Braindraw

AIA Dayton 2010 Design Awards

2010-12-08T13:30:00.003-05:00

Award shows and me... we go way back. I created animated showcases for interactive entries at the 2009 and 2010 Hermes Awards shows, and helped with creative direction for their 2010 show. My recent work on the awards presentation for AIA Dayton was a little different. Instead of having a video that supports the emcee and provides visual accompaniment, AIA Dayton wanted to try using a video instead of an emcee. Thus, the burden of keeping the rapt attention of 100+ attendees for over eight minutes fell upon me.

Focusing on Design

There were a few factors working against me on this one. It should suffice to say that I didn't spend more than two weeks on this, start to finish. But something that worked in my favor was an established design aesthetic evolved through many years of these shows.

I was shown an invite postcard for the event, designed by RADG's own Jenn Gobrail, and I knew I couldn't go wrong. Even though I had a nice visual starting point, I was given almost no external art direction. Because of the extremely short timeline and small budget, the client basically had to accept whatever I created. Sweet creative freedom!

Jenn's lovely postcard invite

Process

I didn't get to do as much pre-visualization as I'd like. Most of it happened in my mind's eye and I just did my best to execute ideas in a way that worked well and efficiently.

I basically did a few little sketches, thought about it a lot in the back of my head, and got to work designing and animating.

My submission for the "tiniest storyboard ever" award

An early sketch of the event A/V layout

The Event

The icing on this project's cake: I was to help run the A/V at the event. That meant hanging out in the crowd, munching on hors d'œuvres, and doing my best to avoid the open bar until it was time to show the main video.

The hanging LCD screen "chandelier" rigs showcased the entries in a unique way that added interest throughout the event. The main awards presentation video was projected across the room onto a large wall.

Hanging LCD chandelier

The big screen

The actual steps to start the main video were very simple, but it still stressed me out a bit. Luckily, my A/V buddy, Alison, provided some much-needed backup.

Alison (producer) and me and a flower

Jerry's Final Thought

I'm proud of this project, and especially proud that it came together so well in such a short time. Thought not the ideal process, it was nice to be able to just imagine something and then quickly execute it without external review.

Also, big props to Adam Haroff for his lightning fast voice-over talent and audio editing skills. Full credits on the Vimeo page.

Five Second Project: CMYK

2010-08-10T13:30:00.004-04:00

View on Vimeo

What do you do if you have a little extra creative energy, you want to create a cool original piece and maybe try out a new technique or two? Well, if you're an animator like me, you might enter one of Nick Campbell's Five Second Project competitions.

A project that is five seconds long

If you check out some of the work that has been done for these competitions, you might imagine some complicated set of rules, but you'd be mistaken.

Here are Nick's rules:

Submissions must be Five Seconds Long!
Only animation is accepted. Video only submissions will not.
The animations has to do with the theme in some way.
Original Work only. Don’t cut out 5 seconds of already made work.
Link back to GSG on your Vimeo Post

My Process

Of course, I didn't just jump straight into CINEMA 4D like a J-hole. No, I thought about it a little bit, came up with a concept, and sketched it out on an expensive piece of paper.

Ideas work better when sketched upon expensive paper.

If you can't tell from watching the animation, the idea is that a piece of paper rolls through an abstract offset printing press. When the final image is revealed at the end, the camera flies through it to reveal a second scene with the letters "CMYK."

Modeling

To begin building the "printing press," I started in Illustrator and mapped out where each roller would be and the path that the paper would follow through them. This line art is not simply a guide to use later in 3D. These lines were imported into CINEMA 4D and used directly to create the 3D rollers, paper, and gears.

3D objects in their larval 2D stage.

Here's what those lines became, after some more clicking of the mouse.

A peek under the hood of the two black (K) rollers.

The second scene

The idea I mapped out in the beginning stages of the project suggested that a second scene may be built to create the imagery for the final "print." I knew I couldn't spend a ton of time or energy on the second scene, but I think it came together nicely for being a bit of a quickie.

Easy. Breezy. Beautiful.

Animation

Once I had the modeling out of the way, I had to animate everything. I used keyframes to record the motion of the camera, the spinning of the rollers, and the path of the paper. I also, for the first time ever, used expressions to link a certain attribute of one object to that of another. I may create a tutorial further explaining that technique later.

A general view of the animation keyframes.

Final thoughts

I like how this turned out. It's the first time I've done a Five Second Project and I may do more of them in the future. I learned a few new tricks and ended up with something worthy of my reel. Keep an eye out for more.

Review: The Wild Things by Dave Eggers

2010-07-13T13:30:00.002-04:00

As part of my ongoing Dave Eggers kick, I picked up The Wild Things. The book had a lot going for it before I even ordered it: the novel is based on the screenplay for the Spike Jonze movie (also co-written by Eggers), I already dig Eggers' writing, and the damn thing is covered in fur!

Synopsis

Novels are often adapted into some of the best feature films. The reverse is less common. In fact, The Wild Things is the only worthwhile novel I can recall that was adapted from a film (which, in this case, was adapted from a children's book). The unusual origins of the novel certainly complement the story within it.

The first one-third of the story focuses on Max and his broken family. He struggles with confusion about choices his mother and sister make and why his relationship with each of them is changing. The novel provides much more backstory than the film did, which I really enjoyed.

The remainder of the story takes place on an island, which is where the Wild Things are. There, Max encounters a variety of characters and situations unfamiliar to him, much like Alice in Wonderland. Almost instantly, he declares himself the king of the Wild Things, but throughout his time on the island he struggles with the frustration of never being able to please everyone.

My Thoughts

The Writing

I really love the way this story is told. Even though it's written in third person, the whole story is definitely told from Max's perspective. I knew Max's logic was often flawed, but it wasn't discussed in a condescending tone. I could understand where he was coming from. Instead of thinking, "What a dumb idea, that won't work," I would root for Max to succeed despite his own poor judgment. The Wild Things are equally naive, which somehow makes the ridiculous scenarios they get into seem more plausible.

