3/8/08 CMT II Soundtrack: "Crazy Sketch"

This is the first of four soundtracks from the second Comic Making Tournament: "Crazy Sketch." The soundtrack gets it name because I put a lot of strange and upbeat songs onto it, including examples of non-adult Japanese denpa.

Track list (artist/source - song name):

1. Katamari Damacy - Sasasan Katamari
2. Portal - Still Alive
3. Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me with Science
4. Oingo Boingo - Weird Science
5. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Hito Toshite Jiku ga Bureteiru
6. Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei - Kuusou Rumba
7. JAM Project - JAM ga Moettetta! Sailor Fuku
8. Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Yuki, Muon, Madobe Nite
9. Higurashi - Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
10. Weird Al Yankovic - Dare to be Stupid
11. Lucky Star - Motteke! Sailor Fuku (Electro Otome Chikku Mix)
12. Utada Hikaru - Beautiful World
13. Moon Phase - Neko Mimi Mode
14. Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Hare Hare Yukai
15. Lucky Star - Motteke! Sailor Fuku
16. Caramell - Caramelldansen (Speedy Cake Remix)
17. O-zone - Dragostea din tei
18. Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Yuki, Muon, Madobe Nite (Program Hack Remix)
19. Lucky Star - Motteke! Sailor Fuku (Metabolic Syndrome Taisaku Mix)

I tried to order the songs in order of increasing speed and energy, like an artist growing more and more frantic.

Track 1 struck me as a natural opener, as it starts quietly and picks up tempo while being insanely catchy. Track 2 was a hit with the kids, as a couple of them recognized it from the game. Tracks 3 thru 6 were an "intro" of sorts for me. I tend to portray myself as a mad scientist, so 3 and 4 fit into this. 5 and 6 come from a show where the main character is a crazy teacher, making them appropriate.

There are four versions of the Lucky Star OP "Motteke! Sailor Fuku" on this CD, each in order of bombastic energy. 7 is a wacky group song by JAM Project (who I hope to see at Otakon in 2008), which transitions into a pair of slower electronic pieces (8 and 9). 9's out of place in terms of theme, but the sound works well. 10 goes back to the wacky theme, while 11 restates 7 at a relatively stable and steady pace.

Track 12 flows directly from 11, with Utada Hikaru's theme for "Evangelion 1.0" being a great example of more mainstream Japanese dance music. 13 is reminiscent of some of the 60's movie light pop themes, with minimal vocals. I included it as a "lull before the storm," when the CD launches into its most frenetic portion.

Track 14 and 15 are two of the most infamous songs in recent anime circles, with full dance routines dedicated to both. The position of the two on the CD meant they would play in the middle of a given activity. Highly peppy and infectious, they were meant to help wake up any students who may have hit a mid-way stump. 16 and 17 were some non-Japanese dance pieces, both of which have become popular on the Internet.

One thing I like doing with mix CD's is restating earlier themes with remixes. Tracks 18 and 19 accomplish this, with 18 being a more forceful presentation of track 8. Track 19 takes the "main thread" and ups it to its most frantic point, a remix that makes the song even more boisterous than it already was.

One change I'd make to this CD if I use it again (and I probably will) is to include a "resolution" track, something slow and easy at the end. This makes transitioning to later CD's easier, since it gives the ear time to relax.

3/8/08 CMT II Soundtracks

In the first comic tournament, I used a CD of random music I'd burned for my car. I found that music was an effective way to block distracting background noise while also helping get the kids into a mood to create. In videos of the first tournament you can hear music like Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" and "Ievan Polka" by Loituma.

For the the second Comic Making Tournament, instead of just a random mix CD, I wanted a set of specific "soundtracks." Each CD would have a general theme, contain music appropriate for all ages, and be an eclectic mix to expose kids to more than just the usual "bubblegum pop" that floods most Top 40 stations.

In some of the videos posted so far from the second CMT, you've already heard a few of the songs in there. I've decided to post the track lists for each of the four CD's as well as notes on why I included the individual songs. Most of the songs I used are widely available online (Last.fm, iTunes, etc.). The four soundtracks ("Crazy Sketch," "Hot Blooded Tooning," "Drawing Mad," and "Comic Mission") will be posted separately.

3/8/08 CMT II Videos 2

Three more Comic Making Tournament II videos have been uploaded. These document the second event, Hybrid, where kids made comics with templates that had one panel blank.

Hybrid 1



Hybrid 2



Hybrid 3

3/8/08 CMT II Videos

Three more videos from the second Comic Making Tournament are up:

Short form Pre-drawn 1



Short form Pre-drawn 2



Short form Pre-drawn 3



These three document the first event. As with the first extended length clip, I've cut out dead time, causing the skips and jumps. There'll be more tournament videos later on.

"You'll Have That" Joins!

"You'll Have That" by Wes Molebash has joined the Create a Comic Project! I asked him to join after reading about his adventure teaching elementary kids about making comics. It's good to see other comic creators going out there to help others using their craft.

Links Page Updated

I've finally gotten around to updating the Links page with banners of all the most recent comics to join, plus some others like Skin Horse and Sketchies, which are new comics by people who have released their work for use in the CCP. I moved Dreamland Chronicles and Tsunami Channel to the list of comics that's linked to the CCP. I've also updated the big long copyright statement so it's up to date.

Misc. Updates

Sorry for the lack of activity. Studying for my Ph.D. qualifiers has eaten my brain to a large extent. I'll be more active in late June, but don't expect many blog posts in May.

The grant application for Comic Making Tournament III is being processed. They've sent me some additional questions to answer, which is apparently the next stage in the selection process. With luck I may get funds to return to New Haven again.

My partnership with Pitt's CSSA is progressing. My contact there has sent me a presentation the group has used in the past about Beijing. Also, CSSA students in China are taking pictures of their daily lives and monuments that I can use as references for comics based on modern China. The pictures will also form the basis for a lecture component.

In addition to the China-themed modules, I've also been at work putting together modules based on: climate change, public health, statistics, and even economics. One goal is that by the end of the summer I'll have sufficient material to bring the CCP to schools across Pittsburgh in many capacities. And thanks to the endorsements I've received from several Pittsburgh institutions (University of Pittsburgh, the Children's Museum, and the Human Service Center), schools should be very receptive to this program.

Tasks to be done:

1. Write-up about the Tournament (sadly, I think I may have waited too long as is, since the details are already fuzzy).
2. CMT II videos.
3. 4/10 and 4/15 Module numbers.
4. 4/15 Module videos.

I also need to write up a press release to announce another project element that recently came to fruition. It relates to some of the templates you saw the kids using in the tournament and module that aren't related to any comic.