"Felix" and the Exploration of Mars - Part 2

I haven't done anything on my science fiction story "Felix" since last fall. This week I came across a couple articles on-line about a proposal for Martian exploration similar to what I had thought of as the back ground for my story.

Last year I wrote a blog post where I laid out how I thought Martian exploration could proceed and where my robot Felix would fit it. You can read it here: http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/felix-and-the-exploration-of-mars/

This week I came across a couple articles about a proposal by Foster + Partners that was developed for NASA's 3-D Printed Habitat Challenge.

http://gizmodo.com/this-is-how-foster-partners-want-to-3d-print-a-martia-1732971874

http://www.dezeen.com/2015/09/25/foster-partners-concept-3d-printed-mars-habitat-robots-regolith/

In my proposal I didn't give much thought to the actual Mars base, while their proposal is only interested in construction of a base for visiting astronauts. Their approach is similar, in that they send robots ahead to construct the habitat in advance of the astronauts.

This does get me to rethink the background I've developed for the story. Although, I'm not sure that it would change the story much.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

Experiments With the Trial Version of nawmalMAKE

I downloaded and tried out a trial version of nawmalMAKE, the replacement for Xtranormal. I wanted to see if I could use it to do a final version of "The Barrier".

I had planned to leave any evaluation of nawmalMAKE until later when I was ready to redo "The Barrier". This week I got a notice that I could download a trial version. The notice said it would only work for 7 days, so I thought I'd better have a quick look at it.

I did have some trouble initially because the password word wouldn't work. The support person at Nawmal was very helpful, and in short order everything was hunky dory. I remember that about a week before Xtranormal shut down, my copy of Xtranormal Desktop(XD) crashed. I didn't expect that I'd get any help, but when I contacted them, the person was also very helpful.

First Impressions

My first impression of nawmalMAKE was that it looked like a rerelease of XD. Of course, it has been over two years since I last used XD, so there are likely some differences I haven't recognized. As I worked with it, I did start to notice some improvements. The version number for the XD files (3.6.993.3994) was different from the version number nawmalMAKE files(4.0.50.109), so obviously they did make some changes.

When Nawmal asked for user feedback last year I suggested that they rerelease XD as soon as possible, then incorporate improvements from the original STATE and STATEPlus later as upgrades. It looks like they have started off in that direction.

Characters

My first concern was if the characters I used "The Barrier" were available. The trial version included the Suitz characters, which were the ones I used. All of the speaking characters are there. I didn't check for minor characters or background characters. If they are not available I can use some of the others that are available.

I noticed that the ability to customize characters is greatly improved. At least I don't recall the same flexibility with XD. Not all of the characters can be customised. Fortunately Phil, who I used as my main character is one of them.

I was able to change the style and colour of his clothes. Since he appears in almost every scene, it would add some variety if I can have him wear different clothes in different scenes. It is also quite easy to change skin tone, some facial features and hair style.

Most of the other characters I used could be customised.

STATEPlus provided similar capability. The version in nawmalMAKE seems to be more limited, but is also easier to use.

Voices

The voices provided with nawmalMAKE are different from both XD (Acapela) and the original STATE program (Nuance). I found the new voices were from a French company called Voxygen https://www.voxygen.fr/en/. They offer the voices as Android Apps. I must admit that I don't like these voices as much. Maybe I'm just not used to them. Most of the English voices are British. I got the impression that they expect that most users would used the TTS voices for scripting the video, then have actors do the voices for the final version.

I noticed that nawmalMAKE also picked up some voices I had installed for another program. The trial version said it provided a limited range of assets and I wonder if the full set includes other voices, or it is possible to buy the Acapela or Nuance voices.

I did find a work around for the Acapela voices. On their website you can create audio files for their voices. (See https://acapela-box.com/AcaBox/index.php). That would be expensive for a project like "The Barrier". I had planned to hire actors to redo the voices for the final version of the movie.

Project Files

Maybe it is the engineer in me, but I probed into the project files. XD and the original STATE program used the .STATE extension, while nawmalMAKE uses the .nwml extension. The .nwml files seem to be very similar to the XD version, although the some of the sub-file names are different.

The document.xml file looks as if it is the same format in XD and nawmalMAKE. The format for the original STATE files is different.

One thing I was a bit surprised to find was that when you ran the render, the program saved mp3 files of the dialogue in a sub directory of the .nwml file. I suppose that this saves time when re-rendering a scene, since you'd only need to use the TTS for only those lines that were changed.

