Adding Sound

After a relatively extensive break from classes, we finally return. I've rather enjoyed myself on this week or so away from school, but I cannot complain about returning.

Anyway, back to the subject, adding sounds. It's a fairly simple process, importing sound and timing it correctly with animation. Originally, I was quite relieved by the simplicity, for my final scene will contain a plethora of sounds. However, I do wish the tutorial had been a bit more in-depth. All of the information within the tutorial is relevant and builds the basic skills I need to add sound, but I will need to go beyond these fundamentals for my final scene to live up to personal expectations.

Class in General

Well, my assignment today is to articulate a review of my Digital Imaging/Globaloria class so far.

Personally, I am enjoying the class for a multitude of reasons. More than anything, however, this class has offered me a new medium through which I may share my writing. I've always been a typewriter or pen type of person, but I realize how convenient technology can be for drafts. (I still prefer to assemble final drafts on paper for the sake of formality and my preference for less modernized distribution of ideas or opinions. [I feel primarily using a classic medium can keep one closer to the predecessors of his or her respective art or skill.])

I've yet to find anything I particularly dislike about this class. Possibly, the days in which we are unable to work; those days seem to drag by very slowly. Oh, and yes, I also dislike that people are able to point out flaws in my work rather easily. For example, in my book review post, I had listed a work by Henry David Thoreau as "Nature." The actual name of this work is "Walden;" 'Nature' is simply a section within this work. (I have neglected to fix this thus far.)

Motion Tweening, Shape Tweening and Animation

We are currently working on Motion Tweening, Shape Tweening and Animation in digital imaging. It's fairly simple to coordinate, however, exporting and uploading the files has proven to be quite a task. My code is correct, and my projects are complete, but everything beside my shape tweening will not export correctly. My morale is surely faltering because of this complex situation.

Moving Several Posts to New Blog

Over the next week or so, I will be moving all blogs that have nothing to do with my digital imaging class to my second blog. Link here: http://blakesotherblogandstuff.blogspot.com/

Recreational Blogging

It has been some time since I posted anything for recreation. Or rather, something on the topic of my personal interests; aside from my digital imaging class. That being said, I shall attempt to assemble such a post today.

I've been reading quite a bit lately. A few authors that have caught my attention are Fitzgerald, Thoreau, Bryant and Salinger. Let's start with the former, Fitzgerald.

I find Fitzgerald to be in direct concurrence to modernism in "The Great Gatsby", but in opposition to modernism being catalyzed by the economy of the time. That is to say, more freedoms for the individual in a superficial way - through blind consumption - destroy the ideology associated with modernism. Now on to the second author that has interested me, Thoreau.

Thoreau's 'Nature' inspired me semantically; he seems to be the first formal author living in the United States to take full advantage of the first person. Besides that, I didn't much care for Thoreau. Everything I read besides 'Nature' prompted evidence of my original assumption; he is a poor man's Hawthorne with, in my opinion, more interesting politics.

(William Cullen) Bryant's poetry amazes me. Lines 25-29 in the third stanza of 'Thanatopsis' has offered me a better understanding of Deist theology than anything else I have ever read. Other than that, I didn't delve as deeply into Bryant's work as any of the other authors I have mentioned. Not out of a lack of interest, rather the physical limitation of time stood in my way.

The only work of Salinger's I have been able to read is "Catcher in the Rye." I would be very interested in seeing Salinger's writing style in his other works, for I can see his potential for writing advanced literature. However, the point of view in "Catcher in the Rye" does not allow this potential to flourish, due to the age of the narrator. I do not see this as conveying laziness in his writing, though. I loved reading the story, and realize if it were written any other way, it would have been artistically inferior.

Drawing in Flash

Today marks my second day working with Flash's drawing template individually. The process is a bit tedious if one chooses to attempt to be as precise as possible, but this is not really a problem considering our class has an entire year to complete this project.

Graphic Designer

Today, our groups assigned individual roles. I chose the role of "Graphic (Visual) Designer," for that is the field in which I feel I could shine due to my older brother's experience in the same field. Having a personal consult from which advice will be distributed could be an extremely useful tool. Also, I would have access to his plethora of design tablets, which he does not use; this will greatly improve the quality of the artwork I will eventually create.