UNIT2 27th February 2008 Discussion Paper How can I accomplish the interactivity and artistic images like picture books on my animation? KATSURA MORISAKI (MOR05159388) MA Digital Arts [email protected] 1 Research Question To produce such interactive animation like picture books that is artistic rather than cartoonish and initiates lively communication between children and parents and among viewers by combining visual digital images, technology, movement and sounds with analogue media and techniques, this paper examines how I can accomplish this interactive installation of rather analogue animation in a play space totally. Abstract Animation films can express messages by using visual digital images, movement and sounds despite a one-way action while picture books can convey messages by using elaborate analogue images somewhat interactively by means of viewers’ seeing their favourite pages repeatedly and storytellers’ asking hearers about the pages. I am producing interactive animation in children’s play space by combining these merits of animation films with those of picture books and also blending online animation with offline installation. To complete the aims, I investigate how my animation can take in the merits of picture books, especially the interactivity and artistic visual images. Firstly, I examine “KidsRoom” by MIT Media Laboratory and “ELECTROPLANKTON” by Toshio Iwai whose concepts similar to what I would like to do and found some hints, the attraction of likening and variety of how to play with the work. Secondly, it was found that pure data enables the projected AVI animation to respond to the SWF animation on the monitor and sounds & voice of viewers despite some problems. In addition, through the research into children and projection, I had several interactive installation ideas. Furthermore, to create artistic visual images on animation, I examine which 2D animation software is most effective and suitable for me and what kinds of animal character are attractive and long lasting. And then I decided to use the combination of Flash and After Effects and create realistic and round characters with texture of animals’ fur and adopt fat and short figures like soft toys with such clothes and items as long-lasting mascots have. 2 Key Words Animation, Picture books, Interactive, Communication, Storytelling, Children, Play space, Playthings, Installation, Projection, Characters, Artistic Analogue images Likening from the “KidsRoom” – An Interactive Narrative Play space The “KidsRoom” by the High Level Vision group with help from the Interactive Cinema group at the MIT Media Laboratory was a fully-automated, interactive narrative play space for children in 1996 and it would be found some hints and examples similar to what I would like to do. The work is that the words, sounds, lighting and projection of animation change narratively by children’s locations, poses and shouts. The animation changes walls into forests. (Ivanov, Y and Wilson, A. online: bedroom.html) (Ivanov, Y and Wilson, A. online: forest.html) I think the one good point is that the work makes children use a bed as a boat in the scene going down a river because it uses a familiar item and encourages children to imagine an unfamiliar one, instead of showing precise images and luxurious objects. The likening generally happens in 3 children’s play and also the bed likened to a boat is much funnier than an ordinary boat. It would be possible that the cloths of maps in my project are compared to various items and objects. Everyone rows on the correct side and the rock is avoided. (Animation Ivanov, Y and Wilson, A. Photos MIT Media Laboratory. online: river.html ) Another peculiar point is that the animation has only interactive backgrounds and the main characters are viewers themselves though they meet characters, which teach some poses (dance) to them and then the characters can copy if they do the moves. (Animation Ivanov, Y and Wilson, A. Photos MIT Media Laboratory. online: monsterl.html) I selected an animal as the main character for my animation because it is difficult to distinguish the sex of most animals, so both males and females would be able to completely take on the roles of the character in the animation. Despite the concept, I started to think that the main character might prevent viewers from being deeply absorbed in the animation world on the screen of the projection during doing some experiments in animation. For interactive animation it would be one method that the main characters are viewers themselves. However, my animation story has an unexpected important ending that the parents who received treasures from the main character say ‘You are my precious treasure’ and the parents of the main character have to appear, so I cannot omit the main character so that I can illustrate its kindred parents. 