Update for Dec 2 2016

So not much to update this week.
My computer broke and is in the shop, so the weeks worth of digital art I was planning to do went down the drain real fast.

At the very least I was able to save my hard drive, meaning that most of my animations and sketches are safe but I feel horribly set back and I am not sure what to do.

I spent this week researching more narrative based themes when it comes to conveyance and audience involvement. I watched several documentaries on video game design and how an interactive story can teach the player what to do, what to feel and how to view the story through simple design changes. It pointed out how in Dark Souls, there are too many weapons and shields when compared to Bloodbourne that has NO shields in the game.
Dark Souls tells the audience that blocking is a valid form of defense even though dodging and parrying makes the game a lot more fun and fast paced, meaning the audience already starts frustrated and confused at the start of the game, and then gets little to no time practicing the dodge/parry technique which makes a lot of a tough bosses that much harder. While in the sequel series Bloodbourne, there are simply NO shields. Meaning the player has to practice and perfect the dodge/parry technique right at the start of the game and thus the entire game is easier and thus more fun. In addition, the practice one gets in Bloodbourne makes you appreciate all the other Dark Souls games as you now have the practice to handle those games.

It might seem like a rather tangential aside but it makes sense in context of my style. I eat that stuff up. Storytelling mechanics and subtle conveyance is my bread and butter. The entire feel and flow of a piece of media is completely changed by removing one superfluous feature. When it comes to structuring a narrative, editing your work to be more streamlined is key.

I have been working on my writing and asking myself how LITTLE dialogue I can use to tell the audience what is happening. Studying conveyance is important to unlocking the tools of storytelling.

In other news I have been working with Pen and paper a lot.




It is definitely making me feel better but I won't really be able to get back to were I was until I get my laptop back. Drawing is pretty much my only stress release and I am not doing too well without it.