Final thoughts

Final thoughts and ethics

I would like to start by saying I had a great time in this class. I learned a lot about a subject previously I had no real interest in.  I now enjoy art and especially media art.  The class was great and mainly because we had an awesome teacher.  We covered many interesting topics and did some great work.  I think media art will shape the future and I hope to be part of that.  I will continue my education of media arts so that I can get better at it. 

I found that working on the collaborative project was a bit of a problem.  It shows how hard it is to actually get everyone on the same page.  It took much longer than I thought it would but in the end I believe everyone did a great job.  It was fun to do.  What was so amazing was the fact that in a big budget film it takes a ton of people to complete.  So to look at how hard it was to get the project completed it is surprising that the movies ever get done.

As many others have also commented on Behance was a bit of a problem area.  It did not want to cooperate.  I did enjoy doing the blogs much better but the problem is that you cannot post videos and such there.  I think I really need to take time and figure out BeHance much better.

I have learned much during this short time.  I know there is much more to learn and many more aspects to the different programs that I used.  I believe I am much more motivated to learn the ins and outs of media arts.  I think it was a rather informative semester and a great learning experience.

I think the major setback to any artists is the initial idea.   Once you come up with the idea then it is just a matter of using the right tools to create it.  The learning sites do such a great job at this.  It is possible to find information on any subject matter that you would like to learn. 

As far as ethics go I use the tools that I pay for.  I do not believe that I should use property that does not belong to me.  If I receive free usage on an item then I will use that as long as it does not infringe on any rights.  Many artists allow their work to be used by people as long as they give them credit for the work.  Some do not allow business to use these works unless they buy that right from them.  In this case if you want it bad enough you will pay for it.  I can understand this because I would not want someone to use something I created without my permission in doing so.

As a final statement I have to say overall this was a great semester and I learned quite a bit.  It is not with my major which is computer science but it was a welcome break from it.  I would really like to learn more about this subject.

the ocean

For my project I decided to write about sounds that I hear while sitting by the ocean.  The ocean is my favorite place to go and relax.  I work 6 to 7 days a week from April to November between a golf course where I manage a snack bar and my own computer and phone repair business.  When the golf course closes my wife who also works with me go on vacation.  This year we went to visit my daughter in Louisiana first in November and now again in April to see my first grandchild.  My wife complains that she is only 35 and a grandmother but that what happens when you marry and older man with three kids.  She loves her grandchild and even though our visit was short only a week this time we went through Florida and spending three days here at Amelia Island.  

1.     The sounds of the gulls in the air

2.     The sounds of the waves hitting the shore.

3.     The sounds of footsteps in the sand.

4.     The sounds of the boats.

5.     The sound of a gentle breeze brushing by my face.

6.     The splashing sounds as the waves hit rocks farther out.

The sound the sand makes when you walk just at the edge of the water
The sound of the splashing in the water.
The ocean has very distinct sounds and they are burned into your brain whenever you think about it.  They also have distinct smells and sensation that is not possible to have elsewhere.  It is a beautiful place.    I think all these sounds make up the ocean and I would not take any away including the boats because it is part of the scene.

Whale Watch1

This is the script that I made to go along with my sound assignment.  It is about last summer when we went on a whale watch at Cape Ann.  It was a beautiful site to see and hear.  This was done in Adobe Story in multi-layout script.

My birthplace

(http://www.saratogacountyny.gov/our-cities-towns-villages/city-of-saratoga-springs/)

I was born in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.  It is a city that is famous for a few things.  The most popular being the Racetrack.  It open in the late 1800's.  It is also famous for its health spas.  These two popular attractions led to the draw of the early settlers.  It also created a city that was built on "Old Money".
North Broadway is full of huge mansions.  These Mansions mainly were built for private residents.  Some of them now are used to rent out rooms for students.  Saratoga is also the home to Skidmore College.  It started out as an all women college.  It catered to art students at first then later developed into several different career choices.
The city itself has several beautiful parks.  During the time I was growing up there was many tourists who came for the spas.  Now the racetrack is more popular.  It is not a bad city to grow up in.  In the summer time it is very busy with the track.  In the winter it is the opposite very quiet.  Not many places to find work in the winter, so some residents wait to the track opens and the summer comes.  There are a few factories that provide work but its not a factory city.
It is around 45 minutes or so from the state capital Albany.  Many of the city residents work in this area.  Every year I see more and more houses going up.  Many of these are for the upper middle class and the rich.  I do not see many for the lower middle class and the poorer.

Adirondack Balloon Festival

(picture I took last year, most actually went up this time)

The Adirondack Balloon Festival

It all started in the early 1970’s when the Warren County tourism and publicity office needed some event that would bring more people to the region after Labor Day.  As I have witness in the last few years is that it has its good points and bad points.  The good points are that it does bring tourists from all over.  The bad points are that the weather in this area does not always cooperate with the balloonists. 

