{"id":120,"date":"2020-01-31T22:35:23","date_gmt":"2020-01-31T22:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freestyleacademy.rocks\/~LiaT\/?page_id=120"},"modified":"2021-05-24T21:45:50","modified_gmt":"2021-05-24T21:45:50","slug":"narrative-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/freestyleacademy.rocks\/~LiaT\/junior-year-2\/narrative-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Narrative 1!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How well can you
visually tell a structured story?<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Visual Narrative project was all about learning how to tell a story. From telling a short story on paper to creating a movie without any dialogue, it’s all surrounded one central question: How well can you visually tell a structured story? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think it went fairly successfully. We had to work our projects through storyboards and plot maps and character quizzes all to get a streamlined version of our ideas. we learned the basic three act structure and the hero’s journey to find ways to tell a basic story in a creative way. I’m proud of the work I did in both Film and English. I’m really proud of both my short story and film. They took a lot of effort but they paid off in the end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Short Story <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The English Story work process was interesting. We were tasked with writing a short story, and to do that we were introduced to tools like the Character Questionnaire and the Plot maps to help us with our story. I had a fairly good idea for a story going into the unit. It was very loosely based on a story and characters I had written with a friend a few years back. Though it didn’t end up happening, the ideas were still there so I wanted to expand on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Docks At Nine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the grand scheme of brilliant ideas, I\u2019ve never been the one to come upm with them, nor have I been one to follow along with the good ideas of others. I\u2019m more of the type to follow the first thing that pops into my mind, logistics be damned. Life should be about the impulsiveness that makes things interesting, about the choices you make to further your story. If that means running away with a gorgeous redheaded boy I just met, so be it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

————————-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I normally leave the house at around 5:30 so I can get to the 6 o\u2019clock bus down to the high street. Curtain road isn\u2019t all that far away from my house, it\u2019s just that I have a reputation of being comically late to everything. That\u2019s why I have my day planned to the minute (after getting yelled at one too many times by Dave). But still, I was late. I was tumbling out of the house, half asleep and running late, when out of apartment 20 walks Mr. Shipman. Just the man I wanted to see. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh, Mr. Nichols. Might I speak to you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood morning Mr. Shipman,\u201d I said, reluctantly. \u201cI\u2019m in a bit of a rush right now, can I talk to you tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt won\u2019t take long, let\u2019s just talk now.\u201d He\u2019s here about the rent increases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We continued to talk for another half hour, but to be honest I tuned out everything he said. Eventually he let me go. I started running as fast as I can. I just kept going. Past the courtyard, past the balconies, past the local football club. And I got there at 6, only to be left behind by the goddamn 78. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sat down at the bus stop, defeated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I check the schedule. Next bus doesn\u2019t come for an hour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

———————————–<\/p>\n\n\n\n

20 minutes go by. No bus, no people. I pull out my phone to text Alex and ask her if she\u2019s willing to cover my shift for a bit. Just as I hit send, I notice someone has sat down beside me. From the corner of my eye, I notice that they have these intensely red curls. The type of red that looks box dyed, but would never remain that vibrant. I lean back to check them out again.I lean back on the bus stops back, trying to think of something to say to this person. He looks to be around  my age, maybe a year or two younger. \u201cIs your hair box dyed?\u201d I ask, the embarrassing nature of the question hitting me immediately<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is, in fact. Vampiric red, I believe it\u2019s called.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, thank you.\u201d he turns to me. \u201cI\u2019m Reggie.\u201d he offers his hand to me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVincent.\u201d I smile and shake his hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVincent. That\u2019s a nice name. I\u2019m gonna call you Vinny.\u201d he beams. The conversation flows naturally with Reggie. He\u2019s a young Irishman, overflowing with personality. We just kept talking and talking, still waiting for the stupid 78. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVinny,\u201d he says. \u201cYou don\u2019t seem very happy here.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh well, y\u2019know?\u201d I look down at the road and I see the bus down the road. \u201cMy bus is here, Reg.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore you go, can i ask you something?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure, man. Just make it quick.\u201d I grab my bag, getting ready to flag the bus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know the docks by the river, a couple of blocks away?\u201d he looks nervous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, why?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan you meet me there at 9 tonight? I have something I want to show you!\u201d he smiles at me. I nod and wave goodbye as I get on the bus. My head is spinning as I sink into my seat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

