This is quite an interesting medium to explore. I feel as though there are three levels of realization and translations I am dealing with for this project. When initially working on this project I came at it from a diagraming perspective. I liked the way these diagrams reflected my hunt for a story within a dictionary page. Looking at the page was the first level of interactive exploration. The diagram is the second. It was quite a challenge for me to understand how to translate either experience into a motion piece that trully explored the experience I felt when looking at the dictionary page. The first exploration sought to simulate the experience of reading the page. The Second exploration sought to develop a narrative as a film maker would create a scene. The third attempts to simulate the experience of reading my diagram. Lastly, I have sought to explore the temporal and fluid aspects of using a dictionary page. Ultimately, each experiment has created it own unique and "new" experience that causes me to reflect on my use of a dictionary in a new way. Experienceing the Dictionary page project through the interactive media will never totally recreate the experience of looking through a hole at a dictionary page, but that experience has help me look differently at the act of reading, searching and finding. It has "made strange" but interesting the habitual act of looking a the page, which has brought a new awareness to how I interact with objects.

In this project I saw the dictionary page as a searching tool. Taking my own approach I began searching the page not for a specific definition like it is normally used but for a story or narrative. One type of "searching" is done in a very random matter, bouncing from one area to another, looking over, looking under... so I took this approach when searching for my narrative. I found it amazing that a completely random grouping of words and phrases could become so poetic and actually make sense!!
Once I had my story, which ended up a poem, my next challenge was to tell it over time. I found that pacing was very important to how a story is portrayed. Pacing and Scale can emphasis certain words over others and create suspense. I also wanted to keep the focus on the words because in order to understand the story they had to be read. This created a challenge in what representation would be best for reading on screen. Early on, I eliminated movement within the words and focused on fading and blurring as a means of transition.
Next came sound....Listening to the audio Tony had in class helped me to understand that sound can become a wonderful provider for experience and mood within a piece. A great example of the abilities of sound can be seen in a typical horror movie...would it really be as scary without the high shreaking sounds as the killer steps out of the closet? Probably not. Keeping this in account I brainstormed sounds (abstract and concrete) that related to my subject matter and process. Sounds that didnt TELL the story but added to it.

Review your process to date with your dictionary page and then list and describe those variable (use your own terms—make them up if you like) that you are balancing. Open this up beyond a list. What about working with the media? Moving back and forth between some sort of storyboard or poster or real-time interaction with the page and the index card or the computer? S-s-s-sound?

(I basically…)

Build up
Subtle down
Subtle build up
Subtle down
Subtle build up
Subtle down
Build up
Tip over
Delete
Play
Subtle touch
Watch/Listen
Watch
Listen
Watch/Listen
Subtle sound
Play
Watch
Layer
Watch/Listen
Watch
Subtle touch
Watch/Listen
Watch/Listen
Subtle touch
Subtle sound
Layer
Subtle sound
Watch/Listen
Watch/Listen
play
remove
Watch/Listen
Synchronize
Watch/Listen
play
synchronize
Watch/Listen
Listen
Layer
Play
Watch/Listen
Desynchronize
Watch
Watch/Listen
Expand duration
Play
Expand silence
Fill
Contract
Contract
Subtle sound
Play
Subtle sound
Layer
Layer
Watch
Watch
Watch/Listen
Watch/Listen
Watch/Listen
Remove
Synchronize
Watch
Watch/Listen
Watch
Play
Desynchronize
Watch/Listen
Watch/Listen
Watch
Watch/Listen
Watch/Listen
Watch/Listen

(…and so on.)

Storyboarding, in the most traditional sense of the term, blocks my thought process. When I story board, I get wrapped up in the thing itself. I get into a frame of mind where I am on a translating mission instead of accepting that it was better in the form in which I designed it in the first place.

I’m suspicious of ‘meaning’. ‘Intention’ is baffling, too. Some approaches include hinting, “Hey, pay attention, there might be something to get soon,” and “Look at me, look at me.” I’m guilty of both, but I don’t think either can be discussed as meaning or intention.

