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I chose the “Curiosity” key to success because I am a very curious person, and that curiosity has led me to seek answers. I have learned so much over the years being a curious person. Upon choosing this key I was tasked with creating it in 3D. I was intimidated greatly by this as I had no idea what I was doing. 3D seemed so complicated and well, it’s kind of is at first. There are so many apps to choose from in which you want to create 3D work and none of them work the same while also not all of them work to be able to import work into Second life. Without an industry standard app to work in, I settled on using a mix of Adobe Illustrator and Blender. WOW, it was easier than I thought to create this key. I scaled it to size and even gave it color and texture. The key looked amazing, and I was so proud of it that I couldn’t wait to show it off. I turned in my key eagerly awaiting feedback. I was astounded to learn that my key was way too big to be in the Second Life app as it had the record largest land impact. Although my key was not a complete success, it was created well and despite the size I still like it. The creation process has shown me what is possible and more importantly, things to consider when constructing 3D objects. I believe the keys in Second Life are important as they continue to inspire new generations who dive into the world of 3D showing them what they can create.

I think most people get comfortable with their perception of reality and easily get stuck inside of that box. Once upon a time I was a kid who would sit in front of this magical wood box that showed black and white pictures with static distortion, and I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. The magic of that black and white TV had more of an impact than I thought as it also helped to shape my view of the world. I think the word that describes it might be nostalgic. It characterizes a “simpler time”.

Fast forward to today after spending time working with 3D applications and WOW “That’s one giant step for man, one giant leap for mankind” (quote from Niel Armstrong) kind of difference. Before this class, I never realized how much that I thought in a 2D mindset. Now that my eyes are open, I can’t unsee what I have seen. My thought process is different and for the better. For one, my image editing is improved through taking 3D into consideration with object placement and lighting in photographs to create more of a window effect. 3D is also something I am taking into consideration with video in the same way as photography. I will continue using and improving on 3D use as I am sure that I have only begun to scratch the surface of possibilities.

The future of films truly is an exciting topic. With the rise of AI quickly taking hold and becoming widely available to the public, we now must ask ourselves “are multimedia jobs at risk?”. When we look at AI generated videos on social media and we see people loving them with comments, likes and shares it is easy to see how people can be entertained through AI with very few people being able to spot the AI use. This new technology also has the benefit of being more affordable to create as you now just need a good computer with an internet connection and a subscription to AI software. No more paying actors and all the headaches involved with that. No more buying expensive cameras, lenses and microphones. No more spending countless hours editing video and audio or doing retakes. Now you can simply type a text prompt and create stunning advertisements, commercials, YouTube content, full length films and cartoons. That being the current ability of AI, what will the future of AI be like as technology further advances? Now with all of this said, I wonder what my role in this new future will be. Obviously giving up is not an option. I believe that my best course of action is to invest in a good computer and learn how to utilize AI, not just to create AI videos. I now see myself utilizing AI to enhance my creations using a mix of both my photography videos with the AI generations. I believe this will be the best way to incorporate real life with AI which will be beneficial for where AI does lack ability.

Propaganda is defined as information that can be biased or misleading and used to promote a point of view. My favorite movie that fits this has got to be Mike Judge’s film “Idiocracy”. Of course, I could just write about movies such as “Reefer Madness” which was a film created to scare people with mis information about cannabis so that new laws could be passed outlawing its possession and use. I could also go in depth about the reasons for it, but I’m not trying to beat a dead horse on an overplayed subject. Instead let’s talk about “Idiocracy” and why the film is not only relevant in today’s world, but also why the message sticks so well and will probably always hold true. This movie utilizes big name actors and a 2+ million-dollar budget to create an epic comedy to convey a point of view on how society is and where it is headed. This combination of use does an amazing job at captivating the audience with a political subject that offends people without any backlash. Because of this the message of inflation and lack of priority on education really takes hold and makes people think, at least subconsciously. While propaganda is usually misleading information, I must wonder if this really qualifies as propaganda given the events of inflation since this movie’s creation in 2006 when a cup of coffee was still under buck. Certainly, this movie may qualify to be a warning of the future.

Extended reality engagement and education are quickly becoming the new reality of education. Extended Reality In Learning: Revolutionizing Education – eLearning Industry  talks about a new dimension of learning with extended reality but not limited to just that. Through a mix of virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, and extended reality, future education can be taken to a higher level providing 3Delements to truly engage the students with more available information. This leads to a 90% retention rate of the information. This is possible because of what extended reality can do. A class like this can take a boring old history class and transport you into the past where you can experience history firsthand. You can learn to perform open heart surgery from your bedroom with the visuals and motion as if you are in the operating room. You can also rearrange the periodic table of elements as if they are building blocks bringing more of a hands-on approach to learning chemistry. All of this and more can be done with cost savings in mind. This also solves the problem of “everyone has a different learning style” as learning paths can be personalized for each type of person. Imagine a world where everyone can learn based on their specific needs and you just may see a world where we are all advanced in education and society leaps into the future because of it. With more people having access to education tailed for them we may also see new technology coming into the world like the cartoon “The Jetsons” which was the first time I ever seen “face time”, now maybe the flying cars will become the next reality.

