Serious games: games with a message
entertainment games--can be flash
When we think about games, what do we think of? fun, education, pasttime, addiction, storytelling, corruption of youth, traditionally children's activity (before "real world" and jobs), the flow
how can you achieve education output? for adults?
Example of a game that is designed to make a political statement: September the 12th
you can't win, you can't lose, it's not a game, it's a simulation
goal of game: take out the terrorists, send in bomb, try not to kill civilians, every time you try to kill terrorist, create more terrorists and kill civilians
effective tool? more like visual aid, no answers, just illustration
Example of game: keep the flame alive, click on flame, keep the memory of the people who've died alive
difficult, hard to keep memories alive. did we learn anything? keep a few memories, not all
get frustrated while playing, provoke the emotion of frustration, power of the game
Powerful robot--robot online game www.powerfulrobot.com/web/index_content.html
there are a number of games on there when you click the tab "games"
The Howard Dean game is very difficult. It's hard to win supporters. Hard to hand out the pamphlets, knock on doors, get voters to see your sign, etc.
-want to give the impression that this campaigning is difficult, but the people are realistic
-there's only 3 things you can do, persistence is the key
made to motivate the campaign volunteers
gives the sense of what I do will matter!
Powerpuff girls: Use blue crabs to stand out from the orange sand, but blend with the water.
Powerful messages from silly games. Communication takes place in all games, all the time. Help you understand that games are not just entertainment. They are more that learning and entertainment. Need to learn to deliver messages in the most effective means. Games are most importantly visual (not sure that I agree).
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Milestone 1
My project is only about a third finished.
I have a few interviews completed with Bryan and Jason, improvisers in Clemson and elsewhere. I asked them about women in comedy and their thoughts on what makes comedy. It's interesting to hear their different opinions. I'm still trying to organize a time when I can interview Meg and Brooke, also improvisers, from a woman's perspective on comedy. I've sent out an email for seven other people to assign interview times this weekend. Hopefully I'll have all the video footage I need completed by this Sunday.
Interview Questions
I'm hoping to edit this video to emphasize the prejudice in comedy against women. I figure this video needs to have a bias, and I'd like to represent the idea that people don't think women are funny. It seems to be a common thought. I want to shed light on it without making the people who verbalize these ideas sound like jerks.
I've finished the book Whose Improv Is It Anyway? and it was fascinating. It was written by a woman, and I'm planning to read quotes from it. I'm also compiling comedy figures to discuss briefly. Right now I have Will Ferrell, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carrell, Conan O'Brian, Robin Williams, Dane Cook and then for women: Ellen Degeneres, Rosie O'Donnell, Tina Fey, Amy Pohler. It's difficult to find funny women.
I need to find good background music, also. I'm hoping Final Cut Pro will have tools available for me to make this project look professional. I'm working on a storyboard to turn in by hand. It still needs a lot of work.
I have a few interviews completed with Bryan and Jason, improvisers in Clemson and elsewhere. I asked them about women in comedy and their thoughts on what makes comedy. It's interesting to hear their different opinions. I'm still trying to organize a time when I can interview Meg and Brooke, also improvisers, from a woman's perspective on comedy. I've sent out an email for seven other people to assign interview times this weekend. Hopefully I'll have all the video footage I need completed by this Sunday.
Interview Questions
- What is comedy? To you? To society?
- What makes something funny?
- What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen/heard? The epitome of comedy?
- What’s your favorite form of comedy?
- Who’s your favorite comedian?
- Name five men in comedy. Name five women.
- Can women be funny?
- Why aren’t there more women in comedy?
- Why aren’t women as funny as men?
I'm hoping to edit this video to emphasize the prejudice in comedy against women. I figure this video needs to have a bias, and I'd like to represent the idea that people don't think women are funny. It seems to be a common thought. I want to shed light on it without making the people who verbalize these ideas sound like jerks.