The novel definitely had a quality that couldn't be found in the film (and vice versa). It provides a much more clear understanding of what Max and the Wild Things are thinking and what motivates them. Though it doesn't convey the visual beauty and wonder of the island in the same way the film does, I really enjoyed the novel's much greater depth in terms of the characters and plot. Neither is better than the other; I think they complement each other very well.

As Eggers said in the acknowledgements in the back of the book:

"Spike and I tried to flesh out the story... starting with the question of not where but who the Wild Things are, and what they want from life and from Max."

Allegory

It's impossible to discuss this story without talking about the presence of allegory on the island of the Wild Things. In fact, the last two-thirds of the book seems to be one giant allegory in the style of the Wizard of Oz. I'm not a huge fan of dissecting this type of story element, but it's worth mentioning.

One of the more obvious connections is the dynamic between Carol and Katherine, which seems to represent the awkward interaction and troubled past of his own divorced parents.

Another example is the war that Max starts to try and unite everyone, which seems to mirror the uncertainty in modern warfare. Max is confused when the Wild Things don't abide by the conventional rules of war and he has no way to determine which side has won the battle. Sound familiar?

Final Thought

There's plenty more symbolism within the story, but much of book's value lies within trying to decode it. Even if you can't or don't want to, there's still a very interesting story to follow. Go read it!

Mead Builder: Research Paper Edition overview

2010-05-11T00:42:00.000-04:00

Meadwestvaco, likely the makers of every school notebook onto which you lovingly rendered the Metallica logo, has made a couple of surprising moves into the educational software market lately. The newest of these is Mead Builder: Research Paper Edition, an application designed to help students write better research papers. To show teachers, students, and parents the benefits of this new product, I was tasked with directing a short video to help explain the idea.

What's Mead Builder?

Basically, Mead Builder helps students write better research papers by prompting them to create a schedule based on a step-by-step process. It also assists students with organizing their notes and sources and writing their paper in keeping with standard MLA format. The idea being that, if you automate some of the more mundane aspects of writing a research paper and allow the student to focus on the content, then the paper will not only be far superior in quality, but it might actually be finished by the deadline.

Personally, I don't know how I ever graduated from high school without something like Mead Builder. I was a decent writer and always tested well, but I lacked the focus and motivation to push through all the research and stay on schedule.

To help explain my paradoxical relationship with high school English, I will admit that I am probably the only person who ever failed the Honors English class at my high school. Later, my remedial English "teacher" (who was also the assistant football coach) greeted me on the first day of my redemption with, "What kind of a dumbass fails an honors class?!"

I just couldn't focus, especially outside the classroom, but I honestly think Mead Builder probably would have helped. At least there's still hope for my future offspring.

Pre-visualization

Now let's fast-forward from the confused priorities of my high school years to mid-2009, when I was asked to explain this useful new software to the masses in a visually interesting way.

I worked with Trisha Webb to develop a voice-over script. Once that was approved, I was able to start developing a storyboard, which came together in a hurry.

After the storyboards were approved, I got pulled onto a different project and Andy Nick took on the duty of translating the boards into the final animation. Though I regret not being able to stay involved during this stage, I think Andy did a great job with it.

Testimonials

It occurs to me now, almost a year later, that I have never actually seen the live application in action. But other people have. Specifically, some teachers were gathered as a focus group to get a preview of the program. Afterward, each of them was interviewed about their experience. I edited a short video of testimonials from that footage.

Review: Dropbox

2010-03-31T14:02:00.008-04:00

Image via Dropbox.com

If you're anything like me, you might have a computer at work, another computer at home, and maybe a mini-computer (iPhone) rattling around in your pocket. They all have different hard drives, and it can be a hassle to transfer files from one computer to another. Your options are basically a flash drive, an external hard drive, burning a disc (yuck!), or some kind of FTP transfer to a server. Dropbox falls into that last category, but it makes things a lot more simple.

Whatbox?

Dropbox, which launched in September 2008, is a freemium service for syncing and backing up files via an external file server. Once you install the Dropbox application on your computer(s), whatever you put in your "Dropbox" folder is automatically synced with the Dropbox server and any other computers on which you've installed Dropbox.

For example, I could snap some photos at work, copy them to my Dropbox folder on the hard drive and, by the time I get home, those files should also be copied to my Dropbox folder at home.

You can also share specific folders with specific friends or colleagues. So that same folder I put those photos in before could be synced with my friend's computer and they'll download those photos automatically.

What's awesome?

No more carrying around flash drives or external hard drives (most transfers you make are probably less than 2GB, right?)
It's a great way to share files with friends. For example, I can share music (shhh!) with a few select friends or share photos from family events.
It's free! Up to 2GB for free, but you can buy more space.
They made an iPhone app so you can manage your files on-the-go.

What sucks?

It can be tricky if you're transferring a large file(s). It's easy to forget about it and shut the computer down before it has finished the transfer.
You can't verify if the person you're sharing with has copied the files you shared with them, so files can just sit taking up valuable space for no reason.
Conversely, if someone shares files with you, they may delete them before you have a chance to copy them to your hard drive.

Pick up Dropbox

Dropbox has definitely been a worthwhile download for me, but you don't have to take my word for it. Try it out and let me know what you think in the comments. Get started with Dropbox now.

Review: Mint.com

2010-03-09T13:30:00.002-05:00

Recently I discovered that, despite a hefty student loan debt, I finally have a positive net worth. Considering my desire to live in a house, my entrepreneurial tendencies, and the fact that I'm American, my new status seems like it's temporary and I should savor it while it lasts.

This was also a surprise because creative people are notoriously bad at managing money, or at least that's the stereotype. Whether you're creative or not, personal finance is something every grown-up should understand and think about. So, here I'll discuss a tool that has helped me break the creative pro spendthrift mold: Mint.

A breath of fresh air

Mint.com is a free personal finance application that was recently purchased by Intuit, the makers of Turbotax (also awesome) and Quicken. The app allows you to add your bank accounts, investments, debt, property–all your assets and liabilities. It updates each account automatically and compiles the numbers so that you can see a complete picture of your financial situation, including your net worth.

So how can something so awesome be free, you ask? Well, as best as I can figure, they make their money by gently referring you to offers for credit cards, bank accounts, and investments that may be superior to, or cheaper than, what you currently have. You might think this would be annoying, but the offers are based on your own data, so they're pretty targeted and specific. I actually signed up for a high-yield savings account through one of their offers.

