Supa Dupa Pecha Kucha
Animated GIFS and the Internet
The internet has a long-standing history of both compassion and regret for the animated GIF.
First, an animated GIF is nothing more than a Graphics Interchange Format image, which was one of the first image formats for the web, that has been programmed to progress in a series of frames.
This image, for example, is a 6-frame animation which has been directly lifted from the 1985 Nintendo game "Super Mario Bros" and it repeats. It is actually 16x16px originally, but has been enlarged to be about 300x300px. It contains 3 different colors: a dark brown, a light brown, and black.
Facebook does not allow animated GIFs to run as animations. Instead, an imported animation will remain as the first frame only.
MySpace used to allow animated GIFs and they took over. In fact many said that it made the site appear too abrasive in general.
Twitter at one point allowed animated GIFs as profile images, but this ceased to be allowed. If you installed an animated GIF prior to November 2012, then it works. But after that point, the service ceased to allow them.
Google+ allows animated GIFs to function as profile icons. That is sort of a plus. Because while some animated GIFs can be abrasive, if they're produced correctly they can be quite interesting. Also, with the disadvantage of IOS (all iPads and iPhones) not allowing Adobe Flash Player to run, making Flash animations unseen on those devices, animated GIFs have a special place in those circumstances.
First, an animated GIF is nothing more than a Graphics Interchange Format image, which was one of the first image formats for the web, that has been programmed to progress in a series of frames.
Facebook does not allow animated GIFs to run as animations. Instead, an imported animation will remain as the first frame only.
MySpace used to allow animated GIFs and they took over. In fact many said that it made the site appear too abrasive in general.
Twitter at one point allowed animated GIFs as profile images, but this ceased to be allowed. If you installed an animated GIF prior to November 2012, then it works. But after that point, the service ceased to allow them.
Google+ allows animated GIFs to function as profile icons. That is sort of a plus. Because while some animated GIFs can be abrasive, if they're produced correctly they can be quite interesting. Also, with the disadvantage of IOS (all iPads and iPhones) not allowing Adobe Flash Player to run, making Flash animations unseen on those devices, animated GIFs have a special place in those circumstances.
First Experiment: Featuring "Galaga"
SupaMural Stopmotion 1 from StereoMedia.Org on Vimeo.
We worked today at a studio in Erector Square, former site of the A.C. Gilbert Company, for the project to begin pioneering some new techniques. We're currently troubleshooting some of the issues with paint, because as you can see, every time you paint over the old image to re-locate it to the left or right, it requires the use of more white paint. After a couple of times doing this, it can get pretty soppy. These are issues that will be addressed at the next discussion.
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| Spotlight Camera |
During this troubleshooting period, we're using hand-cut stencils on a limited basis. Learned a bunch about labelling these images.
Stopmotion is the process of taking a series of images with objects on screen in different positions. This can be done with clay, pen and ink, legomen, and in this case, stencilled spraypaint.
Keep in mind that the complexity of the installation is mainly in the way that the art is applied / re-applied. This can be prepared for by predicting the challenges, and then more challenges will be discovered when you actually start experimenting with different techniques.
A storage system of organizing these smaller version 8x10 stencils (where 1px=1cm, in these cases) are held in a 3-ring binder. The stencils, before they're painted, look quite neat. Organizing the stencils themselves by layers, and with names (such that the "Fighter" object stencil indicates which way is up, and the chronology of each layer is indicated by a number in the upper left hand corner), does the best way of keeping the project organized if you're working with a team or a group.
Stay tuned and we'll learn ya more about Supa.
Concrete Goals
Project budget is extremely reasonable, considering the scope of the project. That's not to say that more people can contribute or benefit from the available rewards. Here's the link to that page.
Public Arts Projects
Animated Wall.
Create a series of stencils based on the shapes from actual games.
Then re-create scenes from classic games using stencils.
Use a camera to create a series of images for use in a stop-motion film.
Note: The Wall Will Not Remain Animated When We Leave The Room.
In Fact, Note that The Wall Was Never Moving. It's a Camera Trick.
But It's Extremely Time Consuming. That's Why It Looks Cool On Film.
Proposed Location: ArtSpace
Status: Invited (awaiting funding)
Macro Wall.
Large-Scale Wall (30' Minimal). Exactly precise to the original game.
Proposed images are still being considered. Email SupaMural@Gmail to suggest.
Proposed Location: None Selected
Status: None
Educational Products
A kit which allows you to produce your own SupaMural in your hometown on any sanctioned space.
Includes all of the information necessary to create your own animated 8 bit street art.
Website
A reference center full of all the information necessary to produce your own.
You're reading it right now, actually.
Book
Basically the information on the website, formatted neatly for a coffeetable. Educational information about the history of computers and gets into some of the graphics analysis that takes place in the art program.
Video
Based on the art project. Fosters the political message and explores some of the sociocultural evolution which has happened around videogames, as well as the history of computers and consoles. A better description would probably not be a bad idea.
The budget has been devised to break even, so that the work takes care of itself. Sounds like a ton of work for $2500 but kids at coffeeshops are working harder. It's just to break even.
Public Arts Projects
Animated Wall.
Create a series of stencils based on the shapes from actual games.
Then re-create scenes from classic games using stencils.
Use a camera to create a series of images for use in a stop-motion film.
Note: The Wall Will Not Remain Animated When We Leave The Room.
