DIG 2030c - MeStory Project HIGHER QUALITY

I'm finally doing something I promised to do two years ago, which is to post a higher-quality upload of my (now old) MeStory Project.

Spring and Summer

I realize that I have been really bad about updating my projects, but I have been plenty busy this year. There isn't really much I can post here anyway. However, all of my Spring 2012 Introduction to Animation videos are on my YouTube channel. It was my first experience with animation, something I've wanted to try my whole life. My method is a hybrid of hand-drawn and Flash animation. My videos went over well in class, and I'm pretty proud of them, especially considering they were my first attempts at animating.

My YouTube Channel with My Animation Projects

The only real "projects" I did over the summer were two songs. The first is a vocal cover of "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith. I didn't have the time or resources to try to make the song from scratch, so I just grabbed a karaoke track and did the best Steven Tyler impression I could. I would expect mixed reactions to this one, but I'm pretty satisfied with how I did, just as a vocal exercise. Scream-singing is fun.

The other project, which I did create from scratch in Garage Band, is a cover of "Dear Boy" by Paul McCartney. I was inspired to make this one after listening to the remaster of his Ram album. The backing vocals were pretty complex and difficult to figure out in places, so I simplified them in a few places. The vocals aren't perfect, but still pretty trippy sounding, which I think keeps pretty faithful to the original.

Christmas Catch-Up

Because of being so busy during this past semester, I didn't keep up-to-date with posting some of my projects. I wanted to at least post all of my projects for DIG 3134 (Media Software Design). Here is the hub page where all the projects can be accessed: DIG 3134 Projects

Project 1: "Acey Ducey" – A low and high card are drawn from the deck, and players take turns betting on whether the third card will have a value between those of the other two cards.

Project 2: "Wheel of Fortune" – More like a game of Hangman, but with a Wheel of Fortune layout. Players take turns guessing the letters of a hidden phrase.

Project 3: "Battleship" – A simplified version of the board game by the same name.

Project 4: "Cowpies" – A projectile game. Players take turns entering an initial angle and velocity in attempt to hit one of two targets.

Finally, a Christmas greeting.I decided to do a quick Christmas cover for fun. I didn't have enough time to try to perfect much about it, but I haven't recorded anything in a while, so it was nice to get back to using Garage Band. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Wonderful Christmastime - Cover by Sweet Banana

RAFFLE!

Okay, so I've got some updating to do with my school projects from this past semester, but in the meantime... RAFFLE!

A deviantART user is raffling off a shiny Mew plushie, and I want it to be mine! More information below:

http://thegreenmooseofdoom.deviantart.com/journal/FREE-Plush-Raffle-Drawing-on-Dec-25th-272719747

DIG 3134 Project 1

I have my first project for my Media Software Design class due tomorrow. For this class we are working with PHP and HTML. Project 1 was to program a game called "Acey-Ducey". Each round a high card and a low card are drawn at random, and the player may place a bet that the third card drawn will have a value between the high and low card, or they may pass. In my version, there are two teams, each beginning with $1000, and betting $100 each into the pot by default. Then, on each turn, one team may bet any amount, or pass. Players cannot bet more than they currently have, and they may not bet more than the current pot, but they may bet nothing (which is for all intents and purposes the same as passing). When one team runs out of money, the other team is declared the winner. My game does not play through a whole deck, but all the cards are of one suit, Hearts.

Acey-Ducey

Some Catching Up and Updates

I seem to have forgotten about this blog for a stretch of time, but I'm back and bringing everything up to date. First, I updated the SoundCloud link in my previous post, so the player is linked to my current version of the song. Also, here are some other things I've done to keep myself busy over the summer, both for school and for fun:

Summer B 2011 Class Projects:
DIG 3480C Project 1
This assignment was a "pig language converter" created in JavaScript. The basic idea is the user enters an English sentence, and the converter adds "-a" or "-oink" to the end of each word, depending on the word length. It then outputs the converted sentence. However, as per the specifications of the project, the converted sentence is printed to the console, rather than a pop-up window, so if you know how to open the debugging console in your browser, do that before launching the program.

