“let’s do stuff”

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@ridhojeftha
“let’s do stuff”
The Video that won me Productivity My post about The Study Project got me thinking about how much I used to procrastinate during University. It was just so natural and easy and... well fun. By the time I hit the third term of my final year, I had to put all of this aside and focus on the dreaded Honours Project which would take up most of my time for. Many times I found myself procrastinating and I tried different methods to stop. Nothing helped as I would just comfortably slip into yet another pointless activity. Time Management helped to a certain degree. Checking goals and having actions steps helped a bit too. But ultimately there would always be moments of unproductiveness which would lead to an imbalance and an all-nighter.
Just as the workload started to pick up (even more) I decided to enter a little competition. The task was simple, "Show us how you Do the Twisp". A Twisp is an electronic cigarette. I got an idea when I saw this huge cigarette and ashtray that my grandfather made. With my brother's help, we threw together this little video and entered.
I won two tickets to the Rocking the Daises music festival and what followed was the most productive week of 2013. In order to attend the festival I had to finish my work which was due the week after. This time I was not going to leave it until Sunday evening. #OnThatGrind, and it was worth it. The weekend was spent without worrying about school work.
I'm so grateful not to be working on weekends.
Check out the #RTD2013 video:
Die Lappop
As you might have noticed, I've been going through a lot of my past files. I found my 1997 pre-primary school play and decided to upload our performance of "Die Lappop". Die Lappop tells the tale of an old and worn out rag doll who gets thrown away. She then starts hearing sounds and meets the other objects at the garbage dump. The objects include a broken shoe, a single sock, an empty bottle and an old newspaper. The objects see the rag doll start to cry, so they decide to make her the queen of the garbage dump. And they danced and skipped happily ever after.
:D
The Study Project
In my first year of University I learnt that there are different ways of studying. I soon also realised that everyone has different methods of studying. Some like the silent whispers of the library, others prefer the bustling computer labs. A lot of the time, studying is also done at home (mostly the night before).
So, I wanted to see how different people study. I then thought up "The Study Project"... which soon became the Procrastination Project. I asked a few of my friends to send me pictures of their study spaces. At a random point during your studying, snap a picture and send it to me. That was all. The idea was to then share this all in a blog and also ask for anyone else to contribute. Buuuut I never got around to it.
Needless to say, I found the pictures again. This is my desk from third year while staying at South Point in Claremont. My room was smaller than the previous year and I had to get used to using a smaller desk. I love to have everything open while I study and therefore this was a challenge for me. Music was always playing and I always had my snacks and water for energy :D #TheStudyProject
I'll be posting more soon.
Happy Studying (even if you aren't) ridhojeftha
RGBD
Last year was undeniably the most intense academic year of my life. Apart from the crazy workload, there's the ever present final project. I wanted to make this a project that I truly enjoyed and therefore I set out to propose my own topic. I teamed up with Robbie and we came up with this:
RGBD is a system that uses a camera and a depth sensor to create video effects in real-time. The aim was to see if it were possible to apply complex effects to a streaming video. The captured scene gets partially reconstructed into a map that shows the surface orientation at each pixel. This information can then be used to calculate certain effects. As an example, we simulated fog, added a depth of field effect and even tried out relighting.
The fun part was getting to grips with graphics coding and learning to love (and simultaneously hate) the programming language C++.
Hop on over to the project website if this kinda stuff interests you :D
Otherwise, enjoy this flashy video of RGBD.
Media Kids
The past few months have been filled with new job, new apartment and well new life. My sleeping schedule has been forced into a work routine, my skills at life admin has improved but a lot has been put on hold. It was only natural that I immediately jumped at the opportunity to help my friend, Charlie, out with an audition video.
We quickly organized and got ready for shooting only to be gunned down by a dead camera battery. We had to reschedule, but this brought with it the wonderful Lwando Nteya. I've worked with Lu on a few projects and we've learnt a lot together. I always ring him up when I need a cinematographer. So we got together and had some fun.
The audition video can be viewed here. I wish Charlie the best with this competition. This is not the last you'll see her on my videos. We have some great things planned... I think.
Here is a comic!
ITS A GOOD COMIC <3
I think about my soul escaping whenever I create something.