In Fact, Note that The Wall Was Never Moving. It's a Camera Trick.
But It's Extremely Time Consuming. That's Why It Looks Cool On Film.
Proposed Location: ArtSpace
Status: Invited (awaiting funding)
Macro Wall.
Large-Scale Wall (30' Minimal). Exactly precise to the original game.
Proposed images are still being considered. Email SupaMural@Gmail to suggest.
Proposed Location: None Selected
Status: None
Educational Products
A kit which allows you to produce your own SupaMural in your hometown on any sanctioned space.
Includes all of the information necessary to create your own animated 8 bit street art.
Website
A reference center full of all the information necessary to produce your own.
You're reading it right now, actually.
Book
Basically the information on the website, formatted neatly for a coffeetable. Educational information about the history of computers and gets into some of the graphics analysis that takes place in the art program.
Video
Based on the art project. Fosters the political message and explores some of the sociocultural evolution which has happened around videogames, as well as the history of computers and consoles. A better description would probably not be a bad idea.
The budget has been devised to break even, so that the work takes care of itself. Sounds like a ton of work for $2500 but kids at coffeeshops are working harder. It's just to break even.
Your Questions: Addressed!
From Cliff Bailey on Google Plus:
Hi there, this sounds like a great idea. I co-own and edit for a video production company. If there is any support or any ideas I can help with please don't hesitate to ask! Good luck with it!
Thanks Cliff. Maybe if you can share the information about the project with your crowd, it might actually happen. Then we can get into the specifics of the film editing.
We've decided to work on a 1px = 1cm scale. The first stencils for a beta test have been cut, and our test project is "Galaga." It's sort of like a space invaders game.
The scene we're going to try to re-enact is one where the fighter zaps a bluebug, so they're called, and then the warper (another character) essentially lays out a tractor beam.
We're still estimating frame rate.
This "test pilot" will be part of the featured video. Again, we're encouraging other groups to try it as part of the continuous 'retro/vintage' movement that perpetuates gaming. We think that it's better than violent games. It's kind of an 'art game' of sorts for people to play, and that's even better. There is a strong contingent of parents out there that would agree with that philosophy.
But we're way behind schedule in funding. We don't do anything unless people want to see it happen. Crowdsource funding is essentially the world saying, collectively, 'we want this to happen.'
Hopeful that has convinced you to participate in funding.
If not, perhaps consider sharing the link to kickstarter to interested parties.
Hi there, this sounds like a great idea. I co-own and edit for a video production company. If there is any support or any ideas I can help with please don't hesitate to ask! Good luck with it!
We've decided to work on a 1px = 1cm scale. The first stencils for a beta test have been cut, and our test project is "Galaga." It's sort of like a space invaders game.
The scene we're going to try to re-enact is one where the fighter zaps a bluebug, so they're called, and then the warper (another character) essentially lays out a tractor beam.
We're still estimating frame rate.
This "test pilot" will be part of the featured video. Again, we're encouraging other groups to try it as part of the continuous 'retro/vintage' movement that perpetuates gaming. We think that it's better than violent games. It's kind of an 'art game' of sorts for people to play, and that's even better. There is a strong contingent of parents out there that would agree with that philosophy.
But we're way behind schedule in funding. We don't do anything unless people want to see it happen. Crowdsource funding is essentially the world saying, collectively, 'we want this to happen.'
Hopeful that has convinced you to participate in funding.
If not, perhaps consider sharing the link to kickstarter to interested parties.
Field Trip Recommendations
Plus people gotta remember about the classics.
What could be more important than a guy with a hat on sideways with some big shades on, and a pair of binoculars? Not much you might say.
The image below, the binoculars, were lifted from a videogame which came out in the 1980's. It's a great design. Examine the patterns and symmetry. You'll be challenged to depict 'binoculars' using fewer pixels.
That's a part of the academic portion of Supamural. It's not just an art project. It's a study into the earliest days during the evolution of videogames.
Field Trip Recommendations
Are you from a different geographic region? Recommend a quality vintage arcade by sending an email with Subject:Classic Arcade in (Your Region). Mailto:SupaMural@Gmail.Com
More than an Art Project. It's a Movement.
Join us in New Haven this April 17th at Bentara, a Malaysian restaurant where the lead designer for the project will explain the goals and structure for the movement behind street artists producing 8bit graphics that are directly lifted from videogames.
This is not about a retro-obsessed gamer who wants to force his or her own personal aesthetic preferences into everybody's lives. Well, maybe a little; you can decide. It's supposed to really be about getting back to basics, and away from some of the chaos of where we are currently in the 21st century.
Not going to give away the entire speech right now. If this is something you want to know more about, then by all means, attend the Pecha Kucha event, next Wednesday, and see what this art movement is all about.
For A Social Cause
How It Inspires
The goal is to get kids to watch this video and learn something about videogame processors and the evolutionary history of computers, within the context of understanding programming language itself. The video will also describe and break down some of the elements of animation within videogames, using popular classics as examples.
Further inspiration will come from the street art to be produced as a promotion for the video. One piece might be 50' tall. Another could be just a mere 15' in height. There definitely will be an animated game to be used as an example in the lesson of stop motion photography, one of the subjects to be explained and dissected within the arts educational framework for the video.
