2006/10/29

近來幾道奇怪的菜







天空之城 LAPUTA

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宮崎駿在日本動漫畫方面是影響我最大的啟蒙導師
尤其'天空之城'帶給我最強烈的震撼
最近在英國發行了一整套宮崎+Ghibli工作室DVD
算一算約是我首次在第四台沒開音量轉台看到的十六年後
比起當時一個人在角落挖到寶的心情
現在大可以在異鄉和洋人暢談宮崎駿的作品
一套系列中還買了'魔女宅急便'同是我最早接觸的宮崎+Ghibli動畫
現在看來更能體會'魔女'片中的細膩情節
尤其是兩幕以完全靜音呈現戲劇張力的表現手法依舊魄力十足
再看'天空之城'仍能感受到宮崎駿早期沸騰的活力感觸良多

2006/10/26

My Web Albums : 我的網上相簿


on picasa | on flickr

收藏了旅遊的照片 包含
英國 義大利 西班牙 瑞士 歐洲諸國 賽普勒斯 伊斯坦堡 墨西哥 香港
以及一些高雄 臺北市的照片


2006/10/16

RedSnow Magazine 2nd Issue



RedSnow Mag #02
(BGM: Roar of the Earth - Shadow of the Colossus OST - by Kow Otani)

2006/10/14

2006/10/03

Stories generated by RAN

Stories generated by RAN (Random Access Narrative):


I )
Deep in a dense forest a boy is lost while hunting with his father. The boy comes to a path with a sign to a cabin. After a two minute walk he sees the cabin with the lights on. He hopes he can use the owners' phone to call for help. The boy knocks with no reply but the door is unlocked so he enters.

He calls out but there is no reply. Suddenly he hears a noise coming from upstairs and decides to investigate. The boy calls out again as the sound gets louder and louder.

He enters a dark room, a dark shadowy figure walks towards him, arms out. The boy freaks out and reaches for his 45. Calibre that his father gave to him for hunting.

Shots were fired, then he turned on the lights, it was his dad, shot in the leg. His dad went on ahead because he ran into some poison ivy earlier on, he had sent his son to get some help.

Oh well.

The End

--- ---
Comment: It was interesting to use blocks to form a short story. Though I wanted to use more than one or two of the sides to add to the story, but I think the maximum number of blocks makes you use your imagination more as you construct your story.


II )
I descended the black, craggy steps which led into the deepest depths of the earth. Down and down they went, spiralling ever further. Eventually they led into a cavern filled with white flame. Hunched in a corner of the cavern an old man muttered to himself. "The suns are fading, I might create new light from the core of the Earth."

And, so saying, he activated a large machine in the cavern, the fire began to gather into a ball and then ascended to the roof off the cavern. The roof then opened, revealing an enormous shaft leading up, but as this was happening the machinery began to fail and suddenly malfunctioned. The ball of flame exploded in the space where it had been, a visible tear in reality remained. Through the gap a city could be seen, full of towering skyscrapers and bustling with life. Unexpectedly a plane emerged through the tear and crashed into a wall of the tavern. A young woman climbed and began to run in fear, but the cavern began to fill with a black smoke which merged with the remnants of the white fire. Out of this a beast of white flame emerged and consumed the woman. The creature then began babbling an unknown language which caused the cavern to be filled with a pitch blackness. All I know now is darkness...


III )
Dinosaur lives in a big house but is too scared to go outside and cross the bridge into town because of the vicious cat.

The cat walks a tightrope carefully so to avoid falling into a pit where there is a dinosaur, he is trying to get home safely.

The dinosaur comes along and smashes down the house so that it is just left as rubble. The cat that was in the house managed to escape just in time.

--- ---
Marco's comment: It encourages and stimulates diverse stories with alternate combinations.