Happy rain
NaNoWriMo and The Great Discovery
November is known as National Novel Writing Month. In this month, anyone who has ever thought of writing a novel can join this community that tackles the creative process by aiming for a 50,000 word goal by the 30th of November deadline.
This year was the first year that I could pledge to writing a novel as I did not have exams filling up my schedule. So when the month started, I started writing a story called Dot.
The idea was fresh in my head, influenced by the recent games and TV shows that I've seen. I based the elements of the story on things in my life. This would help me to write about what I know, while still telling an entirely different story.
If you look at my previous short films, SRH and Linear, they both have a theme of exploring different types of realities. This is a theme that I like writing about and therefore I decided to give this "seemingly normal town" a strange occurrence that changes the way which humans live (or experience life). The appearance of 'the dots' has started in Cape Town and is spreading throughout the world at a rapid pace. The idea is that a small red dot appears on a persons left arm. It exists solely to act as an early warning system for death. A few weeks after their first appearance it was public knowledge that a dot appears exactly 24 hours before you die. This changes the way people think of death and affects the ways in which they live their lives. This is the background story for the world that my characters will live in.
At first, I intended to develop the idea. I actually started thinking about how Dot could be branched to become a transmedia narrative. A lot of different events can be relayed through different forms. A main web series could tell the overarching story of who invented the 'dots'-system. The story of a character going through the process of getting a dot can be told in a series of tweets posted in a range of 24 hours.
This stayed in the back of my mind and never developed further. When November came around and I thought up Ricky. Ricky would live in this world and become my 50,000-word novel. Ricky, starting his new life at university, is excited about what the future might bring. His excitement is cut short when a mysterious orange dot appears on his right arm. What does this orange dot mean? Will he die in 24 hours just like everyone who has gotten the red dot? Or is this maybe an early warning for something else?
Look at this cover I made *read: procrastination*
And that is as far as I got...
Apart from writing an introduction scene of about five thousand words, I could not get myself to write down what happens to Ricky. I was excited about the idea and I had events for Ricky to experience but I just couldn't write it down in descriptive 'walls of text'. Quite a few times I forced myself to sit down and write, only to be sidetracked with what might happen in Ricky's future. Once I had an idea, the problem was getting Ricky to that future point. Writing what needs to happen to get there just took way too long. So I stopped.
The next time that I would sit down for a writing session, Ricky's future would have evolved even more and his present would still be where I left it. It was therefore more of a stretch to get Ricky to his future plot points. Then I stopped again... *rinse and repeat*
The Great Discovery... novels are not for me. I simply do not enjoy writing long things. Keeping it short and writing dialogue is what I like. This is why I favour tiny and short films. Glimpses into one part of a possibly longer story. Or simply one story being told in a short form. I still enjoy reading novels... when I do read. I just don't think I will ever write one.
Never say never, right?
ridhojeftha
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Excerpt from the introduction chapter for Dot:
Ricky couldn’t fall asleep. He lay tossing and turning in his bed, thinking about the sharp pain from earlier. He keeps on telling himself that he shouldn’t be worried because the pain is gone. If the pain were still there or if he wasn’t able to move his hand earlier, that would be a reason to worry. Thinking about it made him feel uneasy, almost as if it was one of those occurrences that you know you should never think about but you just can’t help it.
He revisits every second of that short event. He thought about the strange feeling that he mistook for excitement, unsure whether or not it started in his stomach or his chest. He decides that it started in his stomach, what difference does it make anyway? He follows the feeling through his body once more. The butterflies in his stomach fluttering against the inside of his skin. They start moving upwards slowly. When it reaches his chest a breath of fresh air mysteriously appears within his lungs. He didn’t even need to breath, he couldn’t, it all happened so fast. He replays the next part in his mind’s eye and follows the trickle of what felt like static electricity jumping on his shoulder pulling the fresh air through his body. The hair raising on his arm as the shock runs down to his hand. His elbow straitens instinctively at the same time his hand freezes. He recalls the moment when the feeling turned into a blade piercing his wrist. He stops and sits up in his bed. “Get your shit together Rickus,” he tells himself, “It’s all in your head. You’re just nervous for tomorrow, that’s all.”