Please Fund This Project! This isn't being pitched exactly as a Sandy Hook benefit or anything, but there's a belief that this approach could have some kind of a positive impact on teenagers; maybe on society as a whole, by encouraging people to re-familiarize themselves with the ancient classics of videogames.
This is a good example of what we're talking about here. This is one of the scariest dudes ever from Super Mario. He's like a dragon and he has spikes and he shoots flames. Yet still it really doesn't translate the same way subconsciously as many of the popular military simulation games out there.
Take a look also at the blocky nature of the shapes. These are pixellated because the original graphic is so incredibly small. When you enlarge the image, you can see where the actual placement for each pixel is supposed to be.
You can learn more about Pixels by reading further into this blog. Thanks!
What We're Up Against
Ultraviolent videogames are those in which you kill everyone on the planet until you are the last person alive. It's a murderous fantasy played out by countless of our youth, and some of them counted among the ranks of Americans are serving life sentences (or death sentences) for acting out these fantasies in public. One thing that all of these young people had in common was an obsession with first-person shooters.
Article from NY Times about studying the effects of playing violent video games from Feb. 11 2013 expresses while there's no guarantee that violent videogames compel antisocial psychopathic behavior, it will cause them to dish out more hot sauce [read article].
Call of Duty 4 had a marketing budget which could be estimated in the tens of millions. While there's no way to compete with that fortune, it makes sense to create street art in favor of a newfound familiarity with classic videogames, with the interest of promoting those games with the same fervent intensity as the epic epidemics invading teenagers' brains with increasingly more incredible weaponry.
Not to set foot in this like a Low Jeeberman (Senator from CT) because being a cranky old guy who wants to invade Iraq and eliminate swear words from Rap music is not a priority. But to take a stance in a creative, artistic way that inspires people, not one that limits the public to certain behavior by laws, but one which inspires the youth to get intrigued by something more interesting.
Further inspiration will come from the street art to be produced as a promotion for the video. One piece might be 50' tall. Another could be just a mere 15' in height. There definitely will be an animated game to be used as an example in the lesson of stop motion photography, one of the subjects to be explained and dissected within the arts educational framework for the video.
Please Fund This Project! This isn't being pitched exactly as a Sandy Hook benefit or anything, but there's a belief that this approach could have some kind of a positive impact on teenagers; maybe on society as a whole, by encouraging people to re-familiarize themselves with the ancient classics of videogames.
Take a look also at the blocky nature of the shapes. These are pixellated because the original graphic is so incredibly small. When you enlarge the image, you can see where the actual placement for each pixel is supposed to be.
You can learn more about Pixels by reading further into this blog. Thanks!
What We're Up Against
Article from NY Times about studying the effects of playing violent video games from Feb. 11 2013 expresses while there's no guarantee that violent videogames compel antisocial psychopathic behavior, it will cause them to dish out more hot sauce [read article].
Call of Duty 4 had a marketing budget which could be estimated in the tens of millions. While there's no way to compete with that fortune, it makes sense to create street art in favor of a newfound familiarity with classic videogames, with the interest of promoting those games with the same fervent intensity as the epic epidemics invading teenagers' brains with increasingly more incredible weaponry.
Not to set foot in this like a Low Jeeberman (Senator from CT) because being a cranky old guy who wants to invade Iraq and eliminate swear words from Rap music is not a priority. But to take a stance in a creative, artistic way that inspires people, not one that limits the public to certain behavior by laws, but one which inspires the youth to get intrigued by something more interesting.
Funding Overview
Supamural is a conceptual art project which has only been done once before (by a penguin). The project seeks to re-create scenes from classic videogames using stencils and stop motion photography. But this is more than just an art project. It's also a challenge to whichever group is doing it.
Funding will go towards the personal time expended for the project, as well as for supplies and materials. Time invested will be the equivalent of 4 full work weeks. Additional support will go towards additional murals.
Screen resolution has improved immensely. On an old Nintendo Game, you were able to use only 13 colors at a time. This was to fit in a 256 by 256 canvas. Whereas today, a videogame can have millions of colors, on a screen with millions of pixels.
Hyper-Realism is when something computer generated looks more real than something in real life. Here is an actual tank in Syria. Note how adding pixellated 8 bit graphics takes away from the hyper-realism.
The goal is to produce an educational film about videogames. As well as to produce a conceptual art project for groups to re-create. It will contain original 8 bit graphics that people can identify. Files will be made so that these images can be cut out by a plotter cutter on sheets to be used as stencils.
It's a regimented series of tasks, from extracting graphics, to cutting shapes, to organizing the stencils. That's just the preparation work. A background needs to be prepared, and the end result will be a video we can use to help promote and encourage young people to try these awesome classic games.
This is the right time for this, too. Right now, if you were born in 1970, you're about 40 or so. If you had kids in your 30's they're probably just entering their teens. Classic games are making the transition from retro to vintage right now as we speak.
We'd like to make these plans available to art teachers around the country, for teachers who are interested in creating something of the same caliber and quality. All that you need are the instructions, and that's what conceptual art is. Let's educate kids and fight back against hyper-realistic ultraviolent games with 8bit classic memories of a time when life was simpler and games were still just as fun.
Funding will go towards the personal time expended for the project, as well as for supplies and materials. Time invested will be the equivalent of 4 full work weeks. Additional support will go towards additional murals.
