I think I will have a different cover and title for the two different sections of the book.
Some initial ideas for titles (I've highlighted my favourites):
FAST
* I need this yesterday!
* You snooze, you loose!
* The Fast Lane.
* Speed Junkie.
* Turbo.
* Pell-mell.
SLOW
* Slow and Steady Wins the Race.
* Pause.
* Respite.
* Breathing Space.
* Lull.
* Interlude.
* Time Out.
* Recharge.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Blueprint (revised)
Here's the to do list from my previous blueprint.
Grey= Done.
Green = Doing.
Blue = haven't started yet.
TO DO
content
* conduct research
* write story x2
* capture footage of characters x2
* edit footage and export frames for animation x2
* trace frames to form line drawings x2
* add colour
* figure out binding method
* place frames in layout
* add type
* title, legal info, dedication ???
construction
* create test mock-up
* print (double-sided)
* bind
Grey= Done.
Green = Doing.
Blue = haven't started yet.
TO DO
content
* conduct research
* write story x2
* capture footage of characters x2
* edit footage and export frames for animation x2
* trace frames to form line drawings x2
* add colour
* figure out binding method
* place frames in layout
* add type
* title, legal info, dedication ???
construction
* create test mock-up
* print (double-sided)
* bind
Initial Sketches Test Clip
So I've managed to edit the footage down to a more manageable chunk and from that I've started sketching out the frames for the animation.
Here are the first 30 frames. (the sketches are still a little rough and will be cleaned up for the final). I'm not sure if I should add colour to the sketches or just leave them as line drawings, any thoughts?
Here are the first 30 frames. (the sketches are still a little rough and will be cleaned up for the final). I'm not sure if I should add colour to the sketches or just leave them as line drawings, any thoughts?
Video Capture
When I went home for thanksgiving I managed to rope my brother and sister into letting me film them to get a base on which to build my final flip book animations. My brother did a good job once he got into it, but when I turned the camera on my sister she couldn't stop smiling, so I'll have to edit that out when I make the sketches.
Here are the rough results:
Here are the rough results:
Friday, October 10, 2008
Flipbooks Found, Thank you Pages!
I've been trying to find some real life flip books so that I can have a look at how they are constructed, what kind of paper would be best to use, and so on. Thank god for Pages! They kicked Chapters butt on the flip book front. They have a whole little shelving section set up at their front desk with books by multiple authors/artists as well as pretty much the entire Santiago Melazinni flip book collection. I flipped every available book in that section and in the end decided that the Melazinni books were the best in terms of their construction and how they moved in your hands, and at only $6.95 I HAD to get a couple!! I got a really nice black and white yoga one which shows a sun salutation sequence and a fun bubble blowing one (posted below).
*As a side note I actually called Chapters out of interest to see if any of their locations sold these books (cause they did have them on their online store) but not a single location, not even that big one on Bloor, had them in stock.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The Fast Lane (rough draft)
So here's a very rough draft of one of the stories for my book. I'm thinking of breaking up the text so that it enhances the fast-paced tone of this half of the book and speaks to the fact that nowadays we tend to skim words or sentences when we read. There will be one sentence/chunk per page along with a frame of the animation.
Marty Swift is a speed junkie.
He eats fast,
talks a mile-a-minute...
... to five different people at a time...
... drives like a fugitive...
... and is always looking towards his next milestone.
“It’s called multitasking.” he says triumphantly to himself...
... as he slurps down a bowl of cereal in the shower.
To fuel his turbo routine, Marty consumes a crap-load of caffeine....
in the form of coffee,
Red Bull,
Rock Star,
Power Horse,
Full Throttle,
Tab,
Jolt Cola,
Steven Seagal’s Lightning Bolt.
..it’s a real drink,
caffeine pills.
He’s tried them all.
And what does he do with this caffeine-fueled vigor?
Everything!
Marty is the proud owner of many “time-saving” devices
On top of all the usual suspects
(electric stove, flush toilet, hot water system, toaster, kettle, blender)
Marty also owns
The Roomba vacuuming robot,
instant coffee,
automatic garage door,
push button ignition on his car,
and several of those electronic picture frames that cycle through images of friends and family so that you never have to change it.
