Assignments

DS106 Open Assignments created during open course and theme sessions.

Eastside Theme song……well almost

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This is v1.0 of the theme song for Eastside and “Jerry”. It is only version 1.0. I still need to find some sounds to add to the music.

I didn’t have a character or person to focus on the unit right before this one. Others who are on the #noir106 journey established their characters in unit 1. The idea of the character or theme from the beginning makes a lot of sense in traveling this ds106 path.

I began with lots of analyzing where in the time of the life of my Dad the story will take place. I have been lost in 1953-56 high school year books, photo albums and memories. The other wall I kept hitting was whether this is an intro bumper, a theme song, or a promo. Because I am not really doing a radio show I get caught up in radio show focus instead of how I will use these. I will probably still use this theme for part of his story. It has brought to light that what I really need is an intro bumper to tell who the story is about. A next audio assignment will be to do something as an intro bumper.

I could have chosen to do something that was from the late 50’s – but that reminded me of Happy Days (the TV Show) and didn’t seem to fit. My Dad loved music – all kinds. His records and CDS and the music channels on cable, the radio he would set up when we would go on vacation in northern Wisconsin each year.

A mix of all his favorites would probably sound like a strange mix. I decided to stay focused on the Eastside story and him as a handsome young man navigating new adulthood in the late 50’s. Determining what that sound would be had me listening to all sorts of things – and boy can you go on a tangents and find some neat things you weren’t looking for – but they eat up your time!

One of his favorites in music was Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. I decided to take one of their songs and remix it.

Taste of Honey was the song I chose. I remember it playing on the record player when I was a kid . It was way too peppy and dance like for a theme. I worked with the speed of the clips and slowed them down to get a different sound. I also cut portions out to keep it under 1.5 minutes. In trying to get it to sound like it was one song and not something chopped up, I used WAH WAH to blend sounds, the envelope and lots of adjusting, and fade in and fade out.

Other tools I used were normalize and noise reduction. After the noise reduction, I had to go back and increase the sound decibel. Normalize got rid of the clipping. Noise reduction softened the recording sounds. Increasing the decibel meant I could hear the product without cranking my sound up all the way.

The UNDO command became my best friend  but still turned on me at times! The part I haven’t done is add some other sounds yet. That will be version 1.x-2.

After a good 5 hours of tweaking  – I called it version one.

As for ds106/noir106 I don’t think this hits the targets others are going towards. But for my learning plan, it did keep me in Audacity, in audio editing, and in building that skill and understanding so I am going to call it a success.

 

 

Hot Man of Eastside

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EastsideRadioPoster

Design work for Unit 6/7 – Create a Poster/Logo for character and radio show

Working on a design poster for announcing the audio creation of learning units 6/7. My audio event will be a part of the story of my character – Jerry. Location of the story is on the Eastside of Milwaukee.  I chose this photo for a few reasons – he looks handsome and alluring – who wouldn’t want to tune in? It helps keep this short chapter of the story somewhat in a #noir theme. Something about cigarettes isn’t it?

I brought the Eastside colors in thru use of orange and gray/black. Enough to add some punch, but still keep the black and white feel of the photo graph. I used the heavier saturation for the large E to balance out the orange block on the other side. The lower edge of the E is eye level with the subject to take the viewer’s eye from title to face. Teh eye then should travel down the arm to the ds106 radio tag. Any feedback on placement effect or tweaks welcome.

jerryposterfilterednoiseThis next shown version I added a noise filter to soften the photo. Playing with filters yet as another extension of PS. May need to go in and brighten the orange again for this to work.

Prior to feedback from others, the poster had a halo effect and still looked a little choppy and should we say – “photoshopped”. Using some input from others I was able to go in and use more tools, broaden my depth into PS and come up with the poster at the beginning of this post.

Here is the first keeper that was put out for feedback.

Hot man of Eastside - ds106 poster

Another version I considered was to make it bold and use a stronger background – but I am leaning towards the above example as more effective. Some edge work needs to be done to clean up if the one below would be used. I abandoned it at this stage and began work on the above option when it didn’t feel like it was working.

ds106 Poster

Now time to start focusing on audio. Intro and exit bumpers and theme song.

Happy Birthday @mdvfunes!

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DS106 on the Couch – @mdvfunes. maridannbd2
A #ds106, #4 life, person who supports those who are creating in a digital age through the community of #ds106.

Plus the occasion gave a chance to do a quick animated gif in tdc time style.

 

@mdvfunes is the caretaker of the Daily Create so that we are all prompted each day!