What's awesome

Here are some examples of the cool things you can do with Mint:

See every asset and liability in one place
Create a categorized monthly budget that updates automatically as you make purchases
Get alerts when you're going over budget, getting hit with finance charges, or when there's a security concern
See how your current spending compares to previous months
Track your investments

What sucks

The only trouble I have is that certain banks (I'm looking at you, American Express) have such a complex security system that I constantly have to help Mint log in to them. That's not Mint's fault and it's not a huge hassle.

Security Concerns

Of course, the number one concern with this kind of system is security. To use the app, you must enter your login information for the websites containing your bank accounts, credit card accounts, etc. This can be a scary proposition, and it was even more (or less?) scary when the company was privately owned.

However, Mint only allows you to look at your financial situation, not change it. You can't actually move any money around inside of Mint. You also can't see the login information for your various accounts by logging into your Mint account. So, if you can't do these things, neither can anyone else. If someone hacks into your account, the biggest risk is the embarrassment of someone seeing how much you spend on porcelain Star Wars figurines.

Also, Mint never asked me for my name, address, or other personal information besides my email address. This way, there's no real connection on Mint between me as a person and my bank accounts. To them, I'm literally just an arbitrary set of numbers.

Mint produced a short video to explain their security policy:

A fresh look at your money

Yes, Mint has helped me keep an eye on my spending, get a better sense of my total financial picture, and saved me money in more ways than one. On a bigger scale, though, I feel like it has changed the way I think about money.

Suddenly, money seems like something I can understand and control. No longer is it a fickle, spastic, unpredictable force like the weather or Robin Williams. I see that, by being smarter with my money, I can actually think about it less.

If you feel like you have a loose grip on the reins of your finances, or you'd just like a convenient and beautiful presentation of your complete monetary life, I'd suggest giving Mint a try.

Have you already tried Mint? How has it affected your financial outlook? Let me know in the comments.

Note: I promise Intuit is not paying me for the praise. I just seriously love their application!

Work: Real Mart grand opening announcement

2010-02-23T13:59:00.005-05:00

Real Mart, Real Art Design Group's foray into the world of online artisan consignment boutiques, flung open its digital doors this week. To help announce this to the world, Andy Nick and I were charged with making it a feature on the Real Art homepage. The aesthetic of the store is made up of many hand-drawn elements, so we shot a hand drawing the "Grand Opening" type onto the screen.

Ordinarily, it may have been possible to simply film a hand drawing on paper. However, Real Art's website has a fluid layout, so the wrinkled paper background had to repeat infinitely. This single fact dramatically altered our approach to the problem. I suggested that perhaps we could try drawing on a glass surface, with a green screen below it. That way, we could composite the drawing footage on top of a repeating background in Flash.

The set

We built our set on the floor of our in-house studio. It was basically a couple of sawhorses with two long boards running across them to support the glass tabletop. We used a special tripod that can be aimed straight down, and attached two of its legs to the sawhorses. We laid a green sheet on the floor under the whole rig.

Screen test

Since this was uncharted territory, we decided to do a screen test before wasting an illustrator's time. Shooting the test went smoothly, but not perfectly. Luckily, a screen test is a much better venue for mistakes than the final shoot. The test proved the approach was valid and we moved forward.

Andy wiggles his hand around for the screen test, before doodling on the glass.

The shoot

The most exciting part of the process, of course, was the actual shoot. We got our newest co-worker, Lindsey Kellis, to draw/act for us and she clearly did an awesome job. She repeatedly drew words on the glass with a big Sharpie. The speed at which she drew wasn't a huge concern because we knew the footage would be sped up later.

Lindsey draws the word "GRAND".

Because of how we set up the camera, we actually shot all the footage upside-down.

Post-production

Post-production on this was a little tricky. Our green screen set was far from perfect, and there was a lot of extra masking to do on the footage. Additionally, Andy had to do some special editing to speed up the footage without it looking too weird.

Some preliminary masking.

Here, the footage is fully keyed (green color is removed) and rotoscoped (detailed masking). It's ready to be composited with the other footage.

The final step was bringing the footage into Flash to make a swf and add the interactive button that links to the Real Mart website.

Final product

This was a great opportunity to try a new technique on a fun internal project. It also turned out pretty similar to what I originally imagined, which I assume is a good sign.

Of course, you don't have to take my word for it. You can check out Real Art's homepage to see it for yourself (for a limited time).

While you're at it, why not shop around at Real Mart?

Thanks to Andy Nick for photos from the shoot and stills of the in-progress files. To see full credits, check out the Vimeo page.

The War for Peace

2010-02-11T01:33:00.001-05:00

I'm not big on "tip" articles with titles like 5 Tips to Improve Your Lacrosse Swing or Top 10 Ways to Pretend You're Not a Ghost, but I want to share a couple of simple moves I made recently that really helped to get some of the noise in my life under control.

I'm not speaking literally about audio noise; although, sometimes there's too much of that, too. I refer to a nasty little dude named Distraction who pokes you in the metaphorical ribs while you're trying to focus on things that actually matter. He says to you innocently, "Pay attention to me! I'm totally just as important as the project you're working on."

But he's not. He's a dumb email you got CC-ed on. He's an article about Brazilian hyper-modern marina architecture.

So, despite mixed reactions from Congress, I declared war on Distraction. And he's going down.

Operation STFU

Be still my buzzing iPhone

I get a lot of email and very little of it is worth reading immediately. Nor does it come in neat bundles at convenient stopping points during a project. Email is a steady stream of implied urgency, like the toothless rambling of a senile old lady. You know that 90% of what she says isn't worth hearing, but you also have to keep an ear open in case she tries to make an omelette with the newspaper.

A problem with this steady stream was that I got notified on my phone every time a new message came in. Buzz.. buzz..... buzz. So finally, after I noticed patterns in the noise, I created some email filters.