IV )
In the beginning there was just one world, and on that world lived every monster imaginable, the ground was ruled by fearsome monsters that ate everything that moved, the sea churned in darkness as leviathans too revolting to describe proclaimed their mastery over the sea. The sky was filled with lightning and heavy dark clouds as storms waged day and night and the air was blackened by the swooping forms of carnivorous birds. Everything was dark and everything was in darkness, even the mottled brown plants suppurated evil smells and bristled with evil spines. There was, however, one lone goblin who had, by an unhappy circumstance been transported to that world by a cruel spell. Whether or not the goblin deserved such a punishment is immaterial to this story. After many long years a sun appeared in the dark sky and at the sight of such a troubled, depressed world she wept and a tear fell to the earth and as it fell its essence became a baby. Down, down fell the baby, through clouds and winds, past the sparkling bolts of the storms, falling faster than the raindrops. The sound of his landing caused a sound that echoed around the whole world. Such sounds and bright lights disturbed the beasts of the land, sea and sky, and roused them into such a panic that the whole world shook with the stamping off their feet and the splashing of their fins and the beating of their wings. Every primal creature cried out in fear at such a thing and many of the more intelligent ones would remember the day for years and years to come. However the goblin had a good head on his shoulders and back in his homeland he had seen suns and heard stranger sounds so none of these events bothered him in the slightest. Out he strode on his long legs (for the goblin had very long legs, how else could he have survived on that world with all those monsters?) to the place where the baby lay in the large crater the impact had made, gurgling and babbling as babies do. The goblin picked him up in his stubby arms (the baby was naked and obviously a boy) and carried him over many miles to his house in a region where some of the trees were a bit better behaved. The goblin cared for the baby and taught him to speak his own goblin language which he had had to write down because, being alone for so long he himself was dangerously coming close to forgetting how to speak. In time the baby grew into a big strong man and with his strength he fought the beasts and felled spiny trees and by the time he reached his mid-twenties the world was a totally different place, there were large crops of corn and juicy vegetables and the beasts were held back by large fences of sharp spikes and the beasts of the sea hung from hooks by the side of the house. The sun-man, whom the goblin called 'O' because that is the shape of the sun, was a lot taller than the goblin, who had grown old and walked with a very long stick. 'O' was so big he could leap over mountains and dig canals with his hands. One day, after all had been done O had no more to do except sit and think. A thought came into his mind and he said it to his goblin father in goblin language.
"Father, there is no one on this world like me, where am I from?"
"You came from the sun my son," replied the Goblin.
The goblin pointed with his green, wizened hand to the yellow orb in the now stormless sky. O looked at the sun and wished and wished to know more about the place he came from and why he had been sent to this world and why there was no one else like him. The thoughts filled his mind until he could hear nothing, see nothing and as he wished harder, thought harder he began to rise from the ground. The goblin tried to hold him, tried to speak to him, imploring him to stay, but O could not hear or see or feel anymore. All the goblin could do was watch as his adopted son rose into the sky, toward the sun. He never saw him again.


V )
The plane was cramped, I had been sitting in the same seat, not including toilet breaks, for eleven hours. I breathed a sigh of relief when I peered out of the tiny window to see the familiar Manhattan skyline bathed in fluorescent lights. I gripped the seat a little as the plane touched down. Within fifteen minutes I had slipped through the barrier, had my passport stamped and picked up the small carrying case that was my only luggage. Within twenty I was cruising down the highway out of town in a hire car. The radio was playing some crappy radio station, I wasn't interested, I was more interested about getting on the interchange and back home.

The moon hovered ominously overhead as the pointed tops of conifers appeared above the dark horizon, blotting out the bright, twinkling stars. I was dead certain there was no forest between Manhattan and my home, there was a bit of countryside, rolling hills, I hadn't been away that long for a whole forest to grow in my way. I decided, seeing as I was pretty sure I had been going in the right direction before, going through the forest and coming out the other side couldn't be a major detour. I had the window open, the night was cool and now, far away from the orange and blue glow of the city the surrounding area was bathed in moonlight. The headlights of my car lit up the grey tarmac road and the cats' eyes glittered. Soon the forest became totally enveloping and all I could see of the moon was an occasional white flash through the branches of the pine trees. The forest was all about me now, but I reasoned that the forest couldn't go on forever, eventually the road must lead to civilisation and home.