GIF created from an original photo of mdvfunes in her Flickr Photostream

Designblitz

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Designblitz is a #noir106 assignment. 

The open course version is to do a photoblitz. I may still do the photoblitz. With a heavier concentration on design in the noir syllabus I preferred the direction of assignments that were suggested.

The challenge was to find at least 4 photo ops that would illustrate the design concept out of the 10 principles listed. When you are looking for design principles they are actually harder to find. You search for one and miss the ones that were right in front of you because you had a different search going on in your head. At one point I thought maybe it would be better to do it photo blitz style and just take a whole load of pictures and then go back and analyze them for design. Each method has its pluses and minuses. The other challenge is to post only one for each concept. For someone with over 7300 pics in my Flickr Photostream – you can see narrowing down is not a strength!

Here I the ones I chose to share here:

1. Form and Symmetry – or Balance

These are 3 concrete painted white forms as an art piece in front of a TJMaxx store. With our winter snowfall around them they take on a new look and the forms begin to take on another dimension. They attracted my attention with being white and the snow that is round them at this time. The snow adds texture but also emphasizes the forms through contrast. Symmetry is part of the original design, and the snow emphasizes that even more by not being symmetrical.

Balance is evident and created by the symmetry. This one picture is an example of how many design elements can create a design and a viewer may see one over another.

2. Symbolism

Symbols

I went with this image for symbolism. The neon gives color, shape and light -but also symbolism by identifying a motorcycle. I am in Milwaukee – home of Harley Davidson. Motorcycle symbols come in several flavors. This is on display and actually for sale at a local lighting store. The store itself is unique and provided for some fun photo ops while I was there.

3. Rhythm

2012_04 Patterns

This is cardboard inserts stacked next to each other. Rhythm and pattern happen in the repeat of the layers of the cardboard. Looking at them as multiples instead of separately repeats and creates the rhythm.

  • This is an example of a Regular rhythm: A regular rhythm occurs when the intervals between the elements, and often the elements themselves, are similar in size or length

4.Typography

Typography

This just struck me as Noir time. The typography is part of the advertising. It actually is an original. Another find at the lighting store. The use of the outline and capitals easily puts the type as the focus and the graphics of the people as support.

5. Scale

Fun with Clips

Scale is the dimensional element defined by other elements of design size relative to art, its surroundings or in relation to humans. Scale is the size of an element as it relates to its usual physical size. I chose to take this picture mostly because I liked the idea of a large and small paperclip and how huge the one looks compared to the other. It is 5 years old – but what came to mind when I couldn’t find anything to photo shoot. We are experiencing winter right now and getting around especially outside is a challenge. Too cold! (minus 30F).

6.Another one from the files.

Lighting Row

Going out and finding design elements, taking a photo of it and then describing why it is an example is not as easy as it sounds.

One thing about design is that the more simple it looks, the more complicated it probably is!

To view submissions by Noir and ds106 participants. use the tag designblitz in Flickr to see submissions.

Queen Tillie and the Rabbi

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Design Unit

Create a tv/movie poster that captures the essence of the story with minimalist design/iconography.

Poster: Minimal Design

Based on my character Jerry and the adventures and daily activities of growing up on Milwaukee’s Eastside in the early 50’s.

This was 2.5 stars, however it seemed easier for me. Having done professional work in websites, learning systems, professional development promotional brochures – the idea of a minimalist or any kind of poster or flyer seemed like another day at the office. Although the days doing this kind of things were anything but “another day” – they were the fun days of being able to create.

Design principles in play are:

  • Color – keeping to one color and shades/tints.
  • minimalism and use of space –  framing and using the rules of thirds was helpful in framing for visual impact and effect.
  • symbols – using the icons of the football helmet and the buildings.

One can make a case for many design elements but focusing on a few brings the result into being.

Using PhotoShop for image creation using layers and beginning with 3 rectangles of color each a little smaller to make the frame. Icons and text were than added. The image flattened and exported as a jpeg for publishing. The icons were selected and edited to add or change color for this poster. The E was lime green when found. The helmet was only a black and white icon. Times Roman is the font.

Queen Tillie and the Rabbi were the class president and the class thug turned businessman in life who narrate the story of the neighborhood and the adventures, antics and life of those who lived on Milwaukee’s Eastside in the 1950s.

Post Script: It is really bugging me that I didn’t align and make the borders even! Every time I see this I want to go back and adjust. And if you didn’t see it – thank you….! I will go back and fix that….just not sure when…..balancing learning and products yet. 🙂

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