Pig Language Converter

DIG 3480C Project 2 (Final Project)

This was a fun but annoying project. The assignment was to create a game using the Processing programming language. There were certain features that needed to be included, but we basically could create anything we wanted. I chose to create a game called "ParticleMan", inspired by the song by They Might Be Giants. All the player must do is navigate little ParticleMan with the arrow keys to get to the green powerup, while avoiding his arch-nemesis, TriangleMan. One note when launching the game is I've found that sometimes the controls freeze the first time, so the page needs to be refreshed. I have been told this is an issue with the browser running my script, rather than an actual bug in my code. It's a really simple game, but enjoy!

ParticleMan Game

DIG 4780C Final Project

For this intro 3D modeling class, we basically had one model that we worked on for the entire semester, submitting our progress at certain benchmarks. The assignment was to model any household object as close to reality as possible, at the end adding some "damage" to the model to make it even more believable. At first I had a nightmare of a time getting started, because the models I chose were far too complex for my level. Finally I decided to model a wooden skate statue that was in my house. It may have been a little too simple, even for my level, but I decided it was better to let it be a little too simple and make a quality model rather than choose something too challenging and have an awful or unfinished product. I was right, and my model came out quite nicely, and my attempts at texturing were successful with barely any setbacks. It was hard to take my "perfect" model and make it look old and moldy, but in the end, I still think it looks very nice.

Other Personal Projects:

Invader Zim Model

Being initially discouraged at my first 3D modeling attempts, I decided to get some practice by creating a model that I would be more interested in. Thus my Zim model was born. I took a few shortcuts on the trickier sections of the model, and I doubt it's properly made enough to be rigged for animation, but at least it looks nice.

"Maybe I'm Amazed" Covers Competition

Paul McCartney held another covers competition this summer, this time with the song "Maybe I'm Amazed". The team running the contest also got it better organized, with a more concrete voting system (which actually worked against me because part of the reason I co-won the previous competition was due to a discrepancy in the voting system). But regardless, I was very pleased with how this song came out, and I know it's a vast improvement over my previous entry, so it's nice to see how my skills have grown.

SoundCloud Projects
I added more songs to SoundCloud, including the audio for my "Maybe I'm Amazed" cover. I also uploaded two different versions of my "Calico Skies" cover, one "acoustic", and one with a full band.

Maybe I'm Amazed - Cover by Sweet Banana


Calico Skies - Cover by Sweet Banana



Calico Skies (Full Band Version) - Cover by Sweet Banana

SoundCloud

So I have discovered the awesome SoundCloud and created an account. I uploaded my latest project there, and it comes in the convenient little widget below. Also you can go to my account page by clicking on my account name, "Sweet Banana", below the widget.

It Won't Be Long - Cover by Sweet Banana

Song Info:
Cover of "It Won't Be Long" by The Beatles

Performed by Sweet Banana:
Lead Guitar
Rhythm Guitar
Bass Guitar
Drums (software)
Vocals (lead & backing)

Mixed in Garage Band

DIG 2500C - Final Project

I've finished my Interactive Design project. It's due on Friday, 4/22, but I've uploaded it already. I might tweak a few things if I find any bugs, but for now, here is the finished website.

DIG 2500c Final Project

DIG 2500C - Milestone 3

Here is my third Milestone in my Interactive Design class--a game! The point of this assignment is a brief introduction to ActionScript 3.0 in Flash. The object of the game, as outlined by the project requirements, is:

The success scenario of the game is for the player to navigate the "rooms" to reach the "treasure room", gain the "treasure", and return to the entrance to exit the space.

Also, the losing scenario is for the player to enter the "monster room". One requirement of the game is that the "paths" to the "treasure" and the "monster" are already predetermined. That is, the professor told us exactly which path should go to the "treasure room", and which should go to the "monster room". I won't reveal that, however, because I would like people to play it for themselves! To try out my game, go here:

The Fab Temple Adventure

Oh, this wasn't a requirement, but I decided to have my game match the theme of my website, because I want to try to add the game as a feature of my final product.

The assignment isn't due until Friday, so I'd love some feedback! Thanks!

Jeff Dunham's "Design Your Own Achmed Poster" Fan Contest

The name says it all--I submitted a poster design for this contest Jeff Dunham is hosting. Here are the images we were given to work with:

                     

And below is what I designed:

DIG 2500C - Milestone 2

I'm turning in my second Interactive Design Milestone tomorrow and I think it's finally done! The basic assignment was to get the layout done for the entire website, but nothing is active yet (no buttons, no links, etc.), so right now it's basically and animated slide show. Also none of the items are up long enough to read all of the text, because the focus of this stage is the buttons and actually having different sections, not the rest of the content. NOTE: Part of the assignment was to show the buttons in all of their states (i.e. the different ways they look when you mouse-over, click, etc.). The result is a bunch of images all flashing at once and it looks crazy and seizure-inducing! If you get dizzy or sick easily, you may not want to watch this for too long...

DIG 2500C - Milestone 2 (3/3/11)

Click here to see the full .swf file.

DIG 2500C - Interaction Design Document and Milestone 2 Preview

This past Friday I turned in my second Interactive Design assignment -- the Interaction Design Document (IDD). This is essentially my blueprint for what I hope to accomplish for this website project. There are already a few things I thought to add to it since turning it in, so we'll see if I can learn enough about Flash in time to achieve everything I want.

Here is the link to see the IDD: my IDD.


Also, for my next Milestone, I have to start designing the actual interface of the website. I've started the Home Page in an attempt to establish an overall "look" for the website -- nothing is active yet, it's still just a "shell". Here is a screen shot from Flash showing what it looks like so far (click the image for a full-size view):

DIG 2500C - Milestone 2 in progress (2/20/11)

DIG 2500C - Milestone 1

It's project time again!

For my Interactive Design class we are required to design a website in Flash over the course of the semester. The project is divided into milestones that we must complete roughly every two weeks. The theme of the website must be a movie (either real or of our own creation). To ensure that I would give this project the interest and care it deserves, I chose as my movie the Beatles' "Help!"

Milestone 1, due this Friday, Feb. 4th, is a "splash page", the introductory video clip that appears when you first enter the website. For those of you familiar with Flash CS4 or CS5, the technical requirements of this project are:

• the stage must be  960 x 589  pixels
• the animation must be at least 15 seconds at 30fps
• the majority of the graphics used must be vector graphics
• the following are the minimum animation requirements:
• two shape tweens
• one motion tween
• one path animation
• two classic tweens

In the first part of my clip, the text that appears was inspired by the 1965 and 2007 trailers which used the tagline: "Stop worrying! 'Help!' is on the way". The second part is an animation in which I try to emphasize the main conflict of the movie by showing cartoony silhouettes of the Beatles fleeing from the villain, Clang. I included Ringo's sacrificial ring--the item which makes him Clang's central target. At the very end I display my replication of the Beatles logo and the "Help!" logo, and beneath I created an "Enter" button for the website. But I'm not certain if I want to keep the button, since I can't yet make it "active". Any thoughts or advice on this would be greatly appreciated!

Anyway, here is a Quicktime video of my project as it currently stands. Enjoy!

DIG 2500C - Milestone 1 (2/1/11)

DIG 2030c - MeStory Project

Here is the project I submitted today for my Digital Video class. It might undergo some tweaks before the final submission, but it's basically done. (I compressed this version for an easier upload. I hope to get the higher-quality version up too.)

MeStory

11/9/10

NOTE: Sorry it took me so long to post this. I had some issues compressing and uploading the video...

Band on the Run Covers Competition Winners

http://www.paulmccartney.com/news.php#/2054/2010-11

"We are pleased to announce that the winners of the Band on the Run Covers competition are:

Double Decker Band AND Sweet Banana.

The Double Decker Band managed to get a huge amount of votes on the group competition page, and Sweet Banana had 108 likes on their own video page. Well done to both!

