Ideas

Tag: sound

  • What makes you happy?

    Can you become happier through analysis of what makes you happy?  Can you gain greater understanding of other people’s happiness through similar analysis?  I think the answer to both questions is “yes.”

    I recently purchased the second season of George Lucas’ The Clone Wars.  Overall, I’m completely thrilled – so much so that I am starting to think the series is better than the original trilogies.  As I progressed through each episode, I found my level of happiness directly linked to a few select scenes.  While I was happy watching every episode, I couldn’t stop but wonder why certain scenes were more “joy-provoking” than others.

    Let me share a few examples to further explore this concept.

    In the episode entitled “Cargo of Doom”, there is one scene where a bounty hunter named Cad Bane has jumped into a parked spaceship to flee from Anakin Skywalker.  Once Bane jumps into the spaceship, there is some brief animation as he turns on the ship’s power.  This is visible through the illumination of lights within the ship’s cockpit.  What really excited me was the sequence of lights that illuminated within the 1-2 second interval.  Instead of just showing a single illumination (i.e. the ship is now “on”), the animators took the time to show a purposeful sequence of illumination (spatial relationship and number) giving the sense of multiple subsystems and overall complexity.

    Once the ship has taken off, and Anakin is forced to jump off the wing to avoid injury, the camera follows the ship briefly as the wings are lowered and the ship accelerates.  While difficult to convey here, the chosen camera angle illustrates the significance of the situation, the complexity and acceleration of the ship, and the sheer size difference between the ship, the hangar and humans on the ground.

    So, what are the themes that comprise this scene? (i.e. why do I like this scene in particular?)

    Themes: technology, complexity, purpose, attention to detail, “part of something larger”, perspective, power, energy, spatial relationship, design

    In another episode (“Landing at Point Rain”), there is another scene that I simply love.  The Republic is taking heavy losses against the Separatists.  After much delay, Y-wing fighters are deployed to the planet to provide critical assistance.  The scene begins with a surprised Obi-Wan Kenobi followed quickly by a ground-level camera angle that shows the rapidly approaching Y-wing (a “fly-by”).  While the scene lasts all of two seconds (~60 frames of animation), the sheer power and acceleration of the spaceship combined with an equally powerful sound effect makes for a very immersive scene.

    Themes: “feeling of being there”, magnitude, realism, sound, surprise, immersion, perspective, uniqueness, influence, control, sense of scale, speed

    While I could describe other scenes that produced similar euphoria, I’d recommend renting or purchasing the series to witness this creative masterpiece for yourself.  What’s important here, however, is the opinion that one’s ability to describe the themes associated with feelings of joy and happiness can ultimately open up new opportunities for oneself and one’s connection with others.

    To expand upon this latter point, when interacting with others – either as friends or as colleagues – you can learn about people by truly understanding the facets of the things that provide them with joy.  For example, the statement “I enjoy watching The Clone Wars” is one level of understanding, but as you’ve just seen, it’s simply scratching the surface.  Uncover the themes behind one’s enjoyment and you can learn a great deal.

    Think about movies you’ve watched, books you’ve read, or places you’ve visited.  If you find yourself in a state of euphoria, ask yourself why.  What are the descriptors behind the event?  What do those descriptors say about you, and can you increase those feelings through additional exploration?

  • Electronica Genius.

    I recently acquired Joris Voorn’s 2008 mix – “Balance” – on double CD.  In short, the compilation is simply a masterpiece of electronica and well-crafted mixes.

    Joris’ introduction pretty much says it all:

    “The process of making these mixes has been more like painting with sound rather than performing a traditional DJ-mix.

    “As you can see, I have used a lot of tracks.  My intention while working on these mixes, however, has not been a simple case of ‘more is more’ – some of the tracks have been reduced to portions as small as a 2-bar loop, or are just a break or an intro.

    “The process was inspired and inspiring, and although this Balance project is over, it has created many new leads and ideas for future works.

    “I hope that people will enjoy the results.  Some listeners will be surprised by what they hear, but I believe I’ve pushed my boundaries in not only a technical way but – even more so – in a musical and artistic way as well.”