I use Gmail for most of my email accounts (I have four active email addresses), so it was very easy to create some filters based on whence or from whom the emails come. For example, much of my incoming email is from Adobe, but it's never urgent. So now, with a filter in place, those emails skip the inbox and are "shelved" under the Adobe label. I can still check new emails from Adobe, but I do it on my own terms. This simple trick can be replicated in most email applications.

Info about filters and labels in Gmail

Shoot the messenger

For the record, I love Digsby. If you work on a PC, you will not find a better IM client (don't worry Mac kids, they're workin' on it). But they added some "convenient features" which, at first, seem like they would actually reduce distractions. For example, Digsby, the generous fellow that he is, can check your Facebook or Twitter every five seconds and alert you instantly if someone has sent you a message or done anything that you might give a crap about. Convenient, right?

Wrong! I set this up for a while, and every few minutes my eyes would snap over to the corner of the screen. "Oh! Someone ate a White Castle slider with ranch on it?! I'd better go check this out." Close current window. Open failure browser. Suck at life.

Instant notifications, while they seem convenient and useful, are counterintuitively designed to keep your attention away from anything important. Turn them off and check (or avoid) Facebook/Twitter/email on your own schedule.

Sit near the road less traveled

I also made a more literal move to reduce daily noise as well. My workstation at Real Art was located near the South staircase, so as to ease travel to and fro the photography studio. An unexpected side effect of this: people go up and down those stairs all the time! The bastard Distraction saw for himself great opportunity within this situation.

So after about 6 months, I made my move. Geographically. I did some quasi-scientific research, found the least traveled area of the room, and set up shop there. I've only been in the new spot for a few days, but already I feel so much more calm and focused.

Death before defeat

There's still plenty of noise. I may never get rid of it all, but I'll keep trying to find ways to reduce it, and to stop myself from creating more.

Let me know if you've discovered any good noise-cancellers lately.

Review: Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

2010-01-26T13:30:00.007-05:00

Recently, I went on a spending spree at McSweeney's when they had a big sale. One item I picked up was a copy of Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, the founder of McSweeney's. After finishing it, I wrote down some of my thoughts to share.

Synopsis

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a prosperous Syrian-American and father of four, chose to stay through the storm to protect his house and contracting business. In the days after, he traveled the flooded streets in a secondhand canoe, passing on supplies and helping those he could. But, on September 6, 2005, Zeitoun abruptly disappeared. Eggers’s riveting nonfiction book, three years in the making, explores Zeitoun’s roots in Syria, his marriage to Kathy—an American who converted to Islam—and their children, and the surreal atmosphere (in New Orleans and the United States generally) in which what happened to Abdulrahman Zeitoun became possible. Like What Is the What, Zeitoun was written in close collaboration with its subjects and involved vast research—in this case, in the U.S., Spain, and Syria. [synopsis by McSweeney's]

My thoughts

The writing

One of the first things that struck me about this book as I read it was the incredible amount of research that was obviously required to write it. The narrative achieves a level of detail usually only possible in fiction, where the author can simply invent the particulars of the story as needed.

This is the first Dave Eggers book that I have read. Eggers' style, at least in this work, seems matter-of-fact at first. Eggers simply talks to you about what happened in a natural, conversational tone. The writing disappears and you are left with only the things that matter: the characters and their story.

That's not to say that there isn't genius in the writing. At several points, the simple juxtaposition of two facts serve, without commentary, to imply a deeper connection. Eggers also seems to have a gift for cutting to the essence of a character with a minimum of words. I knew that each flashback to Zeitoun's earlier days or anecdote about his family would reveal some gem or flaw in his character relevant to his present situation.

Impact of the story

Another surprising element of the book was simply that it included a first-hand account of the aftermath of Katrina. Like most Americans, I only know what I heard from the 24-hour news networks: that the city had become a third-world war zone, riddled with corpses, toxic filth, and dangerous looters.

In sharp contrast to my preconceptions about Katrina is this man Zeitoun, who was, for many days after the storm, reasonably comfortable. He had food. Most of his possessions remained intact. He had a safe place to sleep. He could even call his family every day.

At the heart of the story is the fact that this horrible disaster could bring out both the best and worst in the people it affected. In Zeitoun, it summoned a sense of pride and purpose. He selflessly sacrificed his safety to help others. Inversely, there were many signs that terror, paranoia, and anarchy had become the norm throughout the city and, to the dismay of all, within the government.

Political undertones

It seems like it would be difficult to tell any version of the Katrina story without mentioning the glaring incompetence of the local and federal government when it came to managing the situation. Even today, Katrina remains a horrible mistake for which countless people are owed an apology and retribution.

The book manages to discuss this mismanagement at length without getting preachy. The facts of what happened are presented so that the reader may draw their own conclusion. Mine was that Zeitoun had become a victim of the systemic failure at every level to try and fix the Katrina situation. His true misfortune is that the failure was so systemic and far-reaching. If everyone screws up catastrophically and in every way, from the local police to the president, then it becomes difficult to focus the blame. I can't begin to imagine the frustration felt by the people of New Orleans.

Final word

This book took me by surprise, in several different ways.

It surprised me by being a book about a hurricane, yet telling a gripping story about interesting characters.

It surprised me by educating me about things in the Muslim religion and culture that are usually omitted from news coverage about the Middle East, things that might cause Americans to stop and think before making blanket assumptions about such a huge, diverse group of people.

It surprised me in the traditional sense by including a dramatic, unexpected twist in the story.

It's an entertaining read, I learned a lot, and I feel more connected to two groups of people who were neglected and mistreated during Katrina and in the years before and after: New Orleanians and Muslims.

Film adaptation

Interestingly, when I started poking around the internet for a synopsis, I found that the film rights to this book have been purchased by Jonathan Demme, director of Silence of the Lambs and Rachel Getting Married, two of my favorite films.

More info about the upcoming animated film, scheduled for release in 2011, here and here.

This isn't Dave Eggers' first shot at writing for the screen. He also wrote the original screenplay for Away We Go and co-wrote the screenplay for Where the Wild Things Are, which are both wonderful films worth seeing. Two of his other hit books, You Shall Know Our Velocity and What Is the What are also in production as films.

