VR
Aloegarten: Final
a) I believe a significant portion of part (a) of the assignment has been covered in my proposal mentioned below. Something I can add is the challenges I faced, the hardest being making the boat rock with the waves. Also the third scene didn't fit into the creative vision and overarching theme I had with the the other 2 scenes (involving being trapped in an endless cycle). I am trying to come up with an idea for the third scene/song and if I can come up with something that fits the theme, I will include it in.
b) Headset which is being casted to a screen so people can view it as well
c) I don't need a lot of space since this isn't a walking simulation or something that involves hand movement. A place with a chair, a screen, a laptop and a VR headset is enough. I would say 6 feet x 6 feet x 10 feet should be enough.
aloegarten: Proposal
Aakarsh Singh, 3rd October 2022
Swedish-British-Nigerian singer, songwriter, producer, fashion designer, director and model Zak Arogundade better known by his stage name Ecco2K and his works will be the focus of my project. His works often deals with themes of colorism, his struggles with sexual and body identity, substance addiction among many others. These themes are personal to me as well and hence I have chosen him and his works to expand and build upon. Using imagery from his lyrics and music videos I aim to come up with experiences in virtual reality that will hopefully bring the participant closer to the experiences, images and feelings in my head (and by extension some of Ecco2k's as well).
New York Times article talking about Ecco: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/style/zak-arogundade-a-musician-and-designer-from-stockholm.html
Song 1: AAA Powerline
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeLdS491PDo
AAA Powerline opens up his debut Album, E. The entire song is the chorus repeated over and over with dreamy open production. The lyrics "Backseat of some car. Zip-tied up, can't move my arms" are my main focus here. Ecco talks about his experiences with ketamine addiction and his struggles dealing with it here. "Backseat of some car" references the isolation and detachment that substance abuse has made him feel. The visual I have for this is the spectator sitting in the backseat of an empty car that is driving itself on a highway at night. Everything is blurring past you and it feels like a fever dream. "Zip tied up, can't move my arms" refers to how being in a ketamine-hole has left him feeling powerless to fight this addiction. The user will be given the option to break the zip-ties they'll see on them but no matter what they do they wouldn't be able to break them and move.
Song 2: Peroxide
Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs_kavGKeHI
Peroxide is one of the few Ecco song to have a music video. The music video is directed by him and it carries his vision with the song perfectly. Hence with Peroxide, my work will be an extension of his. The song talks about his experiences with facing colorism in Sweden and how out of place he has felt his entire life. The music video involves him on a raft in the middle of a huge wind farm at the coast of Southern Sweden.The experience will involve the spectator similarly on a raft surrounded by huge wind turbines, a lot of fog and early dawn lighting. The waves will be turbulent, even engulfing you at certain points as you try navigating this sea along with the feelings of alienation it brings.
Song 3: In the Flesh
Link: https://youtu.be/3KTJ01nT_Pk?t=87
From his latest mixtape, PXE, In The Flesh deals with Ecco's struggle with self-identity and self-expression. Ecco's themes are often left open to interpretation and the interpretations of this song include Ecco's experiences around gender/sexual identity, gender dysphoria and discomfort in his true self. I take the lines "In the flesh, When no one's watching I'm someone else" as the guiding lines for this scene. You are surrounded by NPCs that are either walking models or floating heads. Whenever you enter a trigger zone near them you see yourself change into someone else. It's only when you are outside their zone is when you are you true self.
Wendy : Excellent sketches!!
Cole: Your story board/concept art is very impressive. Translating this into a 3D world could be hard but am excited to see what you come up with.
Pauline: I really like this concept! I think it's very IM. I'm excited to see how you will make each of the three scenes immersive and interactive, especially with relation to how you do the music and spatial sounds. Good luck ketamine rat!
Jannah: This is such a cool concept! Your story board is also very nicely done. I also feel like it has a sort of "encrypted " feel to it, which can be hightened using sound and the environment of your scenes. Good luck!
Meera : I love your vision, this seems very abstract and that's interesting especially in the context of VR + unity.
Phillip: Blown away by the sketches, I hope this artistic style could be retained in the game!
Theyab : The way you drew these storyboard is really astonishing !
Jiapei: I love how you build upon music and how personal this project is. I'm really looking forward to how you will incorporate the music with your scenes!
Btw, I really love your storyboard! Your sketches are amazing!