{Adaption A} 20: Animating w/ Puppet Pins & Nulls - Wheat Stalk

Smaller versions of the wheat seen in this animation will form part of the background for Fact 08, concerning Mike the headless chicken [script]

The Setup

The Graphic

The Influence

{Adaption A} 19: Botox Needle - Animation Tests

In this test I have incorporated the forms of animation as suggested by Alan. Within the animation the syringe will shatter after 'injecting' a silhouette head, at which point the head will also shatter. 

{Adaption A} 18: More Graphic Designs

Various graphic designs

Influence Map

@Alan -- {Adaption A} 17: Botox Fact: Minimalist Layout Attempt (B&W)

Which, if any, do you feel is the most successful?

New Influences

[source]

"Propaganda" Font

{Adaption A} 16: "No Aliens" Sign Revised & Colour Experimentation

01 - 05 = design experimentation

06 - 09 = background & colour shade testing 

Preferences: 07 or 09.

Design development

Main alien - design development

Influence Map

@Alan -- {Adaption A} 15: Minimalist Graphics Attempt 01

Designs

Influences

[Mudbox] Bell Pepper

My Model

Real Life

[source]

{Adaption A} 14: "The Top 10 Facts about Weird Science" Script

Fact 10
10. Unnatural!
Scientists invented
An oxygen micro particle
That lets you temporarily live without breathing
When injected into the bloodstream
A medical marvel!

Fact 09
09. Breath-taking!
One oxygen molecule
Can be breathed by 100s of people & animals
Including Albert Einstein
And the dinosaurs
But there is A LOT of Oxygen on Earth
About 67 quindecillion Oxygen atoms
[faded 67,500,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 text in background]
So breathing the same air as Einstein is unlikely

Fact 08
08. Bwarking Hell!
In 1945, Mike the chicken was beheaded
And survived!
[Graphic: chicken head on plate, headless chicken beside it, ‘plucking’ at plate]
“Miracle Mike” toured America
[North American continent with chicken head and legs / chicken ‘road trip’ map]
Making his owner $4,500 per month
That’s ≈ $59,000 today! (≈ £39,000)
Mike lived for 18 months
And died choking on a corn kernel

Fact 07
7. Hair-Raising!
A full head of human hair
[Rapunzel parody graphic]
Can support 12 tonnes
That’s the weight of 2 elephants!
[2 elephants swinging on hair]

Fact 06
06. Horror Hands!
More germs 
Are transferred shaking hands
Than kissing
80% of infections 
Are spread by hand

Fact 05
05. No Frogging Way!
Until the 1960’s,
Injecting a female African clawed frog
With a woman’s urine
[Needle poking in frog’s backside, frog with wide eyes]
Was the only reliable pregnancy test
[Pregnancy test with frog silhouettes instead of red lines]
If the woman were pregnant, the frog would ovulate 
Within 12 hours

Fact 04
04. The Dead Rise!
In the 1930s, Dr. Robert Cornish (1903 – 1963)
Killed dogs and tried to revive them
Using an injection + seesaw combo
Each dog was nicknamed Lazarus
Lazarus IV and V rose from the dead!
But they had brain damage
Lazarus IV was blind and unable to stand alone

Fact 03
03. Spit Tsunami!
On average a person produces 2 pints of saliva per day!
Enough to fill 2 swimming pools
In a lifetime!

Fact 02
02. Shock-tox!
Botox is the world’s
Deadliest toxin
2 teaspoons will
Kill everyone in the UK
2kg will kill everyone in the world!

Fact 01
01. We are not alone!
And we don’t mean aliens.
[Graphic of sad ET / alien behind a ‘no’ sign]
We are covered with billions of tiny microbes!
Identity: Bacteria & Viruses
They live on and INSIDE us.
[Human body silhouette with bacteria wiggling on it, door inside chest opens revealing more bacteria inside]
There are more microbes on 1 person than humans on Earth.
There is no escape!
[Falling microbes pile up, filling the screen]

{Adaption B} 07: Carbon as a 'Big Brother' Housemate

[source]

If Carbon were a person

Possible split personality, because of Carbon's different allotropes (physical forms).

Diamond is often related to class and wealth due to its cost and appearance, so a character based off of diamond could be a wealthy and attractive individual.

Diamond is an excellent abrasive due to its hardness, this could translate as an abrasive personality 

“showing little concern for the feelings of others; harsh” - Google ‘define: abrasive’.

This treatment of Carbon as a harsh character (‘the rude one’) is further backed up by Diamond’s high thermal conductivity, leading to it being icy cold to the touch. 

Carbon could not only be a harsh, but also cold 

“lacking affection or warmth of feeling; unemotional” – Google ‘define: cold’

Diamond’s strength allows it to have great sharpness, 

“Crafty or deceitful. Fierce or impetuous; violent. Vigilant; alert.” [source]

Carbon could be dirty in the form of charcoal or studious / artistic in the form of graphite. 