4 Simple tool with a large number of ways of playing from Toshio Iwai’s Work Toshio Iwai is famous as a Japanese interactive media and installation artist for Nintendo DS soft “ELECTROPLANKTON” and a new digital musical instrument YAMAHA “TENORI-ON”. The package of Nintendo DS soft “ELECTROPLANKTON” YAMAHA “TENORI-ON” (Iwai, T. online: iwaisanchi.exblog.jp) However, actually he also creates books with a hand-made paper plaything kit and picture books as a little communication tools to produce happy time for children and parents and the his concept is similar to mine. Hand-made plaything kit “Rivet-kun” (online: www.kinokuniya.co.jp/02f/d05/rivetkun.htm) Communication tool “Which is strange?” (online: www.kinokuniya.co.jp/02f/d05/dottigabox.htm) As for “ELECTROPLANKTON”, although it has ten sorts of ELECTROPLANKTON, each one is very simple. However, if you contrive various ways to play with it, you can generate a large number of patterns. In addition, the Nintendo website announces two tricks of the trade, one is to use two DS machines and the other is to use rulers to draw straight lines and right circles. 5 Tracy Hanenbow Marine-Snow Volvoice Some of ELECTROPLANKTON (online: http://electroplankton.com/) He commented in the website that he thought it is important how users play with it because each one is very simple, so he wrote a significant number of suggestions how to play with it in the manual. He also said that he tried to create such software as a card game because the ways of playing cards are considerable, so everyone is absorbed in it though the card game itself is very simple. It seems to me that it suggests substance of playing. The part of how to play “Hanenbow” in the manual (online: http://electroplankton.com/) In addition, he uses it as a musical instrument same as TENORI-ON and SOUND-LENS when he did live performance in SONAR, Ars Electronica festival, SIGGRAPH, Futuresonic, and so on. SOUND-LENS LED lamps Playing SOUND-LENS Live scene (Iwai, T. online: http://tenorion.exblog.jp/3418877/) Developed Interactive Method through the Pure Data Workshop My initial idea for interactivity was on just animation on the monitor of computer such as viewers can select ways and take some kinds of treasures. However, through the workshop of Pure Data I learnt that I could make the scene and effects of projection (AVI file) respond to a scene of interactive animation (SWF file) and sounds & voice of children playing in the space. It is possible 6 by means of using OSC Flash and pure data though I have to use pure:dyne (Linux used on CD- ROM) to do coding to move video files on my Windows. The process of the way is that: 1. Connect the machine showing SWF animation to the machine showing AVI animation by an Ethernet cable 2. By using OSC Flash, take the information of the action and the scene from SWF file and then send it to the other machine 3. By using pure data, change the scene of the AVI animation 4. By using pure data, add the effects of video and sound on the AVI animation according to children’s voice or sounds of simple musical instruments Advantages of the way are not only showing different expression from controlled interactive animation on the monitor, but also making children in the space affect AVI animation. On the other hand, one of disadvantages of the way is that I need two machines to experiment in the interactive control. Other disadvantages are to have to create two different animations (SWF and AVI) and understand OSC Flash, pure data and pure: dyne clearly. Using simple musical instruments for pure data interaction from a research of a family event Sounds and music are an important factor for children. When I did research into children at a family event of BBC, simple musical instruments were made use of effectively. Children had the opportunity to play them to be just shaken and hit. At the end of the event, music was played and all children, performers, and characters in animal suits went on the stage. The dancing time warmed up. If I have a time to use pure data, I would like to make use of simple musical instruments such as tambourines and maracas made of paper by hand for the interactivity of pure data by sounds. 7 Children selected each one and enjoyed Performers showed exotic musical instruments. playing. Photos of BBC Read and Write Event by Morisaki, K October 2007 Projection making use of shadow from ‘Shadow Monster’ If I use ordinary projection from the front for my project, shadows must be made the most use of. One of good examples using shadows for interactive installation is Worthers’ “Shadow Monsters”. (Worthers 2005 online: http://www.worthersoriginal.com/viki/#page=shadowmonsters) If you make the shape of an animal by shadows of your hands, fangs, hairs and eyes grow and the monsters roar according to the actions.