Introduction

Welcome to my Narrative II website! The purpose of the Narrative II project at Freestyle is see how well you can create a dialogue-driven story. Like all projects, this core of my project was derived from our English class, in which the Web students were asked to write the same short story from three different perspectives (and then ultimately choose one to animate). Next, in our Design class we were asked to create a surrealist piece of art inspired by one of our English works. This was meant to give us practice in black and white, HDR, and infrared photography. We also created a book jacket for our short story-almost as if it were going to be sold in a store. Lastly, in Web/Audio, we created an animation of our short story using After Effects. On my this website, you will be able to see my animatic, animation, surreal art, book jacket, and my short stories (from different perspectives). I wanted to create my website to emulate a book, as each section is organized into “chapters”-going off of the theme of my short story and book jacket.

Additionally in Web/Audio, we were introduced to After Effects which we used to create our animatic and animation. After Effects is probably one of the most difficult applications that I’ve learned during my time at Freestyle. There was a very steep learning curve that came along with this application, and most the time I was learning more new things about AE as I was building my animation. Animation is such a specific field of expertise within the graphic design field that I often ran into roadblocks when it came to laying out my animation and figuring out ways to maintain consistency between scenes, but also not be too repetitive. Please click on the image to view my paper prototypes (before I began website production). Before we create each website, we are asked to sketch out how we want our websites to look. Just about every time, my website ends up looking vastly different from what I originally wanted, which is okay! It’s a creative process, so certain elements must be tweaked along the way.

Writing

We had a very busy unit in English during Narrative II! In this unit we accomplished: three short stories, a book jacket blurb and bio, a Surrealist artist presentation, three Blink quick writes, and a Blink-inspired essay. As I mentioned earlier, the three short stories are all the same story, they are just from different perspectives. The book jacket blurb and bio were for the book jacket we made in Design class. The Blink unit (a subunit of the Narrative II unit) was based upon the book, “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell that we read for class, which discussed multiple psychological phenomenon that happen in the brain during the first two-seconds of making a snap decision. During the Blink unit, we did some automatic writing to various prompts and created zen tangles and other experimental art in Design class. Please click on each of the tabs above to view each of the perspectives of my short stories. Each tab is labeled as the style in which the version was written. Enjoy, “The Bench”.

“Excuse me, Sir, is this seat taken?” A man of thick black frames and a sleek suit stares expectantly back at Steven. The man looked to be about 30 years his junior. “Not at all, Son, please have a seat.” Steven retrieves his briefcase from his side and repositions it between his feet. The young man exhales deeply, crosses his legs and gently reclines his posture to a more comfortable position-settling in for the 45 minute wait. “Of all the days to have a delayed train, am I right?” The man wryly chuckles. “You look like you’re running for Congress, Son. Where are you off to in such a rush?” “I’ll take that as a compliment, Sir. I actually have a job interview in Evanston. An accounting firm.” “Ah, a money man. What kind of accounting do you practice, if you don’t mind my asking?” The young man removes his glasses and gently massages the lenses against the end of his suit jacket. He exhales deeply. “Tax accounting. March and April are hell, but the rest of the time, I spend with my family. I have a new mouth to feed, so money is pretty tight right now. If all goes well with my interview today, that should no longer be a serious concern.” “Well, as I’ve been in your seat once before, I’d say to you to spend as much time with your young one as much as possible, but be sure to actually feed that kid, Son.” The two chuckled. “That’s something I wish I had done more of when I was your age. You’ll blink and then they’ll out on their own, looking for a job, and trying to feed their own family. Time flies, time flies.” Steven reached his arm and gave the man two sturdy pats on the back. The gesture seemed vaguely familiar. The young man’s grin stared back at Steven, who knew he had laid eyes on that grin once before. Have I seen him at the dentist? Was he an intern at the Tribune? Steven contemplated the various locations in which he could’ve run into this young man before. “My legs are falling asleep, Son. I’m going to walk them off. Watch my briefcase?” “My pleasure, Sir.” Steven gradually peeled himself off the sticky bench and meandered his way away from the bench with his palm pressed against his mouth. In a moment of confusion and astonishment, he turned back to examine the young man. Those eyes of blue sapphires and his chiseled jawline. The ears of his Mother’s, and a bridge in his nose that was identical to his own. These floating impressions could not attach to form coherent thoughts in Steven’s mind. Mixed emotions and restless legs guided him back to the bench. Just breathe. Breathing’s normal, Steven. He angled his body towards the young man and managed half a wave in his direction. The young man peered his eyes above the top of today’s Tribune and flashed him a gentle smile. Do I ask him about the weather now? We’re in Chicago and it’s damn hot. There’s not much else to say. Don’t say that. Steven removed the line of sweat that was suspended over his lips; just open your mouth and say something to him. “Attention all patrons of the Chicago Union Station, the 3:10pm train to Evanston is now boarding. We apologize for any delays or inconveniences and we thank you for choosing the Union.” The young man wrestled his newspaper in half and promptly leaped to his feet to collect himself. He extended his hand to Steven. “It’s been a pleasure, Sir. Have a nice one.” Steven arose to say his farewells to the young man. Make him stay. Say something. Say something now. Now. “Oh no really, the pleasure’s been all mine. I wish you the very best, Son.” The young man latched onto his briefcase and headed towards the boarding area. He watched him fade into the sea of travelers, becoming more like an ant with every step. A crystal tear ran down Steven’s rosey cheek. He did not wipe it away. Steven opened his mouth once more, lips trembling, and knees wobbling. “Goodbye, Son”.

