TommyDavis

First Response; Lev Manovich describes in great detail the transition that occurred in media between physical and digital media. What is interesting to me about this article is the transitional period that occurs as artists first use digital media in the way they have been restricted to use physical media. His example of the painters using PaintBox is a fine example. Many artists use Photoshop simply for painting much in the same way they can with actual paints. Since I grew up in the 80’s I remember seeing this gradual and sometimes rapid transition in media. This is also a period of time where we were obligated to turn in our papers hand-written in cursive. Some teachers wanted work typed out on a typewriter. It is also interesting to me the idea of the restriction of ‘frame by frame’ media. Much of animation was produced this way, by having pictures drawn over and over with slight changes on many different pieces of paper. Stop-motion and Clay-mation animation operate in the same way, or at least they used to. This transition of physical to digital media can be seen in the South Park tv series. What was once originally two guys putting together paper-cut stop motion animation, eventually transitioned to a full digital media production, but using the same form as before. I hate to use it as an example, but it is an interesting idea that seems to be a recurring theme throughout Manovich’s paper. This idea of taking traditional concepts with new digital media. They still use the same form of the rudimentary paper cut-outs, even though they really didn’t have to considering the expanse and capability of digital media they use now. But it has also expanded their ability to address their narrative.  This transition also brings to mind the works of the extraordinary French cinematographer, George Méliès. He was first a magician, who then explored his craft with filmmaking. He discovered and used many tricks in the process of making his films. His ability as a showman and entertainer enable his creativity in working with film and developing techniques that are still used today. The most recent movie which explores his life was called //Hugo//. His most recognizable film is probably //A Trip to the Moon//, which was also featured in a Smashing Pumpkins music video. In many ways he captures this idea of mashing together mixed media over a century ago. Even now some of the best pictures are a mash-up of past and modern creative designs. Most notably, of recent memory may be Guillemo Del Toro’s //Pan’s Labyrinth// and //Hellboy 2.// These two films use an extraordinary balance of costume making, puppetry, animatronics, and CGI.  With Manovich’s article written in 2006, it’s amazing how fast technology has advanced since then and how quickly software and hardware can become ancient history. The principles of creative thinking continue to expand with the capabilities of the tools we are able to play with. It’s fascinating and exciting to be around. Second Response; I’d like to think the idea of Augmented Reality can be traced further back than the advent of film and digital media. This was obviously argued in Manovich’s article, but it brings to mind the work of Samuel Morse, inventor of the Morse Code, that painted //The Gallery at the Louvre//, a huge piece dedicated to repainting all of the great works of Art, for all to see. At that time most Americans were only exposed to great art through wood carvings and etchings. The concept and idea that we can take a snapshot of something we deem to be important enough to present for the interest of the public. This was an extraordinary feat, around the 1830’s, to recreate such a massive collection of masterpieces. With the development of print and later technology it is all too common to find any piece of art that exists in the known world. To jump from one era to the next, I’d like to discuss this advent of utilities used in video games and the recent trend of ‘gamification’. In Video Games, certain utilities were added to the GUI’s to help the gamer in progressing through the game, and to assist in tracking important statistics that were critical to gameplay. Some things were as simple as a mini-map that helped you navigate the virtual world, which can be seen in old Nintendo Games and modern console games alike. When 3D games such as Doom were developed, it was easy to get lost, and you could spend hours trying to find your way to the end of the level. This preceded the advent of GPS, which allows us to have the same system of navigation in the real world and also allows us to save countless hours getting lost in the streets of DC. That is the simplest transition of course, and more recently, people have created programs that essentially help you achieve small objectives by conducting daily tasks. In Final Fantasy 7 on the Playstation, as your character progressed and defeated numerous enemies and bosses, you gained experience points which were marked by levels. Your statistics increased every time you gained a new level. This concept is now being used to motivate people to exercise, or conduct daily chores and tasks. Right now it can mainly be found through websites or apps on our phones, but with the next step in AR, such as technology like Google Glass, this sort of thing will become even more incorporated into our lives. The world will have a digital overlay that will be equivalent to a HUD in a Video Game. Of course while this is exciting, the elephant in the room, the ever-increasing anxiety of the public, is that some people don’t want to be tracked and overseen by the Government. I’ve seen many of my friends put tape over their webcams that are commonplace in laptops now, with the worry that hackers or the government is monitoring your every move. The possibilities are exciting and thought provoking, but it will be interesting to see where innovation becomes too intrusive in the lives of others.

In another thought, it is interesting to note that in the Military, there is a unique balance between technology and warfare. Many games try to push the boundaries of where modern warfare is heading, but from my experience the Military tends to shy away from using many forms of technology in the field since it can be unreliable and malfunction at the worst times. One of the interesting concepts that they were toying with that never saw the light of day, was a AR system that gave soldiers on the ground a digital HUD that informed them of troop positions, coordinates, cardinal directions, SOP, etc. They experimented with the technology in the field and overseas, with little success. The point here, is that in Military culture, there seems to be an opposite trend towards technology than in Civilian life. Where civilians seek to enhance their lives with as much technology as possible, most troops on the ground stick to the simplest and most reliable hardware available.

media type="custom" key="25530230"why is the sky blue? Profile should contain: Tommy Davis facebook.com/TommyDeus your major - Fine Arts your experience with computers/software - At best, PC gaming. your experience with art - 1 semester of Oil Painting. Last semester. I have no idea what I'm doing. something interesting about you - former paratrooper your artistic interests (can include pictures or video) - all forms of art, especially digital media such as CG movies, video game art, comic book art

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