The final piece of my Capstone Project puzzle is the online portfolio. Originally I had planned to create the online portfolio using a Dreamweaver template and my Shepherd University webspace, but after working on my project blog using Wordpress, I found that many people actually use their wordpress blogs as full on websites. After talking to some classmates and looking at some tutorials I've got a decent setup for my wordpress page. I still need to look up some tutorials to learn how to upload files to the page, which will allow me to put my resume as well as some of my creative works up on my site. I think using the wordpress site will be better in the long run, as it'll be easier to modify as I gain more creative works and post more. The bandwith possibilities are nearly limitless!
I'm looking forward to what I can do with this website now, and later on as I get more works under my belt.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Senior Capstone Project Progress: Presentation Post Mordem
This past Monday I set up my presentation board, my laptop, and my portfolio binder in the student center and presented the details of my project to anyone who was interested. While I was there I got to walk around and look at other students' presentations. In the end my project did me proud, although there were some hiccups in the presentation process.
What worked the best was how much information my presentation could show to people. I had a lot of details and points I could make to people about quest design, and I feel like I answered all of their questions effectively.
What I think needed the most improvement was conveying what my project actually was. My laptop was running gameplay videos of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Dead Island. I was running these videos to showcase games that used quest design extensively. The point was to provide something that would be entertaining and visually appealing and also to give context to what I was discussing. Sadly, most of the people that approached me ended up thinking I actually made those games for my project. As awesome as that would have been, I had to tell them I didn't, which actually caused some of them to just plain walk away. One man was more interested in the fact that I downloaded the videos off of Youtube than the fact that I was just using them to express a point. While people who asked questions first ended up seeing my project's worth and congratulated me for it, most people didn't quite grasp the core concept.
The presentation went well overall. I think if I had more time I could have worked together something more relevant for my laptop than just gameplay videos, but that's just part of the learning process for me.
What worked the best was how much information my presentation could show to people. I had a lot of details and points I could make to people about quest design, and I feel like I answered all of their questions effectively.
What I think needed the most improvement was conveying what my project actually was. My laptop was running gameplay videos of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Dead Island. I was running these videos to showcase games that used quest design extensively. The point was to provide something that would be entertaining and visually appealing and also to give context to what I was discussing. Sadly, most of the people that approached me ended up thinking I actually made those games for my project. As awesome as that would have been, I had to tell them I didn't, which actually caused some of them to just plain walk away. One man was more interested in the fact that I downloaded the videos off of Youtube than the fact that I was just using them to express a point. While people who asked questions first ended up seeing my project's worth and congratulated me for it, most people didn't quite grasp the core concept.
The presentation went well overall. I think if I had more time I could have worked together something more relevant for my laptop than just gameplay videos, but that's just part of the learning process for me.
Senior Capstone Cultural Response: Silent Old Mountains
Last night I went to a concert at the Blue Moon Cafe in Shepherdstown to see a local band play. The band was called Silent Old Mountains, and they were a indie rock band. I'll briefly go over my experiences with them in this blog post.
The atmosphere of the Blue Moon was very welcoming and casual. I felt at ease laughing and talking fairly loudly, without worrying about annoying anyone, since everyone else was doing the same thing. The servers there were friendly, and the drinks were quick and well made.
The band itself was a fairly typical band in composition, including a singer, drummer, bass, guitar and keyboard player. Their sound was what made them stand out, however. They combined elements of rock, indie rock, and drum and bass in how they worked out rhythm and the beat. It resulted in a very enjoyable sound experience that was both relaxing and energizing.
My main complaint about the show was the volume. I couldn't hear the lyrics of any song because they were being drowned out by the loud guitars and the pulsating drums. On more than one occasion the drumming made my ears pound in pain. Apparently this wasn't really exclusive to this band, as many other Blue Moon patrons I talked to said the volume was a consistent problem with their live concerts.
All in all Silent Old Mountains gave me a look at how a indie band can still utilize contemporary influences in their music. I enjoyed my time there, and look forward to seeing what they do in the future.
The atmosphere of the Blue Moon was very welcoming and casual. I felt at ease laughing and talking fairly loudly, without worrying about annoying anyone, since everyone else was doing the same thing. The servers there were friendly, and the drinks were quick and well made.
The band itself was a fairly typical band in composition, including a singer, drummer, bass, guitar and keyboard player. Their sound was what made them stand out, however. They combined elements of rock, indie rock, and drum and bass in how they worked out rhythm and the beat. It resulted in a very enjoyable sound experience that was both relaxing and energizing.