Process: Light-painted header

2010-01-19T13:00:00.009-05:00

As much as I enjoyed the simplicity of the text header that sat atop my blog before, it wasn't particularly unique. In fact, it was pretty much the default Blogger header, so there were probably hundreds of thousands of blogs with a very similar header. Plus, I had a sweet idea for a new one!

Painting with light

I've seen this technique used in several different ways, and I've always wanted to try it. You may actually recognize the style from Sprint commercials over the past few years (although now it's only used for the logo). Here's one of those spots:

The effect is actually very simple to produce and often happens unintentionally. The light streaks are produced by letting a still camera take a prolonged exposure, so that the shutter stays open for several seconds or even minutes and continuously records light. This provides time to wave flashlights around, shine lights on a scene, or even set off a flash while the shutter remains open. The effect was very unpredictable on film, but digital cameras have made it easy to quickly achieve precise control over the image.

The shoot

The technique is simple. That doesn't necessarily mean it's easy. One obstacle was that, to get this particular effect, the scene had to be completely dark except for the flashlight. The studio at Real Art is light-tight, so I could have even shot these images during the day. The darkness was a challenge that made walking around the studio dangerous and caused me to accidentally kick the tripod a lot.

At one point, I attempted to write the entire word in cursive. I failed.

Another challenge was shooting the images by myself. I basically had to guess the focal point since I was standing behind the camera while focusing it. I also had to use the self-timer to take the photos, since no one else was there to push the shutter button.

Regardless of these speed bumps, I quickly got the hang of the technique after only a few test shots. I took several shots of myself drawing each of the letters in the word "Braindraw". I also took some extra shots swirling the flashlight around, just for fun. The whole shoot probably only lasted 60-90 minutes at a leisurely pace.

The letters were actually painted in reverse, then switched back around in Photoshop later.

Bringing it all together

Compositing the images together was fairly straightforward. I just masked out everything in each image except the letterforms, me, and some of the lens artifacts and glow.

Collage in progress.

The image is something that's uniquely mine and I can own it wholly, since the typeface literally includes photos of my face! Overall, this image turned out slightly cooler than what I had pictured in my head. For something I've never tried before, that's a nice achievement.

The final composite.

Please let me know what you think about the new header in the comments.

In Pursuit of the Perfect Pointer

2010-01-05T13:15:00.004-05:00

Since the invention of the wheel, man has been trying to figure out how to work in synthesis with machines. We all interact with machines everyday, but we don't always think about whether those interactions are slowing us down or even hurting us. Well, I've started to step back and re-think my relationship with machines, and more specifically, computers.

I recently began an experiment at work to see if the tablet is a valid pointing device to use all the time, instead of just for drawing. A big tip-off for me was Nick Campbell's video explaining why he switched to a tablet.

I'll share what I found while using both devices: the benefits and shortcomings of each, some alternatives that already exist, and what the future holds.

The Mouse

Magic Mouse image courtesy of Apple

The computer mouse, originally made popular by the Apple MacIntosh, is obviously the current dominant device for manipulating objects on the screen. They used to work by rolling a ball against two sensors - one for the X-axis and one for the Y-axis. Now, most mice use lasers or LED lights to track their position.

Why the mouse rules

Low price - Even the most elegantly-designed and advanced mouse to date, the Apple Magic Mouse, only costs about USD$69.
Small size - Most mice are designed to fit comfortably under an American adult male's hand. There is also a category of laptop-specific mice that are about half the size of a normal mouse.
Rock-steady hovering - This is something most people take for granted, but it has become painfully obvious as I started using a tablet full-time. When you hover over something on the screen with a mouse, you can just let go of the mouse and gravity holds the mouse in place and your cursor sits on the exact same pixel until you touch the mouse again. This allows for some very precise clicking and hovering over elements on the screen. For example, using the "pen tool" in drawing software is easy, and "tool tips" (the little informational flag that pops up if you hover over elements like URL links) are much easier to view.
Gaming - If, like me, you enjoy the occasional first-person shooter like Team Fortress 2, the mouse is great for quickly and accurately aiming at targets. Note: I've been told the trackball is even better for this, but it's an acquired taste.

Why the mouse sucks

Carpel Tunnel Syndrome - Even though the American Society for the Surgery of the Hand denies a causal relationship between specific work activities and Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, it's common knowledge that using a mouse and keyboard every day for work is likely to cause some level of CTS or, at least, discomfort in the wrists and hands. Sometimes CTS requires surgery to fix.

Related fun fact: the QWERTY keyboard was intentionally designed to slow typists down by making typing more difficult so that their typewriter keys wouldn't get jammed so often. I vote for a redesign!
Learning curve - Believe it or not, using a mouse doesn't resemble any interaction that occurs naturally in other parts of human life. One must learn how to use it. If you don't believe me, go watch someone over age 60 use a mouse.
Pick up, put down, repeat - Here we find the crux of the problem with the mouse. When you move the mouse, the manipulation of the cursor is relative instead of direct. This means that the starting point of your movement depends on where you left the cursor last time you moved the mouse. You are literally pushing the cursor around on the screen, an interaction that's only slightly easier than using an Etch A Sketch.

If you start in the lower-left corner of the screen and you want to move to the upper-right corner, be prepared to pick up the mouse and put it down at least 2-3 times. This wasn't such a big deal back when we used small television screens at 800x600 resolution. But if you're rocking two 30-inch LCD monitors, it can be a very long and frustrating journey from one side of the screen to the other.

The Tablet

Intuos 4 image courtesy of Wacom

The tablet, AKA the graphics tablet, is a device with a flat surface that can read hand-drawn input from a special pen. Wacom is the primary manufacturer of professional-grade graphics tablets.

As a motion designer, I have to say that switching to a tablet while I'm at work has really opened some doors for me. I've found that a lot of my designs tend to include more hand-drawn and organic-looking elements, and sketching storyboards for videos has become exponentially faster and easier. I highly recommend at least part-time use for any kind of designer.