The next morning he wakes up feeling tired. He only had about three hours of sleep. He sits up in bed and groggily looks at his wrist once more.
Fun Words To Swipe A series of photos depicting words that are fun to swipe on a touch enabled keyboard. A word is entered by swiping the finger in one continuous motion from the first letter of a word to it's last letter.
Hawa's Inspiration Box
My friend is a photographer. I made this gift for her.
It's called Hawa's Inspiration Box for photos and this is how it works: Before going out on a mission to take photos, you pull a card from the inspiration box. The card will give you a word or drawing which should serve as inspiration for taking photos. Look at the word/drawing, take it's literal meaning but also think about any deeper meanings, connotations or interpretations that it could represent. Think about figurative meanings or how the keyword can be used in interesting ways. Now go out and take photos regarding this keyword.
This is how I made it:
Step 1: Acquire a cute little box.
Step 2: Spend a week thinking of interesting keywords and write them down. Make drawings for some so that the user can interpret it in their own way.
Step 3: Think of more keywords.
Step 4: Make cards out of all the keywords and put them inside the box.
And there you have it. The prefect inspiration box for photos.
Enjoy
Mission Ignition #7: Shopping
As the year draws to a close and things start wrapping up, I post my final submission for the Mission Ignition blog series.
University ended last week and I came home after my final presentations. On Saturday I went shopping with my mother. The stores where full as it was just after the 15th, 'payday' for some. We went to a clothes store and I browsed around for some work clothes, as I'll be starting work soon. When I was done, I decided to stand in the line while my mother still browsed the store. When my mother was done, she joined me in the line and we proceeded to the pay point.
While standing in the line, I thought about this process. I decided to do a QuestioningLens Ignition regarding this. Considering my technological focus, I thought about how this process could be made more efficient with the use of technology.
image source: wikimedia.org
Relevant Question: Is a completely wireless shopping experience possible? Can the integration of current technology be used to eliminate queues in a store?
Potential Solution:
This solution has probably been proposed before but I will expand on it. All products could be equipped with RFID-tags. These Radio Frequency Identification tags can be used to determine which products you have put in your shopping trolley. A simple screen on the trolley could display the total of the items in your trolley. This could also be connected to a phone app which totals up the prices and shows the cost.
Another problem is finding products in a store. The overhead boards in the isles are often too vague and you can't determine where products are (if you do not frequent that particular store). I remember hearing about Indoor Navigation by Google Maps which could make this process much more efficient. You could therefore add in your shopping list (on your phone), download the specific map for the store you will be visiting and the application will plot your path through the store (ensuring that you pick up frozens last). Extending this, payments could be made more efficient with the rise of wireless/mobile payment. At a recent music festival I attended, they had NFC wristbands that were connected to an app which you have granted permission to bill your credit card. This Near Field Communication tags identify you at the till point and by tapping the NFC-bracelet onto the receiver, the amount is deducted from your account. NFC can also be a feature of a smartphone.
You therefore simply walk into the store, follow the navigation on your phone and grab the items you want. You simply tap your phone at the exit and off you go. An all-encompassing shopping app.
This system does however bring with it security issues. The biggest probably being stolen phones. Security measures will have to be put in place, such as authorising payments, which might slow down the process once more. The implementation of such a system is a very big project and during the transition to a system like this, the current system will still have to be supported.
It will therefore be more effort to implement if ALL stores don't implement it at roughly the same time. This could very well be one version of our future.
Mission Ignition:
This blog series is based on the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation’s Ignitions program. This type of ignition is known as a Questioning Lens Ignition. The Questioning Lens will help you look at the situation more critically, with a view to practicing the identification of inefficiencies and thinking of solutions. Imagine you are wearing a massive pair of glasses, called the Questioning Lens, through which you view the situation.
After identifying a potential inefficiency, ask relevant questions that will lead to a potential innovative and realistic solution to address the problem. Apply your thinking to provide a potential solution.
Tiny Films from Tiny Stories
A while back I joined the open-collaborative production site, hitRECord. On there I found this phenomenon called "Tiny Stories". These are very very short stories that are made up of one or sometimes two sentences. I was instantly captivated by the idea of this. The tagline "the universe is not made up of atoms, it's made of tiny stories" resonates with me and inspired my twitter handle @TheTinyExplorer. We are all explorers on this planet and everyday, no matter how small, we explore more and more thereof.
