#GDC fmp

[annaminijayan3dblog]

FMP Blog 37

I recently discovered a presentation at the GDC conference about the video game Venba, which details how to effectively communicate culturally significant narratives in a manner that is both genuine and captivating to a broader audience. Abhi, the speaker, serves as the game's creative director, designer, and writer, and he shares his experiences and insights on this subject. Abhi stresses the importance of not overwhelming players with excessive cultural information and instead proposes focusing on conveying a compelling story while allowing players to organically encounter cultural specifics. He underscores the significance of portraying the culture as familiar to the characters, even if it may be unfamiliar to the players. Abhi also highlights the importance of presenting specific and authentic storytelling. He illustrates that, in Venba, even minor details, such as the way a character prepares a dish, can effectively convey cultural subtleties. As someone who belongs to a comparable cultural background as the characters in Venba, I found this presentation to be profoundly motivating. As a games artist who is trying to incorporate my culture into my work, his insights into this topic have been valuable.

Bibliography

GDC. (2024). 'Lore, Don't Tell: A Guide for Telling Culturally Rooted Stories Like 'Venba''. [YouTube Video]. Available at: https://youtu.be/2RPdqg5fiz8?si=3R3VPDlOMu1SiOnr

[wsc-fmp-tomo]

Parkour Game research

Cyberpunk

Already looked at Cyberpunk 2077 and Ghostrunner for combat: https://www.tumblr.com/wsc-fmp-tomo/745012058114949120/games-research-games-with-similar-combat?source=share

from my research these are the key elements that I found from the movement in Cyberpunk

Enhanced speed and jump - this is from the modifications you can do to the player in the game.

Dash - long distance dash - ideal for the player - closes the distance with use of a melee weapon.

use of motion blur to help show speed

Ghostrunner

The movement elements in ghost runner are

Wall run

Time Slow

Mid air dash (in time slow)

double jump

from my own experience playing the game the pace at which you move is something that's interesting to me in games. Ghostrunner is really fast paced.

Dying Light

some of the movement elements in dying light include

mantling

grappling

wall running

jumping off buildings

drop/jump kick attacks

i like these mechanics because they make the game able to be played at the players preferred level of intensity/speed this also makes the game more enjoyable if the player chooses to either explore the map or just to go on a zombie killing rampage.

Parkour Movement talk - GDC

[maximcookdesign]

These posters and signs are what stemmed from the new logo. Some of them still need some work doing to them, as the top three (in back and white) seem a little boring. It’s great that they look good in black and white but they need the colour to really make them pop, and to make them stand out proud as they should od within the context of the project. The sexual illustrational posters have to be re worked, as it seems a lot better when the text is combined with the ilustraions themselves. To me, when the thin typeface ‘Eurostar’ is placed around the illustrations, it acts almost like hair and adds an extra element to the illustration which pushes it further into the realms of representing the jokiness and light hearted quality that the posters bring to the campaign itself

The other posters, are completely different to the sexual illustration ones. If eel as if it is important to include more than one poster style within the campaign as it adds to the concept and pushes it further and further into the minds of the viewers. I think that the elongated type on the bottom left poster adds another essence of nostalgia and dynamism to the campaign and the poster itself as it shows a typeface stretched and warped to the same level and shape of the gradient beneath it. Visually it is out of focus and it becomes harder to read the type than if it was set out normally but I wanted to have that unknown quality within it as it becomes more and more mysterious. I have always like posters that do that, that make you stop and look at the again to see if you can work out what it says, or depicts through type and image. 

The bottom right poster ‘Saturday night lesbian’ showcases the same typeface but in a repeated style that bolds out the actual words. Work that I do like this somehow in my mind seems good for a minute, it is not until i come back and look at it possibly an hour alter that I hate it all of a sudden, and I begin to question it. Even after that happens, I manipulate and change it to make it more focussed and direct, but still do not always succeed. It is with this poster that I decided to scrap the idea of having multiple individual sets of gradients and just use the rainbow one as it is more inclusive and representative of the whole community, something which I seem to be struggling with throughout the project. 