Computers have evolved rapidly in the past 20 years. The computers of today are now more than 150,000 times faster in processor speed, with 15,000 times as much random access memory than their predecessors. Processing speed and RAM have evolved tremendously. It makes it still more amazing that game designers in the 80's were capable of creating the games they made, considering the limitations.
The most basic level of any computer image, regardless of when it was created, is thepixel. It's a single colored square.
You should seriously consider helping to fund this project.
Because videogames have been evolving with the rest of the technology.
Because videogames have been evolving with the rest of the technology.
There's something called "Conceptual Art." That's where you create a set of plans for people to follow. Meaning that you create not just an art project for yourself, but something that can be repeated by other groups.
Participants will also learn about game design and game theory. And game design. For example the Galaga ship is only 16 pixels by 16 pixels in 3 colors.
The project goal is to re-enact a scene from a classic videogame. But the wall needs to be essentially "programmed" the same way the game is in order for the stop motion video to work correctly. All parameters must be taken into consideration.
This won't be an easy task, however. It will involve lots of organizing and planning. For example, the frame of each object and the position of that image relative to its previous position must be carefully planned, for every object on screen in order for the entire video to appear to be fully animated.
This is the right time for this, too. Nothing beautifies a neighborhood like an 8-bit flying fish. And the minds of our youth today are trapped in some kind of guarded fortress. We must develop a strategy to bring them out into a safer environment.
This project won't cost a fortune. $2500 should be enough to get one done correctly. More funding will result in better work, certainly, but if there is enough support, we'll do more of these. There are some pretty cool rewards available.
Magical World
The idea? To install 8Bit graphics as street art, directly lifted from videogames. Like computer code, these images must be precisely interpreted in order for visuals to "work" correctly, with your support.
Project Goals
Ultra-violent hyper-realistic videogames are all the rage these days. Literally in certain cases. It's been noted that with regards to many of the more concerning moments in recent history, that the perpetrators of the most violent crimes were obsessed with first-person shooter games.
The very first videogames were extremely limited by the abilities of the processors at the time. Still these games were loved by millions. This project seeks to reintroduce the public to the imagery from those games, which is basic in nature, sometimes only 16 by 16 pixels, but still very familiar.
- Educate the youth of today about the first generation of videogames.
- Beautify urban areas with familiar art that remains familiar in everyones' minds.
- Reinforce the importance of non-violence in videogames as a social cause.
This project seeks to re-establish the classic age of videogames, during the 1980's, as a way of encouraging young people to explore that world.
Process Chronology
Raise Funds
Obviously you can't have an awesome art installation project without funds being raised.
If the goals are met, then the rest of the steps can be proceeded to.
Extract Graphics
Take game screen shots and save as transparent Png and increase the scale by 1600%
Export to Cutter Platform
Cut images by programming a machine, using .4 Mylar 4'x5' Sheets.
Get Wall
ArtSpace in New Haven has offered a nice-sized 6' by 4' wall for the project.
Paint Project
Using the techniques described in this site, the artwork will be applied to the wall.
Animate Project
Using other techniques also described in this site, animations will be created.
Take Stop Motion Photography
Make a video using animation in stop motion art.
Make Educational Film
Use the stop motion and other materials to create an educational film about art, videogames, computers, and programming.
Cut-outs will be produced with help from Channel1Online.Com
Indoor Installation This Summer with space offered by ArtSpace
Funding and Support Provided By You (Hopefully)
Really hope that you'll find this project worth funding.
Paint Project
Using the techniques described in this site, the artwork will be applied to the wall.
Animate Project
Using other techniques also described in this site, animations will be created.
Take Stop Motion Photography
Make a video using animation in stop motion art.
Make Educational Film
Use the stop motion and other materials to create an educational film about art, videogames, computers, and programming.
Thanks and Credit
Much Thanks to Lou Cox and the New Haven Community
Indoor Installation This Summer with space offered by ArtSpace
Much Thanks to Helen, Mike, Shannon, JP and everyone at Artspace
The Expressed Support and Interest of Stereomedia
Thanks to Sol Lewitt installer Will Reynolds for help and inspiration
Thanks to Kyle Skar, Architect, for problem-solving support
Links and Support
Funding and Support Provided By You (Hopefully)
Really hope that you'll find this project worth funding.
Games and Emulators
You can play original 80's games on your computer, whether it's a Mac or PC. They're free, via this great online resource: Nestopia. To find the actual games, you can go to CoolRoms. Have fun!And if you want to get really crazy with it and kick it immensely Old School, try getting this awesome USB controller which will give you the true experience of playing some of these original games.
You can learn more about Emulators.
Kickstarter Rewards
$1: The satisfaction of knowing you helped create an awesome video. You will be notified of the URL when the film is complete. It will contain the stopmotion animation of 8-Bit videogames that we pioneered.
$5: Secret URL to hidden SpacePirate.Co.Uk music from Stereomedia.Org
$10: Password and secret URL to "Progress Page" as the process evolves.
$15: Cassette Tape Recorded and made directly by the one known as Spacepirate.Co.Uk
$25: Ticket to screening of educational film. To be held in New Haven, CT on a weekday night in early October. Exact location is undecided. Film will be 45 minutes long.
$75: Magazine-style edition of plans for the project, with accompanying DVD which will contain all of the plans for how to create your own SupaMural.
$100: 8" by 10" paper-sized stencil of 8bit object to be used as demonstrated in the short film.
