ISTD in full

Part 1 (06/02/07)

This brief does seem a really good one with lots of possibilities. Thats equally a problem, with no restrictions of content im not sure which way to go. Initial ideas were bog standard boring historic timelines, of things that i do enjoy personally. Taking on the whole 'free your mind' aproach i started coming up with some more interesting ideas.
The lab rat game would be interesting. For one its tied in with the healthy kids movement, it also would seem a really good idea to progress into the actionscripting iv really been geting into.
The drunk game is also another idea, but ethically may hit some problems.
The one that i think im most likely to continue with is the guitar time line. Showing the history of a timeline of a piece of music, from the marks left by hands on a guitar. The plectrum trales and fingering marks. Need to go into further research and ideas before can carry one much further.


Part 2 (12/02/07)

Ok iv decided to go ahead with the guitar idea. The only problem at the moment is that it has no real use accept as a visualiser of music, also I suppose the lack of type in it, means that it will miss the point completely:S
I Just really like the idea of being able to track performances through images. Almost a Tinkerbelle trail behind your plectrum. The only way in which I can think introducing more type into it is by having a big introduction about pitch, strumming…ect and how they effect the piece. And the only way I can see it being educational is by making it a comparison to professional pieces. Overlay the students performance ontop of that of their teacher. The main problem with that is that their strumming would be different anyway. Younger students wouldn’t be able to strum as far as their tutors. Suppose there are a lot of flaws in this idea at the moment.
I need to research more into guitar aiding tools, see what’s out there at the moment.
The most popular one iv found at the moment is guitar hero. As much as it is a very simplified means of playing guitar it does hold the key aspects of guitar playing. The whole press and strum technique. Timing and a lot of aspects like that. That’s what my idea is kind of getting at I suppose, it just expects the player to already know the key aspects of playing guitar.

Part 3 (26/02/07)

Found a way that means il be able to tackle type within this project now:D. well atleast i hope it will work. The idea now is that as you're playing what ever music you wish to play, the alphabet is scrolling across the screen. The pitch, tempo and strumming is picked up by the sensors for your guitar and plectrum and effects the letters on screen. A high note= a thin letter, whilst a low note=a bold letter. You also set what tempo the piece is, if your strumming is fairly basic for this tempo the font stays relitively normal, where as a case of sever jaming wud cause the letters to turn become a more distorted font. So essentially this is a game in which the playing produces the fonts on screen. At the end you can save and look back, comparing your recording to the letters on screen. This is possibly how it could be a teachers aid, since you could compare a beginers line of music to their tutors. And by recognising visual differences they may be able to learn how they went wrong. Iv began to look at various fonts and have found some cool ones that may do the part, but its har to get a large spectrum. Theres atleast 108 different notes playable on an acoustic guitar, more on electic. Unless i used a single weight of font per octave, then i would only have to worry about 9 weights. I need to find more distorted ones, and possibly more lighter ones.
Definately looks like il be using a sans serif font. the most promising font family of a wide range of weights is the Helvetica, but it isnt exactly the most exciting of fonts. Where as if i just chose a variety of different fonts that worked well together....its just experimenting and tryin to find the right fit at the moment.

Part 4 (8/03/07)

Iv reached a point with this brief now where iv just lost steam. Aint got many new ideas and it jsut seems to be slogging on a bit too much. Part of me is longing for the week long briefs we had last year,,,,,altho preferably not making a mobile:P Everytime i sit to do this work i just seem to be confronted with problem after problem.The biggest being that mentioned above. I cant seem to find the fonts i need to pull off the original idea, thats why iv started looking at struming physically destroying the letters. how your plectrum moves per beat sweeps a smudge across teh letter, so at the end of each beat the letter is moved on.
this is looking interesting in black and white as a pure smudge. Iv experimented with different paintbrusshes in photoshop for different effects but simple smudge seems the most effective. The only problem now is thinking about layouts. Seeing as this is a kiosk, and is quickly being seen in my head as a form of software, its forming a web site like image in my head(tho that might just be CSS classes brain washing me). Iv looked at a few online games, but due to the amount on written content needed in this, they dont seem to aply to much.
There once again in my head is the matter of target audience. The brief says for adults and kids, familys and groups. Well the only way i can think that this would encompass groups was if i set up some guitar hero style sensors. Two guitars playing together, comparing there playing. But essentially i see this as a one person playing at a time game.
It can be for kids, as a begining aid to their playing, but they need a basic understanding of reading nots or tabulature to do this. Where as pros probably wouldnt give this program the time of day unless there was a form of artistic creation other than destorting words......need alot more thinking on this, although its doing me nut in and i am quite sick o f it atm...

part 5 (21/03/07)

Ok i seemed to of reached an almost conclusion on this piece. Thought of a name for it...StrumAnumbeR. This came from the change that its numbers going across the screen. If the piece is in 4:4 numbers 1-4 will be repeated across the screen, and is 3:3 were used the numbers 1-3 wud go across the screen in time with the beat.
Iv had several ideas for layouts and logos. The first few for StrumAnumbeR are pretty cool, just something very bog standard about them, pastels and boring. But when i took te neon version of my guitar painting, something cool popped out. I love the colour scheme, and the fonts used. Think the sizes need reajusting, and checking that the whole animation has stuck to the grid systems set up, but its pretty much done. As much as i know it isnt as brilliant as it should be, im just too happy at what i have achieved in flash. Iv managed to create a mockup of how it would work live, with a recording of house of the rising sun. Since we've had a new project we've begun on this week, il be laying this one to rest temperarily, but going back into a few finishing touchs once the new projects underway. Possibly create a more fluent route through, since there are a couple of pages that i can combine to make it easier on the player.

Part 6 (8/05/07)

OK! iv learnt to back up all files, cos that animation is gone! im soo flippin annoyed with my pc now, and people say macs arent trustworthy!
Saw Adam about it, but i need to redo it and its really annoying me. i spent so much time on it and its gone! completely! suppose i could edit those things i wanted to as i do it, but theres just somethingRAr about all of it.