McDowell – IMM Senior Thesis

Prototype #3 – Christopher McDowell

Unfortunate news so far regarding my prototype. Things are now in motion due to a story inconsistency that has occurred upon further examination of the plot, and also I was unable to successfully transfer my files into unity. This is only a minor set back as I believe the cause of this issue was due to an error in the saving process. This week I will work on these incursions and will work to remedy this situation pronto. in the meantime I do have my elevator pitch ready to be heard, It goes a little something like this.

“Graphic novels have introduced us to a world of visual literacy that has changed the way people look at different books. Comic books another type of literature that helps the reader see what is going on as they read, but how can we make it more interesting to read and drive the point across that actions are going on? How can we make the experience of reading a graphic novel more personal? Well here’s the answer to that question, interactivity. What I have here is an interactive digital novel that will let you see interesting background information about the characters in the story and also anything you would like to know about by looking within the scenes and discovering the lore behind what is happening on the panels. The more you look within the scenes, the better you will understand what is going on with the comic. With parallax, you can use the mouse to move around the page as it gives it a sense if movement and direction. It’s really interesting to partake in and I think that it will introduce a new and better way of reading graphic novels to a wider audience ready to accept them.”

And there you have it, hopefully this was convincing enough to get you interested.

Protoype #1 Notes – (Christopher McDowell)

So the feedback on my first prototype was pretty constructive and very helpful as far as in terms of the story direction and content. The first participant in my project was Rachel, who suggested some good ideas as far as the ability of the main enemies of the story. I mentioned that one particular ability that this character has is the power to drain life from a person, she said that I could infuse the powers of heat and the drain to create one complex ability which to me is a great idea to improve some aspects in the story as it is still a work in progress.

Many other students saw my project and suggested changes to the overall structure, like one that includes the function to see stats on certain characters within a particular panel so that way people who read the story can get some extra background information on the characters and the setting. that could possibly work but incorporation in the scene will be the challenges, I will be able to do it and with more research, I can make it work.

So far this was all I got but it is helpful as it can be an opportunity to improve the overall basis of my project and help me with further direction and a sense of knowing what to do.

Research Update 2 – Christopher McDowell

I haven’t been able to learn much this week, again something that you probably did not want to hear, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t learn anything. I pretty much conducted the same research methods did last week because its all the same in terms of consistency. I read more of Scott McCloud’s “Understanding Comics” and he gets more into detail about how comic books as a whole can be interpreted as another language. Pannels don’t necessarily have to be orchestrated in a simple format as being included in a box, but rather they are orchestrated in many different shapes and sizes. This was a revelation form my past experiences making comic books as a kid where I would not just use the simple box form but as I continued to make some more, I decided to reshape the panels in different sizes.

Another thing I discovered was a forum page where users of the unity engine specifically tied to the application I’m planning on using have voiced their concerns and questions. I was able to make an account and soon I will be engaging in the community as a way of acquiring some help with my project. This will be incredibly useful seeing as how most of the people in the forum have used the application before and have had experience with its interface and many features it has.

That has been pretty much the extent of this week’s research. So far what i had gathered will help in the coming weeks

Prototype Plan – Christopher McDowell

Im not exactly sure how im going to be prototyping my project, and I know that is not what showed be heard, but I am being brutally honest. For this project to be a success,ich research will be needed even for a successful prototype to be made. Although i do have an idea in mind, im worried that it will not be up to certain expectations, but in times like this, sacrafices must be made in order to be safe.

For my protoyope, I am thinking about doing it in this format so that way everything starts to slowly build up over time.

1. Showcase a storyboard that has all the panels, characters, and set up for a visual ascpet on what directioj it will take

2. Fully render and map out each panel in a visual demonstration to see how the comic will come about and be placed among the space. That way views can get a sense of feelings with what is shown so far

3. Upload assets in Unity for testing on getting the interactive portion to function properly with scrolling with mouse or phone device.

Research Update #1 – Christopher McDowell

So far this update will be very simple since during this week I had little time to fully conduct some actually long length research, However, this did not stop me from at least attempting to get some information on how and when I will be conducting this project.

For starters, I began reading a bit of this book that explains how comic books can be interpreted and used to convey its messaging, including the structural bases for how comics are made. The book is titled “Understanding Comic: The Invisible Art” by Scott McCloud, who gives a very artsy but detailed description of the art form of comics. The most interesting aspect that I read was actually at the very beginning of the book as he talked about the art form of comics, on how its a vessel comprised of a number of ideas and images to convey an overall point and meaning to the story. like many works of art, this is considered to be a basic building block for many different interpretations of media alike. These tips along with many others will help guide me in the right direction when it comes to creating this book.

Another thing that I discovered while doing this research was a video that gives off basic information in Unity about hoe to create an interactive book with buttons. This was done in an older version of the program but I am sure that the code is still used for it. I would consider this to be quite useful since My goal is to incorporate some form of code for this project to actually create the movement I have in mind for the pannels in question. There are probably more indepth tutorials on how to create an interactive story like experience that discovery will come in time but for starters, the information that I was able to find was quite useful in the sense of getting a feel of how this project will be created.

These findings as short and not as much as I’d like them to be, are a good start to the beginning aspect of this project. As I continue to find more about the ways to shape and create this story, it will be beneficial for the department of possible narrative changes for a story that issint exactly set and stone at this point. As of now, the current goal remains with creating the assets to move them on to the esting phase where I will make an attempt to put them in the program for further examination. A slow start for sure, but a welcome one at best. I will keep you all posted on anything that happens in the coming weeks.