$100: Paid Internship. Host a paid intern for the day. Cost covers personal expenses and labor for one day. You will get an email describing who your funding benefited, and what they did to help create the finished product.
$200: Hardcover Book version of plans for the project, with accompanying DVD which will contain all of the plans for how to create your own SupaMural.
$500: 3' x 4' canvas of still frame from the art project. Item depends on which project is voted for.
Books and magazine print material ($75 reward, $200 reward) will be produced on Blurb.
Material for each of these will be somewhat different, although some content will be the same.
Whereas the Stencils and cut-outs will be produced by Channel1Online.
Visit Kickstarter Page
$5: Secret URL to hidden SpacePirate.Co.Uk music from Stereomedia.Org
$10: Password and secret URL to "Progress Page" as the process evolves.
$15: Cassette Tape Recorded and made directly by the one known as Spacepirate.Co.Uk
$25: Ticket to screening of educational film. To be held in New Haven, CT on a weekday night in early October. Exact location is undecided. Film will be 45 minutes long.
$75: Magazine-style edition of plans for the project, with accompanying DVD which will contain all of the plans for how to create your own SupaMural.
$100: 8" by 10" paper-sized stencil of 8bit object to be used as demonstrated in the short film.
$100: Paid Internship. Host a paid intern for the day. Cost covers personal expenses and labor for one day. You will get an email describing who your funding benefited, and what they did to help create the finished product.
$200: Hardcover Book version of plans for the project, with accompanying DVD which will contain all of the plans for how to create your own SupaMural.
$500: 3' x 4' canvas of still frame from the art project. Item depends on which project is voted for.
Books and magazine print material ($75 reward, $200 reward) will be produced on Blurb.
Material for each of these will be somewhat different, although some content will be the same.
Whereas the Stencils and cut-outs will be produced by Channel1Online.
Visit Kickstarter Page
Legend Of Zelda (parts)
This game was made by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka in 1986.
Link
Flame
Sword
Spider (yellow)
Spider (blue)
Here are some of the original graphics:
LinkFlame SwordSpider (yellow)Spider (blue)
These are really small. They will be enlarged soon.
Castles
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| Level One |
 |
| Level 7 |
Some of the graphics and maps were extracted by NesMaps.Com
Creating the Graphics.
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| This looks like a printer, but it actually cuts things. |
The images from the videogames are incredibly small. In fact, many of them are only 16 pixels by pixels. To compare, the computer screen on an iPhone4 is 960 pixels by 640 pixels.
In order to make these images precise, and still much larger, the best way to do this is to essentially cut them out of stencils. And why do that by hand when you can program a machine to do it for you?
The files that will appear on this page will be the Illustrator (AI) files that you can use on your own graphics vinyl cutting printer. They'll be the same files used in the project, if funding is successful.
The files that will appear on this page will be the Illustrator (AI) files that you can use on your own graphics vinyl cutting printer. They'll be the same files used in the project, if funding is successful.
Adobe Illustrator file types will be used for the cutting of the stencils. The standard feature "Export Screenshot" from the Nestopia Emulator for Macintosh will be used to obtain the graphics. Different frames will be extracted by timing the shortcut keys (ctrl+s). These will then be enlarged to the specified size (1px = 2" or 3" approximately), due to the restraints for the particular cutter that we'll be using.
Altogether, it will be a good resource if you are a teacher and you have access to one of these machines and would like to create this sort of project for your school or art group in your area. Files will be folders full of .AI files for cutting shapes pertaining to the games (identified by the name of the folder).
Kickstarter Page
You can contribute to this project simply by visiting the Kickstarter page. It's a very simple to understand platform for fundraising.
If the project gets funded, then you get rewards. If it is not funded, then none of the potential supporters get pay a fee.
Meanwhile feel free to learn more about classic 8-Bit games here on this website. The educational part of the site is free!
If the project goes over funding by some degree, and more people choose to support it than has been budgeted ($2500), then additional 8-Bit murals will probably be created.
Check out some of the features, watch videos, and learn more!
View the Full Kickstarter Fundraising Page
View the Full Kickstarter Fundraising Page
Kickstarter $200 Award
The textbooks will be produced by "Blurb" and be of a hardcover 8x10 quality feel. This is an example of what the book will look like (video).
The book will be approximately 30 pages in length, and contain relevant information pertaining to the evolution of games, as well as the importance of udnerstanding "the classics;" both an anthropological and culturally relevant history of the human mind as it became first locked into interaction with computers in the form of some of the earliest video games.
Award for $200 contribution.
The book will be approximately 30 pages in length, and contain relevant information pertaining to the evolution of games, as well as the importance of udnerstanding "the classics;" both an anthropological and culturally relevant history of the human mind as it became first locked into interaction with computers in the form of some of the earliest video games.
Award for $200 contribution.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Has this really never been done before?
8-Bit graphics have been adopted into street art before.
8-Bit graphics have been adopted into street art before.
Here's a link to the only other example I could find.
2. Do you have a wall picked out?
Not yet. Probably somewhere in New Haven, CT unless you would like to offer a space elsewhere.
Looking for something south-facing with good foot traffic exposure.
3. How big will the project be?
Estimating that the characters for the animation will be probably about 36" tall, approximately.
Meaning that the whole size should be more than 10' tall by 50' wide in all likelihood.