Suddenly I saw something in front I broke just in time and skidded on the tarmac in front of an old gate, rickety and worn, placed across the road. The wood was old and greenish and a mud-spattered sign was hanging at a rude angle with the words PRIVATE PROPERTY, KEEP OUT inscribed in reddish paint. From my incarceration on the plane I was eager to stretch my legs and the inside light turned on as I opened the door. The multitude noises of crickets and cicadas met my ears as I walked through the cluster of moths that gathered around the headlights of the car. I took a long breath of the clean, pine-scented air and looked down the darkened road at both sides. How had I ended up here?

The road behind seemed just as promising as the road ahead of me, if I went to ask the people who lived in this PRIVATE PROPERTY I'd be on my way and back home in no time. Under my own steam in a place I didn't know could have me driving aimlessly for hours.

Instead of bashing the gate down or breaking the the heavy padlock that secured the gate I gingerly vaulted the worm-eaten gate. I left the car with its headlights on, just so if I wanted to find it, it would be easier. Loose tarmac crunched underneath my boots then gave way to dirt as the road turned into a rough path. I heard the difference in the sound off my footfalls rather than saw anything. The stygian darkness was all-pervasive save for a sliver of starlit sky above me through the pointed trees. I expected to find a small farmhouse, or a little cabin at the end of the path, but as I walked further the path carried on and on. I wondered to myself if this forest would ever end.

Suddenly above the trees to the right there was bright green glare, as if someone had lit up a flare. I turned off the road and quickened my pace, hoping to find a bunch of families at a light show or fireworks display, the pine needles on the muddy ground were soft underfoot.

As I walked on I saw the same greenish light much dimmer than before. but still visible through the trees. As I neared the source of the light I began to see the identifiable shapes off moving figures, but their movements were far from familiar. I slowed my pace and stepped quietly and with care on the needles, crouching lower. Trepidation gave way to abject fear as I came closer to observe with more clarity the horrific spectacle before me. With my last resolve I positioned myself behind a tree and gaped in horror.

A large clearing had been made in the woods, large enough for a mass of what looked like people, a large stone monolith and a giant hole in the ground that yawned cavernously. From its depths came the greenish glow, which was so dim it barely cast a shadow.

Around the rim of the hole in a large crowd a group of people in robes knelt on the muddy ground. They all rocked up and down in a fluid motion and babbled a chattering, disgusting language I am glad I did not understand. The babbling reached a creshendo and the kneeling figures plunged their hooded heads to the grass. The silence returned.

My attention was drawn to the rim of the pit as slowly greyish fingers crept over the rim of the hole. Dark figures rose up from the pit, clawing at the earth and raising themselves to their full height in the chill night air. Some of them, I could barely tell from the glow, had a least semblance of a humanoid form. Some were unnaturally short and squat, with stumpy legs while others were disturbingly tall, with great, elongated arms and legs that defied the basics of physiology. In the dim I could make out the shapes of faces that were carven out of nightmares, others looked as if they had been hardly carven at all. A fetid stench reached my nostrils and caught in my throat.

They hobbled about on stunted legs and twitched and groaned among the prostate mass of worshippers as other monstrosities disgorged from the chasm. I heard a flap off large wings and the sound of gnarled, deformed legs being dragged through stunted grass and snufflings and whisperings. I saw faces that were little more than just a mouth gape open and suppurate long strands of saliva that oozed to the grassy ground. All was bathed in the sickly green glow from the pit. I watched as one of the worshippers rose up slowly in front of the abomination with the large, leathery wings that hung about its misshapen form like a cloak. The nameless creature towered over the robed man as the thing opened what appeared to be one of many mouths to speak.

I felt something touch my boot and looked down to see a many armed, wrinkled thing worrying at my leg with a snuffling, pig-like nose, muttering softly. I gave a started and looked back in horror to see the eyes and half-eyes and eyeless sockets of every single one of those abominations glaring coldly at me.

I kicked up a spray off pine needles into the wrinkled face of the creature at my feet as I turned and ran for my life, back to the safety of the car. I ran and ran, back the way I had come, my heavy boots thudding into the ground. I could feel the wind rushing past my ears and felt sweat on my brow as I pushed past low branches and glanced tree trunks in my desperate effort to find the car. I could hear behind me fast approaching a babbling and a chattering and a shrieking, louder and louder, accompanied by the slow, steady beat of large, leathery wings.