Project File Compatibility

Since I have a large number of STATE files I already created in XD for "The Barrier" I wanted to see if I could convert them into the new format. I renamed the test files with the .nwml extension. I got errors because the voices were not compatible, but the file opened and everything seemed to work just fine.

Later I discovered that I didn't need to change the extension. when you open a file, it gives you the option of .nwml files or XD .STATE files. That worked just fine too.

My last experiment was to try to open a .STATE file created by the original STATE program. Initially, I couldn't open the project file. The program would report the problem with the missing voices, and then some kind of error with the set. It took me a while to realize that the set I'd used in the scene wasn't one of the sets available in the trial version of nawmalMAKE. Once I switched to a file with a set I did have, everything worked fine.

Final Thoughts

The goal of my evaluation was to see if I could use nawmalMAKE to create a final version of "The Barrier". I conclude that it will. Furthermore, the added ability to customise characters would let me add some variety to the movie.

I still have 4 more days to experiment with the trial version. Off the top of my head I can't think of any thing more I want to test. If you have some suggestions, please let me know.

My other experiences with Xtranormal

I have some other posts related to my use of Nawmal and Xtranormal. I used Xtranormal to make two videos: "The Barrier" and "Make ’em Squirm: The Sharkbiter Way". I've listed links to these two movies, and the blog posts I did while I made them.

http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/the-new-nawmal-good-news-for-the-barrier/

http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/the-barrier/">http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/the-barrier/

http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/category/film-projects/the-barrier/

http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/filmlist/make-em-squirm-the-sharkbiter-way/

http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/category/film-projects/orville-sharkbiter/

Additional Note (2015 September 27):

The new program seems to have a limit of 6 characters. I tried to add some background characters to create the impression of a busy office, and ran into the limit. In some of the scenes for "The Barrier" I have more than six characters. It may be that the limit is just in the trial version.

Another issue with the background characters is that they keep looking at the main characters and the main characters look back at them. I can control where specific characters look, which I've done before. But it is a tedious task.

Note (2015 November 1):

I added the section "My other experiences with Xtranormal" to provide links to my other posts about Xtranormal and Nawmal.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

A Futuristic Tale of a Brave Man in a Dangerous World

A while back, I posted a new short story, "Pete's Plan" on my website, then I forgot to tell anyone.

http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/stories/petes-plan/

"Pete's Plan" is a short science fiction story set in a future where mind uploading is a reality. (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_uploading) It is not the Utopia that many had expected and Pete has a plan to change that.

Have a look at it and tell me what you think.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

Can Cognitive Biases Help Me With Character Motivations?

One of the challenges of writing a story is that the protagonist needs to be dumb enough to get into trouble, but smart enough to get out of trouble. It occurred to me that cognitive biases could provide easier explanations for a character's bad choices. Characters need to make bad decisions in order for there to be a story, but they can't make a bad decision just for the sake of the story.

I originally became interested in cognitive biases because I saw them as an explanation for why "those people" acted so dumb. Later, I realized that I am often suffer from the same biases in my thinking. When I came across a few articles on cognitive bias recently, it struck me that I could use them in my writing.

What is a cognitive bias?

There are several explanations for why we have cognitive biases. My impression is that most reflect thinking shortcuts or the limitations in our brains. They can lead to what appears to be irrational behaviour.

Wikipedia's list of cognitive biases includes about 170 different biases.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

Some examples:

• Confirmation bias is when people tend to accept information that supports their current view, and reject information that does not support their view.
• Anchoring is where people place more emphasis on their initial impressions than on later, often better quality, information.
• Self-serving bias is where people interpret information in ways that make them look better.
• Money illusion  is where people focus on the face value of money rather than its purchasing power.

One thing to keep in mind is that these biases are tendencies, and people can learn to set them aside when they actively want to avoid bias in their thinking. There is some evidence that cognitive biases may vary from one culture to another.

More information on cognitive biases can be found on the links below.

"Day of the Jackal"

When I started to think about cognitive bias as an explanation of character behaviour, I remembered the book and movie "Day of the Jackal". In the first part of the story, the Jackal is portrayed as a very rational contract killer. He tells the people that hired him that as a professional he would call off the assassination if his own life was in danger. Later in the story, when he learns that the police are aware of his plan, he decides to go ahead. This comes across as an irrational choice, especially given his earlier statement.