My main complaint about the show was the volume. I couldn't hear the lyrics of any song because they were being drowned out by the loud guitars and the pulsating drums. On more than one occasion the drumming made my ears pound in pain. Apparently this wasn't really exclusive to this band, as many other Blue Moon patrons I talked to said the volume was a consistent problem with their live concerts.
All in all Silent Old Mountains gave me a look at how a indie band can still utilize contemporary influences in their music. I enjoyed my time there, and look forward to seeing what they do in the future.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Senior Capstone Cultural Response: Keigwin + Company
Tonight I witnessed a blending of old and new conventions in the dancing arts. This entertaining and vibrant performance was brought to me by the Keigwin + Company dancing group. In this blog I'll go over my experiences, albeit a little briefly.
There isn't a whole lot for me to say in terms of storyline or plot, the performance consisted of a series of dance numbers set to various songs meant to fit the mood. I didn't recognize any of the songs, but they fit the scenes well and the dancers did an admirable job choreographing their moves to it. Each sequence had it's own story, told by the music and the dancing, but it was more for the audience to interpret on their own.
I've never been much a fan of interpretive dance, but the group pulled it off in a way that left me smiling and laughing, in a good way that is. They combined elements of ballet, interpretive dance, break dancing, and other contemporary concepts to create a unique and elegant style. The result is a high energy high entertainment performance that kept the audience's attention very well. Many parts of the dances also included comedic elements, which I wasn't accustomed to in dance pieces.
The entire atmosphere of the show was very casual and energetic, we were encouraged from the start to laugh and share in the fun with the dancers as the show went on. I found myself surprised with some of the artistic choices, and laughing at some very humorous moments.
Overall, my experience with Keigwin + Company was a positive one. They combined the old and the new to create a unique performance that entertained and encouraged fun free thinking. I think art in general needs more of that these days, and I hope others follow Keigwin and Company's example.
There isn't a whole lot for me to say in terms of storyline or plot, the performance consisted of a series of dance numbers set to various songs meant to fit the mood. I didn't recognize any of the songs, but they fit the scenes well and the dancers did an admirable job choreographing their moves to it. Each sequence had it's own story, told by the music and the dancing, but it was more for the audience to interpret on their own.
I've never been much a fan of interpretive dance, but the group pulled it off in a way that left me smiling and laughing, in a good way that is. They combined elements of ballet, interpretive dance, break dancing, and other contemporary concepts to create a unique and elegant style. The result is a high energy high entertainment performance that kept the audience's attention very well. Many parts of the dances also included comedic elements, which I wasn't accustomed to in dance pieces.
The entire atmosphere of the show was very casual and energetic, we were encouraged from the start to laugh and share in the fun with the dancers as the show went on. I found myself surprised with some of the artistic choices, and laughing at some very humorous moments.
Overall, my experience with Keigwin + Company was a positive one. They combined the old and the new to create a unique performance that entertained and encouraged fun free thinking. I think art in general needs more of that these days, and I hope others follow Keigwin and Company's example.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Senior Capstone Cultural Response: Holy Harlots
Well part of going to different culturally relevant events is I'll see some good ones and some bad ones. Sadly tonight was of the latter variety.
Tonight I went to see the Rude Mechanicals' production of what they called the Holy Harlots. It consisted of two short pieces, one called The Fall and Redemption of Mary, by Hrothsvitha, a 10th century German nun, and Mary Magdalene, by an anonymous 15th century English playwright. Both dealt with the exact same issue of a woman named Mary (in the first play, she had no real significance, she was just named Mary) falling into sin then redeeming herself after being taught the error of her ways. There was really no need for both pieces since they handled the same plot and elements. Seriously, both followed the exact same story arc, just with different circumstances. Granted Magdalene was at least an interpretation of biblical history, which would have made Mary irrelevant.
Moving on, I'd like to go over why I didn't like the play. I've been to several Rudes' shows now and I can't really say I'm surprised by the acting at this point. I'm sorry to say that the skill of the actors in these shows has never really compared to other works I've seen at Shepherd. It's always stuck around a high school level.
The acting aside what really stood out to me was the set, or rather, the lack of one. An ambiguous backdrop painted multiple shades of gray with a curtain in the middle served as the background for every scene in the two plays. A couple of painted boxes added more context to the scenes, but it didn't do enough to really pull me into the action. Lighting changes were considered set changes, where the lights focusing on RED meant that we were in Hell, and lights focusing on WHITE meant we were in Heaven. Done with some more finesse and maybe something else to sell the point, this could have been very interesting and artistic, but relying on it entirely only made it seem cheap and lazy.