With a gasp I thudded onto the road and my heart skipped as I saw the white glow of the headlights along the road ahead. I ran and ran, faster than I have ever run in all my life, and the slow, steady beat of those large, leathery wings came closer and closer.


--- ---
All text (except III) © RedSnow Studio

How to play RAN

One set of RAN has 12 cubes
that contain a total of 72 images.
You may play with more than one set,
the more the merrier.

Single player
Choose as many cubes as you like,
roll them randomly like dice.
Write a story inspired by the images
that appear on the cubes.
You may read the images in any sequence you wish,
try to write as many stories as you can.

Multiplayer
Preferably more than three people
(at least two players and one referee).

Possible scenario
Time limit for each turn.
(Can be decided by the referee or the entire group.)
Set story theme.
(Can be decided by the referee or the entire group.)

Appoint a referee in charge of keeping score and time,
and making final decisions
(in the event of disagreements).
Choose an equal number of cubes for each player
and one 'end-cube' for the referee.

The first player rolls one cube,
and, inspired by the image on the cube,
begins to tell a story.
The next player rolls a cube,
and placing it next to the first player's cube attempts
to continue the story.
If he or she manages to do this one point is awarded.

If a player cannot continue the story
in the agreed time-scale
he or she must forfeit their turn
and receive one minus point.
If the next player can continue the story
then he or she gets one point
and can continue with their own turn,
if they can do this successfully
then they are awarded 2 points.

This sequence of play continues until all cubes are used,
the referee then rolls his 'end-cube'
and each of the players provides
the best ending they can think of
by writing it down on a piece of paper
which bears an identifying codeword
(not the name of the player)
and which they keep a copy of face down on the table
- the referee will choose the best ending
and announce the identifying codeword
in order to reveal the winning ending.
The player with the best ending is awarded 3 bonus points.

The winner is the player who gets the highest points
by the end of the game.

RAN (Random Access Narrative) 隨機故事

MA Graphic Design Major Project:
Random Access Narrative (RAN)
An interactive experience of storytelling

I always like to imagine if there is a storybook, instead of having one written story, everyone can read different stories from this book. It would be like a magical mirror described in a fairy tale, which talks to people responding to their desires. I have a feeling that this is not only a fairy tale but somehow realisable through design practice.

Storytelling is an essential part of human communication. As we are now living in the era of an information society, our communicating experience has been broadened with varieties of interactive media. It is time to break the rigid conventional storybook format and to embrace interactive experiences of storytelling. This project is to research and design a storybook (or a portable device) with no predetermined sequence, also to illustrate the story using personal drawing skills providing a visual narrative to the design work. The aim of this project is to demonstrate to the reader/ user a non-predetermined reading experience of random possibilities.

For my final design work of RAN, as shown in the images below, I drew a set of thirty-six iconic images representing generic characters, objects and symbols. They function as two categories, “character/ object” and “connector”. Many of these functions may be interchangeable depending on the reader’s point of view. There are six iconic images on each cube, therefore thirty-six icons for six cubes. Because when placing a set of six cubes on a playing platform, for instance a table or a desk, there is always one side of the cube facing downward, plus a disadvantage of the limited interaction between images on the same cube, I provide seventy-two icons in total on two sets of six cubes. I also invert the silhouette and its negative space of the thirty-six images on one cubic set, for a distinction opposite to the other set, and to create greater imagery combinations.

How to play RAN
Stories generated by RAN

--- --- ---

平面設計碩士畢業製作:
隨機故事 (RAN)

試想若有一本神奇的故事書, 每一個讀者看到的故事內容都不同. 好似童話中的魔鏡, 與隱藏人們內心的慾望對話. 而我預感這個想法可以實現.

人類是說故事的動物. 資訊時代的今日, 互動式媒體已大幅擴展我們的溝通經驗. 如今正是打破傳統書本刻板形式, 擁抱互動式說故事經驗的最佳時機. 此企劃案的主旨是要研究及設計一本結合我個人圖畫技巧, 不含既定敘事順序的故事書 (或為可攜帶的物件), 提供隨機故事經驗的證明.


2006/10/01

Me 2006

每次看自己的照片就不得不聯想到
以下一段很有趣的實驗短片
Me from Ahree Lee