Why the tablet rules

Drawing - There is no question that the tablet is an awesome tool for drawing. In Photoshop and Painter, you can get natural-looking detail similar to using a real pen or paintbrush. In Illustrator and Flash, you can get smooth lines that otherwise aren't possible with the jittery, spastic, and imperfect movements of the human hand. Tablets speed up the digital production process so much that almost all 2D animation is now made with a tablet and Flash.
Direct manipulation - Contrary to the mouse, the surface of the tablet directly represents the pixels on your screen. So if you put your pen at the top-left corner, that's where your cursor will be. If you suddenly move to the opposite corner, the cursor instantly moves to the corresponding area of the screen. No "scooting". I love this about the tablet.
Ergonomy - In theory, the tablet is less likely to cause ailments like Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. This point is debatable. While the stylus pen is very lightweight compared to a mouse, it also requires more effort to hold it in place. However, the movements are definitely less repetitive and more natural than those used with a mouse.

Why the tablet sucks

Expensive - Traditionally, tablets are prohibitively more expensive than mice. However, Wacom's Bamboo line has bridged the gap, with a pen-only tablet that can sell for less than USD$60.
J-J-Jittery - Look at your hand and try and hold it perfectly still. Unless you're a neurosurgeon, your fingers and hand are probably shaking and jerking at least a little. This doesn't change when using a stylus, and it can become a little annoying when you're trying to perform precise actions on the screen. This is where the mouse outperforms the tablet every time.
Space-consuming - There are some smaller models that are comparable in size to a mousepad, but as screens and resolutions increase in size, these smaller tablets become less and less practical.

What's the Perfect Pointer?

What I have discovered through my multi-device experiment is that both the mouse and the tablet are almost equally flawed devices. I believe this to the extent that I now use them interchangeably (tablet at work, mouse at home).

So what's the perfect computer/human interface? Well, up to the time of this writing I've only experienced one interface that lacks all of the shortcomings of the mouse and tablet, while retaining all of the benefits of both: the Apple iPhone.

iPhone 3GS image courtesy of Apple

What makes the iPhone's interface so ideal?

Low price - Even the cheapest netbook with similar power and functionality still costs more than an iPhone.
True direct manipulation - Moving objects on the screen directly with your finger... it just doesn't get any better than that.
Responsiveness - It's important to note the importance of speed when we talk about direct manipulation. When you drag something across the screen, you don't want to wait for the object catch up with your finger. This isn't a problem on the iPhone 3GS.
Near-zero learning curve - Even though the iPhone is one of the most complex devices money can buy, I never had to open a manual to learn how to use it. You don't have to tell anyone how to move something with their finger or tap on the screen. It's completely natural.
Small size - Fits in the palm of your hand and in your pocket.
Drawing and gaming - There are several sketching apps available already and I think this kind of interaction has much more potential. I don't think the first-person shooter metaphor works well on the iPhone, but perhaps on a larger system with the same interface, a new type of gaming interface will emerge.

There are many, many rumors about the 2010 release of an Apple tablet PC with the same interface as the iPhone. While I think this is the next logical step in the evolution of computer/human interaction, I can also see some problems with this type of application.

While it's extremely natural to move things on the screen with your hand, there is a very good reason that the mouse was designed to sit on a desk. Your eyes naturally look straight ahead, at a screen for example. Meanwhile, your hands naturally rest at your sides. Getting the hands to rest comfortably inside the natural field of vision will be a challenge. It's not a problem for the iPhone because it's small and light enough to hold it at a comfortable viewing angle.

The compromise will likely be something like a drafting table, where the device rests at an angle so your hands only have to move up a little and your head only has to look down a little.

What's even more perfect than the perfect pointer?

No pointer at all!

It might sound like science fiction, but there is technology already in development that can read signals from the human brain and use them to interact with a computer.

Inevitably, this is the true future of computing. Who knows how that type of interaction will change our world? We'll have to wait and see.

For now, I'll try to put my hands to good use.

Why does it matter?

So who cares? The mouse works, right? It's been working for decades. Well, my work requires me to use a computer almost all day, every day. The speed and effectiveness with which I can accomplish my goals on the computer has a big impact on my livelihood. Basically, the less that the computer gets in my way, the better and faster I can do my job and the happier I'll be. I can only guess that the same must be true for many others.

How do you feel about your own interaction with computers? Are you content scooting your mouse around? Would you prefer a more direct or invisible interface? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Work: Dayton Region Rally

2009-12-30T13:19:00.001-05:00

On November 17th, the Dayton Development Coalition hosted the Dayton Region Rally, an event attended by over 2,000 of Dayton's movers and shakers. The idea was to rally business leaders to fight back against some negative press the city has received lately. My job: make inspirational videos to show at the beginning and end of the event. And make them fast.

I think I could safely call this project my first true experience as a director, in the traditional sense of the word (i.e. telling the people on screen what to do and how to do it). The creative outcome beyond the script, which the client wrote, rested solely on my shoulders. But like several other projects I've directed, the budget and timeline were nearly non-existent and so I shifted into "quick n' dirty" mode.

B-roll

To shoot the B-roll (shots that aren't people talking), my producer and I traveled to Avetec in Springfield and Motoman in West Carrollton. I also took a trip out to Young's Dairy in Yellow Springs, and even though I got some great footage at Young's, I only ended up using footage from the drive home.

The companies we visited were extremely generous with time, patience and information. Avetec had an awesome A/V setup and beautiful campus. Motoman, on the other hand, had ROBOTS. I can't explain how exciting it was to film them. These weren't Roombas either, they were the kind of robots that replace people in factories. One of them could even play blackjack!

DATV shoot

For the main photography of people reading the script, we rented out the soundstage at Dayton Access Television. My co-worker, Geoff Stump, acted as my production assistant. Meanwhile, Alison, my producer, wrangled the river of actors that steadily flowed into the studio. I set up the lights based on a screen test I did at Real Art's studio.

The main shoot was nerve-racking but also exciting. It took a full work day to shoot, and by the end, I had filmed 15 different actors.

The event

Honestly, I wasn't sure if I wanted to attend the Rally, where the videos would be shown to a live audience. The decision was made for me on the day of the event. For insurance reasons, they needed me to film the contestant whose name was drawn to try and win a car. So I went, and I filmed a lot more than just some guy not winning a car. There were jugglers, magicians, and tons of Daytonians. We'll see if I can do something with that footage later. The conclusion video actually got a round of applause from the crowd, which was a very unique moment for me.