[charloucreates-year2]

WEEK 5: Prep + Shoot Day

The week was dedicated to preparing the shoot and constructing the script for the film. Transcribing the interviews took longer than I thought so it had to be carried over in the planned timeline. Once they were all complete, I just highlighted the best quotes and composed a loose narrative to model the visuals from. These will be later on finalised to see what best suits the footage. I wanted to have flexibility on the script/come back to it later during the edit so the narrative I’m illustrating remains focused throughout.

More so, I spent the week collecting equipment and materials I need for the shoot. I was advised to rent equipment in London and take them up north as it could be difficult to acquire them up there or I won’t have the same range. I also tested the kit I am going to use (e.g. steadicam) so I can work it comfortably on my shoot day. This was a good advice I’ve taken as I knew Newcastle’s resources doesn’t have the same range range as they do in London. It was absolutely vital I come fully prepared/ready on my shoot day. I only had one shot: it’s difficult to get all my subjects on their day off on their day and I have the studio date set/paid for.

Additionally, I worked on a two short films this week (3rd year FMPs). This was like a warm up prior to my own; it helped me prepare for mine in a way that I know the motions of my shoot day will be and things to bear in mind (e.g. scheduling, extra essential things to bring etc). It was a good addition to my work schedule because it meant that I could go on set confidently despite any anticipations.

___________________________________

On Sunday 19th, I shot my film…

It was definitely an eye opener. With every new film set comes with new lessons - regardless how much experience you have prior and how much preparation you make.

I had to do mainly everything by myself, with the assistance of my brother and my father for the manual labour (e.g. rearranging equipment etc). It was difficult to get someone from GDC to assist in Newcastle (due to distance, availability and funding) or find someone I knew back home that would be available. However, with preparation, I felt good enough to do the job properly and made the best out of the situation.

The studio staff was very helpful and helped me arrange the lights, showing him my references and mood board. This is what I was most worried for as I was not used to the kit in the studio and lighting can be difficult to get right. I felt like despite the limitations I had, I did a fairly good job; I  captured most of what I have on my storyboard. However, as I was shooting, I thought I should take some extra long portrait style shots, just incase it could be a bit too much on the edit and the story could get lost in the visuals. Overall, I feel happy about what I’ve captured.

Things I’ve learned/Notes for next shoots:

Directing normal people requires distinct instructions. They need more guidance; the conversation between an actor and a normal person with no acting experience is different. It was important that I kept explaining the purpose of the shot and ensuring them they are doing a good job. More so, they are family - which adds more to the equation.

It helps when you show the sample visuals and is ready on hand; explaining to them to the subjects was helpful in understanding what you want from them prior to shooting.

It’s important to have somebody who has a film background helping you, to cover your blindspots (even an extra person would help). Concentration becomes weaker as the day progress and you do the best you can for the project.

This is also the most organised I’ve been (production wise). I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress since previous shoots. Also, the delays in the timings weren’t too bad; only had to go over time for one hour (delayed due to the second family being unable to find the studio).

[joshuajms]

FMP Final Meeting

Today I had my final meeting with Ray before I send my work. It was a revelation! I have moved from the hit and miss of the face illustrations into a form I haven’t explored since being at GDC but one that I know well, photography. I studied photography at GCSE and A Level but lost the confidence with the camera after coming to Chelsea. We discussed the power of photography used within Geigy’s work especially this packaging by Atelier Muller-Brockmann and Nelly Rudin for Tofranil a ‘mood brightener’ tablet. 

We discussed how the poster campaign of this project could be far simpler, stronger and more Swiss. We mocked up a type over image just with this quick image here. I think the beauty is in the multiplied type over black and white image. It, for me, is a far more elegant use of the orange and monochrome colour palette than I have previously made with the illustrations. The shot of my images would be more abstract to remove from the personality of the subject.

We also discussed finessing the logo mark and making it relate more to stem cells somehow as currently the circle Os are a bit flat. Ray suggested I make the word horizontal rather than one on top of the other like above.

