Vashti Hair location....

If you need Vashti's hair, go to this location:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ubunil/34/199/116

$70 Lindens (about .35 cents).

Look for the Chanel display, it is the second one from the left on the top row of the display.

Machinima Production...

As we move into the second half of the term, we will be moving directly into production mode immediately:

Tomorrow:
-We will choose some land to purchase tomorrow in class which we will use as our production area for the Second Life recording sessions.

-Discuss further subdivide the class into working teams of 2 to 3 maximum to record specific scenes and/or the creation of trailers for the machinima.

-Discuss green screen capabilities and identify scenes where this could come into play.

-Costuming for Kuno's escape through the hatch, physical props, etc..

-Cambots, blog, graphics/postering

-Schedule Premier Screening and discuss possible Haiti relief benefit?

-Our voice actors will be joining us tomorrow as well.

-Etc.

See you then!

Groups, links, etc.

Several Important Items:

Character/Costuming:
1) I would like to open this up to others in the class to create avatar body types, faces, hair, etc for Kuno and Vasti. (This is not required but those of you who have done little in SL to show us this past month might take this as an opportunity to engage in some actual work - you may also just have some ideas you would like to see realized for the costumes). We will have a fashion show first thing next week to choose avatars and costumes, the more options the better!

2) I would also strongly encourage those already involved in avatar/character design to go a bit deeper in terms of making their characters and costumes. Specifically, please try to use the templates shown to use by Christopher last week for making clothing. Using the existing shirts and pants is one way to go but these designs you have made are generally a bit simplistic, lacking in any sort of details that one might typically find on clothing (seams, pockets, details). These kind of details in terms of texture of the fabric, color and fit can be very much enhanced by actually creating original clothing. Give it a go please, use your photoshop skills to work on templates to translate to some costume designs. I more than suspect that you will find the results more interesting than what you have attempted so far.
http://secondlife.com/community/templates.php

3) Groups: We have our groups, still waiting for the first group's list:
Group #1
?????

Group #2
jesse- scripting and tram
jiawen- building mending ap
luke- builing (focus on hatch)
yureka- building mending ap, snakes
chantelle- casting and scripting
brett and quincy- getting pictures and textures
clint- tram
tom- ABSENT, but we think consistency is his focus???

Links:
http://treet.tv/shows/tonightlive (this is the talk show I appeared on this past weekend, I am interviewed at the second half of the show, this recording is a machinima from a live event, notice the lips moving - easy to do)

Patrick Lichty, visitor to our class next week. Here is his website and a slurl for an exhibition of his work in SL.
LOOK AT BOTH OF THESE BEFORE CLASS NEXT WEEK - THIS IS REQUIRED!
http://www.patricklichty.com/
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Odyssey/38/18/24

Machinima Film Festival!!!

MaMachinima Film Festival.

Saturday, February 20th from 10am to 6pm SLT

http://mmif.org/

or direct to SL:

• MMIF3 Public Seating Region

http://slurl.com/secondlife/MMIF3/222/222/33

• MMIF 4 Public Seating Region

http://slurl.com/secondlife/MMIF4/22/233/33

This looks to be quite interesting - feel free to attend some of the screenings inworld and write about this for the class requirement - one authorized screening/exhibition.

Also, I will be doing an interview inworld on Sunday at 4:30pm, a talk show of sorts, it will be inworld and streamed to the internet if you would like to see it:

"Tonight Live with Paisely Beebee"
Sunday, February 21, 6pm

Second Life and streamed live:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Northpoint/207/143/32
http://streams.treet.tv/live.mov

Due Tuesday, February 17th!!!

Tuesday, February 17th, come prepared for the workshop with Christopher Head!

1) Screenplay/storyboard - revised and prepared for distribution to all.

2) Sets/Locations - complete basic object prims in SL for incorporation of scipts: living pod, corridor, airship interior/exterior, ventilation hatch, tram, etc.

3) Characters/Avatars - complete several iterations of Kuno and Vasti in the teal? scubs-like jump suit with variations skin tone, facial structure, hair/no-hair, etc.

The above video is a 2009 version of "The Machine Stops" - a different adaptation of the story that takes some liberties with the story, quite short. Interesting to note the two different adaptations of the story - ours will certainly be quite different, perhaps somewhere between the two in terms of the narrative and length. Worth watching but try not to let it define how you think of the story, sets, characters, etc (oddly, she doesn't seem to be his mother in this one?)

Workshops and visitors!!!

Tomorrow, March 10, all groups to present their progress to the class for input!

Starting next Wednesday, we will be having three consecutive weeks of visitors to our class!

1) March 17 - Christopher Head, expert SL builder/scripter will present a brief overview of his work followed by an intensive workshop focused on developing expert building, scripting and avatar creation!
Here is a project for which he provided technical assistance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHEDym1aOZs

2) March 24 - Matteo Bittani, writer/curator/researcher of game art, followed by a lecture at 3pm in the lab.

3) March 3 - Patrick Lichty, SL artist, critic/curator, animator for the "Yes Men".

All three of these visitors will be with us for the entire class period - these should provide invaluable outside input into the process of creating, from the purely technical to the formal and conceptual. The first visit will be an active workshop involving all. For Bittani and Lichty we will briefly introduce the project to both of them followed by our normal class activities - seeking their input and feedback as we move forward on our collaborative production. I may have Patrick do a 1/2 hour or so talking about his work in SL. Both of them could be very helpful in terms of talking with us about how to get this work "out there", etc.

