"Let's Get Digital"...or..."Midterm Malaise"

Until further notice, the titles of my posts will take on the naming convention of the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. That being said, the first title makes me think of yesterday, when my professor started singing that in class, and then proceeded to dance behind me down the hall, repeating the phrase over and over again, until I jokingly exclaimed, "Aaaah, there's a crazy man following me!" I still have his little tune stuck in my head. Thanks, Larison.
Anyway, I don't know why I have the desire to post my silly little thumbnail drawings, but I do. I guess it's because they show a process, and a certain degree of looseness that I've developed over time. These are from a script that was written by the department's Comic Book Scripting class.

"When the hell did I start liking Coldplay?"..or..."I think I burnt my retinas."

That ridiculous title has nothing to do with anything. In fact, this post has really very little to do with anything. I did some thumbnail drawings, and made some slides for an upcoming midterm presentation. Here's a few that I've liked so far. That's about it. See, this had no point. And somewhere in the midst of all of this sleep deprivation, I've pondered moving to China. Why? Well, because I can.

I Do Drawerings

Just a few rough pages I did for class. I'm trying out this whole cartoony thing. It's definitely simplifying my process a bit, and it's more along the lines of how I'd like to create comics/animation/illustration in the future.

Heartbreak Hotel

Sometimes, every once in awhile, I still write poetry. To me, poetry has become the result of when your heart gives itself without your mind's consent. It's just a somewhat pretentious way of singin' the blues. Maybe it's a little dramatic; maybe it's a little old-fashioned; maybe it's a little pathetic-perhaps, it's even misplaced or unnecessary; but hey, if it takes shit to make bliss, then eventually I'll be able to convince myself to feel pretty blissfully.

Here are some words that have been in the vault for a few months:

1)
Conversational cautions.
Lacrimose, lacrimonious, Lacrimosa.
The answer's not on the internet;
The answer's not in a cigarette;
The answer's not in solids exchanged under the stagnancy of night.
Tip-tap-tipping in sight.
Receiving a fright.
Engaging in a fight-
A flight...
I think I'll do both;
Causing one,
Effecting the other.
Dramatic swells of sound abound,
Cracking like shells on metals;
Uttering decrees of belief in-
And hope for-
Confidential liaisons.

Masses of hair.
Little freckles gently dot your epidermal landscape
Amidst the subtlety of gyrations.
Appease this-
My curiosity...
And weakness in resistance.

Pushing against heavy-reamed paper,
Attempting to tear the wall to shreds;
Taking the right-sided softness,
And masking it behind
Cold networks of circuitry.

This is the architecture I drafted.
This is the story I wrote-
Inked,
Submitted,
Copied,
Pasted.
In pencil,
I will stop running now.
Indelibly...
I still have a ways to go.

2)
I want a piece of ephemera with you written all over it-
Dashed with the potency of your stare,
And cased with the abbreviations of your words;
Guarded by the curtain of your hair,
And tilted like the tires of your car.
Axles crack,
As do cans of beer;
Codes plug-in systems,
And logic sometimes aligns with the toes of
Scuffed-up,
Bought with style,
Somewhere in the city,
Boutique or not
Shop
Shoes.
I'd crack my front tooth again
Just to react in the mid-tone shadows
Of an unpurchased bar.

Design Graphically

Lately, I've been trying to curb my Facebook addiction, so I deactivated my account. I now need to find other means of digital procrastination. This is one of them.
In this post, you will find examples of overhead shot diagrams that I've been assigned to create for class. Instead of doing rough drawings of these, I've been building them in Photoshop; thus satiating this graphic design urge that I developed while in New York. And now, since I've given up Facebook, you have the privilege of glancing at some lovely diagrams, dear anonymous viewer-if you even exist.

Insert Witty Statement: [ ]

One very large After Effects file later, I've brought my SIGGRAPH Asia/SCAD piece to a reasonable conclusion. Aside from playing multiple, visual roles on this project, I also had the pleasure of creating my 1st "original" music track. I am not a sound designer by any means, and am entirely unfamiliar with commonly used sound programs; hence, I used Adobe Premiere CS4, which serves a decent enough purpose. Though I've been able to teach myself a lot throughout this exploit, I could not figure out a way to successfully remove "room tone" from some of the convention center clips, and will be making an attempt to augment the full track in the near future.
To digress for a moment, manipulating sound is a highly abstract procedure. It's like working from your mind's eye-from something intangible. I'm accustomed to seeing, not hearing, my process, and noticed that I compile sound like an animator. Anyway, below is a low res version of the film. It will be used by SCAD to promote their Hong Kong campus, which will be opening in the Fall of 2010.

*Video updated since original posting.