Sample Music

When we were discussing sample based music today in class the first thing that came to my mind were all of the videos on YouTube that remix dialogue and sounds from games and movies into songs.  Here are a few that I remembered.

Ballad of Black Mesa:
In this video he took many of the gun sounds from Half Life 2 and used them to compose a song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTbL5elVXrU

TF2 - Guns Orchestra:
This video does the same thing but with sounds from a different game.  Skip to 25 seconds in for it to start.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=PMPPXTnZP8g#t=26s

Groangasm:
Ok so the name may sound a bit off putting and it should since the song is pretty weird.  Made from this guy's voice and sung by many floating animated heads.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4vpBw3pf58

Jack Black - Octagon Remix:
Here's an old one that must have been removed from YouTube a while ago.  The re-upload has pretty bad video quality but its still just as addicting as ever.  Made from the audio of one time that Jack Black talked about an octagon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq6EC7YU54s

Intensive Gaston Unit:
Heavily manipulated voice and sound from Beauty and the Beast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8coX8VkUKY8

I Hurt People:
Made from voice clips from TF2's Meet the Team videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrLx86Pr4Sc

The Performance

Technology is always watching us and keeping tabs on what we do.  We voluntarily allow it to do so by posting status updates, pictures, and videos of ourselves on the internet.  Even if we do not do these things all businesses and many public locations have security cameras and other ways to monitor us.  Simply by walking across campus I pass by many cameras each day.

So in an age when we are all so exposed to cameras and being watched why is it that many people are so afraid to be on camera.  If they do not have the time to prepare themselves the average person simply does not know what to do in front of a camera.

Even just asking a simple 'Excuse me, what time is it?'  becomes very difficult for people to answer. Most eventually do answer but not after stuttering or trying to cover themselves from the camera.

This is what I tried to bring to light in my performance when I went around campus asking various people that very question while Chris pointed a camera at them.

Blogger does not seem to like my monster sized movie file so I can't upload it right now.  I can upload it elsewhere if you still want it.

For now here is an action packed screenshot from when I was working on it.  Exciting!

Photocopy Project

For this project I wanted to create something surreal that would encompass the things we see when we dream.  Doing this with scans of my body proved a bit harder than I expected.

I used many copies of my hands in various positions as well as my face from three different angles.  Let me say that the scanner is really damn bright and keeping my eyes open for it was not all too pleasant.

I used a simple yet bizarre scene I created in Autodesk Maya 2013 for the background pictures as well as a picture of space from good ol' Google.

Then it was all a matter of cutting it out and gluing/taping it all in place.

Just in case the wind completely destroys it before I make it to class in the morning here is proof of what my final product is supposed to look like.  What it will look like after I get to class is anybody's guess.

The pieces that were left behind but not forgotten..

Surreal Idea

For the next project I have been thinking about how to use photocopied parts of my body and other objects to create a message.

I think I may have finally settled on a surreal theme revolving around using similar images in repetition to form a strange creature.

For inspiration I looked towards one of my favorite video creators on youtube, cyriak.  His use of repetitive images to create an entirely new creature is fascinating to me.  Of course my project will be a single image not a video but it's still quite cool to look at.'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuWTQtyKih4

Grid Project

So of the three pictures I posted the other day which did I finally decide on making into grid art?  The answer: technically none of them but sort of the second one.  I planned on using the Doctor Who/Pulp Fiction crossover but when I started I noticed that it was impossible to distinguish their faces and the sonic screwdrivers were indistinguishable from their arms.  So I figured it would be best to base it off of the original picture from Pulp Fiction.

So my plan was to shade in the grid paper with a sharpie and leave the white portions uncolored for a distinct contrast.  To make it easier to determine where to shade and what to leave blank I took the picture into Photoshop and lined up a grid with the same 40 by 50 square dimensions as the cut paper.  

Then I marked where to leave blank on a test paper before actually shading.

Finally I cut a new piece of grid paper and began outlining and shading the picture to match the test paper.  

The end result turned out about exactly how I wanted, although a white paint or white-out may have made it pop even more.  Still I feel I made a picture that people could easily match to the original as long as they are at least somewhat familiar with the film.

Internet Currency

I saw this video a little while ago but forgot about it until last class.  It's sort of related to the online currency in Second Life but with a different game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=E_9R45RLNR0

To Grid or Not to Grid

Well I have my supplies and I have time to work now the only thing still in my way is deciding what exactly I want to make.

Idea #1 - Fallout Brotherhood

Ah yes Fallout a game series everyone loved and that I didn't jump on the bandwagon until two years after Fallout 3 came out.  Ok so I was late to the party but I still loved it.  And the iconic image of the Brotherhood of Steel feels like it would translate well as grid art.  Even if the small details get pushed aside the silhouette of the image will still have an intimidating appearance   Well as long as it is still somewhat recognizable on a 40 by 40 grid.

Idea #2 - Doctor Fiction (Pulp Fiction + Doctor Who)

My current laptop background and an awesome mash-up I found online, this picture would be really cool to do as grid art.  Taking two awesome things like Pulp Fiction and Doctor Who and putting them together makes this picture really amazing in my eyes.  I know exactly how I would do it as grid art but the only issue would be if the image would still be recognizable in that form.

Idea #3 - Prof. Oak

Yup I am in a fairly nerdy train of thought right now and can't think of anything besides movies, television shows, and video games to make as my grid art.  So why not Professor Oak?  Compared to my other ideas he is definitely the simplest image and the one that would be the most recognizable as grid art.  But I almost wonder if he is a bit too simple.