Process Book
Lauren Chapman Graduate Studio I Instructor Dan Boyarski Carnegie Mellon University Fall 2009
Process Book
“Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere.”
—Mary Schmich
Lauren Chapman Graduate Studio I Instructor Dan Boyarski Carnegie Mellon University Fall 2009
Contents 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 20
Project Brief Brainstorming Research Transition Story Boarding Implementing Refining Finalizing Insights
Project Brief The second project for Graduate Studio I at Carnegie Mellon University was to create a short time-based piece about either reading or the future of reading. The criteria for this project was very open-ended and allowed us to explore any area of research we desired, as long as it related to reading. To properly reflect on the future of reading, we were also encouraged to explore the past and present state of reading. We were told to visualize our exploration and ideas through a time-based movie, anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes in length.
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(a) Excerpt from “Kindles yet to woo University Users” by Hyung Lee, Princeton University Horvath said that using the Kindle has required completely changing the way he completes his coursework. “Much of my learning comes from a physical interaction with the text: bookmarks, highlights, page-tearing, sticky notes and other marks representing the importance of certain passages -- not to mention margin notes, where most of my paper ideas come from and interaction with the material occurs,” he explained. “All these things have been lost, and if not lost they’re too slow to keep up with my thinking, and the ‘features’ have been rendered useless.” Katz also added that the absence of page numbers in the Kindle makes it more difficult for students to cite sources consistently. “The Kindle doesn’t give you page numbers; it gives you location numbers. They have to do that because the material is reformatted,” Katz said. He noted that while the location numbers are “convenient for reading,” they are “meaningless for anyone working from analog books.” Classics professor Harriet Flower, who teaches Religion and Magic in Ancient Rome, said in an e-mail that the Kindle “is very easy on the eye,” adding that she could “read for longer without [her] eyes feeling tired.” But Rachel George ‘10, a student in Katz’ class, said in an e-mail that she has found it “a little difficult to adjust to the e-reader.” “A huge benefit to the Kindle is having large quantities of reading available at your fingertips and not having to print and lug around books and articles,” she said. “Some disadvantages are the necessity to charge the Kindle and the impossibility of ‘flipping through’ a book.” George also said the annotation software was “useful but not as easy or ‘organic’ feeling as taking notes on paper.” “For some people,” she explained, “electronic reading can never replace the functionality and ‘feel’ of reading off paper.”
Brainstorming At the beginning of this project, I really struggled to find a topic on the future of reading. During the brainstorming process, professor Dan Boyarski brought in three professors with literary backgrounds to discuss reading (Suguru Ishizaki, Linda Flower, and William Alba). They each shared their thoughts on reading, interaction between reader and author, and the future of how we read. The speakers provided us with literature on reading theory. Defining a specific topic proved challenging. The next step in the brainstorming process was, go figure, to read. I began looking up articles online (a), specifically concerning the recently released Vooks and Kindle. The shift to electronic reading is a prominent topic of concern. My background as an English major kept reminding me how much I love a print book. Yet as a designer, I kept wondering about possible improvements. Digital books shouldn’t replicate print books, they should be an entirely different experience. Thus, I decided to explore the value of print and the value of the modern electronic book.
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(b) (c)
Research We each wrote a 1-page paper on our selected topic, based on our research. As a class, we shared our topics (b). Each idea fell under the umbrella of “Reading Yesterday,” “Reading Today,” or “Reading Tomorrow” and many overlapped. My research ultimately formed a single statement about print vs. digital books, on which I planned to focus my time-based movie (c). I also created a list of pros and cons. When I researched Vooks, I realized that people enjoyed videos with their instructional books, but not so much with fiction. But what if Vooks supplied all the stimulus that would normally be just imagined? I toyed with the idea of designing a digital book that was completely futuristic— holographic, releasing smells and sound effects to set a mood—but I was still drawn back to my roots, wanting my movie to focus on print books. However, when I began to storyboard for these two ideas, I struggled with how to present them. I found the research very interesting, but when it came to the design, I was not excited, passionate or motivated. I felt that no matter what form reading is in, whether digital, print, or holographic, it is the same at its very core. I searched myself...Why did I love reading?
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(d)
Transition I finally decided to switch topics due to class discussions, where we each shared our ideas, rough storyboards, and advice (d). My group could tell I was unhappy with my topic, and they pushed me to consider the true meaning of reading in my life. I was asked to give quick answers: Tell or show? Experience or understand? Why love reading? What is universal in all forms of reading? I realized that reading is leaving reality and entering another world where one grows, relates and learns. When you finish reading, you leave the book changed. And I wanted my audience to experience this in my movie, just as they would experience this in a book. This quality of reading exists no matter what form the “book� is in. Now I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I was ecstatic. For the first time since beginning the project, I truly was excited.
