Performance Art Piece

https://youtu.be/SF1vWGCqgJM

(Since my video file was too large to upload directly on to Blogger, I had to add the link above.)

For my performance art piece, I decided to take a walk along the river walk, while giving the viewer a view from my point of view.  The camera was positioned on my body so that the viewer would be able to see the same picture I saw through my eyes.  The viewer is able to experience the entirety of my walk in my shoes.  The video was published without sound so that the viewer could be focused on the sights they see around them.  Having sound adds distraction that could take the viewer away from everything going on around them.  

The examples of the performance art pieces on out syllabus were all very different.  Joseph Beuys had a sort of "awkward" approach to his performances.  He did things that were fairly abnormal, but it attracted a crowd.  Vito Acconci would do his performances in everyday places much like Beuys, but they weren't as extreme and abnormal as Beuys.  Marina Abramovic's performances were silent, and they were much deeper than the other two.  She would perform in public, and anyone could be a part of it.  Her staring performance was very simple, but was very deep in ways unique to each person she intersected with.

My performance was a mix between Acconci's and Abramovic's performances.  I wanted to carry out an everyday type activity, but have it be a silent video so the viewer could interpret it in whatever way they wanted, so for each person it could be different.

Xerox

Although my tree didn't turn out looking as well as I planned, it still carries the same message.  The branches and leaves of the tree are made out of my arms.  Leaves play a big role for the tree.  They are a pivotal point in photosynthesis.  Photosynthesis is how plants eat and survive, so without leaves, the tree wouldn't survive.  Much like hands in humans, they play a big role in everyday life.  We use our hands for almost everything we do.

The bark of the tree is made out of my head and face.  Damage to hands and fingers isn't life threatening to a human, much like damage to leaves doesn't kill a tree, however significant damage to the trunk of a tree could cause major harm.  If a human has significant damage to their face, they could face life threatening consequences.  

My hand tree represents a similar connection between a tree and a human life.

Grid

For my grid project, I attempted to capture the sun setting on the beach.  I chose this because I love watching the sunset.  It's crazy to think that everyone in the world sees the same sunset every night.  It got me thinking about how people don't always appreciate the sun setting.  It's a beautiful sight, but some people just carry on like it's a normal part of everyday life.  When I see good sunset, I always try to stop to get a picture.  Although it happens every single night, it sets differently every time.  If you don't pay much attention you won't notice that.  I chose to represent the sun setting on the beach because that's where I've seen the most beautiful sunsets.  There's something special about the sun reflecting bright orange on the water.  Sunsets on Clearwater beach are by far my favorite.  I enjoy eating at Frenchy's while watching the sunset.  

Electronics Essay

            It’s 2018, and we live in a time where electronics are a vital point in everyone’s lives.  Every single daily task we do involves some form of electronics.  Even school has transitioned from paper and pencil to computer.  In my opinion, the most important electronic device we use in the cell phone.  The cell phone is one of the most complex, and everchanging pieces of technology humans use in their daily lives.  Anyone you run into has a cell phone, whether it be an older flip phone, or a new smart phone.  Right there I’ve already established two types of phones we see today, but the history of the cell phone goes way back, back before anyone could’ve ever imaged what technology could be used today.
            The modern-day cell phone has roots that go back to the 1870’s.  In 1876, inventor Alexander Graham Bell patented the first phone.   Alexander Graham Bell’s invention not only brought a new form of technology to the market, it changed the way we would communicate forever.  The next technological advancement to the phone was the rotary dialing system.  It was a big change from Graham Bell’s original phone.  Now that more people were getting phones in their homes, the rotary dialing system allowed calls to be made to different phone numbers. 
            Since the rotary phones, minor advancements were made.  American families typically had a phone in their homes, usually in the kitchen. Everything changed in 1973 when Motorola created the first mobile telephone.  This was a game changer, because now people could make calls while traveling, something that was never heard of in the past.  Before this, the closest alternative was phone boxes or phones stationed on sidewalks.  As years went on, the original Motorola mobile phone was updated, and other companies tried to replicate.  The goal was to make it as mobile as possible, so that meant making it smaller. In 1992, the first prototype of a smartphone was created.  Since then, the smartphone has evolved into the modern-day cell phone we know today.
In 2007, Apple released their first generation of the “iPhone.” This was groundbreaking.  Apple had always been a computer company in the past, and now they were producing phones that had all the same functions as a computer.  Since 2007, various changes have been made.  In the past, the goal was to make the phone the smallest, now companies are fighting over who can make it the biggest.  The market wants to see bigger screens with more functions.  It’s funny to look back at the evolution of phones, and to see how it went from so large, to so small, back to large.
The cell phone is by far the most influential electronic device in today’s day and age.  Everyone has one, and we do so much with them.  You can make calls, go on the internet, or text with mass groups of friends. Without the invention of Alexander Graham Bell, the modern-day cell phone wouldn’t be the same as it is today.   

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.