If nothing else, this project was a great learning experience. I feel much more confident about my ability to direct and photograph actors and to bring a script to life, even if I didn't write it. Those lessons will be valuable in the future.

Produced by Real Art Design Group, Inc. for Dayton Development Coalition. Full credits on the Vimeo pages (intro, conclusion).

Secret Santa 2009 - Bike Chain Drink Coasters

2009-12-22T13:00:00.010-05:00

Every year during the holidays, my company has a "secret Santa" gift exchange. There's only one rule: some element of the gift must be hand-made by the gift-giver. This year, I drew the name of Jef Mayer, a designer from our Chicago office who loves bicycling. After a lot of brainstorming, I decided to make him a set of drink coasters out of roller chain.

Supply List

One of the toughest parts of putting these together was acquiring the myriad of tools, chemicals, and materials. Here's a rundown of what I found during numerous trips to Ace Hardware and Walmart:

Two 10-foot heavy-duty roller chains, size 41
bottle of Gunk all-purpose degreaser
bottle of Simple Green
roll of thick cork board
bike chain tool
heavy-duty chain-breaker tool
3 tubes of quick-drying epoxy
can of Krylon crystal clear gloss finish (to prevent rust)

There were also a few items used which I found around the apartment:

latex gloves (very important!)
2 large, expendable dishtowels
large bowl

The Process

Depending on whether you've purchased a heavy-duty roller chain before, you may or may not know that they come pre-greased. So the first step was to try and remove as much grease as possible. Much more easily said than done. First, I tried Dawn and water, which didn't do much. Second, I tried degreaser. Not only is that stuff incredibly dangerous and toxic, it didn't even work very well! Finally, at the recommendation of two crafty friends, I tried Simple Green (pictured below), which worked great and didn't kill so many of my brain cells.

Note: it's important to towel-dry the chain immediately after soaking and rinsing it. One of the chains got a little rust on one side because the towel it was sitting on held moisture against the bottom of the chain overnight, whereas the top air-dried without rusting.

After the chains were mostly grease-free, it was time to break them into smaller lengths, since ten feet of chain would make a pretty unwieldy drink coaster. Again, easier to say than to do. Breaking roller chain requires a very specialized tool. Unfortunately, even though I bought two different tools, neither of them was the right size for my chain. But with a little patience and some clever rearrangement, I Frankensteined parts from both tools together to break the chain.

The plan in my head included some amount of "play time," where I could try out different configurations. Once I had a reasonable length of chain with which to work, I spent a lot of time trying different shapes and methods of arranging the links. Contrary to what I had originally imagined (a simple spiral of chain), it turned out that a tightly-compressed, square configuration would be easier to manipulate and even looked better.

Once I knew how the chains would be arranged, my girlfriend helped me out by creating a paper pattern from the coaster's odd shape and used it to cut the cork board.

With all the pieces in place, the last major step was gluing it all together. I knew that if there was any hope of these things holding their shape, I would need some serious glue. I used the two-tube mixing epoxy that dries in five minutes, and it took two full syringes to glue the links together and attach the cork to the bottom.

As a finishing touch, to try and prevent rust from setting drinks on the coasters, I sprayed them all with some clear coat finish. I also bought a simple wooden tray for them to sit in.

The Party

As always, the party was lots of fun and I got a little drunk. In a tragic twist of fate, Jef did not make it to Dayton to receive his gift, but the coasters did eventually make the journey to Chicago intact.

Check out my video and photos (or Real Art's) from the party and see the awesome gift that I received from my secret Santa, Justin Dunham.

My Top 10 Albums of 2009

2009-12-16T13:00:00.007-05:00

Top 10 Albums Released in 2009

#10 Major Lazer - Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do

Awesome collaborative effort by producers Diplo and Switch. I actually found this album via the music videos for Pon de Floor and Keep It Going Louder, both directed by a personal hero of mine, Eric Wareheim.

#9 Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

More like "Fun-ix." Because it's fun to listen to it. See what I did there?

#8 Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky

Hilarious, of course, but the quality and variety of songwriting is mind-boggling.

#7 Silversun Pickups - Swoon

With this album, the Pickups have channeled a lot of what was great about early Smashing Pumpkins and made it into their own great sound.

#6 The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

Two words: rock opera.

#5 The Bird and the Bee - Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future

These guys have a very unique sound and I just eat it up.

#4 Imogen Heap - Ellipse

She's British and she has one hell of a set of pipes.

#3 Dethklok - Dethalbum II Deluxe Version (CD + DVD)

By far, the hardest-rocking metal album I've ever heard. And it doesn't have that garage band "my amp goes up to eleven" production and songwriting value a lot of metal bands settle for. By the way, it's music from a hilarious television series called Metalocalypse, which was created by Dethklok frontman, Brendon Small.

#2 Röyksopp - Junior

Just great all around. Some great videos have come out of this album too.

#1 The Mars Volta - Octahedron

The band said of this album, "We wanted to make the opposite of all the records we've done. All along we've threatened people that we'd make a pop record, and now we have." The idea of The Mars Volta making a pop record is pretty ridiculous, but I'll admit this album does go down pretty smooth compared to the others.

Maybe the band feels like they've watered down the sound, but really they just distilled it. While I miss the saxophone a bit, I really feel like the core of their sound is clearer and stronger than ever. I could probably even say this is my new favorite album of theirs. Three thumbs up!

Fun fact: John Frusciante, of Red Hot Chili Peppers fame, has played guitar on every Mars Volta album since 2002. I wasn't aware of it before writing this article, but it doesn't surprise me one bit.

Honorable Mentions

Coconut Records - Davy
MuteMath - Armistice
Passion Pit - Manners
Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
Two Tongues - Two Tongues

Top 5 Albums Discovered in (but released prior to) 2009

Wild Sweet Orange - We Have Cause to Be Uneasy
Islands - Arm's Way
Kid Color - Kid Color presents: Carded & Discarded (free download)
Alberta Cross - The Thief & the Heartbreaker
Just Jack - Overtones

Feel free to argue or commend my choices in the comments, or let me know if I missed out on an awesome album (I've already queued up the new Muse and Chromeo albums).