Carbon as a character could also fall into the category of ‘the promiscuous one’ as a Big Brother housemate due to diamond’s beauty but also carbon’s dirtiness as coal. 

Carbon could even be ‘the playa’ as a kind of femme fatale.

Physical appearance

Female, ‘diamonds are a girl’s best friend’ and the societal femininity of diamond.

Thin (less body fat = equals less warmth = cold).

Blue tinged pale skin.

Attractive, referring to the beauty of cut diamonds.

Wide, alert eyes.

Wearing several layers of upper class clothing, for warmth.

Sour expression, to help show harsh personality.

Overarching colour scheme, blues, whites and blacks in reference to Carbon’s allotropes.

A smoker; Carbon as coal, soot and ash.
Her clothes could also be soot stained (this I’m less keen on).

Femme fatale [source]

Carbon Research [source]

About 20% of the weight of living organisms is carbon.

Graphene is the thinnest, strongest material ever known.

Carbon is made within stars when they burn helium. Carbon is part of the ‘ash’ formed by helium burning. Coal = amorphous carbon. Diamond = crystalline carbon.

Diamond is an excellent abrasive because it is the hardest common material and has the highest thermal conductivity.

Carbon can exist with several different 3 dimensional structures in which its atoms are arranged differently (allotropes).

Graphite is one of the softest substances.

DNA’s double helix is made by carbon’s ability to form long molecular chains. Carbon nanotubes have outstanding tensile strength – two orders of magnitude higher than graphite fibres, Kevlar or steel.

Carbon is used as a fuel (coal)

Diamonds are used in jewellery and because they are so hard in industry for cutting drilling, grinding and polishing.

Natural diamonds are found in kimberlite from ancient volcanoes.

{Adaption A} 13: Infographic; Storyboard Thumbnailing 01

The relevant facts are

2. Botox is the world’s most deadly toxin and is produced by a type of bacteria.

3. The average person produces enough saliva in their lifetime to fill two swimming pools.

4. In the 1930s, an American doctor tried to bring dead animals back to life by injecting them with chemicals and rocking them on a seesaw. He failed to replicate his relative success with dead humans.

{Adaption A} 12: First Infographic Design Test (B&W)

Previous post

The Fact: In their lifetime, the average person produces enough saliva to fill two swimming pools.

Version 3

Version 2

Version 1

New Influences

{Adaption A} 11: Graphic Style - Primary Influence Map

@Alan -- {Adaption A} 10: Infographic Soundtrack Research

@Alan Are any of these music examples along the right lines of what might suit my "Top 10 Facts about Weird Science" infographic? Embeds removed due to unfortunate auto-play feature.

Léon Theremin using his invention. [source]

Note: The well known sci-fi instrument used in most, if not all the audio clips below is called a Theremin [1] [2]


Carnival of the Dead (1 minute)


Creature Feature (1 min, 46 sec)


Podmen from Sector 7 (1 min, 49 sec)


Halloween X-Files Theme (2 min, 39 sec)


From Another World (2 min, 58 sec)


Mystery of Planet X (1 min, 21 sec)


Mystery of Planet X 3 (1 min, 21 sec)

{Adaption A} 09: The List; Re-Arranged - Least to Most Weird Science

[source]

Infographic: "The Top 10 Facts about Weird Science" Countdown

10. Scientists have created an Oxygen particle that allows a person to live without breathing.

9. One oxygen molecule can be breathed by hundreds of people and animals.

8. A headless chicken lived for 18 months.

7. A full head of human hair is strong enough to support the weight of two elephants.

6. More germs are transferred shaking hands than kissing.

5. Until the 1960s, injecting a species of frog with a woman’s urine was the only reliable pregnancy test.

4. In the 1930s, an American doctor tried to bring dead animals back to life by injecting them with chemicals and rocking them on a seesaw. He failed to replicate his relative success with dead humans.

3. Botox is the world’s most deadly toxin and is produced by a type of bacteria.

2. The average person produces enough saliva in their lifetime to fill two swimming pools.

1. There are more living organism on the skin of each human than there are humans on Earth.

{Adaption A} 08: Art Styles - Preferred Examples

{Adaption B} 06: Thoughts About & Rejection of Helium as a BB Housemate

[source]

Helium Properties
A noble gas.
Unreactive.
Colourless.
Odourless.
Available in pressurised tanks.
Used in balloons - connection to parties.
It is an inert gas, so it does not burn
It is also used in air balloons.
Helium glows a bright purple when electrically excited.
[source 01] [source 02] [source 03]


Helium as a Character: pre- Big Brother archetype connection
Light weight and bony with a dopey appearance and clothing indicating nobility, the clothing colours would pull from the glow colour if helium itself. Unfortunately this concept does not pay attention to the Big Brother archetypes connection, so can be considered unsuitable.

