Flip Book

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF0qmmuJhH8

The process of thinking of an idea, and putting it on paper to make this flip book was tough.  When searching for an idea, I thought back to my childhood.  I always wondered what happened to helium balloons that got let go.  I'd always watch them float into the sky and disappear not to be seen again.  In my story, I added my own little twist to what happens to a balloon when it's let go.

The process of making the book was difficult, but I enjoyed it throughout.  I hadn't done anything like this before, it was my first flip book.  It was awesome to see it all come together.  I watched the video multiple times to see again and again how the story panned out.

Intervention

When searching for a spot seemingly invisible to everyone else, I seemed to find the perfect place. It was a rock tucked between two bushes, something you wouldn’t see unless you were looking down near the base of the tree it was planted by.  If you look past the classic chairs and tables to sit at, you could find a nice seat on a rock in the courtyard if you pay enough attention. 

Opera Video Game

Don Giovanni: The Video Game

            Designing a video game to be played by the public is no easy task; and then having to design it around an 18^thcentury Mozart opera doesn’t help the difficulty.  In order to keep Mozart’s roots of the original opera in the video game, I would have to pay attention to specific details from the script and performance.

            There are six core areas a game designer needs to cover when designing a video game. One of the main components of the design is the game world.  Designing a proper game world when creating a game from an opera is key.  One of the most important pieces of an opera is the scenery and stage set up.  Stage set-up in a play or opera is called “mise-en-scène,” or in simpler terms, it’s just the arrangement of everything on stage. When I was watching Don Giovanni, I noticed that there was always an emphasis on the change of scenery going on in the background.  When the scene would change, the camera would focus on the character who was speaking, but they would be off to the side, so the viewer could see the stage crew changing the scenery.  While this isn’t as achievable in a video game, a way to sort of replicate the scenery change would be by showing the characters who are speaking travel from one setting to another.  This could be done in a similar way by focusing on the character speaking but having them be placed on the side of the screen, so the player can see the scene changing in the background.  By doing this, the “mise-en-scène” of both the game and the opera remain similar.  

            Another important area to consider when designing a game is the storyline. This part is easy to replicate because it can remain consistent with Mozart’s original piece.  The overarching issue with replicating the storyline of a 18^thcentury opera is that technology has changed so much over time, and everything is outdated.  That’s why I would suggest a more modern twist on Don Giovanni.  Although it takes away from the originality of the game, it’ll appeal to the target market of the video game.  With all the technological advancements, opera has since been outdated, so in order to reach more people, the game would need a modern twist.  The story line can remain strikingly similar, but it shouldn’t be identical because it won’t appeal to the right crowd.  I feel like turning Don Giovanni into a modern video game wouldn’t be too difficult because many of the events in the storyline are similar to events that happen today.  Things such as murder and deception are still common in everyday life.

            Characters are always some of the most important pieces to creating a video game. In this case, a cross over from the opera to the game wouldn’t be difficult.  The one twist that would have to be put on would be modernizing the characters.  A key aspect that I’d have to keep in mind as a video game designer is the specific physical features each character possesses.  If you take away their physical features, then you’re taking away from the authenticity from the original opera.  Part of the mise-en-scène is where the vocal points are in each scene.  Many of those points are on the physical features of characters. When you’re watching any movie or production, one of the first things you notice about characters are their physical features.  Those are the things you remember for the entirety of the film/production.  If the main physical features of the main characters in Don Giovanni weren’t transferred over to the video game, the game wouldn’t be the same.

            The final three essential components to a video game all go together. They’re sound, look and feel.  These are all important pieces to not just video games, but any theatrical production. Movies and live performances emphasize the importance of sound, look and feel as well.  In Don Giovanni, the live orchestra is an important piece to the opera. The orchestra adds so much to the opera. When someone is singing a solo, they play soft music in the background.  During intense scenes they play up tempo loud music to add to the suspense.  Without the orchestra, the opera wouldn’t be half as good.  For that reason, if I were designing the video game, I would be sure to keep the same orchestra soundtrack running in the background to add the same opera feel to the game.  My favorite movie of all time is The Godfather, and in the video game created for the movie, they keep the same songs from the movie in the game, and I felt like it added so much more authenticity to the game.

             In order to create a successful video game from Mozart’s 18^thcentury opera, Don Giovanni, I’d need to carry over all the aspects which make the opera so unique to the video game, just with a modern twist.  Keeping the mise-en-scène similar would be a necessity in order to give the game an authentic feel to the original opera.

Extra Credit Staring Activity

Never in my life have I been told to sit across from a total stranger and stare into their eyes for two minutes straight without breaking eye contact.  At first this activity seemed ridiculous, I had no idea what we were expected to get from this.  However when the clock started, and I actually started looking across from me, I started to realize there's a meaning behind this.  This activity was like a modified form of a first impression.  First impressions are usually done through conversation, but in this case, we did it though eye contact.  It's weird having no choice but to stare at someone for two minutes, but as time goes on, I became more comfortable.  I realized we were both in the same situation, so there was no reason to fear what she was thinking about me.  It was a way for us to bond through non verbal communication, because we were both experiencing the same uncomfortable situation at the same time.  I could tell we understood each other in some way even though we never talked about how we were feeling.

Aria

Aria

My initial reaction to this video was shock.  It took me a little bit to realize what was actually going on, but as it progressed it made a lot more sense.  It became obvious to me that the sailor was not coming back for the girl.  Time went on in the video, and the girl became pregnant.  During all this time filled with days turning to nights, I got to thinking what might happen next.  I had a feeling the sailor was going to come back with more ships, and that his people would colonize the land.  When I saw the ship returning I thought that I was right.  Once I saw the wife and the sailor driving up to the woman with all the kids in the backseat, I knew something weird was going to happen.  Sure enough, it did.  Once the woman got baby ripped from her, it was literally like a piece of her was taken from her inside.  Once the child was gone, and she realized her lover didn't share the same feelings as her, she decided there was nothing to live for.  Although this video started off really confusing and weird, the story all made sense as it went on.