Assignment 2:- Group Thematic Project

stage 2

write an essay or a report of minimum 800 words about the topic that you have chosen.

theme:-
Virtual Reality in Creative Multimedia

What is "Creative Multimedia"? To begin understanding what it is, we have to clearly understand the definitions of the words separately. The definition of creativity is known to be the ability to create by originality and by expressiveness or the ability or power to create excellent product through imagination, and the ability to generate innovative ideas and manifest them from thought into reality and the definition of Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms (Wikipedia). Creative Multimedia infuses the concepts of creativity with various forms of multimedia. It is the concept of multimedia communication either in the form of multimedia. It is the concept of multimedia communication either in the form of business, art, design, entertainment and education.

Multimedia includes a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video and interactivity content forms. Multimedia can be separated into two categories, linear and non-linear. Linear content does not require any form of input from the audience, for example a theater screening. Non-linear content gives interactivity to its audience and makes them users, for example, a video game gives users the opportunity to control the progress of the game they play.

To expand on the creative side, the word originates from the Latin word "creo" which means to make or create. The creative process is the process that uses creative problem solving to discover new original ideas and concepts. It also includes reproducing existing ideas and improving them at the same time by inputting original and new concepts into it.

Creative Multimedia is something important as it can be used in various fields. It can be used in Advertising as a way to attract more clients and users in a specific product. In other fields suck as entertainment, it can be used to create new forms of experiences for people. Moreover, it can be used to create special effects to enhance certain forms of entertainment. Other than that, it can also be used to enhance the learning process. Using Creative Multimedia to help students to learn through"Edutainment", rather than just the traditional textbook reading and memorizing methods. Finally, it can be used in the field of engineering. For example, a flight simulator is used to train pilots instead of being a form of entertainment; this of course is a much less risky way of training pilots to fly planes. Next, the creative though process is something very important in this field. Not only does it help solve problems but the solutions produced are not stereotyped. This will highly benefit the creation of ideas or improvement of previous ones.

Virtual Reality as known as VR applies to computer-simulated environment that can simulate places in the real world and imaginary world too. The idea of Virtual Reality began well before the advent of the modern computer. According to history it has occurred over the past 40 years. Ivan Sutherland, Michael Noll and Myron Krueger are the pioneer in this industry. They all had their very own parts to play in the creation of 'modern-day' VR. Both popular culture and the science fiction genre have also profound effects on research as to the social implications to VR.

It plays an important role in creative multimedia especially in gaming field. It gives players a whole new level of experience while playing games. Players can feel kicks, punches, explosions, crashes and every blow through the Aura Interactor Virtual Reality Game Wear in the 90's. It has a chest and back harness which allows players to feel the impact. It is also compatible with the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, both are game consoles. For example, in the Mage: The Ascension role-playing game, the mage tradition of the Virtual Adepts is presented as the creators of VR. Its prime objective is to move deeper into Virtual Reality where scrapping physical bodies to improve it into better virtual ones. Also, the .hack series centers on a Virtual Reality video game. By demonstrating the adverse effects on human health and possible viruses have shown the potentially dangerous side of VR. Besides, Metal Gear Solid also bases heavily on VR usage, either as a part of the plot or simply to guide the players through training sessions.

Apart from that,Virtual Reality also influenced television programme and motion pictures ever since in the early 70's and 80's. The earliest example of VR on television is the Doctor Who serial "The Deadly Assassin". It was introduced a dream-like computer-generated reality or known as the Matrix was broadcast in 1976. A holodeck is a VR facility that helps users to create experience and recreate anything they desire. This facility was used in an American television series to showcase Star Trek: The Next Generation. Whereas in 1982, the first mainstream Hollywood picture to explore the idea of Virtual reality was Steven Lisberger's movie TRON. It has distinctive visual style and it was one of the first films that use the extensive computer graphics.

Mass media has been a great support and perhaps a great interference to Virtual Reality's development over the years. VR's potential overexposure in publishing the predictions, thus, built the expectations of the technology so high that impossible to achieve under the technology then others to date. Entertainment media reinforced the concepts with futuristic imagery from many generations beyond the contemporary capabilities.

In conclusions, Virtual Reality plays a big role in Creative Multimedia. This is because Virtual Reality brings in entertainment and unlocks our senses to the modern day technologies. Creative Multimedia too is versatile to any fields that can create new forms of experiences for people regardless in advertising, art or books. They widen people's knowledge and horizon regarding the modern technology that has evolved from time to time. Therefore, we cannot neglect the importance of Creative Multimedia that plays an important role to the modern society and technology.

