or an old Batman episode.



I then began trying to break out of this idea that used a "stage" and buttons for everything and began trying to make it look more like a comic book.





I then began drawing the layouts digitally and to scale so I could get all the dimensions right.





Next came the buttons...






When I started assembling the piece in flash I ran into some difficulties achieving the look I wanted. During the production, the composition changed a little.

In the end I am happy with the result.

Russel Wright Book: Conclusion

This project was a challenge because of the amount of content we had to deal with. Starting with the text file that was without format and contained hurdles like hard returns and incorrect character usage. It was a big change in direction from the Tender Buttons project, which was a good thing because it helps prepare us for the real world.

When tackling this project I started off by coming up with a grid for the entire contents.


After I had a grid laid out, I began placing content. I used the text, but for images I just used boxes at this point.





After crit I made some refinements and changes.



After another round of crits I began paying more attention to smaller details like the folio and running heads. I also changed the typeface from Futura (ha) to Garamond.





I began developing a cover...



My initial idea for the cover was to show the process of Russel Wright's work by showing some of his sketches, a blueprint, a finished product and also an image of him working on a piece by hand.

After another crit that idea was scratched. Instead of showing the contents on the cover by showing some of his work, I decided to only use type. I guess it is type class.


and the finished product...







Oh yea.