Now to my biggest issue with this play. As far as I can tell the objective of the Rude Mechanicals is to bring forth medieval era plays and make them relevant to contemporary audiences. This can prove to be a daunting task I'm sure, but with the right people behind it, this endeavor could easily be accomplished. What I saw tonight was a butchery and frankenstein-like mash-up of contemporary humor, college humor, and classical work. Admittedly, the first piece had little of this, but instead involved a sickening amount of repetition in dialogue and long monologues where the actors just stood there doing nothing. It was incredibly boring, but I'll give it points for being consistent throughout.
Magdalene on the other hand started throwing me off at the beginning by introducing rhyming lines and a rhythmic method of speaking only to toss it out on the next couple of lines. Going back and forth between the two methods severely broke my illusions and kept me out of the play. The shoehorning of a choreographed dance sequence and a short rap full of foul language would have made much more sense in a modern play, but in something like this it seemed desperate and ridiculous. One of the characters, played by one of the only entertaining actors in the group, adopted a southern plantation owner style accent while heading a temple of Jupiter. There was no seamless transition to make things work on my level, it was just a dumbing down that ended up killing the whole experience. The complete lack of consistency did nothing to help with the poor acting, bad set design, and boring dialogue.
I personally know a handful of the members of the Rudes, and as I've said I've seen their other work. I know they're better than what I saw tonight. I hope that other people echo my concerns so that they can learn and improve on what they have.
Tonight I went to see the Rude Mechanicals' production of what they called the Holy Harlots. It consisted of two short pieces, one called The Fall and Redemption of Mary, by Hrothsvitha, a 10th century German nun, and Mary Magdalene, by an anonymous 15th century English playwright. Both dealt with the exact same issue of a woman named Mary (in the first play, she had no real significance, she was just named Mary) falling into sin then redeeming herself after being taught the error of her ways. There was really no need for both pieces since they handled the same plot and elements. Seriously, both followed the exact same story arc, just with different circumstances. Granted Magdalene was at least an interpretation of biblical history, which would have made Mary irrelevant.
Moving on, I'd like to go over why I didn't like the play. I've been to several Rudes' shows now and I can't really say I'm surprised by the acting at this point. I'm sorry to say that the skill of the actors in these shows has never really compared to other works I've seen at Shepherd. It's always stuck around a high school level.
The acting aside what really stood out to me was the set, or rather, the lack of one. An ambiguous backdrop painted multiple shades of gray with a curtain in the middle served as the background for every scene in the two plays. A couple of painted boxes added more context to the scenes, but it didn't do enough to really pull me into the action. Lighting changes were considered set changes, where the lights focusing on RED meant that we were in Hell, and lights focusing on WHITE meant we were in Heaven. Done with some more finesse and maybe something else to sell the point, this could have been very interesting and artistic, but relying on it entirely only made it seem cheap and lazy.
Now to my biggest issue with this play. As far as I can tell the objective of the Rude Mechanicals is to bring forth medieval era plays and make them relevant to contemporary audiences. This can prove to be a daunting task I'm sure, but with the right people behind it, this endeavor could easily be accomplished. What I saw tonight was a butchery and frankenstein-like mash-up of contemporary humor, college humor, and classical work. Admittedly, the first piece had little of this, but instead involved a sickening amount of repetition in dialogue and long monologues where the actors just stood there doing nothing. It was incredibly boring, but I'll give it points for being consistent throughout.
Magdalene on the other hand started throwing me off at the beginning by introducing rhyming lines and a rhythmic method of speaking only to toss it out on the next couple of lines. Going back and forth between the two methods severely broke my illusions and kept me out of the play. The shoehorning of a choreographed dance sequence and a short rap full of foul language would have made much more sense in a modern play, but in something like this it seemed desperate and ridiculous. One of the characters, played by one of the only entertaining actors in the group, adopted a southern plantation owner style accent while heading a temple of Jupiter. There was no seamless transition to make things work on my level, it was just a dumbing down that ended up killing the whole experience. The complete lack of consistency did nothing to help with the poor acting, bad set design, and boring dialogue.
I personally know a handful of the members of the Rudes, and as I've said I've seen their other work. I know they're better than what I saw tonight. I hope that other people echo my concerns so that they can learn and improve on what they have.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Senior Capstone Project Progress: Posterboard Creation
With the completion of my Capstone Project, my next step includes making a physical and online portfolio and working on a presentation that showcases my project. As part of that presentation, I need a posterboard with a compelling and eye-catching centerpiece. For this post I'd like to talk about my process for it.
