The Freak Factor

www.changethis.com
1. What's Your Problem?
     What's Your Problem asks us to think about what it is that an employer or a parent might say about us that they would consider a "weakness."  In a typical job interview you will be asked what your weakness is.  Usually things like messiness, impatience, and short attention spans are all pin pointed.  The Freak Factor asks us to think about these things differently.  Instead of thinking of them just as bad characteristics, think of them as the opposite trait to your strengths, such as creativity, energy, and being outspoken.  To be good at being creative, you probably are going to be a little stubborn, a little controlling, and probably prefer to work alone.  You cannot cut out these "negative" characteristics to be a more "well rounded" individual.  We need to stop trying to attain this.  Be good at what your good at, and forget the rest.

2. What's My Problem
      This point describes how the author realized his weaknesses were clues to his apparent strengths.  He realizes that you can be successful with a cluttered desk.  Function however you function best.  The author was described to have the weaknesses of talking too much and being too hyperactive.  He took those things, and became a professor.  He now gets paid to stand, and talk, the two things that were his apparent downfalls.  This is helpful because the person who isn't a good team player works alone in the real world.  The person who doesn't like authority becomes an entrepreneur and runs his own business. Take your weakness and mold your career to where it helps you be a better you! Your "weakness" is now a strength.

3.  There's Nothing Wrong With You
        In this point we read about a drug addict of 15 years loses everything that mattered to him and was homeless.  He completely turned his life around and is married with 4 children and has a successful non profit organization and a best selling book.  We learn that he did change his life, but he's still an addict.  He just changed what he is addicted to.  He is now hooked on Ironman triathlons.  We can learn to do this in our everyday lives as well.  Take your negative features and apply it toward career oriented things or goals.

Through working with others throughout my relatively short creative career I have learned the typical "creative person traits" apply to myself.  I have come to terms with the fact that I am controlling when it comes to MY creative work.  I am also a perfectionist with my work. I love to talk, and talk a lot, with people I don't know.  And, yes, sometimes I do enjoy being the center of attention.  So, in a way, I suppose I have already applied these pieces of advice toward my life.  I like attention, so I became a DJ.  I love being in control of my work so I compose my own pieces in my bed room. However, I am practicing on my work with others.  It takes time learning how to create with others.  My strengths are all similar to my weaknesses. I do love to talk to people, so I'm a networker. I am controlling with my creative pieces cause I know what it needs to sound like or look like in my head.  I have vision and direction and I just try to adhere to it.
      

Collapsus

In my opinion, the "interactive storytelling" like Collapsus is fascinating.  However, to me it seems to be just novelty.  Much like our current obsession with touch screens and iPads.  I do not see the interactive storytelling ever really being fun.  For users to really be immersed into the action one needs to either be just playing, or just listening. These mixtures of didactive and active learning are confusing.  Especially for young video game consumers.  No children will have the patience to stick with the intellectual work of understanding such elaborate storytelling.  Trans-Media has not impacted my own creative work.  This class has reminded me how exciting it is to share your work with others.  In the long run, interactive media, and any media for that matter is just about sharing your creative ideas with others.  As long as interactive media delivers intricate ways of sharing these ideas, it will have a niche market.

Video Game Reflections

With our Concept of a "Wheel Chair Rugby" sports game, most of the main points were easy to convey.  Certain details probably could have been conveyed a little clearer.  Things like how online multi-player may work and the controls of the actual game play may have made the presentation clearer.  Strong points in our presentation were details about the different game modes; Exhibition Mode, Career Mode, and Dynasty Mode. Another strong point was our menu layout.  Thanks to other sports games we had models to follow for the most effective interface.

Rules and Mechanics were the hardest concepts to convey.  Wheel Chair Rugby is not widely popular, so explaining rules of a foreign sport concisely is difficult.  Mechanics of how the game will actually play, controls, and how fun the game will feel is also difficult because no other game like this exists.

Hero/Villain Critiques

http://firstday-chad.blogspot.com/
Chad used a lot of color to direct our attention toward his action.  The Hues used offer many different varieties for your eyes to watch.  The Brightness makes the viewer want to watch what is going to happen next.  Parallel Movements are used with the arm movements of the stick figures.
http://willcrowthermdia203.blogspot.com/
Will's animation has all black color, this to me creates a unique mood.  No color is used until the end when he utilizes a bright red hue to exaggerate the symbolism.
http://musingsofmdia203.blogspot.com/
Ryan shows weight, by allowing the bright red saturated balloon to float into the air.

This American Life

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/178/superpowers

I have always been drawn to Batman.  My cousin and I would search for hours to locate the nearest safety pin to hold our towel capes around our necks.  Once this objective was achieved, we would then tumble around the house as if we were Batman and Robin fighting crime.  In my solo ventures, I had numerous chest plates, black masks, and silk capes for my own Batman get ups.  The chest plate was necessary to make me appear shredded, like Batman’s impeccable physique.

                The question is why Batman.  Well, Batman is a unique super hero.  Batman does not have any super powers.  Batman is a man who has virtually unlimited resources because of his wealth.  With his unlimited time and resources, he can afford to be in shape, technologically superior, and trained in the best combat training known to man.  As a kid I always knew the abilities that super man had were horribly unrealistic.  But Batman, he just had a utility belt, state-of-the-art car, and a lair with a butler named Alfred.  The things Batman could do with his utility belt are enough to make any kid want a grappling gun or a net gun.  Batman could rush into the city at any sign of need, and round up any villain.  Any damage Batman might take could easily be repaired by Alfred.  Also, the best thing about Batman was at any sign of trouble he had an uncanny ability to escape.  With a smoke bomb or two and a flash of his cape, Batman would be zip lining to another sky scraper away from an impending capture.  This ability to escape was always fascinating to me.  The ability to conquer any situation with the items you have in your possession is one that excites me most about Batman’s abilities.

Hero/Villain Animation

Video Projects

                In the first joke we used stuffed animals to convey the action.  With stuffed animals we get to utilize line and shape more dramatically because stuffed animals are exaggerated figures.  Lines are created when the stuffed animals are set up with OTS shots and making eye contact.  Obviously they cannot really make eye contact because of the lack of life, so we can make it look like they are with lines.  The shape is important because the different animals draw your eyes in different ways.  The figure of the pig can be metaphorically used as the corrupt economist, thanks to shape.

                In the second joke we employed movement quite a bit.  Starting with the interviewer, we made her awkward.  Each interviewee after that had their own unique movements.  Each interviewee frustratingly left the room after their interview; each frustration being utilized with movement.  Lines were used with the awkward eye contact made between both the interviewer and interviewee.

                The joke script we chose conveniently uses tension and release.  The joke creates a tension by making you watch one interview after another.  During the first two interviews you do not where the joke is going.  You finally get a release at the very end after the punch line is delivered.

                The videos are similar in that they both utilized similar dialogue with similar shots.  They are obviously very different with inanimate objects in one and real actors in the other.