The book implies that his desire for the money drives him to his decision. However, his choice can also be explained in terms of cognitive biases.

Since he has been successful in all his previous jobs, he is subject to the overconfidence effect. He downplays the likelihood of failure and the overestimates the chances of success. His past experience may also give him an illusory superiority bias, where he over estimates his own ability and underestimates the ability of the police.

The explanation given in the book, that the desire for money drives his decision, is an example of optimism bias, or wishful thinking. He thinks that because he wants the money that he will get it.

"The Barrier"

See: http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/the-barrier/

Cognitive biases can explain some of the behaviour of characters in my movie. Some decisions by the character Brandon Baker can be seen as examples of cognitive bias.

Brandon had done a study of the barrier himself some ten years earlier and decided it wasn't needed. Brandon rejection of Arthur's proposal could be an example of anchoring. He gives more weight to his own work years earlier than on both Ling's and Arthur's later work.

At the end, when it appears that the barrier was, in fact, needed, Brandon claims that he felt that way all along. This is a clear case of self serving bias. Outcome bias may also be a factor. Because of the way things turn out, it seems that the barrier was needed. The outcome may not invalidate his original rejection of the proposal. In the movie I didn't address this possibility.

What I see as one of the weak points of the story is the behaviour of the developer, Vincent Campbell. Too much of what he does seems to be for the sake of the plot. I think I can use cognitive biases to craft him into a more believable character. As I think over his role, I can see examples of superiority bias, confirmation bias, and the false consensus effect. I think that if I take a more detailed look at Campbell's behaviour I can find ways to explain the behaviour or alter it to make it reflect a cognitive bias.

Can I Use Cognitive Bias?

Time will tell, but I'm confident that I can use cognitive biases in creating my characters. Of course that could be the overconfidence effect at work.

More Information on Cognitive Biases

• http://io9.com/5974468/the-most-common-cognitive-biases-that-prevent-you-from-being-rational
• http://www.businessinsider.com/cognitive-biases-2014-6?op=1
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_bias
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusion_of_control
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overconfidence_effect
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimism_bias

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

The New Nawmal: Good News for "The Barrier"

I used Xtranormal to make "The Barrier", but was unable to properly finish the movie because the company shut down before I could finish it. Now a new company, Nawmal, is releasing software based on Xtranormal. Maybe I can now finished my movie.

Nawmal (http://www.nawmal.com/) sent me an e-mail this week that the official release of their new software, nawmalMAKE, would be September 30, 2015.

Target Market and Cost

So far there isn't very much information on the website. The impression I got was that the initial release, a commercial version, it is aimed at the corporate video market. The applications they list for the software are pretty much limited to that market.

The price they have set for it, $1,000 a year, which I think would be appropriate for the corporate video market. They offer a monthly rate of $100.

Finishing "The Barrier"

I don't consider the version of "The Barrier" I have on YouTube to be final. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATcKnFAwlU0)

My objective for the next version of "The Barrier" is to hire actors to redo the dialogue. With my current personal commitments, I don't think I can devote the time and effort to make that happen for a while yet. There is no real urgency for me to make any kind of decision about how I'd use the software just yet.

The Nawmal website says that they plan to release two more versions of the software. One aimed at the education market, nawmalEDU, and the other for "fun" users, nawmalFUN. I don't really fit into any of the markets they seem to be going after. I would need many of the features that would only be available in the commercial version. But, the price is kind of steep for me.

I thought I might be able to use nawmalFUN to develop the movie, then switch to the commercial version when I want to finish the movie for release. From the description of nawmalFUN, that doesn't look like it would work.

If there are enough movie makers like myself, maybe we could negotiate a different kind of license that would work better for us. Of course it wouldn't work if there were too many.

nawmalMAKE as Script Writing Software

I know that one of the original goals of the software was to help script writers visualize their scripts. Their thought was that writers would transfer their script into the program to generate the movie.

My experience with the software makes me feel that it would work better the other way round.  When I created "The Barrier" I transferred some scenes from the short stories I wrote, while other scenes I created from scratch within Xtranormal. I felt the scenes I wrote within the program worked much better and were easier to write.

A good example of this was the scene between the Mayor and Brandon Baker. My initial idea for the scene was a few short lines that set up the threat to Arthur. But, as I worked on the scene, the personalities of the two characters started to solidify and that changed how they interacted. I started to see how the history between the two characters underlay the scene.

You can watch this scene at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATcKnFAwlU0 starting at 1:36 and running to 3:09.