Marty has a lot of friends,
but he connects with them briefly.
a chat over coffee here,
a short e-mail there,
or a quick phone call,
interrupted of course,
by a beep on the other line...
... that just HAS to be answered!
He flits from one social encounter to another...
... like a butterfly...
... but with less grace.
You see...
... all that fast food...
... and “no time” to exercise...
... has not done any favours for Marty’s waistline.
Drive-throughs and microwaves are Marty’s culinary companions.
If it ain’t fast it ain’t gonna last!...
...is his motto.
But do these “time-saving” devices and technologies really given him more time to enjoy life
as they claim
?
or does he just use this extra time to become even more busy.
Marty works at an advertising agency –
Think F*#%$ing Quick (or we’ll lose our jobs) Studio.
Where vague briefs, tight deadlines, and even tighter shirt collars are a way of life.
He’s been competing hard for an upcoming promotion...
...to a faster-paced, more hectic job than the one he currently has...
...which is already supersonic.
Speed is king in the workplace!
Of course, all this haste results in cut corners...
... inside the box thinking...
... and many, MANY mistakes...
...but as long as they meet the deadlines right?
“I need this yesterday!” yells Marty’s boss.
There’s no time for reflection.
“Didn’t we make the same mistake when we worked on the Cheese Whiz account?”
Ah well, no-one will notice anyway...
...they’ll all be too busy rushing around in their own lives.
Not surprisingly, eight of Marty’s co-workers are off sick today...
burnt out,
anxious,
depressed,
exhausted,
...on the verge of cardiac arrest...
Or at least another pimple.
But not Marty!
well
not yet anyway.
Marty won’t find out that he has cardiovascular disease till next month
because “Who has time for a visit to the doctor these days?!”
and even after he discovers this alarming fact
Marty will continue to push himself.
He’s more afraid of failure than his impending demise.
Too obsessed with punctuality, productivity and progress.
He did take a vacation
once.
He went to New York for a week,
tried to squeeze in as many possible sights, day trips and tours as possible,
and ended up coming home more exhausted than he had been when he left!
Instead of taking a proper vacation
Marty tries to cope with his stress induced anxiety...
... by smoking.
but nicotine is actually a stimulant.
Don’t be too hard on him though.
It’s not his fault.
Speed is a natural part of our daily lives...
... where each fast aspect...
... is necessary...
... for the other fast aspects to happen.
It is part of our vocabulary...
... “You snooze, you lose!”
So “Get up to Speed!”
One day...
as Marty is rushing...
... out of his car...
... to a very important meeting at work,
he sees himself
just a glimpse...
... in the reflection
of the door as it slams shut.
A tired resemblance of his former being..
wrinkles
shadows
the fast life is taking it’s toll.
The biological cost of his need for speed:
accelerated aging.
He’s been pressing “fast forward” without realizing that...
... there’s no rewind on THIS remote.
Multi-task THAT!
Marty Swift is a speed junkie.
He eats fast,
talks a mile-a-minute...
... to five different people at a time...
... drives like a fugitive...
... and is always looking towards his next milestone.
“It’s called multitasking.” he says triumphantly to himself...
... as he slurps down a bowl of cereal in the shower.
To fuel his turbo routine, Marty consumes a crap-load of caffeine....
in the form of coffee,
Red Bull,
Rock Star,
Power Horse,
Full Throttle,
Tab,
Jolt Cola,
Steven Seagal’s Lightning Bolt.
..it’s a real drink,
caffeine pills.
He’s tried them all.
And what does he do with this caffeine-fueled vigor?
Everything!
Marty is the proud owner of many “time-saving” devices
On top of all the usual suspects
(electric stove, flush toilet, hot water system, toaster, kettle, blender)
Marty also owns
The Roomba vacuuming robot,
instant coffee,
automatic garage door,
push button ignition on his car,
and several of those electronic picture frames that cycle through images of friends and family so that you never have to change it.
Marty has a lot of friends,
but he connects with them briefly.
a chat over coffee here,
a short e-mail there,
or a quick phone call,
interrupted of course,
by a beep on the other line...