More soon!

Second Life and other links...

The Dumb Man from Lainy Voom on Vimeo.

For next Wednesday, you are to have signed up for a free Second Life avatar and build something with no less than 10 prims.

http://www.secondlife.com

Join and start looking around this vast virtual community for possible locations for our film.

Here are a few tutorials for building: (ok, some of those who have made these tutorials are really dorky - good skills herein nonetheless!) The tutorials within Second Life are very helpful as well on the welcome islands. You will need to spend some quality time in Second Life to get the hang of it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmN_hAHlF0M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LMcryDCIYk


Here are some places to visit in Second Life that might be interesting for locations and just worth looking at: (use the machines in the lab or at the Knowledge Center unless you have a very fast machine and a great internet connection at home as these are generally some very "prim" heavy regions that will lag on you on slower machines and connections).

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Toxia%20South/244/238/23

http://slurl.com/secondlife/IDIA%20Laboratories/197/139/34

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20North/202/141/22

http://slurl.com/secondlife/TovaDok%20II/30/195/35

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shipyard/48/25/2660

http://slurl.com/secondlife/INSILICO%20SOUTH/100/104/3602

I found many of these locations in SL from recommendations noted here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/science-fiction/discuss/72157602809336430/

Art 343/381 Syllabus! & Away we go...for Next week...

READ - "The Machine Stops" 1909 by E.M. Forster
WATCH - "THX1138" on reserve at the Knowledge Center.
(I will be getting my DVD copy to the library this afternoon - there is a copy on VHS at the library currently available - could be interesting to watch this one if you like as it is the earlier version before George Lucas went back and added quite a few digital additions to the film - a bit controversial actually among hard core fans of the film).

ALSO - feel free to start researching the creation of Machinima in general and in Second Life spefically:
http://www.machinima.com/article/view&id=440
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Machinima

ALSO - http://d-oo-b.cc/MachineIam_2.mov We will watch this in class on Monday, check it out ahead of time if you like, interesting use of mixed reality RL and SL.

Art 343 Imaging and Mixed Media (Art 381 Critical Play – Computer Games and Art)
Professor Joseph DeLappe
Wednesday 1-3:30pm CFA room 207
Office Hours: MW 11-1:00pm or by appointment
Office CFA 208A, 784-6624
delappe@unr.nevada.edu


Art 381 Critical Play – Computer Games and Art, (3+0)
The investigation and creation of art that critically engages the notion of “play” utilizing computer gaming and related digital media to comment, intervene and engage. Prerequisite Art 245.

Course Description:
In this class we will critically engage computer games and online communities as locations for creative artistic production. The student will be introduced both to the history and theory of computer games and online communities as relevant to experimental contemporary art while at the same time being challenged with a semester long collaborative project which will further develop methods and concepts to engage in creative, studio production in these new contexts.

The goals of this course include creating a problem-solving atmosphere towards engaging in creative and critical “play” - approaching computer gaming and online communities as the locations for conceptual exploration and personal creative growth. The intent is to provide the student with the ability to work with a variety of ideas, processes and techniques towards the production of innovative game based artworks.

1. The objective is to establish a creative and structured studio art environment, both in the classroom and online, through the execution of an ambitious collaborative project to make a feature length machinima based on the classic science fiction short story “The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forster. This semester’s offering of this course is uniquely oriented towards the collaborative production of a feature-length film. In such an environment it is key that all students are deeply involved in all aspects of production. Each student will be individually assessed according to his or her contribution to the class project. As the course moves forward, we will first work to create a timeline for the realistic production of the various elements that will go together to create our film. We will then work in smaller groups or as individuals on specific aspects of the overall production.

2. Lecture/Lab Component:
The course will meet for three lecture hours per week. Class time will be devoted to lectures, demonstrations, reading discussions, productions sessions and critiques. Students are required to work at minimum an additional 6 hours per week of work outside of the scheduled class times (studio production, reading assignments, etc.)

Course Requirements:
1) Attendance is mandatory at all scheduled class meetings. More than three unexcused absences will affect your final grade. Please arrive on time and prepared to participate in all course activities.

2) Participation in all class critiques, reading discussions and brainstorming sessions is expected and mandatory.

3) You will receive a written evaluation and letter grade at mid-term and after the completion of the project at the end of the semester.

4) Your final grade will be determined according to the following formula: class project 60%, class participation 25%, lecture reviews 15%. I will meet with each of you individually at the midterm to discuss your progress in the class and provide advising regarding the Digital Media program.

5) Each student is REQUIRED to attend two approved lectures and one exhibition or film screening, that are regularly announced in class. I will provide you with a list of approved lectures/screenings/exhibitions both on campus and off. You are required to write a short, one page critical summary of the event and two questions to ask the speaker (extra credit will be given to those who actually ask their question at the event!). There are three specific events oriented towards the digital media area that I recommend you attend this semester - I will go over these in class.

Readings/Screenings:
-Reading assignments will be both online and in the form of various Xeroxed articles.
-Screenings, a number of films will be placed on reserved in the Knoweldge Center, these are required for viewing and will be assigned as the course goes forward.

Supplies
Gaming software and online subscriptions (to be discussed)
Firewire Portable External Hard Drive – we will discuss this in class.

Access
You will be assigned a digital access code for after-hours access to the Digital Media Studio by the end of the second week of the term. Intermediate and advanced Digital Media students have 24-hour access to the lab in exchange for monitoring the facility and assisting with beginning students working in the lab.