Timing is key…

I realized that I’d been putting off working on the animation because I wanted to address the issue of timing my classmates brought up last friday: namely, I restored the master tempo to its original 120 bpm, and fixed minor timings in word animations (see the current version with crappy built-in audio here, but turn your volume down—it’s loud).  The music, up until tonight, wasn’t finished.  So, I sat myself down in GarageBand and finished recording everything.  I re-recorded the melody and baseline, determined the bridge and intro, and modified and finished the descant.  All told, it’s three tracks of piano some spliced together, and it plays very loudly instead of very quietly, which I consider a moderate improvement.  I wish I could make it sound like it does in my thoughts—I hear amazing sounds in my head but can’t get them out into daylight.  I’m satisfied with it but not enchanted.  I’m not sure I have the skill with keyboard-driven software instruments to enchant myself.  Volunteers?  No, seriously, I would love a cover of this.  I’d also love a new sewing machine, digital slr camera, and a sexy red foreign sports car, for the record.  And a kitten.

Code-wise, I’m looking at ways to combine all the circles into one MovieClip object, which I can then use as a mask.  I’m also trying to make things work with classes and packages, as it’s much cleaner.  I’m not sure where I want to put the socket (in its own class, with methods to talk to other classes; or in the main class).  I’ve discovered that, no matter the screen size or the number of circles, the flash implementation of the processing app starts to slow way down.  Ugh.  Distressing, particularly as I’m not sure if I can find an alternative.  I need to find out how to make Processing and Flash talk over the web, not just over my computer’s local ports.  That could be difficult.

I’m reading “Postmodern media culture” by Jonathan Bignell, which is turning out to be an interesting and informative read.  I’m also beginning to panic about getting everything done by the end of this term, but I’ll just keep working, staying up later and forcing myself to get up earlier as the term progresses.  I keep thinking, “I can do this, I can do this, I will not melt into a puddle of ectoplasm and stain the peculiar blue tiled carpet in my room…”  I went to Fencing, but my right ankle (specifically, the muscle/tendon that runs along the outside of the shinbone and serves to lifts your foot up/flex it toward your leg) burns when I try to step forward.  Having decided that I should not keep stressing it when it hurts so much, I skipped out after footwork, showered, ate dinner, and got to work.  Whee.  People were playing video games in the lounge as I went by, and later they watched a movie (The Devil Wears Prada).  If I’m not careful, I’ll pick up another fun book, and then where will I be?

Rotoscoping.

Yup, more of same.  Finished one sequence and the transition between it and the previous, and am working on one of my favorites, visually—the last part of todays progress.  I’m a little over halfway through with the white-on-black segment, and am really enjoying the vibrant, lyrical drawing technique, although I’m redrawing many small lines to connect in *just* the right way, perfectionist that I am.  In contrast, what I did earlier today looks a bit clunky.  I may rework that when I finish EVERYTHING ELSE.  Lol.

Also, here is the piano version of the song to whose lyrics I’m animating everything.  And here’s the version with an ad-libbed piano descant I intend to hammer into tunefullness and tempo.  The note velocity is inconsistent throughout most of the music; I really want a 88-key piano keyboard with fully weighted hammer action, but there are priorities other than music, alas!  (Aka new sewing machine!  Software!  Shoes that aren’t falling apart!  Apartment fund to keep me out of my parents’ house come next year!)

In other news, this is the second week in a row that I’ve been really out of breath and tired at Judo; it’s also at least the second week in a row that I’ve skipped Fencing Club on Monday.  Are these two facts related?  Just to be safe, I will do my best to make it to Fencing Club, particularly on Mondays.  I get little exercise besides biking to and from classes aka very little, as I have few regular classes) and biking around Eugene on nice days (often at the expense of work, unfortunately), so I should try harder to do what active things I enjoy and can reasonably explain away.  Also, I *will* throw myself more into my research, both for the thesis project and for my paper for the Honors Science Colloquia I’m taking this term (urgh, two papers at once!  I am so spoiled!).  Cyteen: The Rebirth is unfortunately much more readable than what I ought to be reading, but the past has shown me that I can control my baser instincts (reading and doing other non-school-productive things).  Here’s to hoping!