After having read my original manifesto for this class, I found many aspects of it that I would change. Though the language was actually quite beautiful and poetic in my opinion (just kidding, I’m full of myself), the substance of what I originally stated as opposed to what I have actually done is entirely different. I stated in my original manifesto that I would make poetry, new Japanese animation, and create mystery and science fiction works. Well, up to this point, I have failed to do any of that. After learning, studying, reading, and being indulged in the beauty of this course, I came to the realization that those were not my areas of expertise. Rather, I found that the increased video technology through Windows Movie Maker and other various tool as Photoshop, etc, were the tools of my designs. These designs have been videos primarily. I have also focused more on web design and informational approaches (such as the copyright site). My original suspicions of this course mainly revolved around the idea that I thought I would have to submit various "textual" works (as in other creative writing courses), but just on a computer. I was oh so wrong. Digital writing is a completely different, and more entertaining, field of creative writing. The options are unlimited, and you have so much more room to decide what you want to do, and how you want to do it. I would say that my original manifesto, as stated articulate and poetic, was fun to read, but lacked substance. I now say that I cannot give a specific example of what my works will be (especially the final project), because the options are unlimited. Having never been in a class such as this, I did not realize the vastness of options within digital writing. From here on out I will use all the tools and techniques I have learned throughout this class and relate them to my final project. The final project is the bulk of this class, and I plan on giving it my all. Effort, time, thought, prayer, workshops, etc, will all be used to help complete my final project. I’m thinking of doing a “choose-your-own-destiny” type story, somewhat like George Shry did in his group project. But I would like to add some animation, as well. I’m not saying this will be my final project, but it is a small possibility. Ultimately, I feel that my ideas for produced works have changed completely, and have taken a 180 degree turn in regards to substance. I did not produce any of what I originally set out to do, but I feel the work I have produced has actually been more suitable to my style of creative “writing.” Thus, I failed to accomplish what my manifesto stated I would do. I apologize.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Revised Manifesto
Monday, April 13, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Critique 3
The literary journal I chose to explore and critique was that of the Toasted Cheese Literary Journal found at http://tclj.toasted-cheese.com/. This literary journal caught my interest for the assignment due to the fact that it accepts numerous genres of writing. The journal accepts flash works, poetry, fiction writing, and even CNF (creative non-fiction). After browsing through the site for a good while and reading a few “Featured Writing” samples, along with a few of the “Editor’s Picks,” I found that the website generally contains interesting pieces of writing. Or at least what I have read this far has been interesting. I especially like the piece entitled, When a Porn Star Steals a Poet's Name, found at http://tclj.toasted-cheese.com/2009/9-1/moni.htm. The poem is clear and concise in my opinion, and the title completely caught me off guard. I had to read it.
Anyhow, in regards to the platform of the website, I feel that the platform is set up quite decently. On the home page of the website there are Editors Picks and Featured Writing samples which serve as a good introduction to the website. There are also archives of pervious works that I found to be a useful platform tool. This way, previous writing samples that are interesting and well done are not just deleted because new, crappier works will come in and take their places. I also found that the website was very straightforward and direct in its approach. It had listed on the left links regarding submission requirements, which is usually the first thing I look for when I visit an online literary journal. The forums were also great and very useful. Outside of that, I felt that the website design was a bit weak and could use some improvement. It was a bit, tacky, so to say.
Continuing, I feel that the literary journal takes advantage of the digital format for publishing creative works mainly because the works are posted quite frequently. Each quarter, March, June, September, December, new works are posted, thus giving a vast amount of new literary works to read, critique, and enjoy. Also, I cannot stress enough the community aspect of the website that is revealed through the forum and chat room. Forums/Chat rooms are a way of life when it comes to online journals, and really online life in all contexts. They are a way of communication. Each writer, reader, and any person just generally interested in the website or the works published can simply access the forum and/or chat room and simply engage in conversations regarding most any topic so desired. Thus, the online journal takes advantage of the digital format to engage all persons.
Lastly, in regards to whether or not I would want my work published on Toasted Cheese, I surely would. I love this website. I have read from it before, and would be honored to have my work published on the site. I think the works are very well done, and believe my work could be just as good if I put in the time and effort. Also, I think it is a great way to get your work noticed. If your work gains popularity amongst readers, it may further advance your chances of becoming well-known, and even help to get works published in hard copies. I really do want to take over their website design program though and teach that designer a thing or two about how to properly design a website!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Critique - Georgivis
I think this photo is really well done. I was amazed at the insertion of your fingers on the bottom of the image, and how it wasn't part of the original image. I also really like the crystal ball. I thought at first that the ball was surely part of the original drawing, but now that I look at it more closely I can see that is a bit more clear than the dragon. I think the clarity of the crystal ball is what really brings this image to life, which is what brings me to what I think could be edited / improved upon.