I think there would need to be some additional features added to make it viable option as a script writing tool. For example it would need to output to a script format. I created a simple process to do this with the old STATE files. (http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/the-barrier-progress-and-file-conversion/) It wasn't very reliable, but I think it shows that it can be done.

I hope Nawmal is successful. I want to use it in the future, but I know they can't make a go of the business if I'm a typical client. The focus on the corporate market, if it works, could ensure their future.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

What Would A Revolution in the Future Be Like?

I posted a new short story about a revolution in a future society. 

"Pete's Plan" is the story of a man who wants a better life for his children. In the world he lives in there isn't much of a future for them. But, one day, Pete realizes that he has a unique opportunity to change that.

Read it here: http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/stories/petes-plan/

The Story Behind the Story

I wrote this story a couple years ago. In part it was inspired by an article that I wrote some time earlier: "What Would A World With 90 Per Cent Unemployment Be Like?" http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/articles/what-would-a-world-with-90-per-cent-unemployment-be-like/

The story ended up to be almost exactly 1,000 words long. I felt good about it and submitted it to a science fiction magazine. They rejected it, so I tried a few others, but no one bought it. The main criticism was that it read more like a proposal for a story than a story.

I was reluctant to rewrite the story, because as it stood, it reflected almost exactly what I wanted to say. I put the story away with the idea that maybe down the road I might come up with a different approach. The one possibility was that it could be rewritten in first person. I think it would lose something.

Finally, I decided that I should go ahead and post it. I hope you find it worth the read.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

4 Things I Learned From "The 89th Key"

I feel that "The 89th Key" was a good learning experience for me. I've organized some of  my thoughts about what I learned.

The Outline

I have used outlines for most of my stories and all of my movie scripts. With "The 89th Key" I put more effort into the outline. I think I put as much effort into it as I did into the first draft and the rewrite.

This extra effort paid off for me. It made the first draft go much smoother. I feel that it is at the outline stage that the hard work of writing happens. One way to look at it is that the outline is the real first draft of the story, and the first draft is a rewrite.

If you can work out the structure and action at the outline stage, then you can focus on the actual wording when you come to write the story. Many of the problems I ran into were because I hadn't done enough work on the outline.

I want to work on how I create an outline. I have in the past developed a grid in a Excel spreadsheet to help me develop my outline. With "The 89th Key" what I wrote was more like a treatment or short story version of the tale.

Character Definition

One thing that helped me a lot was that the characters in Doc Savage are well defined. They are not necessarily complicated characters, or even very realistic. But, they have distinctive characters and I found it easy to imagine how they would behave in different situations.

This definition of character made it much easier to write the story. At times the characters seemed to come to life and all I had to do was type out what they did.

I realize that most of the characters I create are not as well defined. I can feel it when I have to force generic characters to do something. There are exceptions; the characters in "The Barrier" are all quite distinct.

I want to develop a check list of the types of things I need to define for each character. In the past I've focussed on general descriptions and didn't go into depth. What I think may be a better approach is to consider how they would behave in different situations. For example, if some one attacked them, would they fight back, surrender, run away or try to reason with them.

Relationships between Characters

This is something I've never given much thought to. A good example in the Doc Savage books is the relationship between Monk and Ham. Their rivalry is a bit cartoonish, but it adds something to the stories.

When I develop characters I need to consider how they relate to one another. Do they like each other? Do they trust each other? Do they hang out together after work? What do they talk about when they aren't talking about work? What do they have in common?

These relationships can add colour to a story, but can also help drive the story forward.

Like with the characters themselves, I want to come up with a check list of the types of relationships that characters can have. As I develop each character I can work how they relate to the others.

Number of Characters

The Doc Savage books have six on-going characters. Seven if you include Doc's cousin Pat. There is usually one main bad guy with a bunch of nameless subordinate bad guys. In contrast I usually have just the hero and his sidekick, plus an equal number of bad guys. "The Barrier" was an exception to this.

What I noticed was that when I had more good guys to work with, it was easier to come up with things to happen in the story. On the other hand, I found it hard to give some characters anything to do.

I think that while you can have too few characters, you can also have too many. What the best number of characters is, I am not really sure. If I planned to do a series of stories, I would want to have a few extra around that could play a bigger role in later stories. For a stand alone story, they would just be in the way.

I'm sure that there is more for me to learn, but I really feel that this little project has been one of my more fruitful projects.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog