LX-pansion
I have many loves in this world.
Two of them are freely apparent on this website in various ways. I expressed my love for graphic novel Watchmen, both in art and in writing. I’ve expressed my love for Ghostbusters… to anyone who’ll listen, essentially, and it’s appeared in my art.
And now the world is sharing in my love.
With the Watchmen film rounding the corner, and the Ghostbusters video game coming in 2009 (and a possibly Ghostbusters III being murmured about) a lot of the geek scene is a buzz with anticipation, excitement and happiness.
Me too.
This in a way, has inspired me to push forward and create companion parts to come of the art I’ve created over the last year, as I’ve long wanted to do since making the originals.
First, Ghostbusters II.
I had always wanted to do more in terms of quotes from these movies, which I really took to when I was younger. I was, and still am, quite frightened at the prospect of meta-physical, spiritual entities and whatnot… and yet, after watching these movies, I immediately wanted to be a Ghostbuster. And who didn’t? It was akin to my phobic-level fear of spiders, but I’d go swimming in a tank of tarantulas (shivered just typing that) if it meant I’d come out a Spider-Man.
I can’t make the sleek and swift animations that my peers can (although, maybe one day)… so rather than make kinetic typography excerpts, I’ve resigned to making posters with small doses of typography that embody some of my favorite quotes from this movie.
This one was actually more challenging to me than the original. With the “You Say Yes!” piece, the moment the words “quote from a movie” left Mrs. Horne’s mouth, I knew exactly what and how I intended to complete my project.
For the second, I wanted it to tie closely to it’s original concept, and make it evident that it was part of a series, but not entirely cookie cut the idea. Trying to find that balance, and trying to relate 3 voices instead of one booming one.
Composition, balance, scale, unity and color- I hope have afforded me that sense of cohesion.
I like it. But I’m biased. :p
And now, Watchmen—
I always wanted to do another one of these. It’s not fair to the Watchmen to just do Rorschach, much as I love him. The first thing that came to mind was preservation of the gradient and layout, and a color- blue. Obviously, had to be Dr. Manhattan.
Just as I had the first piece, I opened up my copy of Watchmen, found an applicable frame, and got to a-scannin’. I had originally planned to have Manhattan’s emblem be the main focus piece, but that didn’t seem expressive of the character enough. Rorschach’s mask (or his face, if you will) clearly defined his character visually, even if it was just the pattern— I wanted something that painted a portrait of the character of Dr. Manhattan as well.
With a lack of eyebrows, and a distant stoicism that is almost law, Dr. Manhattan’s eyes need to be expressive of what little emotion he does display. I wanted a flourish similar to the distorted masks in the Rorschach piece, but Manhattan’s own person doesn’t have a lot to work with… unless I wanted to incorporate his banana-hammock in some manner. I used the emblems in a layout that was a little more structured and less haywire, and instead of costume colors (as Dr. Manhattan doesn’t have one) I opted to use colors from a setting that is very integral to Dr. Manhattan’s story in Watchmen, and has the added benefit of being fairly complementary to the blue that pervades the layout.
Here are both new pieces, alongside their original companions.
They Be Slow!
Dr. Manhattan – Intelligent Accident
So, there’s that. Let me know what you think!!
As for what’s next… Still got the Film Festival I want to bring up to the site. Soon, I hope! Aside from that, I’m still frightened of the idea of putting my ideas out there without a piece to go witht he story, and someone jacking my concepts, so… maybe I’ll just actually make something instead. (As if I didn’t have enough to do as is.)
Time will tell.
~LX had an epiphany… the Watchmen film opens 03/06/09… Three, Six, Nine, TWELVE (Minutes To Midnight). Oh, I see what you did there! No wonder Fox wanted to keep the date so badly. CLEVER FOX! This round goes to you, but I’ve got my eye on you… >_>
Internship Follies...
So I spoke about my internship in my last post, and I said I’d show what has come to fruition as a result.
So… that is the purpose of this post.
The quick-flip poster I was asked to do was for a theatre function that had it’s inaugural performance in mid-February.
The concept is actually quite interesting. I had one of the group members give me the skinny… basically, there’s a lot of familiarity in theatre today. When you go to see a play or a performance, it’s generally something you’ve seen or read before. Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, etc.
So was created the Colonial Empire New Play Festival. In an attempt to bring new plays, and new playwrights into the limelight. I thought it was really inspired, and apparently a lot of other people did too. The second annual Play Festival (which I hope I get to make a poster for too!!) had like 10 times the submissions!
They asked me to bring them a poster concept, so I drafted two. The first one is a little bit more easily identifiable as something of my creation.
It was decided however, that the colors and layout were quite traditional for theatre plays (maybe not pink; but black, white and red) and was a touch too similar to the poster for The Full Monty, which was the current production being put on by the AASU Masquers.
So, it was decided that my second poster concept would be the one that would be built upon. After some work and some brainstorms thrown back and forth between the group… not to mention the threatening of scalps (!!), and I got this—
They really liked my resolution of giving each play it’s own visual identity, as with new plays there needed to be an immediately digestible selling point, and we couldn’t very well slap the synopses on the poster. Additionally, the eye grabbing jauntiness that the font and layout embodied. Just the kind of vibe that the brand new festival needed.
My favorite one of the three is Residue, the synopsis described a woman using lucid dreaming in order to escape her reality- and in her dreams, she gets everything she ever wanted, most importantly… a dream lover.
The other two have a more immediate relation to their synopses, but something about the one for Residue, is mysterious in it’s simplicity. My favorite. (Probably why it’s in the middle.)
Next update… I don’t know. I think i have something coming around the corner, and I’m also thinking about lifting the veil on some of the concepts I have for graphic work that are stewing about in my head. Maybe. Or perhaps I’ll put up my Film Festival that was created for Corporate Identity.
We’ll see.
~LX leaves Residue on everything he touches. Everything.
Updates, Downdates, and All the Rest.
Man, if I haven’t been all sorts of lackadaisical on this blog. There’s been a whole novel’s worth of up’s and down’s since you’ve last heard of me, so let’s hear them.
School.
Generally, never been a detractor to my posting on here, but let me tell you. This is my graduating semester, and I’ve been running around like a chicken without a head, and probably a couple of extra feet.
Classes, and projects, and getting my show together. soon, I’ll be getting my stuff professionally printed and mounted ON TOP of all that. Hectic, for me, to say the least.
New Phone.
Yep. I put the Sidekick to sleep. To put it in lady terms… I was traipsing about with a young trollop, and it finally occurred to me that I was that age where I needed to find myself a more respectable, refined young lass… who still felt frisky despite her age.
Enter— The Blackberry Curve 8900. I am in about as much love as any human should healthily be with a piece of machinery. It does everything my half-a-smart-phone Sidekick did, except like THREE times better. Plus a whole lot more. One of the best purchases I’ll ever make… once I pay off my dad who owns the family phone account. :p
Drama.
I’ll spare you the specifics, but suffice it to say—
You think you know a couple motherfuckers, but I guess you don’t.
That’s all on that.
Internship.
I pulled a wicked gambit this semester. I had two photo classes at the beginning of the year— Digital Photography and Intermediate Photography. Despite the latter concerning having to borrow an SLR camera, and learning how to develop film and prints all over again since I waited two years in between photo classes— I found Digital Photo to be more taxing.
Not being able to take the course, or any course this semester, with Mrs. Horne was incredibly jarring. Having to adapt to a completely crackpot new professor, and not having my own Digital Camera (meaning I’d have to borrow the same one Chris is borrowing) was quickly proving to be too much.
Lo and behold, Mrs. Horne, increasingly my savior, was kind enough to think of me and my hopeless dreams of poster design when she heard the theater department needed a poster created on the fly for a function.
The event was free to attend, and there was barely any budget to speak of, so she was able to get me 2 credit hours. But, I’m graduating, I contested. I don’t need two credit hours. I need THREE, so I can drop this other cockamamie class. I’ll do ANYTHING, I told her. I’ll do playbills, logos… I’ll wash cars, I’ll wipe orifices. JUST GET ME OUT OF THIS CLASS!!
Somehow, she signed off on it (with the DEAN, no less!) and I got my three hours, and the Dean even dropped me out of the other class so I wouldn’t have to deal with the paper work. What a pal.
I’m going to show off the fruits of said internship in a separate post, so look out for that… or scroll up if you’re reading this late. :p
Weekend Stay in the Emergency Room.
Many may have heard about my friend Rhiannon’s incredibly taxing visit to the ER this past weekend. It’s been really rough on her, and I wouldn’t wish what she’s had to go through on even my most archest of villains (probably).
I’m going to keep the details undisclosed, as I’m sure that’s a tale she’d either want to keep to herself for now, or would like to tell on her own. But perhaps after some time has passed, I’ll devote an entire post to my side of what all happened on that fateful Valentine’s Day Weekend, 2009.
In the meantime, if you know her (hell, even if you don’t)- let her know you’re thinkin’ about her. We all want her to get better soon, and I can’t think of anyone else who deserves some love.
Twitter.
Yeah, so I FINALLY bit, and got myself a Twitter account. I didn’t think I’d take to it as much as I have… but I gotta be honest.
I LOVE IT.
I’ve established it as a sort of “Rambl-og,” where I’ll post random things I’m thinking… quips and ditties, and witty repartee no one will read but me. I’m totally enthralled by it. I really like writing here, but this is more of an EVENT. I sit down, I structure, I contemplate… I MARKUP.
With the Twitter, I just have 140 characters, and the occasional picture (another feature I am fucking loving about the phone.) There’s an easily digestible concept behind it that forces me to boil down my thoughts into something concise and succinct, and it’s turning out to be more of an actual writing exercise than the blog has been.
So, definitely check it out if you have the time.
…and I think that’s it for now. Expect an update soon concerning the internship, as well as my list of upcoming artistic endeavors that have been pushed to the wayside as contend with this whole… graduation thing.
~LX can’t wait to see his prides and joys printed in large scale and up in the gallery.
Left 4 Dead gives Right 2 Life.
We played the Zombie Apocalypse game long before Left 4 Dead arrived on our hard drives, delivered in a bile-stained kerchief hung from the beak of an undead stork that is amazing Steam.
THE Zombie Apocalypse game.
You know, the one where your friends ask you, “Okay, so if there was a zombie outbreak RIGHT NOW… what would you do?” And everyone goes around the room, or car, or jacuzzi or whatever… and says “I’d pick up a golf club, make my way to the top floor of D’s apartment and barricade it. He’s got guns.” Et cetera.
I love that game. And in similar fashion, I really like Left 4 Dead.
It’s a touch on the thin side… only four campaigns so far (but if any company can be trusted to supplement their multi-based games with content nowadays, it’s Valve), only 10 or so weapons— and that’s including Molotovs, Pipebombs, Pistols and miniguns you can’t move.
It’s like a magic pool that looks kind of shallow when you’re alone, (the game is almost boring to the point of unplayability when playing solo after experiencing it with 3 friends) but once your buddies show up, it gets so much more profound.
I’ve run each scenario (“scenarios” are makeshift zombie movies like an outbreak at a hospital, or making your way to an airport that is overrun) at least twice now, in what… 4 or so days, and I’ve already got a wealth of “fucking cool!” moments to talk about and that are crisp and clear in my head. I’ve been playing primarily with D and his awesome ilk from the [BS] clan, and let me tell you…. it’s SO much fun.
The game has a pretty clever AI system in play called “The Director” that is to change gameplay every time you play. It’s not quite as radical as it seems… the change is often merely a special boss zombie appearing in a different room than your late playthrough, but overall, it keeps you on your toes so it doesn’t get boring.
One example is a very small room with an emergency door that will trigger a horde of zombies. Partly due to my focus on other doors during previous attempts, there was one instance of this where the majority of the zombies came crashing through the ceiling like a deluge of undead horror rather than pouring through the doors as per usual.
When looking to how Team Fortress 2 has grown in the year since it’s release to the public through BETA, I have a lot of high hopes for Left 4 Dead in the capable hands of Valve.
However—
Having a relentless mind myself, I can’t help but offer up some thoughts for the future… if I could have it my way.
Outfits/skins for the Survivors. 4 movies… the SAME clothes in each one. It’s a small, superfluous gripe, but while I understand each scenario has no ties to another, it would help me believe that each set is independent, and less like these poor 4 fuckers had the worst series of weeks in human history, effectively walking into EVERY zombie stronghold on Earth, and never once thinking about raiding a clothing store or abandoned house for a set of duds that AREN’T bloodstained, shitsoiled or BILEDRENCHED. On that note…
New Survivors. When a Survivor is felled in combat or left to die, he can often be rescued later in the level from a closet where he is “locked in.” Now, I realize there’s an element of suspension of reality… what with survivors locking themselves in closets with Uzi’s and being fully incapable of shooting through the wooden door (like we do ALL THE TIME) or bulleting the lock… but when you save this survivor, they look exactly like the one that just died.
I don’t know about you, but I really appreciate the conditional dialogue set in place by Valve (it works so well in Half-Life 2 and TF2). When Louis dies, and as the remaining survivors whimper and mourn them, “Oh no… not Louis… dammit”… I really enjoy that— but finding a carbon copied clone of that survivor 4 doors down really breaks the immersion. Can we get a second set of four survivors? I don’t care if they SOUND the same, I’d just rather them not look identical.
More Cooperative Moments. I know much of this is just my being spoiled by playing through Gears of War 2 with D (who is honestly one of the best shooter companions you could hope for) but I think there’s a lot of room for “coop moments” in this game. I keep telling anyone who will, or won’t, listen (sounds like me, right?) about some of my ideas in this concept.
Like a “puzzle room” with just a small obstacle… probably weight/physics based like the ones in HL2, where two people complete it while the other two cover them from zombie hordes. The reward is one or two extra health packs or grenades (depending on difficulty), with the risk of having to stay put while hordes come and possibly boss zombies coming to tear you up. I think there’s a good balance there… do I run through, and forego the extra health/weapons, or go for a gambit that may very well save me later in the campaign?
Another I considered was a platform on a crane that the survivors can stock up upon— gas and propane tanks and the like. During this time zombie attacks are put on hold until a switch is pressed— then the crane loudly comes to life, attracting a horde beneath. As the survivors are hung precariously above the clawing horde, they must clear out some of the zombies for when they are dropped off at the other side of the sea of undead. Midway, the horde breaks through a door near the crane, and begin to climb up and onto the crane itself. The survivors must kill these zombies as they climb over the crane arm, before they drop onto the platform, for each one that hits the platform drops it closer and closer over the horde, to the point where they can jump up onto it and climb on, or stop it before it reaches the other side. That to me would be “high tension” as fuck.
More Scenarios. Yeah, I know these are obviously coming, but there are a few in particular I really want to see. Particularly one on a 747 (or maybe even Air Force One!) where zombies have overtaken sections of the plane (Flight Of The Living Dead!). The scenario begins in coach, moves towards the back of the plane, down into the cargo hold, then back up into coach, through first class and then a fight into the cockpit to assist the captain in landing the plane by fighting off hordes of zombies. Then you could get awesome survivor banter like “Well, at least it wasn’t Snakes!“ or new achievements like if two Survivors hole up in a lavatory, they each get “Mile High Club“. (See what I did there?)
