BP: Social Media

            We learned about 7 different types of social media and how they connect with design.

1.      Facebook

2.      Twitter

3.      Linkedin

4.      Pinterest

5.      Instagram

6.      Tumbler

7.      Snapchat

I will go through some of these examples of social media and explain how they go together with design. First I will look at Facebook.

Facebook is a social network that has a blue and white color theme which makes the site inviting to prospective and current users alike. You can also customize your own page with a short biography, a profile photo and a cover photo that allows your friends to learn more about you. Facebook also helps families stay together even though they are far apart. Instead of sending physical letters in the mail, Facebook users can now send messages instantly to family anywhere in the world and families can keep up with the lives of their loved ones through photos and posts.The next social media app I will connect to design is Instagram.

Instagram is essentially a modern version of the old family photo album. The app allows you to post pictures with captions and also apply filters to your photos to create your own personal touch. Instead of having to lug around a big heavy photo album you can show loved ones and friends your Instagram. Instagram is a virtual photo album and it allows users to carry around their photos in their pocket on their mobile device. Like Facebook, Instagram allows families to see photos that their loved one’s post and remain connected. Finally, I will discuss the app Pinterest.

Pinterest is similar to Instagram in the sense that it takes a physical object and places it into the virtual world. Pinterest is a virtual scrapbook that contains everything from alcoholic drinks to gourmet meals. It allows its users to keep everything in an organized place instead of having physical clutter that is present with a physical scrapbook. It has the scrapbook feel but it presents the “pins” in an organized manner and when clicked they take the users to the respective website so more information can be acquired.

To conclude, the key design aspect that these types of social media have are implementing the same feel as physical items such as a photo album (Instagram), a scrapbook (Pinterest) and letters (Facebook) and placing them on an easy to use virtual medium.

BP: Media Impact

GoPro has created several media connections about their action cameras. Examples of GoPro's involvement in media connections are through the use of films and television. Movies at one time used big, bulky cameras to create films but with the introduction of the line of GoPro hero cameras filmmakers are now able to film perspectives that were once not possible. The director of the most recent Fast and Furious movie used these cameras to his advantage by placing them on the inside and outside of the cars to give the audience the feeling that they themselves are behind the wheel. Movies are not the only medium in which these cameras are used.

Famous Athletes also utilize these cameras to create short films on Instagram of themselves playing sports or participating in extreme outdoor activities. This spectrum consists of filming snowboarders themselves as they conquer extreme slopes or skydivers providing us with an aerial point of view as they buzz by a mountain side while wearing a wing suit. The first two examples are of consumers of these small action cameras creating their own films but GoPro also create theirs own videos that they publish on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter as well television spots.

These commercials also feature athletes displaying how the camera allows them to create films of themselves participating in extreme activities. Also in addition to utilizing social media to publish daily videos and pictures created using GoPro's, the company also provides videos or pictures of the day on the app for users to see.

GoPro is heavily connected to the media by means of movies, sports, social media and commercials on television.

Below are links to a few of these media connections that GoPro utilizes.

• GoPro: Fast and Furious
• GoPro hero session
• Hero 4 ski flip
• 2015: A year in review

BP: Noupe.com

1.      Negative Space

a.       This aspect of negative space in film design was used in the movie There Will Be Blood. Negative space was being used by film designers to create emphasis on a subject whether it be a living thing or a place. Negative space works by having the subject against a plain empty background which could be the black of the night or the clarity of a blue sky. With the subject against these plain backgrounds, the attention of the audience is drawn to the subject due to the fact that the subject stands out extremely well against its surroundings.

2.      Mood

a.       This aspect of mood is best illustrated in the movie Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. To help describe the dreariness of this movie the film designers only included dark colors such as black and grey. These two colors give the viewer the feeling of death and depression. This proper use of dark color transmits the feelings that the actors have to the audience and allows them to be further engrossed in the film.

3.      Blurred Motion

a.       The last design aspect of film that I will discuss is the aspect of blurred motion. This aspect of film design is seen in the movie Defiance. Film Designers create emphasis on the subject by focusing the camera on the subject while it is standing still and while the background is in motion. This creates blurred subjects in the background while the main subject in the foreground is crystal clear which brings the attention of the audience to the subject in the foreground.

4.      How these observations will help me in creating my own movie

a.       By reading this article and gaining further insight to the techniques that film designers use when ensuring that the audience will focus where they are supposed to I can implement some of these same techniques in my film to create emphasis of my artifact. By doing this, I will ensure that my film will describe my artifact in the best way possible without the viewers becoming distracted.

BP: Storyboard Final

My Storyboard

 
Review of storyboards

• After examining a handful of storyboards that my classmates created I noticed that the list of artifacts is very diverse. I looked at storyboards of sophisticated artifacts such as a Fitbit and RayBan sunglasses all the way to very simplistic artifacts such as a grill and a dumbbell. All of the storyboards I examined explained every aspect of the design process thoroughly and provided detailed explanations of how their artifact represented those individual aspects. 
• The storyboards that I examined used photos that complemented the text extremely well and added creativity to the storyboard which kept my attention as well as prevented the storyboard viewers from losing interest which would occur from just looking at plain text. 
• Overall the storyboards were designed very well and from what I examined the movies about the artifacts should turn out extremely well and I wish all my classmates the best of luck. Happy movie making!

BP: Prown Worksheet

            The artifact that I chose to describe was the Battleship Wisconsin that I toured while I was on vacation in Virginia. The Wisconsin is an Iowa Class battleship and was one of the main battleships that participated in World War Two. 

            This battleship was designed with one purpose in mind and that is to cause destruction and destroy enemy battleships. The hull of the battleship was designed to ensure fast speeds in order to allow the battleship to move quickly from point A to point B. Also the hull was durable enough to withstand rounds fired from enemy battleships and in fact it was hit by an enemy round while deployed but it did not sink. 

            The interior of the battleship was very tight; the designers did not want to waste any space. The stairwells are narrow, the beds will make you claustrophobic and you can barely spin in a circle while brushing your teeth in the bathrooms. These battleships required a lot of sailors to operate the ship which made fitting as many personnel on board as possible a necessity. 

            A battleship is nothing without guns. The battleship had three main guns (two in the front with one overlapping the other and one in the back behind the bridge). These guns were each equipped with three barrels that could fire independently of one another to ensure all targets could be engaged. The reason the two weapons overlapped each other was to decrease the space needed to house the guns and therefore make the ship smaller in length which made it a smaller target and harder to hit. 

            The command bridge was elevated off of the deck to allow the bridge crew to have a vantage point of their surroundings and successfully navigate the ship through the waters as well as see enemy battleships. There was also a helipad in the rear of the ship to allow rotor wing aircraft to land on the boat if necessary.

Photo courtesy of Cody Cioffe

Photo courtesy of Cody Cioffe

Photo courtesy of Cody Cioffe

Photo courtesy of Cody Cioffe

Photo courtesy of Cody Cioffe

BP: Place

Rupp arena is one of the most iconic places in Lexington. It is home to the University of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team. The interior of the arena has the court in the center and NCAA tournament banners suspended from the rafters. On the days of home games fans flock to Rupp Arena to watch the Wildcats defeat the opposing team. The Erruption zone is the student section located behind one of the baskets inside the arena. This arena is reserved for the rowdiest students to see their Wildcats play ball and to cheer the players on.

So why does Rupp Arena have genius loci? When I go to games and see the hype video featuring highlights of past teams I always get cold chills. I have set foot on the court one time and while I was on the court I was in awe because I was standing where the current players and former players have stood. It was one of the best moments in my college career, one that I will never forget.

When it comes time to introduce the Wildcats everything but the court goes dark, a spotlight is on the players and pyrotechnics are set off. These games bring together fans of all ages whether it be young children, college students or the elderly. Rupp Arena has a special place in the heart of all Kentucky Wildcat fans and it will always be what the University of Kentucky is known for. We may be stressed out from the work week but the games bring us together as the Big Blue Nation and makes us leave all our worries behind as we live vicariously through the players.

Photo Courtesy of Cody Cioffe