4. It's not going to move when it's done, though?
The wall will be left "as-is" on the last day of animating. We might pick a phenomenal "action scene" to leave it set to. Groups who have obtained the Conceptual Art plans will be able to use those plans to continue animating the wall in the future, hopefully becoming part of an art program for a local high school in the area. That's part of the educational cause behind it.
5. Contact Info?
Yes, contact Stereomedia@Gmail.Com if you would like more information or to speak to the organizer directly. You can also tweet to @StereoUSA as well.
2. Do you have a wall picked out?
Not yet. Probably somewhere in New Haven, CT unless you would like to offer a space elsewhere.
Looking for something south-facing with good foot traffic exposure.
3. How big will the project be?
Estimating that the characters for the animation will be probably about 36" tall, approximately.
Meaning that the whole size should be more than 10' tall by 50' wide in all likelihood.
4. It's not going to move when it's done, though?
The wall will be left "as-is" on the last day of animating. We might pick a phenomenal "action scene" to leave it set to. Groups who have obtained the Conceptual Art plans will be able to use those plans to continue animating the wall in the future, hopefully becoming part of an art program for a local high school in the area. That's part of the educational cause behind it.
5. Contact Info?
Yes, contact Stereomedia@Gmail.Com if you would like more information or to speak to the organizer directly. You can also tweet to @StereoUSA as well.
Super Results, Super Plan
Preface
In the wake of Quake, Doom, and even Wolfenstein 3D, we found ourselves at the beginning of this century in a world of violent video games. After the tragedies of Columbine and more recently in Sandy Hook, we saw a direct connection between young people who played violent video games obsessively, and their actions which were uncommon.
If you don't think violent games are bad for your health, and you need more documentation, you can read this article and this article. This art project seeks to fulfill the mission of successfully encouraging children and young adults to rediscover these games which arrived before their time.
What concerns many parents is that their own children might become obsessed with violent 3-dimensional fighting games and realistic shoot-em-ups. And they have every right to be concerned. If you don't think violent games are bad for your health, and you need more documentation, you can read this article and this article. They're even having violent video game buybacks.
One of the goals of this project is to re-popularize the first original games from the 1980's (and 1970's, in some cases). The object is to bring these games "to life" as art, and make these young kids want to try to play them, rather than the modern games, regardless of how clunky the graphics are, or how basic the game play is.
This speaks to a larger extent about how not all new technology is technically better for society, even if the graphics and processors are more advanced. The lessons I learned, as a kid in the 1980's, were about hand-eye coordination and belief in self. Bouncing off the turtle shell of a koopa to avoid the narrowest of pits is a harrowing escape (8-3 Mario 1). But the underlying laws of physics were already written into the game.
As Conceptual Art
This art project resembles the classic definition of "conceptual art." That is, it is a set of instructions for anyone to follow. But just as in the games themselves, you must be skillful to "win" the game. Because the program is exceptionally difficult.
Here are the things you must consider. First, the goal of the game is not just to re-create a frame from a video game on a wall using spray paint and stencils. The goal is actually to animate an original scene, using the correct colors, dimensions, and behaviors, correct to the precise pixel. This can be extremely difficult and that's why these instructions are important.
Throughout the process, there are steps which involve physical labor (the actual painting, for example), and computer labor (the removal of the images from the games using graphics software). There is also some technical skill required (programming the cutting machine to create the stencils), and some art skills. Being able to complete this project successfully is extremely difficult.
As Classic Art Technique
Once the stencils are cut, they must be utilized as layers to produce the exact "pixel-for-pixel" appearance from the game. That requires organizational skills, as stencils are labelled in groups called "objects" and "layers" (these terminologies are from the Flipbook Island program).
These must be laid precisely in the proper order every time. Sufficient time duration for drying behind layers is also necessary to prevent smearing during the short period of time when spray paint is still wet.
About the Use of Spray Paint
Spraypaint is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas[1]. Many of those particles or droplets are harmful to human beings. All participants (volunteers) will sign waivers demonstrating that they understand the health risks involved, and all will be required to have proper ventilation equipment.
Order of Operations
Programming The Wall
The wall is to be "programmed" the same way that the game is. If Mario jumps, he only can reach a height of (x pixels). If he jumps while running, he's able to reach a different jump height (y pixels), in fact his motion is very precisely set to a series of imaginarily hyper-realistic parameters.
Not bad game programming for 1986. Not for a game which opened the eyes of the world to the imaginary world inside of videogames.
Regarding the Original Companies and Ownership of Images
For the first print of the book, we will use whatever images we have available because it will be for a private audience of art project funders. Contributing to the Kickstarter (April 2013) does not mean that you are buying a book. You are funding an art project which will be photographed and made into a book, on the popular web platform "Blurb." Therefore the images which are licensed to the respective companies will have
Copyrights
If a company is to send a letter of Cease and Desist for an image pertaining to a videogame graphic, the response will be a profuse apology and the removal of any instance of that game from our website and a message will be sent throughout the network system to stop playing that particular game.
The alternative to this would be to find a way to market the original emulator games and for the industry (particularly Nintendo) to endorse the project as a positive thing for the perception of their contribution to positive games, which would attribute to a healthier video game industry, as well as a mentally more healthy society.
Our Team
Will Reynolds is an installer of Sol Lewitt pieces at Mass MoCa and at the Yale University Art Gallery. He's the director responsible for carrying out the instructions.
Kyle Skar is an architect. He will be overseeing the plot cutting of the stencils.
