Sunday, December 14, 2014

Opera to Video Game (Sadko)


Upon searching for an opera to transform into a video game, there were certain aspects that I specifically looked for. I didn’t want to have a stagnant game, so I made sure that the main character was some sort of traveler. I also wanted the characters to be easily distinguished, so I looked for an opera with a unique variety of characters. Whether it was their cultures or habits, they all needed to bring something new to the table. Lastly, I found it crucial for the story to be somewhat outrageous and unrealistic. I found all of these characteristics within the opera[CT1]  “Sadko”. It is a Russian opera composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, created in 1896. As I systematically break down the game that I have created with the influence of opera, one can see that I had quite a bit to work with.
            First[CT2]  it is important to establish the general map or area of the game, or the setting if you will. “Sadko” takes place in Novgorod, which is a medieval Russian state. The area is near the Baltic Sea, which gives the game a[CT3]  lot of possibilities to transition from land to water at ease. The opera itself contains an ocean heavy plot as well, so I used that to my advantage for the game. There are also mountains off in the distance, which are not crucial to the plot but are a nice touch to the scenery of the game. The architecture consists of many castle-like buildings with steeples, predominantly made of brick and somewhat run down. As I imagined the game in my head, traveling through levels, I envisioned a dreamy and foggy scene throughout the game, with a dreary grey colored sky. During the land scenes I foresee a look that resembles the clouds having fallen on the ground, and the characters having to walk through them. The ocean is calm in the beginning, but as we explore the scenes you will see the tides and currents eventually ripping[CT4] .
            One obviously cannot create a game without one of the most critical components, the characters. My appearances[CT5]  of the characters are very exaggerative, after having seen what the game producers have been able to depict recently. The characters are all very different so I will run down the line explaining some of their attributes and habits. Both the game and the opera revolve around the main character Sadko. He is an adventurous merchant, and very music oriented[CT6] . Not only did he sing but he also was known for playing the gusli, which is essentially a harp-like instrument. He will carry this instrument on his back for virtually the entire game, sort of creating a staple of his appearance. He is a white man with blonde flowing hair and dawns[CT7]  a powder blue silk cloak. His attire shimmers throughout the game as he walks with pep in his step, bouncing from point A to point B. He is married to a woman named Lubava, who in the game appears to be in a distressed state throughout almost the entire plot line. For the sake of the game, we’ll[CT8]  make her just under five feet tall, being legally classified as a dwarf. Moving on to another character in the game, we can address a man who accompanies Sadko throughout many scenes. He is a merchant as well, who joins Sadko’s crew. He is a Viking from overseas and has the appearance of a stereotypical Viking with the horned hat, long brown hair and even armor. The Viking is a very large man, standing around 6’8 and weighing well over 250 pounds. There are two other men in Sadko’s crew, an Indian and a Venetian. The Indian is a very fragile man with spectacles. In the game he walks extremely fast and wears all purple. The Venetian man wears a fur hat and has an extremely well groomed beard. He walks slowly, just slightly lagging behind the others while rubbing his beard periodically in deep thought. These are the constant characters throughout all the scenes, but more will be described as I explain the plot.
            The plot of the video game moves very quickly. It starts by the sea where Sadko joins another man in song. They also play their guslis, or harps if you will. Other men join the crowd, while Sadko’s goal is to convince them that they would make money if the lake they were by[CT9]  was joined to the ocean. This is impossible to do in the game, but foreshadows the act of persuasion that the player must constantly exercise throughout all levels. Disgruntled, the player must walk around the lake finding and collecting vocal notes. When three vocal notes are collected, Sadko will sing and attract three swans. Sadko has to wade in the water without drowning (which requires a careful squeeze to the triggers of the controller) in order to talk to the largest swan. This swan then transforms into Volkhova, a beautiful Sea Princess whose clothes are made of sea horses and brain coral. She wants to marry a mortal. She lays out an explanation to Sadko that he must catch three golden fish in order to acquire a large fortune after[CT10]  setting sail for a long time. She tells him she will wait for him, and then returns to the water in swan form.
            After this, Sadko has a long journey ahead of him, so he must use the gained information to his advantage. Before doing so, he has to dodge a bear in the woods to return to his wife and inform her of his intentions to leave for a while. One of the most interesting parts of the game happens directly after that. He has to return to shore and place a bet with other merchants that he can catch three golden fish. Nobody believes him, so they accept. Once you catch the golden fish, you win the ships of these merchants, along with a copper plated elephant tusk that the most arrogant merchant treasures heavily. However, it’s not quite that simple. The catching of the fish is an arduous task. You have[CT11]  to first build a platform of driftwood so that you can see the lake from an aerial view. Once that is complete, you must locate the fish (which only surface for the slightest second) and time the jump in order to land on them. This process is repeated until all three fish are caught, with the last attempt being the most difficult. Victorious at last, Sadko and his unorthodox crew set sail with the other merchants’ ships towards Venice.
            This game is ironic, because finding the treasure is actually quite easy. It[CT12]  is the process of getting the treasure home that is difficult. Once you have acquired the gold with the crew, the winds die down. You must work hard with the controller to toggle with the sails and toss money overboard in hopes of winning a favor from the Sea King. However, no matter how hard you try, Sadko is tossed overboard, into the depths of the Sea King’s territory. If the player hasn’t already used the three vocal notes that Sadko acquired earlier to bail them out of a situation, then they can use these to impress the King and Queen of the Sea. If they are all out, then the mission becomes nearly impossible. This shows that management of the three vocal notes throughout the game is essential. That being said, Sadko has to perform at a great rate with his gusli (harp) and vocals to win the hand of Volkhova, who is the Sea Princess from earlier. The player must hang on to her hand while weathering the submerged storm created by the wedding celebration. The underground territory that was once filled with silver soft-shelled turtles, 7-foot man of war jellyfish and dolphin-women is now caught in a rip tide of destruction. Sadko needs to dodge the jellyfish and latch on to one of the singing conch shells in order to ride a tsunami-sized tide back to shore.
            After all of these stages are complete, the screen goes black, eventually fading into the slowly opening eyelids of Sadko, who is lying on the shore looking at his dwarf[CT13]  sized wife. He wonders where the Princess went, but then sees that she transformed herself into a river, joining his hometown lake with the ocean. The aura that the end of the game gives off is a feeling that it may have been a dream. As the view pans out and becomes aerial, we see that Sadko’s newly obtained ships and treasures are all around him, along with his crew who actually survived the rough sea.
            While the game is somewhat short, the two main levels are the catching of the three golden fish and the survival of the underwater tides. I feel that through heavily detailed scenes and minimal tweaking of the opera’s plot, I was able to somewhat successfully transform Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian opera into a video game. While many aspects of the game would be outrageous, it certainly teaches the value and lessons of managing certain acquired gifts and the reward we can receive by doing so and working hard for things. Ultimately though, it is just a game after all, full of tortoises, dolphin-women and jellyfish.