As an extension of these Tiny Stories, the hitRECord community creates Tiny Illustrations, Tiny Songs and Tiny Films. I made my first Tiny Film in September 2012 by remixing a VO of a Tiny Story, A Commercial Edge. My brother helped me and we went to the edge of Worcester to shoot this tiny scene.
The next time I tried my hand at a tiny film was during the filming of my third year film seminar documentary. We were on the road to Suurbraak, a small town in the Western Cape. I filmed the road for hours and when getting back to my PC, I found the perfect Tiny Story to accompany the footage.
The next Tiny Film I made involved a lot more work. I remember reading the Tiny Story and instantly being transported to a world where I'm stuck in some kind of facility with no means of escape. This had to become the premise of my Tiny Film, And Then We Realized. With the help of my friend, Lwando Nteya, we made an extended version of the Tiny Film as well.
Finally, a very chilling Tiny Film that I've made rings true to the essence of Tiny Stories. It was simply a small insignificant event that could be expressed as a Tiny Story. I was at the right place, at the right time, to record this footage. Suicide is a Tiny Film that observes the movements of a black plastic bag in the road on a windy day.
Wow, that was quite a few videos to watch.
The idea of Tiny Films inspires me to explore the smaller things in everyday life that people tend to miss out on. In future, I will keep on making these Tiny Films. I wish that more people stop and just observe the small seemingly insignificant things. Especially in today's fast paced world.
Peace, Love and WearAwesomeSocks
ridhojeftha
Mission Ignition #6: Portfolio Connect
University is the perfect time to experiment, expand and grow.
There are so many students who are looking for any opportunities to build up their portfolios. In the Film and Media department, during my undergrad, there were a lot of students who were creating short films just to build up a portfolio. At University you are surrounded by a group of people who's willing to do the work in order to create something, anything, that shows off their skills.
Sometimes I would be working on a video just for the fun (or perhaps to learn a certain skill). I often require the help of other artists to make a 'good looking' final product that we can actually show. It will therefore be more exciting to work with passionate artists who want to collaborate as opposed to paying someone to do it. There is however no way of knowing about other artists who want to work on fun side projects.
Relevant Question: What is there was a way to connect to people with different skills/talents in order to collaborate?
Potential Solution: Enter Portfolio Connect.
The goal is to put artists in contact with one another, especially at a University level. In a previous post I explored the possibility of a "Portfolio" system. In this post I will expand on this system by including this "connection"-method.
I would therefore post on this site that I am interested in creating short/funny videos in a UCT setting and that I'm looking for a cinematographer to join my project. I could then upload a 'request' to the site explaining the type of project I am working on and what I am looking for. This could be a video or text request. I should be able to upload images, sketches, video or audio that give the other users an idea of what I am working on.
Before choosing to CONNECT, the users can view each other's public profiles using the existing Portfolio system. The addition of a 'rating' feature could be explored as a security measure when choosing to meet people. The Portfolio system will have to be adapted to account for 'shared' work.
An example of how the 'request' page of a user could look.
The nature of the system, prevents it from being implemented intuitively on existing social media networks such as Facebook or Twitter. It could be implemented by having a certain hashtag but that might become messy quite quickly as you would have to sift through a stream of tweets to see what people are doing. The format of a website with profiles would be more intuitive to use.
Mission Ignition:
This blog series is based on the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation’s Ignitions program. This type of ignition is known as a Questioning Lens Ignition. The Questioning Lens will help you look at the situation more critically, with a view to practicing the identification of inefficiencies and thinking of solutions. Imagine you are wearing a massive pair of glasses, called the Questioning Lens, through which you view the situation.
After identifying a potential inefficiency, ask relevant questions that will lead to a potential innovative and realistic solution to address the problem. Apply your thinking to provide a potential solution.
the experiments of ridhojeftha
#4: Next Time
This video I made during my third year. I was studying for a Games test and felt like recording. What resulted was a story about the infamous 'night before'. We've all been there. It's that night when you have a test or a project due on the following day and you're still busy studying/finishing the project.
It's not a night anyone plans for and it keeps on coming back to visit.