Ian Applegate is an animator and videographer. And he writes in the third person.
We will also have a team of volunteers. The rate will be $50/day for volunteers, with a maximum of 5 hours of time per day for their usage and help. The final amount on the KickStarter can help determine the number of volunteers.
Apply To Join
Contact Stereomedia@Gmail.Com to join this project. Include your work as attachment. All submisions are confidential.
In the wake of Quake, Doom, and even Wolfenstein 3D, we found ourselves at the beginning of this century in a world of violent video games. After the tragedies of Columbine and more recently in Sandy Hook, we saw a direct connection between young people who played violent video games obsessively, and their actions which were uncommon.
If you don't think violent games are bad for your health, and you need more documentation, you can read this article and this article. This art project seeks to fulfill the mission of successfully encouraging children and young adults to rediscover these games which arrived before their time.
What concerns many parents is that their own children might become obsessed with violent 3-dimensional fighting games and realistic shoot-em-ups. And they have every right to be concerned. If you don't think violent games are bad for your health, and you need more documentation, you can read this article and this article. They're even having violent video game buybacks.
One of the goals of this project is to re-popularize the first original games from the 1980's (and 1970's, in some cases). The object is to bring these games "to life" as art, and make these young kids want to try to play them, rather than the modern games, regardless of how clunky the graphics are, or how basic the game play is.
This speaks to a larger extent about how not all new technology is technically better for society, even if the graphics and processors are more advanced. The lessons I learned, as a kid in the 1980's, were about hand-eye coordination and belief in self. Bouncing off the turtle shell of a koopa to avoid the narrowest of pits is a harrowing escape (8-3 Mario 1). But the underlying laws of physics were already written into the game.
As Conceptual Art
This art project resembles the classic definition of "conceptual art." That is, it is a set of instructions for anyone to follow. But just as in the games themselves, you must be skillful to "win" the game. Because the program is exceptionally difficult.
Here are the things you must consider. First, the goal of the game is not just to re-create a frame from a video game on a wall using spray paint and stencils. The goal is actually to animate an original scene, using the correct colors, dimensions, and behaviors, correct to the precise pixel. This can be extremely difficult and that's why these instructions are important.
Throughout the process, there are steps which involve physical labor (the actual painting, for example), and computer labor (the removal of the images from the games using graphics software). There is also some technical skill required (programming the cutting machine to create the stencils), and some art skills. Being able to complete this project successfully is extremely difficult.
As Classic Art Technique
Once the stencils are cut, they must be utilized as layers to produce the exact "pixel-for-pixel" appearance from the game. That requires organizational skills, as stencils are labelled in groups called "objects" and "layers" (these terminologies are from the Flipbook Island program).
These must be laid precisely in the proper order every time. Sufficient time duration for drying behind layers is also necessary to prevent smearing during the short period of time when spray paint is still wet.
About the Use of Spray Paint
Spraypaint is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas[1]. Many of those particles or droplets are harmful to human beings. All participants (volunteers) will sign waivers demonstrating that they understand the health risks involved, and all will be required to have proper ventilation equipment.
Order of Operations
- May 1-14: Determine Game, Select Scene (google form survey)
a. Decide on a game. Choose from a variety of options:
Super Mario Bros
MegaMan
Galaga
Bubble Bobble
b. Pick a screen or a sequence which is approximately 10 seconds long.
Those are all the options we have available at the moment. - May 14: Determine All Background "Stationary" Shapes
a. Identify all parts of the background, including repeating "tesselate" patterns and shapes
b. Isolate these shapes using graphic design program Adobe Illustrator (see example files) - May 14-28: Determine All Foreground "Object" Shapes (including animated sequences).
a. Identify all parts of the objects in the selected game
b. Identify all animated sequences of objects
c. Isolate all objects and animated sequences and save as .AI files - June 3-10: Program the Cutter, Cut Shapes (8-10 hrs or 2 days)
a. Import AI files into a computer that is attached to a plotter cutter
b. Open files and cut files using .4 Mylar
c. Keep layers grouped as objects
d. Label all sheets by object name and layer number - June 11-30th: Design Plan (8-10 hrs or 2 days)
a. Use a "Frame Sheet" to determine the action in each frame
b. Use object names and animation frames to reference specifics.
c. Use "Map Sheet" to determine the geographic location of each object - July 4th-5th: Paint the Background for the Wall (8-10 hrs or 2 days)
a. Use outdoor paint and a roller to cover wide areas
b. Have matching aerosol paint for touch-ups later
c. Use background "Stationary" shapes. - July 6-30: Sequence Events (all day every day for a week / month).
a. Organize each frame based on the Design Plan in Step 7.
b. Complete still frame. Take image.
c. Erase frame. Repeat 9.
The length of the project, in its duration, is dependent on 9(c) which is "Repeat 9."
40-50 frames per day is a relatively high-demand output expectation but can be done. (?).
Programming The Wall
The wall is to be "programmed" the same way that the game is. If Mario jumps, he only can reach a height of (x pixels). If he jumps while running, he's able to reach a different jump height (y pixels), in fact his motion is very precisely set to a series of imaginarily hyper-realistic parameters.
Not bad game programming for 1986. Not for a game which opened the eyes of the world to the imaginary world inside of videogames.