[indiagillettthree]

Fred Rowson

Last week I met with Director/Writer Fred Rowson to discuss my FMP. I sent him recordings of my poems beforehand. He was really encouraging about the pieces and his general advice was to write everyday, constantly go back and re-write and the more specific my pieces the better. His favourite piece was ‘Mother Fucker’, which I wasn’t sure would communicate to people who had never met me/didn’t already know the story. But it was really useful to be able to test my writing on someone who didn’t already know me going in. I feel assured in the poems’ abilities to communicate. 

He loved the toilet idea. I’m testing out the name ‘Verbal Diarrhoea’ on people to see how it goes down. He was also a fan of that but encouraged me to keep testing reactions. Fred felt that the instillation should be as realistic as possible and for the audio element to be more of a mystery for the viewer to discover by accident. In theory I like this idea but also feel that in a GDC space the audience is used to having a project spoon-fed to them and I’m worried if people don’t instantly understand how to interact they’ll move onto another piece. Meanwhile in a tutorial, Anna Rhodes is encouraging the idea of working the instillation into existing toilets for the exhibition as well as possibly existing in the Triangle space. 

All are good food for thought. Right now I need to work on cubicle mood boards and toilet references to know what it is I want to work towards aesthetically and continue to edit and write poetry. 

[annaminijayan3dblog]

FMP Blog 28

During my research on the creation of hair, I came across the GDC Summit presentation, “Hair Art in Games: Aesthetics Difference between Eastern and Western”, which discusses the similarities and differences between hair design in Eastern and Western games. NetEase's Hao Luo and Xiaoying Fu detail the variations between Eastern and Western hairstyles in gaming, explore the history of hair art and its technological advancements within gaming, and summarize four essential principles of designing hair in games. Nora Xiaoinfu is the primary character artist and a character specialist at Netease Thunderfire studio. Meanwhile, Hao holds the position of senior user researcher within Netease Thunderfire's UX department. Nora addresses the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western games, affirming that both Eastern and Western games draw inspiration from real-life hairstyles. For instance, she cites an example of an ancient Chinese-themed game, Justice Online, in which the hairstyles are influenced by the curly hair of the Song dynasty. According to their insights, the primary similarity lies in the utilization of the hair card method for crafting hair. They also discuss four critical points: historical experience, diverse personality portrayal, memorable contrasts, and the challenge of universal values. The presentation emphasises the importance of aligning the hair design with the character's era to enhance players' immersive experiences. Furthermore, the presentation underscores how hair can effectively convey powerful personality traits. As a character artist seeking to enhance my hair grooming skills, I found these insights to be invaluable.

Bibliography

GDC. (2022). 'Hair Art in Games: Aesthetics Difference between Eastern and Western'. [YouTube Video]. Available at: https://youtu.be/pl9RI3cCQRI?si=C8SJIg-pSqjyvkMK

[annaminijayan3dblog]

FMP Blog 17

The GDC presentation, the ‘Art of ‘Thirsty Suitors’’, is about the development of the game ‘Thirsty Suitors’. The speaker, Chanda Ekanayake, is the co-founder and creative director of Outerloop Games. He started by talking about the game and its narrative. The game is about fighting your exes and disappointing your parents while skateboarding and cooking. He then talked about the art style of the game. The game combines 2D and 3D techniques to create a compelling illustrative look. He shows the initial and development concept artworks of the game and its characters. I found it interesting how they assigned specific colour palettes to each exes that they would also apply to their ‘fantastical inner worlds’. These colour palettes were used to communicate the personality and relationships of the characters. I also found it interesting that the art style is inspired by the team’s shared experiences and contains a lot of cultural references. He also talked about the challenges of developing the game with a remote team spread across four continents and seven cities. On a personal level, I found this game inspiring in the sense that it incorporated characters from different ethnicities that are not often represented in games. Since I’m also creating characters that are inspired by cultural references, I found it insightful to learn about their design process.

Bibliography

GDC. (2024). 'Art of 'Thirsty Suitors' '. [YouTube Video]. Available at: https://youtu.be/shXiIlgJnec?si=Dt4BqpUa_OhuVoyf

[maximcookdesign]

JOEL BAKER

A GDC student from a couple years ago, his submission for D&AD heavily informs the basis of my design thinking. That typography can be something that can be manipulated and changed in accord with the context that it finds itself within. 