“Excuse me, Sir, is this seat taken?” A man of thick black frames and a sleek suit, staring expectantly back at me. This man looks to be about 30 years my junior. “Not at all Son, please have a seat”. I repositioned my briefcase between my feet. The young man said, “Of all the days to have a delayed train, am I right?” I wryly chuckle. “You look like you’re running for Congress, Son. Where are you off to in such a rush?” The man replied, “I’ll take that as a compliment Sir. I actually have a job interview in Evanston. An accounting firm.” The young man exhaled deeply, crossed his legs and gently reclined his posture to a more comfortable position-settling in for the 45 minute wait. I reach out my arm and give the man two sturdy pats on the back. The young man chuckles in response. This man reminds me of myself, slightly intriguing, I think to myself. “What’s your story-you have a family or special lady, Son?” The young man glances over at me and sarcastically replies with, “Don’t I wish. I’m currently taking care of my Mother, which occupies a good sum of my time. It’s only the two of us right now, you know? Her husband - my father - was out of the picture when I was just shy of a year old. She raised me-all on her own and I owe her the world.” “You seem like one of the good ones, Son.” The young man’s grin stared back at me. I’ve seen him before....Have I seen him at the dentist? Was he an intern at the Tribune? “My legs are falling asleep, Son. I’m going to walk them off. Watch my briefcase?” “My pleasure, Sir.” said the young man. I peeled myself off the sticky bench and meandered away from the bench with my palm pressed against my mouth. In a moment of confusion and astonishment, I turned back to examine the young man. Those eyes of blue sapphires and his chiseled jawline. The ears of his Mother’s, and a bridge in his nose that was identical to his own. I assumed I would never see him again after he left all those years ago. I’ve just met my son. Just breathe. Breathing’s normal, Steven. I angle my body towards the young man and manage half a wave in his direction. The young man peered his eyes above the top of today’s Tribune and flashed me a gentle smile. Do I ask him about the weather now? We’re in Chicago and it’s damn hot. There’s not much else to say. Don’t say that. I removed the line of sweat that was suspended over his lips; just open your mouth and say something to him. “Attention all patrons of the Chicago Union Station, the 3:10pm train to Evanston is now boarding. We apologize for any delays or inconveniences and we thank you for choosing the Union.” The young man wrestled his newspaper in half and promptly leaped to his feet to collect himself. He extended his hand out to me. “Nice meeting you, Sir. Have a nice one.” I arose to say his farewells to the young man. Make him stay. Say something. Say something now. Now. “The pleasure’s been all mine. I wish you the very best, Son.” The young man latched onto his briefcase and headed towards the boarding area. I watched him fade into the sea of travelers, becoming more like an ant with every step. A crystal tear ran down my rosey cheek. I did not wipe it away. I stood there, paralyzed, in front of the bench where I had reunited with his Son after some 30 odd years. I open my mouth once more, lips trembling, and knees wobbling. “Goodbye, Son”.