There is a huge assumption that the ‘intended audience’ will remember what was ‘said’ in the previous frame, and the frame before that, and the frame before that, and then pull it all together into a cheese puff of meaning. Don’t lie, you’ve hoped for the cheese puff occasionally. But that requires a moment of reflection, which motion does not necessarily allow. Motion allows for prediction, assumption, and anticipation. When given a reflection ‘space’ we resist, “is it over, was there a technical difficulty, when is it going to change…?” If quiet durations are rhythmically paced so the viewer knows when the next change will occur, can motion invite reflection or will it forever be a medium of amnesia?

Enough with the rant (if you are still reading).

I’m not sure if form comes from time or vise versa. The phenomenon of time (in terms of perception) seems to have something to do with change. E.G. I cannot know form without change (or multiple, sequential experiences of that form). But the same statement with time--I cannot know time without change--also seems true. So, are we really talking about controlling change in the context of duration? Are we talking about structuring moments of anticipation and saving reflection for the critique instead of building it into the piece? There I go, looking for meaning and intention.

Working in time allows me to be more playful in my process. It opens up a conversation between the piece and my state of mind/body (there is no divide). The rendered thing is evidence of a negotiation than a controlled production. It’s a recorded whispering. I like that. I love that. We can read into each other’s pieces what we want, but do we ever notice the conversation of the making?

I started with the page and the frame. Then I started writing little stories and making some basic storyboards, then writing more little stories that sound more like plays and less like prose. At some point I put the storyboards into after effects and made a little movie. Then I saved a new version, deleted all the stuff I'd done before, and started trying to bring my little play to life. In the process, I started editing the story and the dictionary page, taking out the bits that could be inferred or ignored. Hopefully in the end there will be just enough of each for the idea to come across. I added sound, took it out again, added it, took it out, read my story again, edited it, and put some of it back.

I've been paring things down in this project. Each element holds so much possible information (the dictionary, motion, and sound) that it's been important to me to keep things simple, even if it means leaving some ideas/thoughts/possibilities for later. AfterEffects has been a challenge at some level, too — but I've found that when I keep things simple and have a plan that it isn't quite as scary, hairy, or mean as I remember it.

I began, like suggested, with the dictionary page and frame. I then went from using one frame to two, to three. When I was looking through the frame, I was not ‘looking for a story.’ At least not one with words that came directly from the page. I then went to the copy machine, but I went to soon. I went before I was ready. So I went back to the dictionary page. I drew dots over all of the numbers and focused on just the words themselves. The story that I began to develop had to do more with action and reading itself. The assumptions made in reading – how can we listen to a song for the first time and pretty know what is coming next in the lyrics, same with reading a book – the sequence of words. Or when scanning, misreading one word for another and the difference it makes. I went back again to the copy machine. I wanted to create a rhythm without words. One that was read like words and lead to assumptions like words, but with out the connotations words came with. At this point I’m very far from the dictionary page – but couldn’t haven’t gotten here without it. So I created a book of sorts. I wanted to be done. I wanted to have someone listen to a 310’s song on my ipod while going through the book – creating their own pace. But that was too comfortable. So I scanned in every page of my book, took a video flipping through my book and began working with it in after effects (not comfortable). I’m still editing.

I haven’t worked much with sound, but enjoy what it can bring to it, how it can tie it all together. How it effects/works a long with time. But also, learning to be conscious of it, of all of it, so only what is needed is there. Not too much, nor too little. Just enough to tell – with surprises of course. I have limited myself by only allowing fade in/fade out, and the use of natural (video) movement – conversation between print and motion (my main challenge) and how that interacts/works with sound. For me this project could last all semester – I’ve just begun to figure it out.

scan, read, read again, look through the viewfinder, repeat…
how does the reader experience the dictionary page, is it the same experience everytime?

i read through the page, writing down words that formed a story. then i moved to the xerox machine, making copies, zooming in and out, using the frame, thinking of scale [powers of ten]. i started moving the pages around producing this nice extended type that became somewhat fluid. i began tracing over words, eliminating different syllables and thinking about the the way people pronounce words.