I've finished the book Whose Improv Is It Anyway? and it was fascinating. It was written by a woman, and I'm planning to read quotes from it. I'm also compiling comedy figures to discuss briefly. Right now I have Will Ferrell, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carrell, Conan O'Brian, Robin Williams, Dane Cook and then for women: Ellen Degeneres, Rosie O'Donnell, Tina Fey, Amy Pohler. It's difficult to find funny women.
I need to find good background music, also. I'm hoping Final Cut Pro will have tools available for me to make this project look professional. I'm working on a storyboard to turn in by hand. It still needs a lot of work.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Downfall
This film was awesome. I'm usually skeptical of films professors show in class (except film courses). My professor showed a film called Downfall which depicted in German the story of WW2 from the German side.
It was fascinating to see Hitler as a strategic military leader, as an uncle to extremely cute kids and as a nice boss to young women wanting work. This is the story that should be told. The story we're told is that he's an evil man. Yes, what he did was evil and he had very evil ideas, but he was human like we all are. This movie really made the story of WW2 more intense for me. Scary to realize how human he was: that there are probably people like him in the world, that I could know someone like him. Hitler is shown as a good man. He gives these women typing jobs when no one else is hiring. He's charming and seems like a good guy. To these women, he is a good man: he gave them a job. He looked especially nice in contrast to the war scenes. Hitler never was in the war scenes. I'm not even sure that he ever killed anyone.
The war scenes were intense. To see children on the battlefield was so sad. These children thought they were doing the right thing. Saying that it is an honor to fight in battle. It's sad what these children and men have been told to believe, and more sad that they truly believe it. My favorite part was when the young boy realizes he's in war, that it's not just a game. He sees soldiers shot and dying all around him. Thankfully, he survives (I'm not sure I could have held myself together if he had died), but it was intense to see such innocence in a terrifying situation like war. I guess it's a little crazy to me that some of the officers would rather blow their brains out than admit defeat. This movie helps show the intensity of these men's loyalty to Hitler. I had no idea they were that into the "cause." It was sad to watch these men shoot themselves in the head, thinking that was the best option they had. I really liked the way the movie presented an almost documentary-feel to the film. The camera never seemed preplanned. No pleasinly cinematic pans or zooms. It felt very much like a voyeur was over in Germany filming these moments as they happened. It made the truth of the film seem more valid. It was intense.
It was fascinating to see Hitler as a strategic military leader, as an uncle to extremely cute kids and as a nice boss to young women wanting work. This is the story that should be told. The story we're told is that he's an evil man. Yes, what he did was evil and he had very evil ideas, but he was human like we all are. This movie really made the story of WW2 more intense for me. Scary to realize how human he was: that there are probably people like him in the world, that I could know someone like him. Hitler is shown as a good man. He gives these women typing jobs when no one else is hiring. He's charming and seems like a good guy. To these women, he is a good man: he gave them a job. He looked especially nice in contrast to the war scenes. Hitler never was in the war scenes. I'm not even sure that he ever killed anyone.
The war scenes were intense. To see children on the battlefield was so sad. These children thought they were doing the right thing. Saying that it is an honor to fight in battle. It's sad what these children and men have been told to believe, and more sad that they truly believe it. My favorite part was when the young boy realizes he's in war, that it's not just a game. He sees soldiers shot and dying all around him. Thankfully, he survives (I'm not sure I could have held myself together if he had died), but it was intense to see such innocence in a terrifying situation like war. I guess it's a little crazy to me that some of the officers would rather blow their brains out than admit defeat. This movie helps show the intensity of these men's loyalty to Hitler. I had no idea they were that into the "cause." It was sad to watch these men shoot themselves in the head, thinking that was the best option they had. I really liked the way the movie presented an almost documentary-feel to the film. The camera never seemed preplanned. No pleasinly cinematic pans or zooms. It felt very much like a voyeur was over in Germany filming these moments as they happened. It made the truth of the film seem more valid. It was intense.
Digital Remix
We had to digitally remix a picture for a class project. A digital remix is the digital alteration of a photo to create new meaning. My group did a funny one of George W. Bush. I did one also. It was the Lincoln Memorial statue with Obama's head on top. I wanted to draw the obvious comparison between Obama and Lincoln.
