Updates.... Dan Doughty

After a few days frustration we managed to get pretty much everything working today, the lemur works and the UDP commands change the pages. We have a couple of random glitches that cause windows to stay open when they should close, which i am trying to sort over the weekend.

We have also re-designed the slider part of the interface as it was causing massive slowdown so now the charm selection is done by buttons, which has improved response time thankfully!

Emma has sorted a video loop for the menu screen and I have made a video loop to use as an "Attractor" on the second TV screen. Andrew has the audio part of the patch working independently and just needs to tweak it a little bit before we add it to the main patch, hopefully that should be a straightforward process on Monday morning.

Feedback - Team Evil Eye!

After the session yesterday with the people from the Rotunda we're posting their feedback comments along with our plan of action.
We were pleased with the comments overall & the critical comments were mostly ones we had thought of so that was great!

Issues:
1) The issue of the font used for the initial clues; not in keeping with the rest of the theme
2) The map used to show where Charms were from wasn't large enough or not made a feature of enough
3) The information for the Charms was possible too quick for people to read
4) Some directions on how to use the application weren't clear enough

Plan of Action:
1) We will change the font to match the other font used for the information screens for continuity of theme
2) We will address the size of the map....perhaps change with another style or if too late at this stage at least make the Evil Eye curser smaller to define what the country it is in more clearly
3) Slow down the information screen or leave a bigger pause after finishing or perhaps have a button people can press when finished reading so slower readers don't miss out
4) Make directions for use of the application clear & concise

Think this is about it.....let's hope we can get it all to work & ready for Friday...eeeek!

sound design

I have complete all the sounds here are all the sounds for the videos emma has made.

Sounds Demonstration - Andrew Barnes

Some of the sounds Andrew has been working on....

Lemur Interface Demonstration - Emma Jones

Emma Demonstrating the Lemur Interface screens....

Widescreen display.... Dan Doughty

The interface is now resized to widescreen display, the logic also works now, guessing the right country for the charm plays the videos. The two screens in the picture above are actually playing video, hence the cutting off of words on the second screen, Emma has done a stunning job on the videos making the words appear as if typed, with appropriate sound fx from Andrew!

We tried once more to get the lemur to work with max and failed again, so hopefully we will be able to sort it out tomorrow. Everything in the patch works from the computer keyboard however and hopefully once we can get the lemur to talk to max it should be straightforward to sort out. Ever the optimist!!!

I have been working on information videos for the final application & have completed all 5.
These may need modifying depending on how they look on the final screen but pleased with them so far.....fit in with the theme of our patch.

Lemur interface - Emma Jones

Our group managed to get into the Electronica studio on Friday morning & make a good start on the Lemur interface....created a rough of all the screens & made a video....posting to follow.
Starting to see how it will all look....very exciting!

Interface Screen Shot Mk 1 - Dan Doughty

First attempt at the user interface, the slider in the middle changes the charm/clue displayed and the eye moves around the map as the corresponding country key is pressed. When the correct charm/country is matched then the appropriate video plays. I'm still working on the video playing aspect of the patch and the aesthetics of the interface, will update over the weekend as progress is made......

Sample Video Of The Charms - Dan Doughty

Here's a compilation of the videos for the actual charms:

I've also been working on the interface and will post some images of the max patch itself and the interface graphics tomorrow night. For the moment I'm setting it up using standard ASCI keyboard inputs and midi sliders, where necessary, in an effort to make it easier to integrate the Lemur next week. But right now.... I'm off for a cuppa!

Pictures for the Videos - Emma Jones

I have also been editing the pictures together for the videos.

Took some pictures around Scarborough of some interesting old looking backgrounds....actually inspired by the Suicided Voice Video....then edited the pictures that I took when we went to see the charms.

Think they possess the feel I wanted to achieve so very pleased with the outcome.

Tried to turn into moving images on Final Cut but realised there was no option for this so Dan is using Vegas to create the illusion of movement then I will add the text using LiveType.

Fascinating Facts for our Application - Emma Jones

I researched all our objects which I found some to be more difficult than others as they were quite unique......but managed to come up with some facts which will suffice for now...maybe we'll change them.

3 facts per item...by the time they appear on the screen will be 20 seconds.

The Mummy’s Eye (Egypt)

· In ancient Egypt, the eye was used to protect from evil influences.

· The Eye of Horus or Wadjet eye was considered the most powerful symbol of protection and was buried with the body to ensure the Mummy could see its way safely into the afterlife.

· An eye was placed over the incision where internal organs were removed and the body was embalmed to prevent evil forces from entering.

Russian Cross (Russia)

· Also known as The Eastern Orthodox or Byzantine Greek cross, it originated in Slavic countries and used widely by Eastern Orthodox Christians.

· Worn for protection particularly from the ‘evil eye’ traditionally believed to be a look or stare that can cause harm.

· The ‘evil eye’ represents the eye of Satan and so people consider wearing a cross wards off its influence.

Abracadabra (Middle East?)

· Its roots are possibly in Hebrew but it is unknown where this word originated. It was first used in the second century AD in a poem by a Roman physician, Quintus Serenus Sammonicus, to drive out illness or evil.

· The word was meant to be worn as an amulet around the neck and the triangle format was believed to act as a funnel for the sickness to exit the body.

· Still used today by magicians but has no particular meaning or translation in English.

Necklace of Evil Eye Beads (Turkey)

· Originally from the ancient Egyptians but quickly spread across Mediterranean to Turkey where they are still in use today.

· Many people throughout the Middle East believed that if you were praised for doing well or if someone gave you an envious look you could be cursed with the ‘evil eye’ and so the beads would deflect the bad luck.

· This necklace was purchased by Clarke himself in Scarborough in 1914.

Child’s Evil Eye Charms (China)

· Children were believed to be most at risk from the ‘evil eye’ as people gazed longingly at them and so charms such as these were worn to protect from the effects.

· Children could become suddenly ill if not guarded against the looks of others.

· In China the Pa Kua, a six-sided mirror used traditionally on the front door is also used to reflect the effects of the ‘evil eye’.

Also came up with the clues for each item for on the main/map page:

Single line clues:

1: A country where a Czar might have worn this symbol

2: A child from this country which has the most spoken language in the world may have worn these charms

3: This eye is from the country with the longest river in the world

4: These magic words are from an area famous for its oil

5: Someone who wore this necklace would have been from a place surrounded by eight countries, one of which being Greece

Of course everything may be changed along the way...see how it fits together!

Andrew - Sounds sounds sounds

Andrew - Over the wonderful weekend i completed most of the sounds. Got some good ideas which i showed last week some sounds were more useful than others. Created some good themes for the background effects. Also some space age effects for the loadings and waiting screens. The presentation was alot of fun i was worried that it would not come off well but it appeared quite decent and alot of fun and mistakes. Still working out how to upload sound files.

Finished Presentation Video - Dan Doughty

Presentation Video - Emma Jones

Managed to shoot the presentation video this morning...was much fun!

Had good meeting to ascertain what we all needed to do which made everything very clear.

Liked the sounds Andrew had created for our application.

Pleased with the overall look & feel of our project.

Emma. 

First Blog - Dan Doughty

As a first test of the blogging system i've uploaded an image to our profile of the "Mummy's Evil Eye" to use as our logo. We are intending to shoot the video for the presentation tomorrow morning, so that should be up tomorrow evening.

So to conclude tonight's post here's a great image of the man himself, William J Clarke, whose collection of charms we are working with.

An inspiration indeed!