  • Next.

    Now at the official end of 2009, I thought it best to provide an update on some of the things I’ve been working on and thinking about.  Given my experiences over the past two years and the end of an analysis cycle that spanned a similar timeframe, I am moving forward with a new sense of who I am and what I need to do to make my life better.

    First let’s review what was accomplished in 2009:

    2009 Accomplishments

    – Successful completion of Design Drawing I, Academy of Art University

    – Further expansion and development of graphic design portfolio

    – Further expansion of photography portfolio and related education

    – One-year anniversary of Big Generator blog

    – Creation of “Generator” publication (Big Generator – Year One) – to be released in late January

    – Creation of “Hierarchy of Needs” project management publication

    – Creation of “Microcosms” blog (fictional exploration)

    – Concept development of new novels – “Five” and “Citadel 9”

    – Completion of various personality, strengths and interpersonal / communication tests

    – Closure of “Spark” Plane and creation of “Genesis” Plane (Planescape Advancement System)

    – In-depth exploration of information design and the initial stages of starting a related business venture

    – Relationship counseling and meetings with life / business coach

    – Extensive BPD research

    – Read nine books and made considerable progress on three others

    2010 Plans

    Branding: In a desire to formalize my personal brand, I am moving forward with the design of a self-entitled web site – www.adriandaniels.com – and should have the first version ready for release in the next several weeks.  At this stage, the initial version of the site will be comprised of four main areas – “incubator” (concept exploration), “microcosms” (fiction), “pixeldust” (illustration) and “atomik” (sound).  The site is intended to centralize projects and concepts that I am working on so that I can review my creative and intellectual development over time.

    Books: I made a conscious decision in 2007 to read more books.  Now having read approximately thirty-two books since that time, I feel that I have accomplished what I originally set out to do.  As many of you have noticed, my current reading list has been rather lengthy.  To increase focus in 2010, I have reduced the current reading list with approximately five books that I am actively reading.  I am also thinking about creating a new reading page which could be classified as a “holding pattern” or “abandoned” section for books that are on the radar or have been temporarily set aside.

    I also decided to move entries originally found within an “interpersonal” section into the “What I Read in 2007 / 2008” pages.  These pages were originally password protected but I no longer see the need for this level of privacy.  Given the significant educational investment in this interpersonal / relationship subject area, I do not anticipate spending a significant amount of time in this area in 2010.

    Creative Writing: When I created the Microcosms blog earlier this year, I started to work on a novel called “Five” which was to follow five characters on a remote planet with a desire to connect seemingly isolated worlds.  While the concepts were developing fairly well, I was concerned that the sheer magnitude of the plot would soon become unmanageable.  Thus, I decided to switch gears and take on a more concise storyline.  In 2010 I will continue down this new path with a planned successful conclusion by the end of the year.  The title of this new novel is called “Citadel 9”.

    Illustration (Anatomy): The past three classes taken at the Academy of Art University have been primarily focused on industrial design drawing and sketching.  As I would like to expand my sketching ability towards people / animals / creatures, I need to spend more time understanding human anatomy and the techniques associated with drawing and sculpting the human body.  To this end, I recently purchased tutorial videos from AnatomyTools.com and am planning to attend a future workshop on human anatomy later this year.  I will also spend more time learning through existing tutorial videos purchased through the Gnomon Workshop.  The ultimate goal is to use this knowledge and illustration experience to supplement / complement the creative writing pursued via the Microcosms blog.

    Information Design: The self-analysis that I went through over the past two years led me to the area of information design. “Information design “… draws on typography, graphic design, applied linguistics, applied psychology, applied ergonomics, computing and other fields.” (designcouncil.org.uk).  Fortunately, this area aligns very closely with my strengths and interests and thus, this is the area that I will likely spend the most time in 2010.  Fortunately, a great deal of the other creative pursuits just mentioned will serve as catalysts / contributors to the ID creative process.

    I have other ideas that I am still thinking through, therefore this list could expand or contract.  However, I feel fairly confident that these areas represent the core of what I’ll be working on in 2010.  It will be an exciting journey!