... that just HAS to be answered!
He flits from one social encounter to another...
... like a butterfly...
... but with less grace.
You see...
... all that fast food...
... and “no time” to exercise...
... has not done any favours for Marty’s waistline.
Drive-throughs and microwaves are Marty’s culinary companions.
If it ain’t fast it ain’t gonna last!...
...is his motto.
But do these “time-saving” devices and technologies really given him more time to enjoy life
as they claim
?
or does he just use this extra time to become even more busy.
Marty works at an advertising agency –
Think F*#%$ing Quick (or we’ll lose our jobs) Studio.
Where vague briefs, tight deadlines, and even tighter shirt collars are a way of life.
He’s been competing hard for an upcoming promotion...
...to a faster-paced, more hectic job than the one he currently has...
...which is already supersonic.
Speed is king in the workplace!
Of course, all this haste results in cut corners...
... inside the box thinking...
... and many, MANY mistakes...
...but as long as they meet the deadlines right?
“I need this yesterday!” yells Marty’s boss.
There’s no time for reflection.
“Didn’t we make the same mistake when we worked on the Cheese Whiz account?”
Ah well, no-one will notice anyway...
...they’ll all be too busy rushing around in their own lives.
Not surprisingly, eight of Marty’s co-workers are off sick today...
burnt out,
anxious,
depressed,
exhausted,
...on the verge of cardiac arrest...
Or at least another pimple.
But not Marty!
well
not yet anyway.
Marty won’t find out that he has cardiovascular disease till next month
because “Who has time for a visit to the doctor these days?!”
and even after he discovers this alarming fact
Marty will continue to push himself.
He’s more afraid of failure than his impending demise.
Too obsessed with punctuality, productivity and progress.
He did take a vacation
once.
He went to New York for a week,
tried to squeeze in as many possible sights, day trips and tours as possible,
and ended up coming home more exhausted than he had been when he left!
Instead of taking a proper vacation
Marty tries to cope with his stress induced anxiety...
... by smoking.
but nicotine is actually a stimulant.
Don’t be too hard on him though.
It’s not his fault.
Speed is a natural part of our daily lives...
... where each fast aspect...
... is necessary...
... for the other fast aspects to happen.
It is part of our vocabulary...
... “You snooze, you lose!”
So “Get up to Speed!”
One day...
as Marty is rushing...
... out of his car...
... to a very important meeting at work,
he sees himself
just a glimpse...
... in the reflection
of the door as it slams shut.
A tired resemblance of his former being..
wrinkles
shadows
the fast life is taking it’s toll.
The biological cost of his need for speed:
accelerated aging.
He’s been pressing “fast forward” without realizing that...
... there’s no rewind on THIS remote.
Multi-task THAT!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Blueprint (first draft)
THE BASICS
* 2 books in one
* subject of book will address speed and pace of life
* flip-book component
* smaller format – easy to hold in hand, easy to flip
* self cover, glued spine (for optimum springy/flippyness) OR Japanese-Style binding (not sure which would work best, maybe Japanese would work with my "slow down" message.)
* thicker stock for the cover, medium weight paper for inside content
* 80-100 pages (enough to flip with)
(after doing some research into flip books I estimated that for 12 seconds of animation takes about 150 pages)
THE NITTY GRITTY
* Overarching message/theme/topic of exploration: the fast pace of life in the West, the negative effects it has on our lives and the importance of slowing down.
* The user will flip/read through the book one way and then turn it over and flip/read through the other way.
* animation images will take up about 1/3 of the page and will always be on the outside.
* There will be 2 stories, featuring 2 different characters: one who partakes in all aspects of the fast pace of his society and the other who has learnt to slow down.
* stories will be fictional but based on research.
* animation for fast-paced story will show the character doing many things at once and getting older/more tired as it progresses. (multiple hands: holding cell phone, drinking coffee, on laptop, eating etc.)
* animation for slow paced story will show the character barely moving reading a book with a cup of tea (or something) a contented look on their face.