Assignment 2:- Group Thematic Project

stage 1

create a logical mindmap based on the given theme.

theme:-
Creative Multimedia




stage 1
create a focus mindmap of the chosen theme by group members.

theme:-
Virtual Reality in Creative Multimedia

random word / image association

Week 8
Lesson 7
Lecturer : Ahmad Radzi Bin Mohd Bedu
Task 1
Exercise

Situation / Problem:-

To create “SCARY IMAGES or OBJECT” that will instill fear among people through out the ages.

Random words:-

Kitten

Keywords:-

(1) teeth
(2) fur
(3) claw
(4) black

Association:-

Colour
Make a sign of a black cat under a ladder.

In practical, what might this mean?

Many people concern with their own luck. Colour of black always associated with darkness and evil. Especially, black cat is known to bring bad luck. The reason the black cat is put under the ladder because walking between ladder also brings bad luck. I believe no one will want to bring catastrophe to their own self. Thus, they will stay away from it.



Task 2
Homework

Personal reflection

Random Association is an idea generation method which allows designer to systematically generate new ideas through a fixed formula. This is rather an interesting technique because drawing that tells you everything. Like they say, 'Action speaks louder than words'. Using a random word as a concept to solve a problem is rather challenging because designer afraid that they couldn't convey the message to the audience. For my opinion, adding some stereotypes might help to boost the message to audience.

juxtaposition part II

Week 7
Lesson 6
Lecturer : Ahmad Radzi Bin Mohd Bedu
Task 1
Exercise


Part A
Randomly select 3 pairs of numbers without looking at the texts.

(1) 0 2
(2) 1 1
(3) 3 9

Part B
Make a sentence for the chosen pairs of words and draw based on the sentence.



(1) 0 - Fly 2 - Rock
There is a fly on the rock.



(2) 1 - Flower 1 - Water
Flower needs water to survive.



(3) 3 - Ice 9 - Rain
The snow is made from ice and rain.

Part C
Combine the words and draw based on the combined words.



(1) 02 - FlyRock



(2) 11 - FlowerWater



(3) 39 - IceRain

Task 2
Homework

Create a short passage or a short poem that describe the concept provided based on the subject.

Subject 1: Love


Love is like eating chili.
It makes you nervous.
It makes you sing.
It makes you dance.
And it makes you cry.

Subject 2: Pain


Pain is inevitable.
Pain is unbearable.
Pain is unforgettable.
Pain is simply i-screamable.

Subject 3: Man


I wish for a man
who will protect me
even as timid as he be
will stand up for me
to fight for me.
I wish for a man
who will stay with me
even as rough as life can be
will embrace me
for what I will be
and to love me endlessly.

juxtaposition part I

Week 6
Lesson 5
Lecturer : Mustafa Bin Md Muzer
Task 1
Exercise



jux·ta·po·si·tion
Is an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, for comparison or contrast. The arrangement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or words side-by-side or in similar narrative moments for the purpose of comparison, contrast, rhetorical effect, suspense, or character development.

Task 2
Homework

Personal Reflection

Juxtaposition seems like a big word but it just simply means contrast. I find it a useful technique as it enable audiences to capture the relationship between subjects in a photo or picture so that each part of the image has relativity to one another. Regardless, similarity or differences between the subjects.

For example:-


Explanation:-
Here you could see a dead cow and two living pigs in the same river. The cow is left to rot and the pigs are oblivious trying to survive. It gives a feeling of irony between the living and the dead.

References:-
http://xpdigital.blogspot.com/2008/03/photo-journalexercise-4-juxtaposition.html

associated mind map

Week 5
Lesson 4
Lecturer : Ahmad Radzi Bin Mohd Bedu
Task 1
Exercise

Subject : Mortar and Pestle



A mortar and pestle is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix substances. The pestle is a heavy bat shaped stick whose end is used for pounding and grinding, and the mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, marble, clay, or stone for pounding and grinding takes place. From the logical mind map of mortar and pestle provided, choose 5 keywords and relate them to something else.



1st Keyword:- Talk

People who are less fortunate can use mortar and pestle to communicate with one another. The pestle is use to hit the mortar to produce sound. It is usable for simple maths question and yes or no answer. This method is advisable to them because not all people understand sign language and body language, furthermore, when they face danger they can use it as an alarm to call for help.



2nd Keyword:- Music

Let's bring mortar and pestle to the music industry. Different sizes of mortar is used as drums and pestle as drumstick. Together it can produce melodious sound for performances like wedding ceremonies, traditional performances and so much more. Besides, when you are playing, you have to lift up the pestle which contain some weight to play the tune plus the swaying of your body helps you indirectly exercising.