I think the only drawback to this amazing image is the fact that the crystal ball is clearer than the dragon and fingers. But really, with a little touch up in Photoshop, that would could be easily changed. I think if the entire image was the same sharpness / clarity, then it would seem more "real" and could easily be passed off as professional work. In regards to what I'm confused about, I'm really only confused about one thing. Basically, I'd like for you to add a bit more explanation on what you did in Photoshop and how you did it. Not being a Photoshop expert myself by any means, I love the changes you made to the image, but really don't come away knowing exactly how do to them myself. Maybe if you just add a little more commentary on that, it'd really help to better my understanding.
In regards to what I would change, I can honestly say I wouldn't change anything other than the clarity of the image. I love it. I love the images inside the crystal ball - that is just so amazingly well done. And basically, about what ideas / techniques I want to use: basically everything. I love the polishing techniques you used in Photoshop. Once I figure out how to use them, I will. Great job, George.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Remix Project
Please click here
I'll try to paste explanation below.
| Remix Project Overview The remix I chose to do for this project was that of making two music videos made through the combination of videos found on the blip.tv Creative Commons video search engine and Jamendo music, which is Creative Commons content as well. The project primarily consisted of downloading and editing videos on Creative Commons in Windows Movie Maker, followed by the addition of music and text to the background that flowed well with the video footage. I also manipulated the videos to portray something they were not; for example, on Video #2, I added a subtext to incorporate a story and thus further manipulate the meaning of the works. Sources The sources used for this project included both content and remix sources. The content was pulled from the Creative Commons website, the blip.tv search engine, Jamendo music, and Flickr image search. The remix sources included Windows Movie Maker, which was used in order to edit the video footage and incorporate additional media to the background, the Acez MP3 Wav Converter, a tool used to convert the Jamendo music types from MP3 into Windows .wav compatible types, and WinAce, a program that converted (or unzipped) the Acez MP3 Wav Converter from .zip to .exe so that it was compatible with Windows. There were no video converters used in this project simply because I only downloaded .avi files from Creative Commons, which are easily compatible with Windows and Windows Media Player / Movie Maker. Below are the original videos and songs used in the project: Video #1: Clip - "Hypnotic Hick" episode of Woody Woodpecker Video #2:
The techniques primarily used in this remix project included the editing, cutting, and manipulation of video content. I will list a step by step process of how I edited the videos. 1) Firstly, downloaded the video file from the Creative Commons website, and the music from www.jamendo.com. 2) I opened Windows Movie Maker and loaded the saved video files. 3) I clicked on the uploaded media, right clicked, and used the technique "Create Clips" to separate the file into various parts, which made it easier to string together and edit. 4) I loaded the downloaded song, and then dragged both the music and video file down into the media timeline. 5) I proceeded to take portions of the video clips and have them coincide with the songs by shortening each "clip" created. Sometimes I would only use three seconds of a particular clip and then use three seconds of another clip right after it. In essence, I remixed the playing of each video file. 6) I used various tools and effects provided by Windows Movie Maker, such as “Fade in” and “Fade out.” 7) I also adding titles, subtext, and credits all found within the “Title and credits” section on Windows Movie Maker. 8) I finished editing the video to the music, making it so that certain clips of the film matched up well with the music. When the tone or beat of the music would change, I tried to have the video match up so that it flowed well. The process of these combined steps took about two to three hours per video. 9) I then proceeded to use the "Publish Movie" option on Windows Movie Maker, changing the project from a Windows Movie Maker file (.MSWMM) into a .wmv file. 10) After saving and publishing the file, I uploaded the video to YouTube so that I could embed it into my website for class. The upload took about 3-5 minutes per video, though the first attempt took fifteen hours, and then failed, simply because there was an unnoticed glitch.
The purpose of these remixes was to mainly put together an entertaining music video that shows how digital manipulation can truly change the meaning of a works. As stated, by the many editing processes used, I completely changed the context of the Bugs Bunny video clip. The Woody Woodpecker clip, though not changed in meaning as much, was still manipulated and altered. Also the purpose behind this was to further enhance my skills in the Windows Movie Maker program. I have only made one video prior to this assignment, and had little knowledge of the program. Also, as I was informed by the professor, I found that the musical artist used for the Woody Woodpecker video (Brad Sucks) takes all remixes of his work and posts them. Lastly, the purpose of this remix project choice was to be creative! This is a creative writing class, and I felt that I could insert a small portion of text and add a story behind the Bugs Bunny video. Overall, this project was extremely entertaining and informative. I learned more about digital manipulation in this short frame than ever before. Licenses Each video used in this remix project were located under the Creative Commons search engines that allowed for works to be modified, adapted, or built upon. In addition, the music was found on www.jamendo.com, a Creative Commons music website that states it is "a community of free, legal and unlimited music published under Creative Commons licenses" that allows users to download and modify the work. The downloaded song from the band Major Major is under the Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. The downloaded song from the band Brad Sucks is under the Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license. Both allow for downloading, remixing, and adaption. |