Special Effects

example 1

When special effects are used correctly in films, they will draw an audience into the scene and for a moment they will believe what they are seeing is real which enhances the message being sent. It truly takes some creativity and ingenuity to pull off special effects correctly. In the early days of film people had to truly innovate to create special effects and even. In today’s world we have a lot of shortcuts with the rise of computer technology, but these shortcuts do not and never will replace the creativity needed to perfect them.  When special effects are done poorly it is easy to spot and then the message of the film is distorted as the viewer exits the belief in what is being shown. Kind of like putting up an invisible wall.

My all-time favorite special effects ever created comes from the 1993 film “Jurassic Park”. The special effects were so well done that they were very believable and drew me in through the entire movie. They used robotic and animatronic dinosaurs with custom made skins mixed with computer technology, CGI. They also use 3D storyboards which I found interesting, especially compared to my chicken scratch storyboards. Since the making of this movie, special effects have even further advanced and with the progression of technology I am excited to see what films will look like in the next 20 years.

example 2

In today’s world there are many ways to work on projects with a team virtually such as these ones featured on this blog site 6 Best Collaboration Tools for Remote Teams [Tested in 2025] or even the ones listed on this blog site 15 Best Remote Collaboration Tools in 2025 (Free & Paid). Of course, there are also apps such as Adobe that allow virtual teamwork on projects. With all the technology in today’s world it is so easy to be productive from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet signal. It has become so easy to stay connected which can lead to spending an unhealthy amount of time working online, something that I struggle with. Spending too much time on the computer can lead to health conditions such as weight gain, muscle loss, vision loss, and more. The list goes on, but in short if we don’t get out and live our lives we have no mental break and without exercise we lose our health. That is why it is so important to learn how to create a balance between living life and working from home such as outlined in these books listed on 15 Work-Life Balance Books to Help You Take Control of Life – LifeHack. When we have a healthy balance of work and life, we can maintain optimal health both mentally and physically. We can do this through creating a schedule or a pie chart to dedicate time to each task throughout the day. In the Book Ready Player One some people spend so much time in the virtual environment that they literally become obsessed. Find time to enjoy life and work will not only be more pleasant, it will be easier to complete.

The movie Metropolis continues to influence generations after its release back in 1927. The movie is a silent film that tells a story of a rich kid with a big heart who is lured by love to go explore the lower working class in search of the beautiful woman he seen. While he is exploring the workers’ city, he witnesses an explosion and becomes empathetic to the workers. He pleads with his father (The boss), but his words are dismissed and so is he. He then leaves behind his comforts to join the working class. Events quickly spiral out of control as sabotage is played out by the boss, even risking his own son. Chaos spreads until the mad scientist is defeated and the robot is seen. The boss has a change of heart, and the working class and boss make a deal with the son being the mediator.

Though my summary of this film was over simplified, the impact on the film industry was huge. Movies such as Frankenstein, Star Wars, The Matrix, Batman, and the Fifth Element, were all influenced by the film Metropolis. In the movie Batman, the city of Gotham got its look from Metropolis. Deeper than appearance is the class war between rich and working. This narrative is seen in many popular movies. I think that’s where the movie Metropolis really stands out. The theme of class war. A problem that is still relevant today as it ever was and that is why movies that portray it are popular. We all can relate to this.

The “Uncanny Valley” phenomenon is a psychological sense of uneasy, empathetic or repulsive, feeling a person has when seeing an object that resembles a human appearance and motion. The effect is determined by how realistic the movement and appearance are. This phenomenon can be felt when viewing man made lifelike animations, robots, dolls, or mannequins. The feeling is not always negative, in fact, people can have positive feelings when seeing a human lifelike creation. The easier it is to see the difference between artificial and human, the more positive the feeling is. The more realistic it is can bring more of a negative feeling. Some negative examples of this are found in realistic imagery of video games and human life like robots which appear so real that they create an uneasy feeling in people. The only positive example to me would be that we know this exists and as creators we can use this to our advantage by pushing the boundaries of realism without crossing the threshold. By using noticeable differences between real and artificial we can create a pleasant experience for the game players or robot users.

Another aspect of this can be related to trust as imagined in the book “Ready Player One”. In the virtual world we can create any avatar that we like. In the virtual world other players only see what we want them to see, and we accept the appearance of the avatar. So, when meeting someone in the real world that we met in online gaming and the appearance is off, it can be shocking and uneasy. This is similar to the “Uncanny Valley” phenomenon.

more examples found in this video:

Why audio is half of the production in creating videos 

Would the movie “Guardians of the Galaxy” have the same vibe if they used different music? No. For me the music in the movie truly gave personality to Peter Quill and overall life to the movie. Watching the guardians rock, especially baby Groot, out as they take on their enemies really engages the audience. Music was carefully selected in this trilogy to have a similar feeling which tied all 3 movies together, 4 if you include the Christmas Special.

 The music has become part of the brand just as much as the characters themselves. Example, when you hear the song “hooked on a feeling” by Bjorn Skifs and Blue Swede do you think of the band, the radio station or do you think of the movie “Guardians of the Galaxy”? Another example where music has been a big part of the movie is my video posted on YouTube “Paper Guns” without adding my song to this video it would have made absolutely no sense at all. The song added depth to video by giving it attitude and justifying actions portrayed.

Of course, audio is not just about the music. Have you ever tried watching a video where the vocals were distorted and covered by a windy hiss? Most videos that have poor audio quality are quickly dismissed even if they have a great image. Another aspect to think about is sound effects. The right sound effects can really draw in an audience or amplify emotion in a scene.