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(e)
Story Boarding After more class discussion, I had a clear vision of how I wanted to proceed. I began to storyboard the events of the movie (e). I chose a quote from Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love,” a book that had a large influence on my life (f). I wanted to present the quote in my movie as an example of how books can change the reader’s life. My concept was to present two realities: that of the book, and that of the reader. The reader would be a simple black and white sketch, and the book reality would be colorful and vibrant. A girl would be reading when bright swirls, jungle elements and animals would burst out of the book and fill the screen. The color would overtake the reader and then present the quote I picked out. The quote would be presented with kinetic typography, broken up into 4 sections that would appear on the screen in different fashions. The last word of the quote was “thoughts,” so a thought bubble would appear around it and the screen would shift down to her again. She would close the book, look up and smile, having grown a little from her reading experience. I knew my concept and how I wanted to present it, and now came the hard part: creating with Adobe After Effects.
(f) “I can select what I read. I can choose how I’m going to regard
unfortunate circumstances in my life, whether I see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and tone of voice. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts.”
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(g)
Implementing (h)
I sketched the girl and the various positions that were key to her movements (g). I used basic drawn animation for her motion. With Adobe Illustrator, I designed the elements that would come out of her book: jungle animals, vines, flowers, flourishes (pictured in the layout of this book). I used vector images to shape these elements and I scanned watercolors for their color. I then began a digital storyboard (h). I loved working with After Effects, even though it was difficult to master. I feel like I developed a solid understanding of the work flow and key frames. Throughout my video, I made strong use of masks, a feature I had never used before. I played various instrumental music as I worked, and when I heard the right sound that really fit the spirit of my piece, I brought it into After Effects and began to sync it with the motions (“Between Sheets� by Imogen Heap). I created a digital storyboard as I began working on the piece, and presented my first 30 seconds to the class for critiques.
whether I see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and tone of voice. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts.
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(i)
Refining (J)
The class noted that the spirit of the quote didn’t fit well with the story and the visuals seemed to fully express my concept. There was no need for textual explanations. I could achieve my goal of making the audience experience the story with the visuals alone. After deciding to get rid of the quote, I spent the next week focusing on my movie and the story I would tell. Objects would spring out of the book, break apart, and solidify as a color on the girl, signifying what she was taking from the book. Not all the objects would be happy elements though. I created a moment where the music overlaps with the eerie sound of “Vertigo: Prelude and Rooftop” by Bernard Herman and the screen fills with skittering bugs (i). Her reaction changes to fear, but a golden bird flies out of the book, chasing away the creatures, and her skin fills with color. The viewer “reads” a story of good triumphing over evil, and at this point, she now has color in her hair, eyes, lips, and skin. A heart beats into her chest (J), and she becomes fully filled with color (except her clothes).
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Finalizing The feature I struggled with most was making the audience realize she was gradually gaining color. Particles would fly past her, but the color transitions were too faint. I increased the opacity, trying to strike a balance because I didn’t want the color to overtake her. It was still difficult to notice. I created a patch of colored particles that settled over what was being colored, remaining on her for a few frames, then disappearing into her as she gained the color. That was the key. I had to slow the pace of her gaining color and really draw the attention to that area (the objects coming from the book was competing for the viewer’s attention). I decreased the action as she gained color. I also decided to fill in her hair completely with a watercolor, and to only outline her clothes at the very end. It was a perfect touch. Her clothes remain white, since she isn’t completely changed from reading a book. She closes the book, looks up and smiles. To make the final message clear, giving the piece a title, the words “the simple joy of reading” appear on screen, then fade away with her. I spent the last few days fine-tuning the timing, making sure the pace wasn’t too fast, fixing the sync with the music, and catching any small glitches in animation.
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Insights
Know the difference between a concept that has value and just needs to be modified and a concept that isn’t working and needs to be changed.
Don’t be afraid to ditch a bad idea halfway through for a much better one. It’s worth the extra work. Be flexible.
Find the love and joy in your work. If you create something, make it with care.
If you don’t know how to do something, rather than letting yourself be discouraged, learn how.
Get a fresh pair of eyes to look at your work. Listen to advice.
If you want an idea to be communicated clearly, be obvious...duh.
Music and sound can make or break a piece. Timing is essential.
Time-based media yields emotional power over an audience.
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