bell typographic music video game for androp

a still from ‘bell’, an interactive music video for androp by masashi kawmura ＋ qanta shimizu ＋ saoosha ＋ yuki morimoto, 2012 song © warner music japan inc all images courtesy ddd gallery and the designers

ddd gallery has sent designboom a piece featured in the tokyo space’s most recent exhibition– a graphic design and typography interactive music video entitled ‘bell’. the experiential film has been developed by artists masashi kawmura, qanta shimizu, saoosha, and yuki morimoto has been created as a website for japanese band androp‘s song ‘bell’ as a music video game through which any individual may access this participatory, letter-formed digital short.

upon visiting the website, the user first enters a message equaling eighty characters or less into a small text box provided on the homepage, signifying the recipient in the top textbox either by name or twitter ID. the goal of the ‘androp bell’ participant is to avoid numerous obstacles and safely relay the entirety of their brief note as a cartoon animal. they may control their character moving across the screen with their keyboard’s arrow keys and space bar. each personality is comprised of a jumbled collection of the letters input by the user on the homepage– the size of the character is directly proportional to the count of the note he or she sent. as the user attempts to overcome attacks from opponent animals chasing their small form or environmental blockades, several of the ‘players’ which comprise the unified thought of the message are switched from the initial letters building each word. the comprehensibility of the note is entirely dependent upon whether or not the user avoids the introduced obstacles. the black and white music video comes to a close with the remains of the initial message having been altered by the game interactions written across the screen. at this point, the user has the option to either send this version of the message via twitter to his or her chosen recipient or play again.

first, the user must type the name of the recipient (or their twitter ID) into the top field, the second space available for the input of a message

after the user clicks the button labeled ‘play’, and the perspective shifts as the letters begin to dance across the screen

the message written by the user falls from the sky of the alternate reality into the shape of an animal

upon first starting the game, the user is informed of how to use their keyboard as a controller for their character

in a darkened space, the animal must dodge rolling typographic made boulders

the animal moves backwards, forwards and side to side, avoiding the obstacles posed to the mini figure

four of the scenes in which the typographic animal moves through

the word-formed giraffe navigates through several peril filled environments

in the final moments of the song and game, all letter-formed figures in the screen begin to disintegrate, the characters drifting up to the space from which they once rained down

the message in its final, cryptic form may be sent through four methods or played again for clearer recognition

a film explaining how to play the ‘bell’ music video game

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INFINITI digital art competition – CURVED VISIONS designboom in collaboration with INFINITI is offering an international competition asking participants to design spectacular or interactive digital artworks or performances, to be exhibited throughout europe. participation is open to applicants from every country in the world: to professionals, design-enthusiasts, and students.

registration is free and now open, through july 10th, 2012. view the call-to-entry for more details!