My project centered on quest design, the aspect within game design that formulates story and structure for many role-playing games. I needed a way to capture this essence of adventure and design within a single picture. For a time I thought of making a collage of some sort. By combining different heroes from noted quest-based stories and games, I could really drive home the point of quests. This idea presented the challenge of bringing in the design aspect, however, and was ultimately put aside.
My next idea was to use a fictional map of some sort and edit in a plotting system, to make the map look like it was a work in progress. I thought this idea was closer to the mark, but didn't have the eye-catching appeal I needed. So again, I threw the idea out.
Recently, if you read my earlier stuff, I experienced some trouble with the program DAZ 3D. I recalled that DAZ had different viewing options for the models and scenery, one of which included shaded wire-frame view. This gave the look of an unfinished but still sizable project. As I thought about the uses of this function, an idea began to form. Originally my plan was to find 3D modeled scenery that was still in a similar format, then find the same scenery after the textures and everything else was complete, then merge the two pictures, creating a transition from the work in progress to the finished idea. Sadly finding pictures that fit my criteria proved much more difficult than I had intended, and I began to lose hope on this idea.
I decided to work in DAZ as a last resort, not really liking my past experience with it. Creating a scene was easy, although I was sad to say it wasn't a fantasy scene, originally it was a dystopian city scene, since I didn't know that I had anything else. The concept worked well enough, using Photoshop to create an effective transition effect. Again, however, the lack of a real eye-catching element, combined with the fact that it wasn't a fantasy scene, really kept the concept from reaching its full potential.
Finally it dawned on me. After searching through the pre-made items provided with DAZ, I found a full fantasy action scene, that had action poses for a hero, a dragon, and a fantasy scene for them to fight in. After setting everything up, I quickly took screen grabs of the wire-frame view and the normal view, faded them together, and added appropriate text. The end result was this:
The action scene and the bright colors really pop out, while the detail within the picture really combine elements of design and adventure. Designing Adventure could not have had a better poster. With this poster, my presentation will be all the more impressive, and I look forward to how the whole thing will turn out.
My project centered on quest design, the aspect within game design that formulates story and structure for many role-playing games. I needed a way to capture this essence of adventure and design within a single picture. For a time I thought of making a collage of some sort. By combining different heroes from noted quest-based stories and games, I could really drive home the point of quests. This idea presented the challenge of bringing in the design aspect, however, and was ultimately put aside.
My next idea was to use a fictional map of some sort and edit in a plotting system, to make the map look like it was a work in progress. I thought this idea was closer to the mark, but didn't have the eye-catching appeal I needed. So again, I threw the idea out.
Recently, if you read my earlier stuff, I experienced some trouble with the program DAZ 3D. I recalled that DAZ had different viewing options for the models and scenery, one of which included shaded wire-frame view. This gave the look of an unfinished but still sizable project. As I thought about the uses of this function, an idea began to form. Originally my plan was to find 3D modeled scenery that was still in a similar format, then find the same scenery after the textures and everything else was complete, then merge the two pictures, creating a transition from the work in progress to the finished idea. Sadly finding pictures that fit my criteria proved much more difficult than I had intended, and I began to lose hope on this idea.
I decided to work in DAZ as a last resort, not really liking my past experience with it. Creating a scene was easy, although I was sad to say it wasn't a fantasy scene, originally it was a dystopian city scene, since I didn't know that I had anything else. The concept worked well enough, using Photoshop to create an effective transition effect. Again, however, the lack of a real eye-catching element, combined with the fact that it wasn't a fantasy scene, really kept the concept from reaching its full potential.
Finally it dawned on me. After searching through the pre-made items provided with DAZ, I found a full fantasy action scene, that had action poses for a hero, a dragon, and a fantasy scene for them to fight in. After setting everything up, I quickly took screen grabs of the wire-frame view and the normal view, faded them together, and added appropriate text. The end result was this:
Friday, March 9, 2012
Senior Capstone Project Progress: Take My Word for it
So in my last blog about the project I talked about issues I had with my original project. Issues that ultimately resulted in me scrapping the whole thing and moving on to a different project. My current project, the blogs about quest design, is underway and working out quite fine. I've been blogging once daily using WordPress.com. The website proved to be very user-friendly and simple.
Check out the blog here. I'll continue to post daily blogs, discussing different aspects of quest design, how it differs between different games and genres, and my own experiences with different quests.
Suffice to say that this project is going much more smoothly than the last one. My thanks to my director and the Capstone Professor for helping me reach this point.
Check out the blog here. I'll continue to post daily blogs, discussing different aspects of quest design, how it differs between different games and genres, and my own experiences with different quests.
Suffice to say that this project is going much more smoothly than the last one. My thanks to my director and the Capstone Professor for helping me reach this point.
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