i didn't know what i was searching for, but i kept pushing on, returning back to the dictionary page that i started from. i made a quick book, pasting down words, telling my narrative that i had discovered before. finally i printed out process work, ideas on tracing paper. this allowed me to see all the ideas/experiments i had tried out, all these different layers that allowed me to reach the point that i am now. filming the xerox machine, its light scanning across the page [similar to reader], and making a copy of the information its seen [read], serves as a metaphor to my experience [and others] with the way one reads/digests information.

personally ive always been intimidated by motion, but i think this project has slowly opened me up. making that transition from print to motion [fluidly] is something that im really excited about. ive began to see print [motion] in a new way, pages turning into frames…

I began, like suggested, with the dictionary page and frame. I then went from using one frame to two, to three. When I was looking through the frame, I was not ‘looking for a story.’ At least not one with words that came directly from the page. I then went to the copy machine, but I went to soon. I went before I was ready. So I went back to the dictionary page. I drew dots over all of the numbers and focused on just the words themselves. The story that I began to develop had to do more with action and reading itself. The assumptions made in reading – how can we listen to a song for the first time and pretty know what is coming next in the lyrics, same with reading a book – the sequence of words. Or when scanning, misreading one word for another and the difference it makes. I went back again to the copy machine. I wanted to create a rhythm without words. One that was read like words and lead to assumptions like words, but with out the connotations words came with. At this point I’m very far from the dictionary page – but couldn’t haven’t gotten here without it. So I created a book of sorts. I wanted to be done. I wanted to have someone listen to a 310’s song on my ipod while going through the book – creating their own pace. But that was too comfortable. So I scanned in every page of my book, took a video flipping through my book and began working with it in after effects (not comfortable). I’m still editing.

I haven’t worked much with sound, but enjoy what it can bring to it, how it can tie it all together. How it effects/works a long with time. But also, learning to be conscious of it, of all of it, so only what is needed is there. Not too much, nor too little. Just enough to tell – with surprises of course. I have limited myself by only allowing fade in/fade out, and the use of natural (video) movement – conversation between print and motion (my main challenge) and how that interacts/works with sound. For me this project could last all semester – I’ve just begun to figure it out.

when i first sat down with the dictionary page i got out my index card and made a frame as we were encouraged to do. after about 15 minutes of scanning the page, framing stuff, and pulling the frame closer to my eye then away again i figured i was ready to move on screen. so i scanned in the page high res and put it in after effects. the first step was to move across the page with easy eases, both in and out. after doing this i realized this wasn't working and it probably wasn't the assignment. i then spent two or three weeks struggling and coming up with a few short movies and print stuff here and there. it was hard to wrap my head around a narrative in this page. it wasn't until we started looking at sound that i started to figure things out. i decided to let sound dictate the pacing and motion in my piece. this really opened things up, i started thinking about simply flashing the dictionary imagery on screen rather than moving things across the screen. this also forced me to think about framing and how the intensity of this flashing relates to the intensity of the sound; or even what happens when you simulate a camera shake.

i still don't know quite where this piece will end up or if i'll ever really finish it but im becoming more and more excited exploring sound and simple motion with this dictionary page. my process has been different with this work in that ive started down quite a few paths only to completely started over again. i've moved from print to screen back to print to sound and then back to screen.

enough about my work though, i was really excited with a lot of the stuff we looked at in weds class, it seems like everyone it starting to figure stuff out in a variety of ways. it will be interesting to see where all this stuff ends up.

I started this project about one inch away from the page. Maybe not exactly one inch, but close nonetheless. After reading through the page and listing interesting words, the first step I took was subtractive. I tried removing the letterforms and only dealing with the notations. I didn’t go very far on this avenue. Next, I tried working with the actual page off of the computer, still subtractive. I made an artifact thinking about the materiality as well as narrative. These aspects of the page became my entry point to the project. After realizing this I started to look at something that had been in the back of my mind since practically the beginning of the project. The experience/actions involved in reading, especially reading something as boring as a dictionary. I wanted to show the process of nodding off while reading, the loss of time (blackout periods), spatial disruptions, confusion, and frustration. I had a hard time translating what I wanted to do/say into “motion” form. I was still working with too may layers and different narratives. Eventually, I realized that the experience was a rich enough narrative without forcing anything. After that point I fumbled around for a while trying to use elements from my earlier attempts. Pulling back from the page and dealing with the experience of reading rather than forcing the audience to read was a breakthrough for me. Playing with the scanner and a bit of musical inspiration gave me something interesting to work with, once I started making it for myself.