A Cruise Ship allows for the same concept, with less claustrophobia, and admittedly, a more realistic zombie count. Each scenario offs something like 1,000-1,500 zombs and a 747 can take on 500 some passengers. Plus, those safe room doors would look awfully gaudy on an aircraft. And honestly… where’s my MegaMall, complete with a zombie infested theater that is perpetually showing clips from Night of the Living Dead or Dead Alive?
More Variety. It’s the zombie apocalypse, people! I want to feel more solitude at the beginning. I think it would be more psychologically grating to start alone and have to find the other survivors before the first actual act begins. I want to hear my character talk to themselves with an ebbing sanity- “I’m the only one! Oh my god, I’m the last one left alive. I’m going to die!” and stuff like that. When they hear or see another survivor in the distance, “No, that can’t be. My eyes are playing tricks on me. There’s no way someone else made it through this.” and so on.
I also want to see more set pieces. There are some really good ones in there currently… a gas station that blows apart in spectacular fashion using the Cinematic Physics Engine, the rooftop battle, the cornfield dash, airplane crash. Some really wonderful moments… give me more, though. Whatever, so I’m greedy!
Meet The Survivors. I can’t help but think that this is already in the works. I want to know more about the survivors, their backstory, and I want to see more of that pitch-perfect balance between terror and humor that was evident in the launch trailer. I honestly thought each scenario was going to have a cutscene or movie to go along with it, and I died a little inside when I realized the wicked 5 minute trailer in the beginning was all I was going to get.
Honestly. though… I love you, Valve. So much. Put out more things.
~LX screams like a titty-baby when the Tank comes on Expert.
Have Your Cake and Rock It, Too.
I can’t speak enough on the wonder that is Rock Band.
A lot of developers talk about you playing with your friends and connecting with your buddies while you play games, but as far as I’m concerned, there are few people who hit that nail as hard on the head as Harmonix has with Rock Band.
What with the second iteration coming out recently, we’re all back into our usual “You know what song would be KILLER on Rock Band?” and every time we listen to a particularly rollicking song or classic, we pantomime generously and imagine playing it on those curious plastic guitars and drums.
What would it be like? Would it be hard? Easy? How much fun would it be? Would they even CONSIDER it?
I find myself asking the latter question most frequently. The Metalheads and Classic rockers all seem to get their bids, but more and more I wish certain acts would get their place on the digital stage. So I guess this is my first little fantasy entry for Rock Band 2.
Full Album Candidate: Cake – Fashion Nugget
Cake is one of my favorite bands, period. I was introduced to them right as my eyes were opened to the wonder of 99X after being raised on Latin music and Star94 pop classics. My old friend Max spun me this album, and Limp Bizkit’s Significant Other (say what you will about me or that album, it was eye-opening and life-changing for me in many ways) on the same day… and let me tell you, I felt like I was doing something WRONG, but I couldn’t stop enjoying myself.
Cake’s incredibly unique musical style is in many parts what makes them in my Permanent Top 5 of favorite acts. John McCrae’s half-talk half-sing vocal styles are not wildly popular, but they are very distinct, and as a personal preference— right in my vocal range (though I am still petrified at the thought of singing even in front of 3 of my closest friends.) Moreover, many of the songs that would be perfect for Rock Band would have some interesting curveball challenges for the bored microphone holder— “Stickshifts & Safetybelts” alone has notes held for 12 measures!
Their rolling bass lines are almost always groovy and interesting… which if you ask me, is an area sorely lacking in the current line-up for Rock Band. Most of the bass lines are absolutely sleep-inducingly boring in their simplicity, or are solo-guitar difficult on the more Thrash-metal side of things. It is my honest opinion that the two guitar-wielding players would end up fighting over who gets to play BASS over guitar… seriously.
Which is not to say that the guitar is poor, by any means. A wide range of styles that influence the guitar playing in the band, from country-rock slide to funky ska-ish— there is plenty here to ensure the guitar parts are very different from most of the current catalog.
Fashion Nugget is one of the best albums of it’s 90’s Alternative era, and of the band’s capacity— crafting an incredibly signature sound that is incredibly fun to listen to, even 12 years later.
