When we stop asking questions, we stop improving…Assume there’s a better way. If there is, you’ll find it.
@BenArment bit.ly/izCj4i
When we stop asking questions, we stop improving…Assume there’s a better way. If there is,...
Posted on May 17th, 2011
@BenArment bit.ly/izCj4i
Android Pros
Posted on May 17th, 2011
No strings; GV; wireless tethering; 2.3 keybd is almost as great as voice-to-text
& if nothing else, the notification bar!
That’s my twitter-sized list of pros to add to to the list in the Lifehacker.com article:
lifehac.kr/kns36D
My HTC Aria is wonderfully smaller than iPhone, and has a battery life of 36hrs plus - I usually plug it in each night just to top it off; but I forgot last night and it still has 26% left!
That said, if some iPhone in the future ever can beat Android at these things, I’ll definitely consider returning to the phone platform I enjoyed using for 25mos.
Interestingly, I’m typing this on my iPad2. Of which I chose over all the Android options, because (at least for now) I believe it to be the superior tool.
Set the Table for the Creative Process
Posted on April 30th, 2011
I just read this quote by novelist Orhan Pamuk. I think it’s a great reminder to learn personal tricks of preparing oneself for creativity.
"In the mornings I used to say goodbye to my wife like someone going to work. I’d leave the house, walk around a few blocks, and come back like a person arriving at the office…The domestic rituals and details somehow kill the imagination."
Back in the swing of things with regular Production Meetings. Excited for coming...
Posted on April 28th, 2011
Back in the swing of things with regular Production Meetings. Excited for coming #ProductionDesign ideas!
Fun to have lunch with the team. Then, while not fun per se, at least we were together to finish tidying up the stage after the holiday and taking everything back to the warehouse. It feels good!
Good Friday 2011 Production Design
Posted on April 25th, 2011
Kensington Good Friday 2011
For Kensington's Good Friday service this year, there was a powerful moment at the end where live poses portraying scenes from the crucifixion were revealed. Until that moment, the audience had been taken on an artistic journey from walking in to simple beauty with a simple stage containing only a decorated table, a piano and string section, some candles, and screen.
The screen was the key to the design. It was the focal point for a powerful video early on in the day. It also supported songs and teaching with graphics with lyrics and scripture projected on it. However if that was all that it was used for, we would've just used a standard video screen.
Our screen was a custom frame for a RoseBrand Gray Sharkstooth Scrim. The *frame was built out of plywood and wrapped in Burgundy Pinched Taffeta for color and texture. The interior dimension was 19' wide and maintained a perfect 16:9 ratio for projection.
Behind the scrim was a 32" high 20'x8' stage with a cross (capable of supporting an actor) that rose 10' above that. Scrim is a magical material. It behaves much like a standard soft good when lit from the front. However, with only a simple lighting cue, actors are revealed in a stunning way.
The trick to achieving a Renaissance inspired scene is less **light, not more...
The Good Friday service is really only the secondary event for the holiday weekend. Easter is trump. I had to design the GF set to work on the same stage as Easter's. Much of Easter's design lived upstage of the closed mid traveler. The rest was hidden behind a temporary curtain made out of strips of RoseBrand Black Duvetyn. The double intent was to create a black void of negative space to allow the story focal points to pop.
They did. It was a powerful service.
*The frames were shipped to each of our five campuses in trailers; and therefore had to be shipped in 4 pieces and assembled at each location. The scrim was then stretched over cardboard and stapled into place.
**Because of the tight timeline (only a few hours!) that our portable campuses had for setting up and programming we rented 4 Martin Mac250s for every campus. This allowed us to fine tune our cues (specifically the nuanced cues for the poses) at Troy Campus' rehearsal and send a cue sheet and photos to the campuses. This let them quickly program in those values and be 95% there.
***We used no haze for this service. That's very rare for us, as haze is a prominent part of our brand. I wanted to create a sense of focus on what was being lit, rather than the beams of light.
For Kensington's Good Friday service this year, there was a powerful moment at the end where live poses portraying scenes from the crucifixion were revealed. Until that moment, the audience had been taken on an artistic journey from walking in to simple beauty with a simple stage containing only a decorated table, a piano and string section, some candles, and screen.
The screen was the key to the design. It was the focal point for a powerful video early on in the day. It also supported songs and teaching with graphics with lyrics and scripture projected on it. However if that was all that it was used for, we would've just used a standard video screen.
Our screen was a custom frame for a RoseBrand Gray Sharkstooth Scrim. The *frame was built out of plywood and wrapped in Burgundy Pinched Taffeta for color and texture. The interior dimension was 19' wide and maintained a perfect 16:9 ratio for projection.
Behind the scrim was a 32" high 20'x8' stage with a cross (capable of supporting an actor) that rose 10' above that. Scrim is a magical material. It behaves much like a standard soft good when lit from the front. However, with only a simple lighting cue, actors are revealed in a stunning way.
The trick to achieving a Renaissance inspired scene is less **light, not more...
The Good Friday service is really only the secondary event for the holiday weekend. Easter is trump. I had to design the GF set to work on the same stage as Easter's. Much of Easter's design lived upstage of the closed mid traveler. The rest was hidden behind a temporary curtain made out of strips of RoseBrand Black Duvetyn. The double intent was to create a black void of negative space to allow the story focal points to pop.
They did. It was a powerful service.
*The frames were shipped to each of our five campuses in trailers; and therefore had to be shipped in 4 pieces and assembled at each location. The scrim was then stretched over cardboard and stapled into place.