The characters may use exaggeration as part of their design, possibly of a caricature-esque appearance.


Helium with Big Brother archetype connection
As a Big Brother housemate Helium could be thought of as the lazy or quiet one due to its lack of reactivity. However the gas also relates to both air and party balloons, this opens up the opportunity of treating Helium as the house's typical "party animal"; this would directly go against the idea of helium being the quiet, lazy one. 


A possible overall character design aesthetic
The characters may use exaggeration as part of their design, possibly of a caricature-esque appearance.


Rejection
With all this in mind, since Helium is actually not that interesting as an element, it may not translate as an interesting character design.

{Adaption A} 07: Infographic - Ideas Development and Influence Maps

Previous post

Infographic: 'The Top 10 Facts about Weird Science'

After researching the uncanny and weird / creepy imagery, I have realized that focusing on making my graphic designs look this way is unnecessary because a surreal use of colour, such as via contrasting colours, would better achieve the 'weird-factor' without going too far. To focus too much on the uncanny is likely to be at the expense of the more important science / 1950s B-movie aesthetic. 

A preferred basis would be for any graphic designs to keep a cardboard cut-out aesthetic, but be simple in design. 

I have since moved on to primarily researching art of the 1950s to help guide my graphic design aesthetic, as illustrated by the Influence Map below...

1950s Art - Influence Map 

Weird / Creepy - Influence Map

{Adaption A} 06: Infographic Influence Map and Font Research

The Top 10 Facts about Weird Science

The fonts used (and possibly the transitions) will take inspiration directly from 1950's B-movie trailers, namely those of the sci-fi and horror genres. 

The colour scheme used will be surreal to emphasise the weird factor. 

As a callback to the low budget nature of B-movies, I like the idea of any graphics having a cardboard cut-out on a stick aesthetic. The designs of the graphics would be deliberately simple but also weird / creepy where possible e.g. a human character with a puppet-like mouth.

There will be no voice-over, instead there will be a soundtrack inspired by the over-dramatic instrumentals of 1950's B-movie sci-fi and horror trailers.

 Influence Map

Font Research

In no particular order

1. CSNPWDT NFI

2. Friday 13

3. Oregano

4. Feast of Flesh

5. Rocket YoYo

6. Kelvinized

7. Science Fair

8. Bloodyslime

9. Wolf's Bane II

10. Retro Town

11. Day Poster Black

12. Lost in Moments

13. Scream Again

{Adaption A} 05: Top 10 Facts about Weird Science - The Lists

Making Connections

10. One oxygen molecule can be breathed by hundreds of people and animals.

< Connection: Breathing >

9. Scientists have created an Oxygen particle that allows a person to live without breathing.

< Connection: The mouth >

8. The average person produces enough saliva to fill two swimming pools.

< Connection: The mouth >

7. More germs are transferred shaking hands than kissing.

< Connection: Germs >

6. There are more living organisms on the skin of each human than there are humans on Earth.

< Connection: The skin >

5. Botox is the world’s most deadly toxin and is produced by a type of bacteria.

< Connection: Injection >

4. Until the 1960s, injecting a species of frog with a woman’s urine was the only reliable pregnancy test.

< Connection: Injection >

3. In the 1930s, an American doctor tried to bring dead animals back to life by injecting them with chemicals and rocking them on a seesaw.

< Connection: Life and Death >

2. A headless chicken lived for 18 months.

< Connection: The head, nature >

1. A full head of human hair is strong enough to support the weight of two elephants.

All Facts in Categories

The Human Body

1. A full head of human hair is strong enough to support the weight of two elephants.

2. Until the 1960s, injecting a species of frog with a woman’s urine was the only reliable pregnancy test.

3. One oxygen molecule can be breathed by hundreds of people and animals.

4. Over the course of their lifetime, a human sheds about 40lbs of skin.

5. Scientists have invented particles, which would make us able to live without breathing.

6. The average person produces enough saliva to fill two swimming pools.

Bacteria

7. The strongest creatures on Earth are the gonorrhoea bacteria.

8. More germs are transferred shaking hands than kissing.

9. There are more living organisms on the skin of each human than there are humans on Earth.

10. Botox is the world’s most deadly toxin and is produced by a type of bacteria.

Science experiments / accidents

11. Scientists can make diamonds from tequila.

12. In the 1930s, an American doctor tried to bring dead animals back to life by injecting them with chemicals and rocking them on a seesaw.

13. Scientists have created an Oxygen particle that allows a person to live without breathing.

14. A headless chicken lived for 18 months.