Project II Proposal - What Does Reality Mean to You?

CONCEPT - WHAT DOES REALITY MEAN TO YOU? The concept for this project stems from the information I have sorted through and collected for my thesis. This animation has to do with the information I collect from a survey I created and distributed through the internet Facebook and email lists). This method of distribution worked well last year for my pilot study, and I collected responses from 57 people. However, the web site Kwiksurveys, which hosted the survey, had a server crash and lost all of my data. Last week I sent out a new link to the new SurveyMonkey survey. Before I posted the survey, I listed a link to my video from the last project - Reality, Defined. This is intended to help get the survey-taker thinking about these subjects. The survey asks 6 questions (3 demographic, 3 philosophical open-ended essay questions): 1. Please choose your age group 2. What best describes your occupation or field of study? 3. How often do you watch movies? 4. How are some ways in which people perceive reality in the present day (This can be influenced by technology and circumstance, for example)? 5. What does reality mean to you? Define the word "reality" - what it means to you in simple terms. 6. Describe the reality you see or do not see in current films. Do you see any trends towards realism or are films moving away from it? Explain. (You can use your own definition of "reality" here or a new one). Here is a link to the survey

The questions are intentionally left ambiguous and open-ended so the survey-taker can go off on tangents about their own thoughts and opinions on the subject. The survey is well-underway and does not need IRB approval (Maria and I inquired about that). The intended audience is anyone and everyone. I think most of the responses, however, will be young people around my age who use the internet, because I used a Facebook event and sent the link out to current grad students at OSU via email as a method of distribution. The answers from last year’s survey were varied but had interesting repeating trends within the answers, so I decided that once I collect all the new data I can use the answers to create a framework and narrative for my new animation. This will be dependent on the repeating answers, as well as the interesting outliers. One unique example, for instance, consists of a user talking about how drugs influence reality in the present day, and how films such as Fight Club psychologically explore reality in a much more intriguing way than other films. These kinds of answers are great for creating a narrative piece which will then translate over to a larger thesis film for next year. I intend for this version to be an exploratory piece, and next year’s film to be lengthier and included more information. The basic concept for this research is that I want to establish a dialog about the ways in which society perceives reality, since every individual can perceive reality differently. I would also like to sprinkle in information about how films portray reality, considering technology in film has really altered perceptions of what reality looks like - and also has altered people’s expectations.

Examples/Inspiration I am enamored with the style of the animation in this soil video. It is simple, with stylized low-poly objects that create an interesting dichotomy between 3-Dimensions and 2-Dimensions. This play on dimensions feeds into my concept of various forms of reality, and might be a little easier to texture and model given the time frame we have for this project. My project will not have a character, however, because I want the viewer to be experiencing the reality I talk about firsthand. I also would like to have richer textures - maybe created with paintings I make.

Examples/Inspiration This is a still from a style test animation I created based on a painting I made as a BFA student called Untitled. It uses 3D objects composited with painted layers. I am thinking about combining hand-created textures with animation.

Reality, Defined: Process and Final Video

Short Description: This short video was created as an introduction to my thesis area of study. Reality is an elusive subject that can be perceived by every person differently. This video provides a crash course on several forms of reality such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and hyperreality. The video was created in the style of the Everything is a Remix series here on vimeo, using several forms of media such as vector graphics, video, and free stock photos. Song is by Deltason called "Remote" from freemusicarchive.org. Virtual Reality Video is called "Virtual Eye Glasses EPK" available on archive.org.

Process and Reason for Making. The process for making this video depended on syncing up my voice recording with motion graphics that I created and various media that I found and thought would fit with the themes and concepts of my script. The idea for this video stems from thesis writing that serves to establish definitions for repeated concepts I will use in my thesis paper (will most likely be appendix information). This will allow the reader to fully understand the difference between the forms of reality I mention in my paper, and also provide more information that won't appear in the paper for reference. It will also serve to introduce a survey I will give for my final thesis project.

Thinking about Light and a Balanced Life

Today I was thinking about lighting and I stumbled upon this video. Beautiful visuals, which play with light and set a peaceful serene soundtrack to the film. The light in this piece is so brilliantly achieved - in a variety of different spaces and contexts. What I also noticed is that it uses AfterEffects techniques we learned in class - Using 3D layers in post with a moving camera that utilizes impossible camera movements filmmakers could not readily achieve in physical space, but only in digital space. Some of these shots achieve photorealism and I actually had to double check to make sure that some of the film source for this film is not live-action (although it uses telescope photos from space)! I thought the shots with the drops of water on the spider web were gorgeous, as the way the light and reflections/refractions sparkle and showcase that nice shader on the water droplets is brilliant.

I think this short film captures a sense of wonder, and really put me in a mood to make peace with my work and be at ease. This film, with the music and the beautiful scenery is metaphysical in nature. It got me thinking about life balance and order. I think this is important because we all have a lot going on right now... I know I consistently bite off more than I can chew and blindly hope it all pans out for the best. Taking a moment for mental health is key in maintaining sanity, especially with a ridiculous work schedule (my fellow grad students agree). I think for now, I am going to focus on maintaining a balance in all aspects of life, as this vital for well-being.

Grit

Today I wanted to post a quote that Nikki (another grad student) showed me, a quote from Ira Glass, a public radio personality and host/producer of This American Life. I find myself coming back to this quote in times of doubt or times that I experience "masterpiece syndrome," perfectionism in my work, or also pessimism. I think it's a great point of reflection for any person who has chosen a career path in a creative field. It's difficult to find structure and know when exactly there is a point to continue or a point to stop working on projects that are creative, especially self-directed projects. You really have to rely on your experience with design and art to create work that communicates to an audience in an effective or interesting way. What speaks to me about this quote is that it carries the message that you have to try. And work hard. And fail many many times. It's a natural and normal process in life and in a creative career. But what never changes is your core taste which got you into the game. Take a minute to think about how far you've come. Sure, a lot of your work has probably sucked, and you've probably failed many times. But hey, you worked and planned and tried until some of your work was actually good. And then better. And even kick ass!!!. This quote is a great daily affirmation. Never give up creatives! The ones who succeed are never the smartest, or even the quickest to learn, etc. They are the strong ones that keep pushing and never give up even when their early work belongs in the trash can. They create volumes of work with no hesitation. Only by trying everything, they find their perfect niche. They are the ones who work the hardest and have endurance. The most successful creatives have the most grit.

--Quoted from Ira Glass-- “What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me . . . is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”