3rd Keyword:- Game

Mortar and pestle can turn to be a game. Let's think about baseball game, you need pitcher, catcher, batter, umpire and others. What can you do with mortar and pestle is the mortar can be a goal place (catcher) and for the pestle can use it as a bat, for the person who is holding the bat is a pitcher and batter. The person have to throw up either small stones, ping pong balls, dice or marbles and hit it to the goal place. The more stones you collect, victory is yours.



4th Keyword:- Decoration

Bored of looking at the same decoration in the garden or inside the house? Think mortar and pestle as one of the deco in the house or outside the house. Mortar as a flower pot and pestle as an addition to make the mortar stands out. You can put any flowers in the mortar and decorate it with colourful cloths. It is simple and nice. It gives the household a special glimpse of traditional and modern design in this urban lifestyle.



5th Keyword:- Money

Mortar and pestle can change into different kind of accessories that can sell to people. For example, the wind chime. The combination of mortar and pestle into a wind chime is unique and creative. Despite that, you can add decoration to make it even pretty like ribbons or beads. It is affordable and can be a form of souvenirs or gifts to others.

Task 2
Homework

Personal Reflection

Visual mind mapping makes use of visual diagrams to capture and organize information and brainstorming. Mind map and outline mode help to display information in a much easier way so that the information is well organize and favour to the eyes. Brainstorming technique enables individuals and teams to generate multiple ideas and finally conclude them into a better solutions.

convergent and divergent thinking, logical mindmap and stereotypes

Week 4
Lesson 3
Lecturer : Yap Sau Bin
Task 1
Exercise

In this class, we learn about Convergent and Divergent Thinking, Logical Mind Map and Stereotypes.


Denver Water - Use only what you need

CONVERGENT THINKING
Is answering a multiple-choice question that weighs alternatives within an existing construct or model in solving a problem. In short, it is narrowing down the answer and to find one best solution.
DIVERGENT THINKING
Is a creative thinking that may follow many lines of thought and tends to generate new and original solutions to problems. Instead of narrowing down the solution it is expanding the playing field.

Reference:-
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/convergent+thinking
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/divergent+thinking

LOGICAL MIND MAP
It is a great tool for idea generation and brainstorming. A creative mind map able to stimulate and create instant interest to the individual and also to the viewer. Before generating a mind map, there are a few key features to keep in mind so that we are able to produce a growing and organize structure.
The key features:-
> Organization
> Key Words
> Association
> Clustering
> Visual Memory
> Outstandingness
> Conscious Involvement

Reference:-
http://members.optusnet.com.au/charles57/Creative/Mindmap/index.html

STEREOTYPES
It is a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group. People from stereotype groups find this very disturbing as they experience an apprehension (stereotype threat) of being treated unfairly.

Reference:-
http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/stereotypes.htm


Task 2
Homework

Create a mind map of yourself.



This mind map is created using a programme called XMind.

Report:-
My name is Looi Pooi Wen. My friends usually call me, Looi. Sometimes I use a few pen names or nicknames to cover myself like L.theAlmighty. Cabbage is just another random name. I am a Chinese and a Taoist. I am a girl. I was born on first of July in year 1991. I was born in the year of the Goat and my horoscope is Cancer. I am proud to be a Malaysian. I am still a student in Multimedia University in Cyberjaya, a Beta (second) year student, taking Film and Animation course.

I have a lot of hobbies but my favourite is drawing and reading. All my life I have been holding to this motto, 'Be Happy.' It means just stay happy and everything will be just fine. My mentor codename is Reborn (highly top secret person).

My favourite colours are pink and white. I am not an active person but I still play badminton. I am not a cartoon addict but I am attracted to this anime recently, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Series of Ultraman and Masked Rider is always been my cup of tea since I was a kid, except for Power Rangers. I still believe Cantonese drama, 'Journey To The West' is my favourite out of all. This is because there are many moral values I can learn from it, example, never give up whenever you are facing problems. Horror, thriller and psycho movies are my favourite like, Saw series, Orphan and so on. I love the suspense and conflicts in the movies that excite me the most. Gackt and W-inds are Japanese artists that I fond the most and some English artists, Backstreet Boys, Westlife, Boyzone and Starship, plus some Korean artists too. My theme song (updated) Hybrid Dream by W-inds. It is about never stop chasing your dream even though it seems impossible. My favourite sentence in the song,
' The dolphin you introduced to me said, “communicate beyond words” '.