If you were alive and had ears circa late 1996, you PROBABLY heard “The Distance”. It’s their most notable song, a hit single of it’s time that defined the band’s sound and style as well as the “alternative” style. With copious use of blaring trumpet, vibraslap and organ there was little else to compare Cake to, then or today. I have been an avid fan for YEARS now, and The Distance is STILL one of my favorite songs of theirs, and I think that says something.
Also very notable, and the main reason why I opted to suggest this album in question is Cake’s absolutely wonderful cover of the gloria Gaynor classic “I Will Survive.”
This isn’t the full song, it cuts out the bass solo that plays prior to the second guitar/trumpet solo.
If you ever have, or have ever thought, about covering a song, I IMPLORE you to listen to Cake’s version of “I Will Survive” as Exhibit A on how to do it and be ORIGINAL and INTERESTING. I find it increasingly difficult to hear covers of such quality, and then listen to bands like Hinder absolutely desecrate and trudge sloppily over Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild”. Yuck.
Anyhow-
Listen to “I Will Survive”, and tell me it’s not a good candidate for Rock Band’s song list; one that isn’t classic arena rock (YEAH!) or yet another awful, endless-string-of-red-notes, nu-metal song (NAY!).
Wicked guitar and bass throughout the song, consistent (not too challenging or too simple) drums. John McCrae’s unforgettable take on the classic lyrics. TWO awesome guitar solos, and the rarely-seen bass guitar solo!! Tambourine for the singer during trumpet/bass solos (I think).
High Points / Pros:
The Distance
I Will Survive
Stickshifts & Safetybelts
Italian Leather Sofa
Daria
Race Car Ya-Ya’s
—Wide range of difficulties and styles amongst entire tracklist.
—Wicked basslines to reinvigorate sleeping bassists, and maybe even encourage some fighting over who gets to play bass over guitar.
—Various options for band to play back-up vocals, what with Cake’s signature “Yea!” yelling, and call-back shouts. i.e. “She’s all alone, (ALL ALONE!)”
—Unique style of music currently somewhat unrepresented.
—Higher likeliness of coming to Rock Band do to heavy fanbase support on the Rock Band forums.
Low Points / Cons:
—“Nugget,” in all it’s glory, will likely not make the cut, due to it’s gratuitous use of the word “Fuck.”
—“She’ll Come Back To Me is a good songs, but is slower and of lower energy. Comparable to “Creep” or “Say It Ain’t So”.
—“Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps” and “It’s Coming Down” are good songs, but may have formulas that may not be suited for Rock Band play on a wider scale.
—“Friend Is A Four Letter Word,” another slower song, could be fun to sing-along with… although the guitar is decent, bassline minimal, and drums may be too simple.
—“Frank Sinatra” may need to be edited, as it is a 12-second drumstick intro that isn’t game friendly, and is followed by an organ intro. After that, though, perfect for RB.
—“Race Car Ya-Ya’s” is a kick-ass song with a lot of personality, but it has an incredibly short run-time for Rock Band tracks at 1:21.
The Compromise: A Six-song Trackpack for Cake culled solely from Fashion Nugget, including the following:
The Distance
I Will Survive
Daria
Frank Sinatra
Stickshifts & Safetybelts
& Italian Leather Sofa
All six-songs can be obtained for $9.99, or for $1.99 a pop if purchased individually. Additionally, all Cake fans mourn tearfully the exclusion of Nugget due to it’s 20 approximate uses of the word “Fuck” in a 4-minute span.
Then again… maybe if we’re lucky, Cake will re-record it for Harmonix, exchanging for the word “Funk,” possibly making it all the much more fun to sing.
~LX implores everyone to supplement the word “Fuck” back into it’s rightful place when singing Alanis Morrisette’s “You Oughta Know.” Otherwise, it lops the beautiful estrogen-fueled fury right out of the chick-rock anthem.