Regarding the Original Companies and Ownership of Images
For the first print of the book, we will use whatever images we have available because it will be for a private audience of art project funders. Contributing to the Kickstarter (April 2013) does not mean that you are buying a book. You are funding an art project which will be photographed and made into a book, on the popular web platform "Blurb." Therefore the images which are licensed to the respective companies will have
Copyrights
If a company is to send a letter of Cease and Desist for an image pertaining to a videogame graphic, the response will be a profuse apology and the removal of any instance of that game from our website and a message will be sent throughout the network system to stop playing that particular game.
The alternative to this would be to find a way to market the original emulator games and for the industry (particularly Nintendo) to endorse the project as a positive thing for the perception of their contribution to positive games, which would attribute to a healthier video game industry, as well as a mentally more healthy society.
Our Team
Will Reynolds is an installer of Sol Lewitt pieces at Mass MoCa and at the Yale University Art Gallery. He's the director responsible for carrying out the instructions.
Kyle Skar is an architect. He will be overseeing the plot cutting of the stencils.
Ian Applegate is an animator and videographer. And he writes in the third person.
We will also have a team of volunteers. The rate will be $50/day for volunteers, with a maximum of 5 hours of time per day for their usage and help. The final amount on the KickStarter can help determine the number of volunteers.
Apply To Join
Contact Stereomedia@Gmail.Com to join this project. Include your work as attachment. All submisions are confidential.
Welcome Kyle and Will!
You're the only people who should know about this site, at this point, so I welcome you to understand what this project is about. It's primary ambition is to animate a scene from a classic videogame, verbatum, pixel for pixel, in precisely the same way it would appear in the game.
Take a look around. April is fundraising month and determines June. Let's try our best.
Take a look around. April is fundraising month and determines June. Let's try our best.
Layering Stencils Procedure
LAYERING
This particular cut-out is the bottom stencil, or the first layer. Generally the larger parts go first and the smaller (less area) stencils go afterwards.
Each "object" in the game is divided into different colored areas, to make stenciling simpler.
The reference point is usually 1,16 (x=1, y=16) or the top left corner of the stencil.
Many images, particularly glyphs pertaining to the gameplay, are often in the 16px range.
All graphics in Super Mural Bros is set to the very same scale. It's a pretty good system. Combine these two stencils (layer 1, layer 2)
Convert Hexidecimal to Spraypaint Colors
For animated "stop motion" photography to work in the context of "street art" it requires the use of aerosol paint, because it dries very quickly. In order to transfer the colors of original videogames over to the colors of spraypaint, you can evaluate this particular technique:
The project was previously referred to as "Supa Mural Bros." during its development phases.
The project was previously referred to as "Supa Mural Bros." during its development phases.
Bubble Bobble [Parts]
Colors Required
Light Blue x 2
Dark Blue x 2
Dark Purple x 1
Light Purple x 2
Dark Orange x 2
White x 1
Green x 3
Black x 1
This is for the smallest amount possible. For longer/larger projects, double/triple amounts of paint.
Use Pixel/Montana/Belton Chart for Assistance on Color Selection.
Template Required
A 16-pixel template is necessary to complete this project.
Background Information
Bubble Bobble was a pretty interesting game. You are a dinosaur, and if you are lucky, you have a friend (2-player simultaneous optional). There are other square beings out to get you. The first of which are robots. Later, sorcerers and other unimaginables. Carrots and other fruits and vegetables give you points. Points lead to extra lives.
Goal of Original Game
The goal of the game is to blow bubbles at your opponents, who become trapped in the bubbles. They are vulnerable to an attack whereby the bubble bursts, they become dizzy, and then land and disappear, sometimes revealing fruit (or vegetables).
Metaphors
We're not sure what this game is a metaphor for. I think it's about problem solving, although I have a difficult time believing that the same solution exists for both robots and sorcerers.
Skill-Building
Skill-Building
It builds stamina, in terms of ability to concentrate for lengthy periods of time. Successful games could end in levels which are up to the 100's. There is a final boss, and the game progresses in a manner which is not simply redundant, but nuanced in the slightest ways.
Legacy
It was followed by a similarly puzzling game, "Bust-A-Move," which also involved square dinosaurs and bubbles. That's fun! And now, it's a Super Mural Bros. project.
Scenes You Can Re-Create
Here are some videos you can use. Maybe you'll want to re-create one of these events. Use the stencils that you see in the above graphics. [Download] our templates, if you wish.
Nuances in the Animation
Bubble Bobble is a great place to start with a Super Mural Bros. project because the animation is relatively simple and easy, and the effect is gratifying just the same.
You'll find that the repetitive tesselate background images are easy to "copy and paste" (repeat stencil) over eachother, and that the non-scrolling aspect to the game is one of the easiest aspects of it.
When a bubble hits a character, it simply turns from this:
Into this, kind of suddenly:
You can be liberal in the manner with which you determine how to make this transition, because in the game it happens really fast and non-animated (meaning that you have the ability to make the gameplay appear more hyper-realistic in the animated mural, by paying attention to what was originally overlooked in the game.
Other aspects of the game are that little bits and pieces like to float around. Try to reverse the image on certain parts of the game to "alternate" the appearance. Be sure to animate the character using the two minor changes between positions while moving:
Note the Slight Subtle Difference in Tail and Foot Position:
Challenge Project
Try to animate the in-between-levels sequence.
(Precursor to Megaman Project).
(Precursor to Megaman Project).
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