——————————<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I get off the bus at Shoreditch High Street. In about 5 minutes of running, I reach the record store, out of breath and wheezing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere the fuck have been?\u201d Alex walks to my, now shriveled on the floor trying to catch my breath. \u201cDave is pissed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI missed the bus, so I had to wait for an hour. I went as fast as I could\u201d I manage to say. They don\u2019t look very amused. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust get to work before he sees you.\u201d they walk towards a customer who\u2019s been continuously ringing the bell, looking to buy some Dolly Parton CD. I walk around the store, keeping myself busy just to make sure Dave doesn\u2019t see me. The rest of my day is spent doing nothing but odd jobs around the store. My shift ends at 8, so round about 7;15 my eyes are glued to the clock, waiting for the chance to run out to whatever Reggie has planned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

————————-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My mind continues to go a million miles a minute, thinking about tonight. This is crazy, right? I shouldn\u2019t be going down to the docks for a boy I just met. But i keep running. I\u2019m running because as usual, I’m late. When I make it down to the docks, Reggie is standing in a tired, old motorboat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOi oi!\u201d he yells. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReggie what is going on?\u201d I ask, smiling at him. He\u2019s wearing an old captains hat that doesn\u2019t quite fit on his head. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reggie stocked up on supplies for a journey across the channel. He came up with a plan to get to France, even if it\u2019s just for a few days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about on hour thataway.\u201d He points to the horizon. \u201cWe\u2019re both unhappy here, so what\u2019s stopping you?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so we set sail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

—————-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe we didn\u2019t pick the best day to sail!!\u201d he yells at me from the front of the boat. The wind and rain blowing back into my face make the Channel harder to see. Reggie\u2019s hair is soaking, the straightened red strands dripping all over his coat. He\u2019s standing there, shivering. I can hear the nervousness in his voice. I can tell he\u2019s worried. I\u2019m worried too. I don\u2019t know if we\u2019ll make it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It isn\u2019t supposed to take this long to get there. I thought it only took 45 minutes. I guess that\u2019s what we get for taking the first boat we found on the dock. We didn\u2019t check for gas, nor for mileage. I hardly know how to work this bloody thing!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a rash and frankly foolish decision to make. Did we really think this would work? Neither of us have any connections there. How are we gonna get by? No job, no money. Basic knowledge of the language. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, It\u2019s not like we have a choice now! We just have to keep going!\u201d 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A massive wave hits the side of the boat. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He falls.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I watch him slowly disappear into the waves.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illustrations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Geometric Light Cover<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\tAt the beginning of the geometric light cover project, I didn\u2019t really have a set theme. My priority was to figure out how to use Illustrator above everything. Only in trying to figure out how to mess with the lines and use various shape tools did a theme emerge. My light cover pattern is very geometric. One design is a spiral made entirely out of hexagons and the other is an array of circles, triangles and rectangles. I wanted to go with one structured design (the spiral) and one freeform design (the shapes). Though there wasn\u2019t an intended message, somewhere in the process it became a good representation of me. That being somewhat ironic since after printing, the spiral pattern really bothers me (I didn\u2019t realize that the hexagons would be so circular when printed out, so the result was a spiral of small holes close together, which is a thing that minorly bothers me. oops?). There\u2019s a structured aspect that looks and works efficiently, and there\u2019s another that\u2019s let loose and fun, with weird patterns of geometric shapes. Counteracting the very geometric shapes, the wings on my piece are all kinds of weird shapes. I decided that i\u2019d drag them about until I found a pattern that suited me, and that worked. They\u2019re actually my favorite part of my light cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though the spiral was not as neat as I would have liked it, that\u2019s ok. The spiral doesn\u2019t have to be perfect since I learned some valuable things with the project. Namely, sizing various objects, grouping and ungrouping items, and the benefits of the alignment guides on illustrator. (seriously, those things completely saved my project). I learned how to manipulate various shapes into different patterns and, through a trial that didn\u2019t make it to the final product, how to properly<\/strong> use the pen tool. Overall, the skills I learned in this project will definitely carry over to the next projects we do in illustrator and I hope to use the program better from now on. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illustrator Patch<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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