X is for Mutants; Assignment 8B

Hero - Lightning Man

                       

Villain - Puck

        

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Carolyn Shea
Villain - Ultra Violet


                       Ultra Violet

Carolyn Shea's character was the villain, Ultra Violet.  The colors that she chose for her villain were purples and blacks.  The hues used for this villain are quite dark, the dark purple and black colors having a certain affinity for one another that is quite fitting for a villainous character as the dark colors symbolizes the evils that she represents.  The use of black in the costume also gets the viewer to actively make the connection between the black and it's stereotypical meanings such as evil.  The black also gives off a mysterious feeling to her character, that there is more than meets the eye.  The colors are also very saturated which contrasts quite nicely with the dull, yet quite bright background.  The brightness of the background also contrasts with Ultra Violet's dark color scheme.  That is to say that the whites highly contrast with the darks.  The inclusion of the sun, especially, whiles showing didactically what Ultra Violet's powers are related to, adds to the contrast between her dark figure and the bright background.  Ultra Violet's own body, too, has the effect of contrasts, as her almost alabaster skin greatly contrasts the dark colors of her suit.  Suffice to say, the use of these elements make Ultra Violet's motives and her driving factors clear, that she is evil.  I'm sure that if there was a hero to be created opposite her, that the colors would contrast her own, perhaps white and yellow or something.  Overall, I think that Carolyn did a good job.

Chad Vasquez/Mike Giles
Hero - Mega Peel
Villain - The Mad Melon

    
                    Mega Peel                                                     The Mad Melon
                              
Chad and Mike's hero and villain are Mega Peel, the hero, and The Mad Melon, the villain.  Mega Peel is characterized by the colors that make up his body.  The yellow hue that makes up his banana peel is very bright and really pops out at the viewer and draws attention to himself and makes the viewer actively connect the color yellow with it's meaning such as energy or light.  It is essentially these factors that make the viewer view Mega Peel as a hero.  Even more so, is the way Mega Peel carries himself and his face.  He is standing at attention and flexing his muscles, grinning confidently.  This way you know he is strong and can very much kick some melon ass.  There is an affinity between the hero and the villain because they are both fruit.  I think that having another fruit being the villain better cements the world that the two come from, rather than having the villain to a banana man be, say, a monkey based super villain.  That isn't to say that there isn't contrast between the hero and the villain, though.  Whereas the hero uses bright colors, the villain uses much dark colors, hues of red, black and green.  His colors are very saturated and add to the overall dark feeling of his image.  The way he holds himself also didactically informs the viewer that this the villain by the way he has his mouth open and it is full of sharp, point teeth, and he seems to be sticking out his tongue.  His villain status is also conveyed didactically with his very name, the "Mad" Melon.  "Mad" being a word that brings up negative connotations.  Overall, I think Chad and Mike did a really good job and that their characters were quite unique.

Christina Wang/Chris Page

       
                          Spark                                                               Hot Spot

Christina and Chris' hero and villain are Hotspot, the hero, and Spark, the villain.  Hotspot is characterized by the colors that make up his costume.  The oranges, reds, and yellows that make up his costume symbolize his strength and power.  The red and orange hues, I think, are a way to get the viewer to actively make the connection between those colors, and his powers, which involve fire.  The colors are also very bright and very saturated, giving off the same feeling of warmth, like from an actual fire that I think make's Hotspot seem very heroic.  In contrast to Hotspot's color scheme, is that of the villain, Spark.  Spark's colors are pale blue, and black, and it is evident to the viewer that he is evil, didactically from the sinister shape of the eyes on his costume.  The same can be said for the thunderclouds and lighting in the background, that didactically show the viewer what his powers entail, given that he has a storm cloud on his chest.  Also in contrast to Hotspot's image, while Hotspot stands in contrast to his background, Spark very much has an affinity with his.  Like his costume, the colors are very subdued and are a mix of various greys and pale off-whites.  Whereas Hotspot's image design choices made him pop out at the viewer, Spark's makes him blend in the background almost sinisterly.  This hero/villain duo contrast each other quite well, using the stark differences to symbolize that the two would be at each other's throats.  I think that Christina and Chris did a good job.

Up, up and away? Or disappear?; Assignment 8A

This American Life Radio 178: Superpowers

Listen to the first 20 minutes of this radio piece.  It's about superpowers.  'Nuff said.

One Joke, Two Joke, Grey Joke, Color Joke; Assignment 7

Both videos are quite different in style, the first being inspired by the silent films of the 1920s and the second being much more contemporary color piece, but there are similarities that one can find if they look. 

There is an affinity between the two pieces when it comes to the use of the topic of lines in both pieces.  In the first video, lines such as the diagonal lines in the paneling of the wooden wall behind the bar are used to direct the viewer’s eyes to the characters that are the main focuses of the shots such as the bartender and the man in the opening shots of the video.

The second video also uses lines to direct the eyes of the viewers, but it does so much more subtly.  In the second video, it is lines such as those that are apart of the tables and window frames that direct the eye.  As well as virtual lines used with focusing on where the character’s eyes are directed.

The contrast between the video appears in relation to the video’s rhythms.  In the first video, the rhythm is sped up and erratic to simulate the sort of chaotic effect of silent films from the 1920s.  Meanwhile, in the second video, the rhythm of the characters movements are much more natural, laid back even.  Another example is that the characters' speech in the first video was quick and to the point (they were on cue slides after all), their speech in the second had a much more lethargic and unsure tempo that seemed to simulate actual conversation.

Other contrasts can be found in the active and didactic elements in the pieces.  In the first piece the cue cards do not indicate to the viewer that a portion of the video is taking place in the male character’s imagination and are meant to deduce this fact by the sudden change in costume and the character’s use of magic to woo the woman.  Whereas in the second video every detail is explained to the viewer, thought not directly, by the characters, such as when the male character makes his joke and then proceeds to almost awkwardly explain it.  However, it is the use of the character’s ridiculous voice that make this less obvious.

Analyzing a Video Game Scene; Assignment 6B

Shadow of the Colossus (2005)

Being Creative Can Be Difficult; Assignment 6A

How To Be Creative by Hugh MacLeod

Analyzing a Movie Scene; Assignment 5B

Akira (1988) by Katsuhiro Otomo

Reframing a Painting; Assignment 5A

If you recall my soundscape a ways back, you might recognize this piece by Salvador Dali called Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of the New Man.

Originally, I was drawn to this image, as with many of Dali’s pieces, because of the sheer hosed-up-ness of what is going on in the image.  I mean, a guy trying to rip his way out of an egg that looks like the planet earth?  That is pretty sweet and weird at the same time.

Now, below the original image, is my reframing of said image.  The reason I chose to reframe it as such is because in the original image, there is a lot going on.  Whereas I simply want to focus on the man escaping from the world-egg, the original image has a lot of visual intensity that my reframing did away with.  The way I have reframed the image, too, has added a lot of contrast in the colors. Whereas the man and the egg are light colored, the rest of the image is black.  Something that worked well with the circular framing is that, like the egg itself, the use of curvilinear lines creates a sort of affinity between the man and his prison.

How Dali originally framed the image has a lot more to do with the entirety of course and Dali uses how lines are perceived to draw viewer’s eyes to the center.  This is seen with the figure pointing at the man trying to escape.  Also, Dali creates a sort of tension and release when he has the sharp ridged lines acting as the frame to the softer curvilinear lines of the man and the egg.  Dali also uses depth cues such as smaller objects in the background and perspective lines to create the illusion of a vast space behind the egg.  I believe he framed it in such as way to show that the man escaping the softness of the egg was entering a much more ridged and chaotic world.