I enjoy the final piece as it stands and I’m fairly sure very few people interpret it the same way I do, which I’m fine with. But like Tony said in class it speaks to a specific very limited audience and I’m not sure how to resolve that.

~i stayed with making storyboards and drawings for a while before even touching that blasted aftereffects monstrosity. i was thinking of motion graphics in terms of the language of film, and film is comprised mostly of juxtapositions of shots and scenes, in a sequence. so i tried to document alot of different visual jumps and thinking about the effects of those before attempting to translate it into motion.
~my mind always goes back to the discussion we had about the experience of film vs the experience of reading. the connections and interplay between the two seem like this vast uncharted frontier (or something) that could be really exciting. film is pretty much the most subjective, manipulative medium ever (especially because its a passive experience) so the way the camera behaves, what it shows and how, is almost solely responsible for creating meaning for the audience. reading is an active experience but we've gotten so good at it by now that certain words or combinations can create meaning reflexively. so youve got these two really different ways of giving meaning to abstraction....combine the two and its like you have a whole new medium, or at least a decent hybrid. i think just the idea of that is REALLY interesting and ive really only scratched surfaces in exploring that.
~sound is a third variable of equal power i think, because a carefully chosen sound can indicate a whole new or maybe even opposite meaning for the visual. i scratched everything i had done when we talked about sound. i recorded alot of things that made sense to me at the time (and some that were fairly random) and began to let those kindof dictate the style and pacing of the motion. it was interesting enough
~and pacing is one that i havent thought too hard about in terms of creating meaning, i know im missing out. ive really only so far looked at it in terms of setting up patterns or rhythms and the effects that has on the viewing expereince and what expectations that sets up (which is, as ive looked at it so far, within the conventions of film viewing). im still just experimenting with the way an audience will interact with a movie and hoping that at least some of the desired effects or indicies are coming across.
~so far ive limited myself to using sound and unadulterated presentation of the page and words (scanning, cutting, etc) and trying to incorporate both the conventions of film and reading and have them work together to form a new meaning (a successful integration it seems is still a ways off..)

ps. i was a total failure wednesday, but i uploaded what i was gonna show onto the intarnet if anyone is interested: seeyainclass....

hey Tony-of-the-power-to-spend lab fees: i was just thinking tonight that it is a shame that the dept doesn't have a real audio workstation (unless i'm mistaken...?) an mbox or a digi002 and a copy of protools in the cluster would be a darn sight better way to explore sound than students struggling with audion or g'rage band.

The majority of my process for these past few projects has been about processing (Huh, process=processing, never would have guessed it!). Then reprocessing in a new way. Then taking the new reprocessed stuff and reprocessing it again. Taking something that starts out very simple and building on it, taking away from it, pulling it apart, rearranging it and then putting it back together only to do it over again. This has really opened my eyes to the huge differences that can be produced from the slightest shift in view or material.

I really tried to pursue this in the movie that manipulated type all in the camera. Combining the raw footage with footage of it being re-recorded on different surfaces and from different angles then seeing how bringing these separate pieces back together could confuse the line between them. Making it more complex yet still in unison...

The lessons learned from this class thus far as been truly enlightening. I feel as though I have opened up new questions for myself as it relate of language and the way we speak and read it. I now see the potential for much more exploration in regards to what it means to read our language within a virtual space.
Being in this class with so many designers with such differing way of approaching a project has been a great thing. Project 3 most of all opened up my process a great deal.
I feel as though this class has been a great supplement to my graduate studio. In many ways we are studying the same thing in both class. How to construct narratives over time? It has been really educational to see how all of my classmates have explored and experimented with this question throughout the semester. Watching the things created in this class has helped me see how a lot of theory we speak about other classes could begin to be questioned and furthered explored.