“LittleFoot” is an amusing short film by Adam Phillips created entirely in Macromedia Flash 8. At first sight not only are the sheer beauty of the graphics and animation outstanding; but more so it is the understanding of how complicated flash is to use that invokes a sense of deep appreciation from the viewer.
From personal experience I realize that even simple animations can consist of endless lines of layers and action-script. To make matters more complicated, it is impossible to ignore the ever-common appearance of the “dotted-line of death” that usually results in the “seizure-inducing errors”. That of course typically follows with minutes into hours of trial-and-error revision, and it just goes from there.
Nevertheless, “LittleFoot” is a successful production with a sequel called “the YuYu” released a few years later. Part one (LittleFoot) leaned more toward a child-like sense of humor and the character of human nature, while part two (the YuYu) synced mystery with drama connected by music. What I find to be the most enjoyable about the video itself is how the artist continually plays against what he builds up to be expected by the audience and then incorporating slight twists to keep the viewer interested. Little does the typical viewer know, but Phillips took his production step further and included hidden messages within specific images in “Littlefoot” that reference to a language and creatures that were used in his later production of “the YuYu”. A complete list of the secrets is posted at http://www.biteycastle.com/content/LFSecrets.html
Both of the original videos can be found on Biteycastle.com, which I believe to be Adam Phillips’s homepage, although I later discovered that there are better quality versions currently available at NewGrounds.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Digital Media and Halo
This week for ART 211W as the reading discussed Digital Technologies as a medium and our class focus was aimed at how digital technology can be used as a central element in making art, one particular example came to my mind of how media can redefined and spread to engage different audiences.
First released in 2003 and completed in 2007, Red vs. Blue really has come a long way. For anyone not particularly familiar with the chronicles, Red vs. Blue is a parody of compiled footage reenacted with Halo’s gameplay and matched with a developed storyline and witty dialogue. What started out as a simple group of gamers playing Halo has evolved to an over 5 season, 100 episode DVD set, with its own spoofs from other fans.
So here we have the basis of what began as a video game that was turned into film and enhanced by the web. In this case Halo ended up appealing to not only its fans but also people like me who have never particularly had an interest in playing Halo, but enjoy watching Red vs. Blue. This example more so exhibits the business strategy of maximizing public exposure, but it also shows how easily new media can adapt to different and various forms within the array of digital media (starting with the basis of 3d modeling and development of the game, to the production of the film series).
If anyone interested, the entire series can be found to watch on Machinima.com if you search for Red vs. Blue. Or, if you’d prefer, full seasons are also posted on YouTube if you search for the user “roosterteeth” or simply for Red vs. Blue.
First released in 2003 and completed in 2007, Red vs. Blue really has come a long way. For anyone not particularly familiar with the chronicles, Red vs. Blue is a parody of compiled footage reenacted with Halo’s gameplay and matched with a developed storyline and witty dialogue. What started out as a simple group of gamers playing Halo has evolved to an over 5 season, 100 episode DVD set, with its own spoofs from other fans.
So here we have the basis of what began as a video game that was turned into film and enhanced by the web. In this case Halo ended up appealing to not only its fans but also people like me who have never particularly had an interest in playing Halo, but enjoy watching Red vs. Blue. This example more so exhibits the business strategy of maximizing public exposure, but it also shows how easily new media can adapt to different and various forms within the array of digital media (starting with the basis of 3d modeling and development of the game, to the production of the film series).
If anyone interested, the entire series can be found to watch on Machinima.com if you search for Red vs. Blue. Or, if you’d prefer, full seasons are also posted on YouTube if you search for the user “roosterteeth” or simply for Red vs. Blue.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Addition of Absence
As I was going through finishing up the reading for this week (Chapter 1 of the book Digital Art by Christine Paul) I came two artworks by Charles Cohen that particularly interested me. The inkjet prints featured on page 38 of the text each describe a style that focuses on absence as the key in perception for the observer. Due to the cutout forming a state of absence, the viewer’s mind forces a connection to be made and thus fills-in what does not otherwise exist.
This tactic actually stems from a branch of Psychology all the way down to the art of the optical illusion itself. You see, our brains process what we see in a manner that relates objects to familiarity, organizing pieces of shapes and patterns in a “whole” piece that makes more sense to us. Cohen plays off of this trait in his works by tricking our minds into seeing posed, but imaginary people.
In the end, many of the works of art we have today follow interesting principles of psychology that have existed and been manipulated since the early 1900s (some depictions include the Kanizsa triangle and the Ehrenstein illusion ). This interests me greatly because although the works are digitally produced, could they truly be considered “New Media,” when there is nothing particularly ‘new’ about them?
Nonetheless, I still admire several of Cohen’s pieces. My personal favorites included in an album listed as “analog time” on his website where each seems to have this particular void that you can feel if you look at them for long enough. For me those three photos leave my mind guessing exactly what his inspiration was or what emotion he was trying to convey more so than any of his other works. Loneliness? Emptiness? Inner longing? The viewer was probably never meant to know for sure.
This tactic actually stems from a branch of Psychology all the way down to the art of the optical illusion itself. You see, our brains process what we see in a manner that relates objects to familiarity, organizing pieces of shapes and patterns in a “whole” piece that makes more sense to us. Cohen plays off of this trait in his works by tricking our minds into seeing posed, but imaginary people.
In the end, many of the works of art we have today follow interesting principles of psychology that have existed and been manipulated since the early 1900s (some depictions include the Kanizsa triangle and the Ehrenstein illusion ). This interests me greatly because although the works are digitally produced, could they truly be considered “New Media,” when there is nothing particularly ‘new’ about them?
Nonetheless, I still admire several of Cohen’s pieces. My personal favorites included in an album listed as “analog time” on his website where each seems to have this particular void that you can feel if you look at them for long enough. For me those three photos leave my mind guessing exactly what his inspiration was or what emotion he was trying to convey more so than any of his other works. Loneliness? Emptiness? Inner longing? The viewer was probably never meant to know for sure.
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