Legacy of the BujinkanMartial Arts History NarrativeCategories: Project Description:
Legacy of the Bujinkan is a multimedia, interactive narrative that tells the modern story of ninjutsu and the Bujinkan Dojo through the perspectives of three successive martial arts masters, beginning from the late 1800's up to present day. One perspective is that of the 33rd grandmaster of ninjutsu which begins in the year 1889 and highlights his achievements, works, philosophy, and succession, covering much of the 1900's until his death in the early 1970's. A second perspective is that of the 34th grandmaster who followed in Ninpo succession upon the death of the 33rd grandmaster. The perspective of the 34th grandmaster tells of the rising events following the WWII era, in which the 34th grandmaster becomes responsible for exposing the ancient arts of ninjutsu to the world at large. The third perspective continues through the telling of the first American who sought-out the 34th grandmaster and traveled to Japan in 1975 to become the first western practitioner of ninjutsu and ultimately bringing the ancient philosophies and tactics that he was taught, back to teach the students and members of his Cincinnati Dojo. Project Goals:
The goal of this project is to tell a historical account of events spanning over 100 years through a multimedia user experience, involving interactions, sights, sounds, along with cultural and global points of historic and political reference. Most importantly, the goal is to captivate audience attention through a variety of interactive selections, animations, and loads of content including dates, places, people, philosophies, photographic galleries, and training videos for viewing enjoyment. Target Audience:
The primary target audiences for this project are: - Martial Arts Enthusiasts Benchmarks:
The web sites chosen for competitive analysis and design inspirations are: Bujinkan Dojo of Soke Massaki Hatsumi Technology:
Programming and software skills used to develop this project include: ActionScript • Incorporates Actionscript and Flash-based animations to provide an interactive environment for story narration. • Utilizes custom designed graphics for animations, motion graphics, and user activities. • Design that follows through and maintains a cohesive theme through contextual, visual, and interactive elements, all of which correlate and reinforce the concepts and goals defined by the project at hand. » |