Review: Action Method Online

2009-12-08T13:00:00.002-05:00

November of 2008 was a little crazy for me. I had started taking on some sizable freelance projects, the presidential election finally came to its inevitable conclusion, and it was DCS' busiest month up to that point. I had a lot of irons in the fire (in retrospect, too many). I needed a way to keep track of a to-do list that was quickly growing in size and complexity.

I checked out task management apps ProjectPier and Basecamp. ProjectPier seemed like somebody's side project that would never be finished (as of this writing, it's still in Beta testing). Basecamp, while awesome, will set you back $24/month for the most basic plan, which puts it way outside my task management software budget.

Enter Behance's Action Method. Even though the software was in its infancy, I could see value in the "Make Ideas Happen" methodology that drives its design. I started with the free trial and quickly exceeded the 50-task limit and needed to upgrade. $99/year still seems a little pricey to me, but it's cheaper than a shrink and anti-depressants.

What's awesome

It's all online - Access your tasks from any computer with an internet connection.
The iPhone app - If you're like me, you don't do everything while sitting at the computer. You might need a to-do list when you're out and about, so the iPhone app is perfect, and it's free, and it works beautifully. As I've been writing this article, Behance released version 2.0, featuring a complete redesign. The iPhone app alone may justify the subscription cost.
The AIR app - You can install it on any computer, Mac or PC, and the interface is identical to the website. Simplicity, reliability, and consistency keep this app open on my desktop at all times.
It's pretty - This may seem like a superficial reason to like this suite of apps, but I'm a designer and aesthetics matter. Plus, if you have to look at something that's color-coded every day, it might as well look nice.

What sucks

It's all online - While this is super convenient for a techie like myself, if you ever find yourself without a solid internet connection, you're kinda screwed. This hasn't really been a problem so far, especially considering I'm never more than 20 feet away from my iPhone.
None of my buddies use it - Some of the functionality of the software depends on other users, especially people working on a team with you. I've never delegated a task, I've never sent or received a message. In the Action world, I am an island. I think you can delegate tasks even if the other person doesn't have Action Method, but I haven't tried it yet.

So I've been using Action Method for a whole year now. It might not be flawless, but it definitely helps me "make ideas happen". I'm honestly not sure how I could have kept my job or my sanity over the past year without it. If you're juggling and struggling, I recommend you give it a try.

Braindraw Moves to Blogger or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blog

2009-11-29T19:31:00.005-05:00

Braindraw, my personal website/portfolio/blog/shapeshifter, has moved to Google's Blogger service. There are a few different reasons for this, and I actually had a difficult time arriving at the decision. I'll explain this in FAQ format.

Why would you give up the freedom of a self-hosted site?
It's true, buying web hosting on GoDaddy and installing Wordpress gave me a huge amount of freedom with regard to layout, plug-ins, etc. But this option also costs money, has to be constantly monitored and updated, and is so complex that problems are basically guaranteed. It makes sense for a lot of people, but not for me.

So why have a website at all?
That question is supremely important, and far too few people ask it before building a website. Right now, Braindraw is a place to write about new work, review stuff I use, and ponder the creative process. Maybe it will be a place where I can connect with like-minded creative types. We'll see. If nothing else, it'll sharpen my writing and typing skills, right? That's the beauty of a free blog: no pressure.

Well, why Blogger?
Blogger is free! I'm no hobo, and I could probably afford a plan from any web-hosting service I wanted. But why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free, right? With Blogger, I can still customize the layout, use Feedburner and Analytics, and add widgets. I never have to log in and I can even collaborate with other writers. The list goes on.

Even with all those great features, it wasn't an easy decision. Wordpress.com is a very serious contender. Their automatic mobile re-formatting looks great on my iPhone, my previous website was already in WordPress, and they have lots of (paid) upgrade options. They even have a more robust post editor.

It just wasn't enough to sway me. A lot of WP's "upgrades" come standard in Blogger. Plus, Google and I go way back, so I know that they will only continue to add more features and benefits over time.

What will change?
Hopefully, a lot! This site is starting out with a very clean, simple layout that I can tweak and improve over time. Also, I might actually update this mofo. I've already got some articles waiting in the wings, and making the process a little easier on myself should make me more prolific. Maybe someday I'll be proud enough of my blog to actually promote it!

A note about the RSS feed: If you subscribed to my old blog, then you'll still be subscribed to my new one. One word: Feedburner. Look it up.

If you haven't subscribed yet, get to it!

Hit me with comments and real questions.

Braindraw

AIA Dayton 2010 Design Awards

Focusing on Design

Process

The Event

Jerry's Final Thought

Five Second Project: CMYK

A project that is five seconds long

My Process

Modeling

The second scene

Animation

Final thoughts

Review: The Wild Things by Dave Eggers

Synopsis

My Thoughts

The Writing

Allegory

Final Thought

Mead Builder: Research Paper Edition overview

What's Mead Builder?

Pre-visualization

Testimonials

Review: Dropbox

Whatbox?

What's awesome?

What sucks?

Pick up Dropbox

Review: Mint.com

A breath of fresh air

What's awesome

What sucks

Security Concerns

A fresh look at your money

Work: Real Mart grand opening announcement

The set

Screen test

The shoot

Post-production

Final product

The War for Peace

Operation STFU

Be still my buzzing iPhone

Shoot the messenger

Sit near the road less traveled

Death before defeat

Review: Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

Synopsis

My thoughts

The writing

Impact of the story

Political undertones

Final word

Film adaptation

Process: Light-painted header

Painting with light

The shoot

Bringing it all together

In Pursuit of the Perfect Pointer

The Mouse

Why the mouse rules

Why the mouse sucks

The Tablet

Why the tablet rules

Why the tablet sucks

What's the Perfect Pointer?

What makes the iPhone's interface so ideal?

What's even more perfect than the perfect pointer?

No pointer at all!

Why does it matter?

Related reading

Work: Dayton Region Rally

B-roll

DATV shoot

The event

Secret Santa 2009 - Bike Chain Drink Coasters

Supply List

The Process

The Party

My Top 10 Albums of 2009