The first of the festivals was held here at our local college SUNY Adirondack Community College.  The festival grew to be so large that the small grounds at the college could not accommodate it anymore.  It then moved to our country airport.  It can only accommodate small planes but it works out quite well for the festival. 

This is a Not-For-Profit organization.  The money for it is raised by volunteers and the support of the community.  What is so great is that the event is free of charge.  There are many vendors and they have a breakfast in the morning.  Many different areas participate in the event from all over the country.  It also draws people from other countries including Japan.

The event last for about 4 days and the crowds are always growing.  I really enjoy watching the balloons take off.  Small groups of balloonists take off at ACC and Crandall Park in Glens Falls.  It is really an amazing event.  I wish that it could have been done earlier in the year.  I can understand why they wanted it after Labor Day.  This is a tourist area where in the spring and summer it is very busy but the rest of the year not so much.  It is events like this that makes this area so enjoyable.

Blog Assignment 2

Pitch, Budget, Timeline

The storyboard idea works well.  It lets you put your ideas down and make changes.  I do not believe that it is always necessary, but it can be helpful when you are trying to decide on how you want things to proceed.

The Pitch

For my final project I am creating a story.  The story will be about traveling.  It will be filled with photos, narrative, and sounds when applicable. It always amaze me when I see so many people have never left the state they live in.  I have been to several countries and went on a cross country driving trip on the east coast from N.Y. to Houston.  It was a two week trip and we had many adventures along the way.  I think it will be quite interesting for others to see that there is more to the world then the neighborhood grocer.

The Budget

I have to spend no more than much of my time organizing and putting everything together.  I have the software and the pictures already.  The cost of doing such traveling is in the thousands actually, but that is not included.  I believe it is such a wonderful experience to see other cultures not only in other countries but here in our own.

THE TIMELINE:

March 8 – Have the story outlined and go through the pictures and get any that I am missing.

March 22 – Have it all laid out and the story written

April 6 – Have everything ready to go and run it by my wife for corrections.

Due Date- Turn in after all corrections are done.  This step may take longer depending on how many changes that my wife may suggest.  It is something that she is very picky on.

Sea/Ocean

Our favorite place to go and relax.  I call it an ocean, my wife calls it the sea.  The dictionary says they are interchangeable.

Project Flowchart

This is idea for my new website.  I was going to use it as my project for this class but not sure about how much time it will take to complete. The home page will direct to the different sections.  There will be menus for easy access.  The first section is Purchases and services.  It will use the rule of thirds guidelines so that everything is perfectly placed.  I will also use close-ups of the electronics for sale.  By using close-ups the customer can see exactly what they are purchasing.  I will use look space in the videos.  I will also use the law of proximity in both my videos and my photos so they will understand the grouping.  When appropriate I will use tilted horizontal line.  I will also use symmetry because balance is very important in both photos and film.   In some instances it will be very important to use extra close-up.  This will be an asset in putting something back together due to sometimes in a phone for instance the screws are so tiny.  Of course sometimes it will be important to use medium shots when I want to get a farther away view but not to far in that case would use long shots.  If i needed and even wide shot then I can use wide shot. It would also be important to use Leadspace when appropriate for the shot.  From my reading I came to a better understanding of photography and film.  I never realized before how much work and thinking goes into every shot.  

What is Media Art?

Media art is artwork that uses a technical media to function.  It is a way to get your story across to your audience.  There are several ways to do this and it depends on the person doing it and their preference.

Imaginary project

My imaginary project would be an mmorpg(massive multiplayer online role playing game).  It would consist of the player starting in a world that was full of resources.  It would also contain various mobs (computer controlled characters).  The player would need to use the materials to build and survive.  It would also include terraforming.  He would be able to build any way he wanted as long as he owned the land.  It would have taming and farming.  There would be open PVP with penalties against those that attack their own kind.  In this manner it would make someone think before they attack someone without cause.  I enjoy games where crafting is a large part of the economy.  Many games have tried but few have succeeded in getting it right.  I would actually use various ideas from several games ie: Ultima Online(early days) people worked together to survive against the PVPers (player vs players).  It actually felt like a community even though the graphics was not up to date.  Another game that doesn't get much attention is Wurm it has some great building and crafting ideas.  I also believe the games should be more realistic someone robs you or kills you they would probably take what you had on you.  The problem with these games is that people cry when they die and all there stuff gets looted.  I never pvped much but crafted and these types of games make it much better for crafters.  Another game that had some good aspects was Star Wars Galaxies.  I would incorporate some ideas from there.  The different planets was a great idea and could be put into good use in my game.  There is a ton of other changes that I would incorporate into the game also and balancing is also very important.

2.  My project that I would like to do is one using my photos.  I think I would do it in a slideshow exhibit.  It would have sound,music,and explanations of each picture.  I have traveled to many places this year including from NY to Texas by car with many photos and also to Poland and Barcelona.

This is the blog for my Media Arts class