**Because of the tight timeline (only a few hours!) that our portable campuses had for setting up and programming we rented 4 Martin Mac250s for every campus. This allowed us to fine tune our cues (specifically the nuanced cues for the poses) at Troy Campus' rehearsal and send a cue sheet and photos to the campuses. This let them quickly program in those values and be 95% there.
***We used no haze for this service. That's very rare for us, as haze is a prominent part of our brand. I wanted to create a sense of focus on what was being lit, rather than the beams of light.
On the Topic of of "Back" and "Mind"
Posted on April 8th, 2011
I had an enlightening conversation with my friend Jack Wilson yesterday. He had some great thoughts for me about my recent back trouble.
The connection between body and mind is fascinating.
I’m need to do a better job about communicating the care I want to give my body. I put body and mind under a lot of stress the past couple weeks. When my back went out on Tuesday, that was my body telling me that it had enough.
I recognize that. I’ve been intentional about communicating that I intend to take better care of my mind and body. Even with next week being premier week @ KCC, I hereby make promise to myself before the world wide web, that I will take good care of myself.
I work with great people and therefore should not need to feel the entire burdon on my shoulders. I will trust them to be great alongside of me…
As my dad used to tell me, "many hands makes light work." …Or at least let’s the time spent on the difficult project be enjoyable.
Back of the Mind Brand Ideation
Posted on April 8th, 2011
I woke up thinking about my brand this morning. I haven’t had the time to put into it, but have been thinking a lot about it as the idea simmers on the back burner…
For now, I have a lot to continue following up on after last night’s Easter Working Rehearsal…
Being a production designer sometimes means trips to the fabric store and lonely work in an...
Posted on March 16th, 2011
Being a production designer sometimes means trips to the fabric store and lonely work in an empty warehouse.
If purchasing a Tablet, which one?
Posted on March 6th, 2011
I’d love your advice.
For context: I have primarily a Google based workflow - Chrome (though I currently search with Bing), Evernote, Dropbox, Google Voice. I live in The Cloud - and Apple’s late to that party… I had an iPhone 3G for a couple years. I’m thrilled to have been on Android since September. I like my MacBook Pro as I like all Apple hardware…
I am a minimalist. All I carry with me in my pocket is my license, CC, insurance card, keypass, and my HTC Aria (2.1) - In my backpack is my MBP (and plug), Kindle, a small Moleskine (with pen, pencil, eraser), a USB cable (charging and tethering), and headphones. Everything snug in my backpack so I can bicycle to work - hopefully the weather will let me get back to it later this month… I hardly use paper. Evernote is great: I take photos of whiteboards and napkins; and I scan my Moleskine sketches.
Anyway, I think I’m finally ready to get a tablet. I’ve been watching the technology for quite a while, and I think I have a workflow that’s finally ready for it…
My only two hangups are photography and design. For photography, I will continue to use my iMac (Aperture) at home. Though I am intrigued at the thought of figuring out how to use the iPad in the field…For Design, I primarily use Omni Graffle. There is an iPad App. If I do get the iPad, I suppose I just need to experiment with it to see if it’s powerful enough to do everything or if I still need to use the MBP for some things…
For my freelance business, I need to take down notes quickly, snap photos of spaces, sketch concept ideas etc. I also need a clean, quick, beautiful way to show off my portfolio. The iPad2 (with stylus for better sketching) seems to me like it is the perfect solution.
While I’m not bought and paid for by Apple, I do like a majority of their workflow. And one has to admit that their hardware is superior with most products. The iPhone itself is a killer piece of hardware; too bad it’s not as small as my sexy little Aria. More: too bad iPhone runs iOS which can’t do as much for me (on a phone) as even the outdated 2.1 - With the sole exception of Screen Capture, I don’t miss my 3G at all.
My list of criteria:
- Battery - does anything else compete with the iPad’s 10 hour life?
- Apps - Omni Graffle is a deal breaker…unless someone has another program to suggest to me.
- Camera - a decent rear camera would be great for snapping a photo of a whiteboard sketch or taking a photo of a room I’m designing for. I could take or leave a front facing camera but it’s not a deal breaker, by any means. I do video chats (Skype and Gmail depending on who I’m talking to) from time to time, but honestly, sharing my screen during a chat would be far preferable. I do that with clients quite often.
- Workflow - to justify the purchase, I need to not have to carry my laptop. With the exception of freelance consultations, if I have to have both, it’s not worth it. I want to carry less, not more.Internet - living in the cloud, I need to access the internet with my device. It needs to have good wifi like my MBP. It does not need to have 3G…so long as I can tether with my phone if I’m on the go. I certainly do not need two data plans; and will refuse to pay more than I need. I suppose I’m ok to consider a 3G model but only if I switch to a "dumb phone" with the same purchase.
- Sleek Design - While not as powerful as other devices, my HTC Aria is smaller and cleaner than any other phone I’ve ever seen, including the iPhone. Form follows function; and for a minimalist, form sometimes IS function. The iPad2 with Apple’s Smart Cover seems to be a win in this department.
- Price - Do I need more than I get with $499 (plus cover, stylus, and OmniGraffle) with a 16GB WiFi only iPad?
I think that covers all that I’ve been thinking.Do I keep my current set-up or can I justify switching to a tablet workflow? If switching, do I go iPad2 or consider an alternative?I remain open-minded, so please share.
Thank you, my friends.
Creative Director | Process Architect. Design Strategist. Leadership Coach.