If you don’t already know, D-box is a new type of theater experience. It involves special seats that provide interaction between the viewer and the movie. It shakes, it sways, etc. The Megaplex theater at the District is the only place that you can find these in Utah. I drove an extra hour and paid about $10 more to experience this while watching Inception, which should further attest to how amazing of a movie inception really is.

‘D’ is for ‘Distraction’

Yes, distraction. Hollywood doesn’t seem to understand the root of why we see movies. It’s to escape. To project ourselves into the film and live in its story for a couple of exciting hours. Think about it. Why is it upsetting when others talk or text in the theater? Why do we like to watch movies with the lights out and the sound up? Because we don’t want distractions. The smaller the barrier between us and the movie, the better.

The D-Box seats are comparable to 3D movies. It’s a gimmick. Yes, it gets a few oohs and ahhs, but it comes at the expense of not being able to really get into the movie. It’s a constant reminder that Your sitting in a theater with other people all around.

Is it good for anything?

Yes. Like 3D, I suspect that this is a technology that has yet to be perfected. One of the others that was in the theater, Dane Thurber, made the remark that this would be excellent for video games. I totally agree. It’s not far off from a rumble pack in a controller. Video games are a media where interaction with the viewer is the goal. Something like this would add to the ‘fun’ and excitement.

As for movies, it’s not worth the extra price. I don’t expect it to catch on. Especially because the people that are willing to pay $17 to see a movie are people that aren’t impressed by gimmicks.

A Time for Change

I created my original flash portfolio site well over a year ago. At the time, it was one of my highest achievements regarding web and interactive design. Since then, technology has begun to shift. Flash seems to be a web development tool that is on its way out the door. I believe it will still be some time before we say goodbye to flash permanently, and I still value my original portfolio as an effective and well executed design. Nevertheless, there always comes a time to change. HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript are becoming more prevalent on the web. I also felt the need to make the site more commercial; to take the philosophical and fine art elements out and use them in channels other than this site.

Build, don’t destroy

Redesigning a website doesn’t mean destroying a brand and starting over. The identity that I’ve already established with my portfolio is effective at communicating my attitude toward design and setting myself apart from others. Yes, I could have filled this site with plenty of Web 2.0 gradients, shadows, and rounded corners, all executed using simple CSS. But why be like everyone else? Why destroy the identity I’ve already built? Instead, I chose to utilize the same motifs and style of my brand, and to limit the CSS and JavaScript to only the instances that called for it.

So, what’s new?

The result is a website that I can easily update with new content whenever I have the inkling. By building the site around a blog, I’m able to convey more of my personality and design process. The portion dedicated to my portfolio is also more extensive and better represents my full skill set. Overall, the site is more robust and more effective at letting me express myself and promote my abilities as a designer. Hope you enjoy it!