A massive THANK YOU to everyone who entered this competition and also to the people who voted for a winner."

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me!!!

Less than One Week Left to Vote for My Video!!!

Hey, everyone!

There's less than one week left in the "Band on the Run" covers competition and it's starting to get intense. If you haven't liked my video yet… go ahead and do it now. It's so easy, if you have a YouTube account, all you have to do is go to my video and click the "LIKE" button! To get to my video, just go to my YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/SweetBananaDigital and my video will be right there.

Now, for those of you that have already liked my video, I cannot thank you enough! Currently my video has the most "likes" in the competition! But unfortunately, there's a bit of a problem. See, to enter the video in the contest, you have to submit it to a YouTube group for the contest, and that group has its own internal ratings system on its page. The official competition rules seem to suggest that the video with the most "likes" will win, but every other entry in the competition seems to be trying to get this other kind of votes. I've tried to ask for clarification but no one's been able to help me so far, so I've decided I'm going to hedge my bets and ask you to vote for me this second way, as well. I know some of you have already voted for me both ways, so thank you all very much! BUT if you have liked my video but haven't voted for it yet, please do it by following these instructions:

If you are signed in to your YouTube account, go to youtube.com/group/coverbandontherun. Once there, click "Join Group" and the page will refresh. Now look at the right-hand panel on the page, where the video player is. Below that is the "Top Rated" list. Find my video (at this point you'll probably have to scroll down a bit to find it). You'll recognize mine from the green kaleidoscope pattern in the thumbnail. Click the name of my video and it will start to play in the player above. When it starts playing, click the "I love it" link which appears under the player. And that's it! Also, with this method it seems you can vote every so often, I think it might be once or twice a day, so vote often!

Thank you so much, everyone! The winner is supposed to be announced on Monday, November 8th, so I'll let everyone know the results then!

Peace, love, and vote for me! =)

DIG 2109c - Project 2 Final Prints

I finished my final prints for my second project. I may do some last-minute tweaking before I submit it to the class server, but this is how they will look when I present them in the lab tomorrow:

Project 2A

10/26/10

Project 2B

10/26/10

Project 2C

10/26/10

"Band on the Run" Covers Competition - Keep the LIKEs Coming!

Hey, everyone! This is just a reminder that the "Band on the Run" covers competition ends on Nov. 5th, so please get in your votes before then. To vote for me, please go to my video below and click the thumbs up to LIKE it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em6NlsvFB7M

Thank you!

Please Help Me Win a Contest - Vote for My Video

For those of you who don't already know, I've been working on a an entry for a "Band on the Run" cover contest to be posted on YouTube, and the video with the most votes gets the Deluxe Edition of the "Band on the Run" album remasters!

Well... IT'S TIME!!! Time to vote, everyone! I'm a *little* confused with how the voting works, so to be safe I'd like to ask for you to vote two ways.


FIRST: Go to the contest page: http://www.youtube.com/group/coverbandontherun?topic=yO5XmVHypR_c and click "Join Group". Go to my topic ("Band on the Run" Cover Contest Entry, user name SweetBananaDigital), and click on my video, then click "I Love It"!


SECOND: Go directly to my video's url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em6NlsvFB7M and click "LIKE".

I'm sorry to ask you to do both, but I'm not sure which one actually counts because the rules weren't 100% clear. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Finally Done!

I just finished my video for the "Band on the Run" cover contest (at about 2am)! I haven't uploaded it to YouTube yet (I have school-related things to do first), but in case anyone is up I'll quickly post it here for you to see. Once I have it uploaded to YouTube I'll let everyone know... because I need your votes, please!

The video is a little strange... That's basically a result of: (a) working with a deadline, (b) lack of resources in terms of staging and lighting, etc., and (c) experimenting with a bunch of different filters in Final Cut. So it seems a little trippy... but I guess that's appropriate enough in this case.

"Band on the Run" cover (video)

10/20/10

P.S. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THIS VIDEO TAKES TOO LONG TO LOAD. If so, I wand to upload a more compressed video to YouTube so it will be easier for viewers to watch. Thank you!