Apple Pro Training: Lesson 6

This one wasn't so bad. I was able to get through the mini lessons with relative ease, it's just a lot of information I will need to process and I am sure go over a few more times.

Apple Pro Training: Lesson 5

Ok, I was able to get through lesson 5. It was a very stressful experience though, the mac comuter in the IDD lab for some reason decided to slow down on me and I was getting very frustrated with the fact it took much longer than needed to do the lesson. Normally I would be fine with "things" taking longer than usual, however, after having been in the lab for 4 hours; things like that start to get to me!

Apple Pro Training: Lesson 4

Completed the fourth tutoral for DVD studio pro 3, it was a long one but I feel like I am begining to grasp the basics of this program. I think, right now, I am most worried about the varuious importing and liking of assets.

The L Word

This weeks DVD interface blog is about the Showtime hit series, The L Word. The L word is about the everyday lives of women who live an alternative lifestyle and the problems they face as married couples, friends, and family.

When the DVD is inserted into the player, a 30 second scene comes up that displays the Showtime logo, it is advanced in the sense that many colors swirl across the screen and come together to create the logo. The background goes from back to is white and dramatic sounding music plays along as the logo does its thing.

Once Showtime is finished with the self-promotion, the next scene begins with a black background. Various words, such as “Love” and “Liberal” in the color pink, come flying from the forefront of the screen at varying locations and meet together to form the letter L. As the words are forming the L, simply music plays along. The music sounds slightly techno, but is soft and does not change.

The transition to the main menu begins with the word “the” being added before the large pink L and the word “word” being added after; both in the color white. They form “the L word” and the black background begins to disappear. First a pink looking cloud fills up the lower half of the screen. As the pink “cloud” is forming a line appears under the title the L word) and each of the main characters swipe into the background from left and right of the screen. They come to rest in the middle region of the menu and as they are swiping in, the top half of the screen turns into a distant city night shot (what you would see if you were standing at the top of a mountain overlooking a large city at night).

As the characters swipe, all you see is their outline with a pink fill and what appears to be an outer glow effect. Once they come to rest their pictures fill in where the pink color was. At the same time (because most of these transitions are happening all at the same time in conjunction with one another) the menu options (or buttons) appear in the lower pink “cloud” region. They are simple text (the same text as the title) and are black. They list the episodes and then one is an audio option. When you mouse over the menu buttons the female symbol in white appears to the left of the buttons.

The only way the user notices that the menu is running in a circle is the music reloads after a little while; still there is plenty of time to look around before the music reloads.

Once you choose an option, you may think the menus are over and it is time to get to the episodes, not true. A red silk sheet crosses the screen and behind it reveals the next menu. This time soft sexy music plays and the main background (behind everything) is a moving image of pink silk sheets. There are 6 images from the episode, 3 on the left of the screen and 3 on the right. In the middle is a box that cycles through scenes of the upcoming episode.

On this menu, there are 5 options, all in white. Play, main (takes on back to the main menu), scenes, summary, and commentary on/off. Below these options is a list of the important actors who appear in the episode. When the user mousses over the menu options the same female symbol in white appears to the left of the button.

The only way one notices the reload of the menu is the music and the movie in the middle restarts, everything else does not appear to jump or reload. Finally when one chooses to watch the episode it is on to the actual episode and no more menus. However, Showtime still puts in a quick scene of their logo.