Thank you

Christopher McDowell – Research Plan

So for this research plan, I have boiled it down to a few things that I need to do in order for this project to become a reality

– Comic book Guidelines for a step up and style

– Study various art styles

– Watch movies to get a good idea for storytelling from different perspectives an

– Download Unity and learn more about cutscene creation

– Learn how to use a specific tool that will allow me to create the book

– learn more about javascript.

And from there I will start to create an asset for the project and create a demo video of what it will look like visually.

Christopher McDowell – Finalized Concept (Interactive Graphic Novel)

Throughout my life, the love of art has been at the core of my personality for years. Ever since the earlier years of my development, my appreciation for drawing, books, and anything creative related has been the center focus for most of my creative endeavors. This will be the ultimate challenge as it requires something that I have had little to no experience doing, and that is coding. For my final concept, I will be producing an interactive graphic novel that will consist of 2 different endings. The plan is to learn how to use the Unity engine along with an asset that will allow me to create the novel in a stylistic manner that suites my expectations.

What I want most from this project is to enhance my ability to adapt to other skills than just drawing, and I feel that. Which was the main reason I decided to choose this major. As far as this project, my main inspiration for doing it is my love of conceptual art whihch toches many different fields. Concept art is a very important component in many media-related projects that involve telling a story because they offer a glimpse at the possible direction a project could take. I’ve been fascinated with the look and feel of conceptual art and not just in one category or style but a pretty of them.

My project aims to be different in style and substance, which is more than enough to make a statement. Graphic novels exist in the world in many different forms. Most made with paper and others online but done as a single digital page, and have some interactive portions been attempted? yes. but not in mass. An interactive readable novel is actually quite uncommon these days seeing is how most have no desire to click, but if the panels were created in a way that would establish some visual elements that could entice the reader, then it will be worth the chance to accomplish the goal of making such a book. My art skills are more than enough to see this project through, but the other skill required is something I need to pick up entirely. It won’t be easy, but I have faith that this will be seen through.

Testing will be done with these steps, Storyboard, concepts, dialogue, and programming. Al, the assets will be created separately and stored in a folder for further use when the time comes to put it all together. That is the plan so far and it will be done.

Interactive Graphic Novel (Revised)

My confidence in the first idea is pretty high at this point. Though I still have some doubts, I believe that If I try hard enough, I will be able to accomplish this. After thinking over a few approaches as to how im going to accomplish this goal, I have set some priorities in mind so I can for formulate a smooth path towards creating this project.

Research and Development – thanks to the few who responded to my concepts, I have a certain vision for this project that I am willing to create. My first step is to search for examples of this type of work done and see how I can apply it to my own work. A leeway into what eventually will become a complete project. Then attempt to create a prototype of some sort, visualizing a pathway forward.

Unity testing – Thankfully I found a program that is used with the Unity Engine that will allow me to easily create the interactivity part if it is as bold as I imagine it to be. It is at a certain cost but it will be worth it to begin some test and see who it work.

Storyboarding and Writing – This will be done as a way of, ofcourse, writing the story out so that way the panels for each page will be constructed in an organized fashion. the goal here is to take the time and think about what type of story I would want to create for this novel and build a world centered around it, with an original thought in mind.

So far this is what I have prepared for what comes next on the pathway to completing this project, and if things don’t work out, then I’ll just have to reevaluate and start fresh.

Senior Thesis Ideas 2019 (Christopher McDowell)

After our last class discussion, I thought a lot about what projects I was considering for thesis. Now, these may seem like a complete shot in the dark, but I believe them to be fully within my skill range. So why not give them a try or at least gather some info about the.

Project 1: Interactive Comic Story
The idea behind this comic is to create an interactive page-turning experience that provides an enriched story with impressive visuals that change and move with each turn of the page. There will be multiple paths to the endings that depend on the viewer’s decision on where they would want to go in the story. The book will consist of being roughly 15 to 20 pages long, some with additional slides for the endings.

Project 2: Animated Visual Story
The idea behind this is to introduce a new way of telling a story through well-placed imagery and conceptual art pieces all synchronized in an animated fashion using visual elements to present a well-written narrative. This idea of storytelling has been shown in numerous fashions but to the ideas I have with it will differ in many different ways. Using programs such as Unity, Photoshop, and After Effects, The goal is to create this visual style never seen before in this medium in storytelling

Project 3: 3D Rendered Character Designs
There are a number of character designs created by numerous artists in and out of the industry. This idea will be centered around creating 4 different 3d modded original characters with their own animation sets. It has always been a thought of mine to learn more about 3D modeling programs and create more human-based characters with the tools provided and create original designs with their own personalities and delve into the world of character design.

Tools For Each project

Project 1- Unity, Adobe Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint Pro
Project 2 – After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, Unity
Project 3 – Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine 4

If anyone has any thoughts or ideas on smome resources that may be of help. please feel free to let me know. Thank you for reading this. best of luck to everyone 🙂

Project Portfolio (So far…ish)

Hey y’all, so right now this will be a rough posting of my portfolio so far. This is most of the work that I have accomplished thoughout my life and the most interetsting to me personallly and professionally. It isn’t as complete as I would like it to be, but I think what is presented is a pretty good idea of what kind of stuff I am generally into including the introduction to my skill set. feel free to share your thoughts