His submission for Ministry of Sound was the use of a typeface that changes, which carried onto his most inspirational work (for me) was his FMP, Colloquy. This typeface adapted with the emotion of the user, using integrated software on the website. The notion of the fact that type could change is somewhat new, and especially interacting with humans other than just on a reading and comprehensive level is something I have never explored before. 

What i’m starting to think is that, I can use a typeface to express the emotions of an HIV patient, and use this emotion and latch onto it as not only a way of exploring the community, but also celebrating them. 

HIV being somewhat of a dark and taboo topic, I wanted to take the dreary waiting and treatment rooms that come with it and brighten them up with a set of predefined typefaces that change and interact with the user. 

[maximcookdesign]

Voice

I have really realised quite a few things with this project. Why I love graphic design communication, why I chose to do an LGBT+ museum for my FMP of year 2 but most importantly, I learnt more about myself as a person in these past 7 weeks, than this whole year at Chelsea. I know what.  want o represent within my work, and I know how I can change the mind and viewpoint of an audience through just pictures and text, and that fascinates me. At the beginning of the project I did make contact with a couple of different people that were getting involved in potentially making this thing happen somewhere in the near future in the UK, most probably London. Even by making that bridge I felt so much more confident in what I was doing, because you realise that you are not the only one out there who thinks this is such a good time, and appropriate thing to do.

In regards to my portfolio, I feel as if I have added something to it that I have wanted to for a long time… A voice, my voice, and my style coming through within my work. I felt at times I have not spoken up for what I believe in, through my work. By communicating something that I am so emotional, and passionate about, I felt as if I have done my portfolio just as to who I am as a person.

[maximcookdesign]

[maximcookdesign]

Technical skills

With this project I have definitely learnt a lot more about Adobe Illustrator. It has been the main focus of my works development and the main software I have been using. As well as InDesign and Photoshop (which I was already very comfortable with) I have learnt a lot more about Illustrator, how it works and many more ways that the programme can be integrated into the wider software of the entire Adobe suite.

[maximcookdesign]

Outcome 

The outcome, is a fully branded museum, with a series of advertising posters, and circumstantial mockups showcasing the branding for the museum. This may further develop into a website, and animation showcasing the logo and some of the branding.

[maximcookdesign]

Target Audience

The whole brief was how to campaign and brand an LGBT+ museum targeting a heterosexual audience. The use of colours is to reflect the rainbow but in a toned and more retro manner the attracts a hetrosexual audience, and unlike the first logo style I was designing, is not so obviously related to a homosexual experience. However, inside is a different story, the museum exhibitions showcases the lives and stories of the LGBT+ community so far in this world, what has been before and what may be to come… The target audience, technically speaking was 25-40 year old heterosexual couples, progressing into life through marriage, children, and relationships. It is at this point in their lives that they best learn about the LGBT+ community in depth, and how it has affected and changed their lives individually, because I believe they are at a point in their life where they will have the power to do something, and to make a change in the world.

[maximcookdesign]

Context

The main theme of my project is somewhat obvious, equality. But I also wanted to use this project as a platform for not necessarily exploiting the insults and targets that LGBTQ+ people face each day, but to educate those who are not affected. It is not the same is racism, or sexism, it is not necessarily worse, but it is not the same/ That is one p[oint of the museum’s title. It is not to project a tone of sadness to make the viewer feel sorry but more empathetic towards these insults and discrimination which as good as it’s getting, is not completely gone in today’s society. Most respond with an anecdote that does not hardly reflect the same constitution as the LGBT+’s community and what they face, but nevertheless people do try. This was a way of communicating why this happens and how. Most importantly, what happens, and what has been for a long time. The widest theme of the project is not only equality, but more social change.

[maximcookdesign]

Project Summary

The SAME MUSEUM is an LGBT+ museum that explores the history of the community in a punny and offensive manner. I do not want people to look at the objects, but rather what is projected onto them or what is on the plaques next to them. It represents the difference and similarity between the LGBT+ community and how wide it has become, and others. This could include, same sex (homosexuality), same qualities, same person, same human being, same feelings, thoughts and emotions. To represent that we are exactly the same as everyone else, but so different in so many ways.