Webpage (16)

I use wix.com (an online website can help to create users' own webpage in a simple way), to design a project gallery. This webpage can let viewers to watch the images clearer and simpler, meanwhile, to make my project to be more completed. 

Final animation gif images (15)

Decision and meaning of project title (14)

A good title is very important. At first glance, the viewers will be attracted by the title and there are a lot of works that do not have too much description, so at this time the title is an important tool of information transmission.

My project name is Mr.M's memory. 

(Mr.M=Mr.Memory=human memory)

(another memory= digital memory)

scene 6 screen shot (13)

scene 3&4 screen shot (12)

This scene is the most difficult one, I don't know how to present that computer is inflating. I had try some different ways.

Scene 2 screen shot (11)

Scene 1 screen shot(10)

I use Illustrator to draw the scene and then put it in Photoshop to modify, next After Effect finishes the animation.

After Effect Practices. the first draft (9)

I try to draw the first scene and work with Photoshop and After Effect.

I separate all the elements, when they be imported to Photoshop can be divided into different layers.

And then I follow the tutorial videos and work with AE.

Output it as png. picture and then change PS to finish it.

Final Gif image.

After Effect tutorial videos (8)

I never use After Effect to make animation before.Thus,I have to watch some tutorial and do more practices.

source from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpgQasDmhI4

source from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FekmGQ5EKDA

Character Design (7)

When I think about my story's main character,I do not want it just to represent some particular users. I want it can represent everyone. Meanwhile, my story is dramatic and some scenes are abstract. Therefore, my main character will not has real human face rather a symbolic face.

My project talks about personal digital memory. Thus, I give a name to the character which is Mr.M.--(M=memory,human memory).His head uses letter M to express.

This is the sketches of my character.

final draft

Timetable (6)

After tutorial (5)

In the tutorial, tutor gave me some advices. Firstly,my story is okay but I need to select some one of scenes which are the most important.If I draw all of them, might have not enough time. Thus, I need to choose the main scenes and then develop others if I have time. Therefore,I had select eight scenes.

 

Secondly,I need to confirm my character-the user-how did he looks like.

Thirdly, I can try to use After Effect to do the Animation GIF. Although I have studied AE before but it is still a challenge for me. But I will try.

Story board (4)

After confirming the form of my project, I start to draw my story board. The summary of my story, user has the habit which keep to write diary, his diaries are full of the bookshelf. Because there is no space to put his diaries.He begins to use computer record his daily life.After computer models become old, out of memory.The old computer is replaced by new laptop.He can carry his laptop and writing in anywhere.He endlessly input daily experiences.Finally, the laptop cannot accept that day and night working.The laptop explodes.His memories are exploded to pieces.

Confirm the form of project (3)

At first, I decided to make an animation video. But I know that my practice skill of Flash, these kind of softwares, do not have too much confident. Therefore, I continue to search other ways to present my ideas.


I had found out some illustrators' works.I think Animation GIF can be a other good way to show my project. And in my workshop class, we had learned how to use Photoshop to make GIF, thus, I think I can handle it.

source from: http://www.rebeccamock.com/

     source from:http://cargocollective.com/nliang/Over-the-Moon

the videos inspire me (2)

These two videos have inspired me. The first one talk about the the evolution of the desk. In the past, pen, paper, the printing press and the camera could help human to saving information, knowledge and life's experiences.And those technologies are all separated. But now just one laptop can do everything. Everything can be store into computer.

source from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGI00HV7Cfw

The second one talk about internet addiction, people keep online day and night, never stop. This idea is quite similar with my project. Users endlessly post things into their laptop and their social networking sites. 

source from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNgGFJgNYOQ

Overview (1)

My software project want to focus on digital archive and digital personal memories. Nowadays, many computational media claim to be created as the archives. Comparing with the traditional archive which are used to store public historical events, as a tool for power control and in general people are not easy to entry, now when the digital age arrives, digital archives become very popular, cheaper and more personal. Such as, computer is a particular case of personal archive, it can store texts, photographs, videos and audios. There are many comparative discussions between human remembering and computer memory, some people believe that computer can help users to store memory for a very long time but human memory is limited. Therefore, there is a kind of phenomenon is generated, people save lots of details of their daily lives or sometimes we can say that everything are stored. Some of those documents are meaningful but some are not. When I was doing the readings researches, I found a quote which is ‘archive is as the system of the functioning of statement things rather than a collection of dust of statements’, form Archaeology of Knowledge (Foucault, 2002: 146). People seem just to keep saved, but there are few considerations of these documents whether necessary to be stored,as well as, very few people will review these digital memory again.

Moreover,when each computer connects with internet, all the private memories will no longer have privacy.Such as, Facebook,people post their daily lives in their webpage, the memories are shareable. And for example,Google is a huge digital archive, its search engine can find out everything that be post in internet. In the past, archive is an architecture but now archive is an abstract space rather than a real place. People do not have to go to somewhere to put their memories in, now they just need a laptop, seat down in front of the computer and typing things in.

But I want to question that do the digital archives really can store everything and keep them forever? Do personal digital memories safely be stored in digital archives?

Lots of users ignore that electromagnetic materials have some limitations. They think that data saved on their digital archives will always be there. Although digital archives able to save a large number of information and keep them longer time. But sometimes old software or hardware is incompatible with the new one or some soft and hard technologies are incompatible. The devices should be continually updated. The digital archives are ephemeral, we can understand like that they also require constant regeneration.Meanwhile,digital devices' memory capacities are limited either.

Furthermore, digital archive is not a completely safety space for personal memory. Those network companies, for instance, social networking sites claim that they work as archives in different notions are in terms of their business logic. They collect users personal data, such as, preferences, habits, and then these data will be used as commercial purpose.

My project start with above ideas of digital archive and personal memory.

    (traditional arhive)

(the symbol of digital archives)

reference：

Foucault, M. (2002) The Archaeology of Knowledge, ed. and trans. A.M.

Sheridan Smith. NewYork/London: Routledge.