* playing with pacing both in the animation itself and also in the fact that the reader can flip through both stories quickly and get a gist of what is going on OR take the time and read the stories which will give the animations greater depth and meaning. (which is kind of the point - life will have more meaning if you slow down at least once in a while and appreciate the moment [page] instead of always rushing to get to the next chapter)
APPEARANCE
* animations will be simple line drawings, with splashes of colour
* maybe the animation for the fast-paced story could be drawn like someone did it in a hurry with ink splotches and mistakes here and there.
* typographically there will also be a suggestion of pacing in the way it is presented. (e.g fast-paced story might have congested looking type)
* potential titles: “speed junkies”, “i need this yesterday”, “up to speed?”
TO DO
content
* conduct research
* write story x2
* capture footage of characters x2
* edit footage and export frames for animation x2
* trace frames to form line drawings x2
* add colour
* figure out binding method
* place frames in layout
* add type
* title, legal info, dedication ???
construction
* create test mock-up
* print (double-sided)
* bind
RESEARCH (so far)
* slow movement: http://www.slowmovement.com/
* slow planet: http://www.slowplanet.com/work
* TED talks: carl honore – in praise of slowness: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/carl_honore_praises_slowness.html
* 2 books in one
* subject of book will address speed and pace of life
* flip-book component
* smaller format – easy to hold in hand, easy to flip
* self cover, glued spine (for optimum springy/flippyness) OR Japanese-Style binding (not sure which would work best, maybe Japanese would work with my "slow down" message.)
* thicker stock for the cover, medium weight paper for inside content
* 80-100 pages (enough to flip with)
(after doing some research into flip books I estimated that for 12 seconds of animation takes about 150 pages)
THE NITTY GRITTY
* Overarching message/theme/topic of exploration: the fast pace of life in the West, the negative effects it has on our lives and the importance of slowing down.
* The user will flip/read through the book one way and then turn it over and flip/read through the other way.
* animation images will take up about 1/3 of the page and will always be on the outside.
* There will be 2 stories, featuring 2 different characters: one who partakes in all aspects of the fast pace of his society and the other who has learnt to slow down.
* stories will be fictional but based on research.
* animation for fast-paced story will show the character doing many things at once and getting older/more tired as it progresses. (multiple hands: holding cell phone, drinking coffee, on laptop, eating etc.)
* animation for slow paced story will show the character barely moving reading a book with a cup of tea (or something) a contented look on their face.
* playing with pacing both in the animation itself and also in the fact that the reader can flip through both stories quickly and get a gist of what is going on OR take the time and read the stories which will give the animations greater depth and meaning. (which is kind of the point - life will have more meaning if you slow down at least once in a while and appreciate the moment [page] instead of always rushing to get to the next chapter)
APPEARANCE
* animations will be simple line drawings, with splashes of colour
* maybe the animation for the fast-paced story could be drawn like someone did it in a hurry with ink splotches and mistakes here and there.
* typographically there will also be a suggestion of pacing in the way it is presented. (e.g fast-paced story might have congested looking type)
* potential titles: “speed junkies”, “i need this yesterday”, “up to speed?”
TO DO
content
* conduct research
* write story x2
* capture footage of characters x2
* edit footage and export frames for animation x2
* trace frames to form line drawings x2
* add colour
* figure out binding method
* place frames in layout
* add type
* title, legal info, dedication ???
construction
* create test mock-up
* print (double-sided)
* bind
RESEARCH (so far)
* slow movement: http://www.slowmovement.com/
* slow planet: http://www.slowplanet.com/work
* TED talks: carl honore – in praise of slowness: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/carl_honore_praises_slowness.html
Santiago Melazzini Flip Books
Because the subject matter of my book deals with time and pacing, I would like to incorporate a flip-book element into the final piece.
Surprisingly I found it quite difficult to track down specific published flip books, but I did come across this guy Santiago Melazzini, a photographer and filmmaker who has published a whole series of flip books on a wide range of different subjects from tango to soup.
Here are a couple of videos of the books in motion:
Surprisingly I found it quite difficult to track down specific published flip books, but I did come across this guy Santiago Melazzini, a photographer and filmmaker who has published a whole series of flip books on a wide range of different subjects from tango to soup.
Here are a couple of videos of the books in motion:
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