“Excuse me, Sir, is this seat taken?” I glanced down at a man who looked to be about 30 years my senior. He gently smiled back at me, “Not at all Son, please have a seat”. He repositioned his briefcase between his feet, so I could have a seat next to him. Wanting to break the ice, I jokingly said, “Of all the days to have a delayed train, am I right?” The man inspected me up and down. “You look like you’re running for Congress, Son. Where are you off to in such a rush?” He thinks I look sharp. I’ll nail this interview. “I’ll take that as a compliment Sir. I actually have a job interview in Evanston. An accounting firm.” I exhaled deeply, thinking about what lies ahead for me as I cross my legs and gently recline my posture to a more comfortable position. I better settle in for the 45 minute wait. The man extends his hand and gives me two sturdy pats on the back. A familiar gesture from which the two of us let out a subtle chuckle. I wonder what the firm is going to ask me? I have a copy of my resume, but will one copy be enough? What if they need three copies? Oh jeez, what were you thinking? My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the man who curiously asked me, “What’s your story-you have a family or special lady, Son?” Talking about my family at a time like this? I have to prepare. Answer him, then go over your notes. I glanced over at the man and replied, “Don’t I wish. I’m currently taking care of my Mother, which occupies a good sum of my time. It’s only the two of us right now, you know? Her husband - my father - was out of the picture when I was just shy of a year old. She raised me-all on her own and I owe her the world.” I promptly returned my attention to my briefcase and resumed going through my papers. “You seem like one of the good ones, Son.” I flashed the man a wide grin. I don’t quite know what happened next, but the older man got a dazed look in his eye. He then muttered, “My legs are falling asleep, Son. I’m going to walk them off. Watch my briefcase?” Of course I responded with, “My pleasure, Sir.” Now I have a minute or two to myself to refocus. He peeled himself off the sticky bench and meandered away from me. I glanced up to see him staring at me. How odd, I thought to myself. You say you’re going to walk off your legs and all I see is him looking me up and down. People in this town are weird. “Attention all patrons of the Chicago Union Station, the 3:10pm train to Evanston is now boarding. We apologize for any delays or inconveniences and we thank you for choosing the Union.” Well that’s my queue. I wrestled my newspaper in half and leaped to my feet to collect my things. Wanting to be friendly, I extended my hand out to the man. “Nice meeting you, Sir. Have a nice one.” He arose to say his farewells - you’d think we’re married or something. “The pleasure’s been all mine. I wish you the very best, Son.” I latched onto my briefcase and headed towards the boarding area. You’re just 30 minutes away from the biggest interview of your life. You deserve this. You deserve this. I handed the attendant my ticket, swallowed deeply, and stepped into the train. Here we go.

Artwork

During this unit, I was able to create multiple pieces of art to communicate my Narrative story. The purpose of creating the book jacket was to complement the short story, so that if it were to be sold in stores, it would have a proper book jacket to go with it. We had to make the book jacket similar to the style of our story, yet also appealing enough so that people want to buy it. This was created in Illustrator and InDesign. I really enjoyed creating my book jacket because it was a fairly straightforward and fun project to do.

As I mentioned earlier, in Design we had to create a surrealist piece of art. I was uneasy about creating a work of art that was so different from what I had done in the past, that I wasn’t sure how exactly it was going to turn out. There were also lots of specific requirements to meet, so I was mainly trying to focus on meeting all the required elements, than taking full creative control over this piece and making some off the wall art. The Blink unit was mainly automatic writing and art in response to given prompts. This unit was based upon a book we read in English class entitled, “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell. We created mandalas, zen tangles, and water color. The Blink unit was definitely very laid back and relaxing, but also made you really think about the art you were creating and how it related to the prompt. Please click on the image to the left to view my book jacket.


Artist Statement


In my Surrealism piece, you can witness the metamorphosis of my subject’s skin into the layers of an onion. This idea is derived from one of my English assignments. You can see the faint lines of the onion’s layers as they are hinted in violet colors on my subject’s face. Additionally, you can see there are many hands (originally shot in HDR and then converted into an infrared image). I chose to line my subject’s face with these hands to make the image seem more surrealist and unrealistic. For all of these images, I shot in an HDR setting and used various filters in Photoshop to alter the contrast and saturation of the images. While of course every piece of art is up for interpretation, I have found my Surrealist piece to be a metaphor for exposing one’s true self up to the public. Eventually, we may choose to remove our masks and reveal our deepest “layers” as displayed with the layers of onions on my subject’s face. The hands are meant to represent people who may think they understand the real “you” and can offer interpretations of your personality and who you are until the very end; they however haven’t seen your deepest layers and are typically mistaken.

Blink Unit

The Blink Unit was a unique mini-unit that we did in English and Design class in which our art was inspired by automatic writing prompts and almost experimental-type art. Below you will find my Blink/Amplified art.

Animation

In this section you will find my animatic and my animation. An animatic is a rough cut of what my animation will look like. To create this, we scanned in images from our graphic novels into After Effects. Our animation was also created in After Effects and depicts my short story. Both of these are online via YouTube, and embedded below. Please click on each respective box to view them.

Projects

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