Monday, December 8, 2014

Grid Project


Musical Groupings

Looking at the musical movements listed, there is definitely a wide variety covered by the professors.


However, here are five musical genres that were not included:


Rap:

Rap is similar to hip hop in that it still uses technology and is a musical art form exhibiting rhyme, but since it literally stands for "Rhythm and Poetry", it is less hook/melody-centered and more based off of words.

Examples:

Eminem (modern)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1xXYeNrW9k

Tupac (past) can be considered both rap and hip hop, but his content veers more toward rap in my opinion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXvBjCO19QY



Hip Hop: Hip Hop bears vast similarities of rap, but is more about a lifestyle than the music. It embodies its own culture, if you will. Hip hop music also uses many samples from past music.


Kendrick Lamar (modern) : While he raps more than other hip hop artists, here is an example of one of his more melodic songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aShfolR6w8


Pete Rock & CL Smooth (past)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BONgL61snlM


"Go Go" Music:

Originated in the Washington D.C. area, "Go Go" is a highly cultured brand of music using many types of drums and centering the actual song around them. It also uses rapping and vocals to tie it together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPoNhZx8t8w


Alternative Rock:

Alternative rock is similar to what the "nineties" group is, but a little more specific. It encompasses rock qualities with more of contemporary soft qualities. It uses technology to ease the raw sound of rock.

Dave Matthews Band
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7in-9E3ImQ


Reggae:

Reggae uses many recycled sounds in different ways to ultimately create new songs with the same laid back feel. Gong drums, steel drums and other instruments make this genre somewhat island influenced.

Obviously Bob Marley is the head of Reggae in many minds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMBlMMGxfpw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3UqvWk8-uw

One of my favorite artists today combines rap, rock and reggae to make his own unique sound.....
Matisyahu:
(new)    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTuOaisKj3c
(old)   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRmBChQjZPs

Monday, December 1, 2014

Projecting on landscapes

Looking at some of the links provided to us, I really enjoyed these pictures. They got me thinking about what the reactions would be of the people during the stone age. They would take so long to paint on caves, etc. We can literally push a button and project an image on a landscape now. It was refreshing to see this because we've examined the light shows on buildings and urban areas, but I'm glad that we are looking more outside the box now (mountains, trees)

http://www.studio-orta.com/en/artworks/serie/32/Light-Works

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Basketball Introduction

As I posted earlier this semester, sports arenas are now using projectors on the court to enhance the experience of basketball. I posted the nike video recently, but here is an example of how that technology has developed into an every day thing. Teams are now using it to make the introductions at their games more interesting. While this has been done in the past, the detail has been greatly increased which makes it much more aesthetically pleasing. It reminds me of the concert we watched in class where they projected the lights on the buildings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzpgRNAh_40