Digital remixes are done to lie, hoax, or fool someone. Or they're done to express solidarity or support. Or they're done to express political views. In this day of technology and the internet, digital remixes can relay important ideas or deliver laughs via email forwarding.
Digital remixes are done to lie, hoax, or fool someone. Or they're done to express solidarity or support. Or they're done to express political views. In this day of technology and the internet, digital remixes can relay important ideas or deliver laughs via email forwarding.
Movie Script
I don't know if this film idea will be a good one. I'm not sure how I can capture what I want to in a short film. I wanted it to be informative, but I'm thinking that it may lack entertainment value.
It's not funny. It's not action based. It's not plot driven. It's not life-threatening. It's just an inside look at people's thoughts on women in comedy. Should I edit them to seem worse than it is? Am I required to have a bias? Will it be worth watching without a slant? I ought to have a purpose, but I'm not sure what my purpose is. I want to expose the prejudice against women in comedy, but I don't want it to seem too calculated. I want people to be like-wow, I can't believe I do that, too. I don't want it to be-yeah, those people are just crazy. It's going to be a tough balance.
It's not funny. It's not action based. It's not plot driven. It's not life-threatening. It's just an inside look at people's thoughts on women in comedy. Should I edit them to seem worse than it is? Am I required to have a bias? Will it be worth watching without a slant? I ought to have a purpose, but I'm not sure what my purpose is. I want to expose the prejudice against women in comedy, but I don't want it to seem too calculated. I want people to be like-wow, I can't believe I do that, too. I don't want it to be-yeah, those people are just crazy. It's going to be a tough balance.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Movie Titles
If I had to choose a movie with a title that tells the story, I'd choose Snakes on a Plane. It's so obvious what will happen in the movie. The premise is in the title. There will be a plane, and on this plane there will be snakes. You can tell it's an action movie because there really shouldn't be snakes on a plane. That's dangerous. And that's where Samuel L. Jackson comes in.
My favorite movie is Triplets of Belleville. Yes, it's a French film, but it's animated. What's so interesting is the movie seems to mostly be about the orphan boy Champion and his grandmother. Their relationship is the main focus of the film. It's odd that it's named after the three sisters who used to be this awesome Vaudeville group but are now this old quirky, odd jazz group. The triplet sisters are the ones that help bring Champion and his grandmother back together. The grandmother joins the sisters, and she discovers that her orphan grandson has been kidnapped. The title is perhaps named after the three sisters because unlike American films, the French like to be subtle in their titles.
Think of such French films as Amelie(about Parisian life), The 400 Blows(about a young trouble maker) and A bout de Souffle (about an American girl who hides a criminal). Compare these titles to such American films as Snakes on a Plane(about snakes that infiltrate a plane), Spiderman(about the superhero Spiderman), Monster In Law(about an unbearable mother in law), and Edward Scissorhands(about a guy named Edward who has scissors for hands). Perhaps the French subtlety is something I admire.
My favorite movie is Triplets of Belleville. Yes, it's a French film, but it's animated. What's so interesting is the movie seems to mostly be about the orphan boy Champion and his grandmother. Their relationship is the main focus of the film. It's odd that it's named after the three sisters who used to be this awesome Vaudeville group but are now this old quirky, odd jazz group. The triplet sisters are the ones that help bring Champion and his grandmother back together. The grandmother joins the sisters, and she discovers that her orphan grandson has been kidnapped. The title is perhaps named after the three sisters because unlike American films, the French like to be subtle in their titles.
Think of such French films as Amelie(about Parisian life), The 400 Blows(about a young trouble maker) and A bout de Souffle (about an American girl who hides a criminal). Compare these titles to such American films as Snakes on a Plane(about snakes that infiltrate a plane), Spiderman(about the superhero Spiderman), Monster In Law(about an unbearable mother in law), and Edward Scissorhands(about a guy named Edward who has scissors for hands). Perhaps the French subtlety is something I admire.
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