A Cast of Dungeness

Amidst an abundant swirling cast of crabs, we soar through the cosmos, calmly paying respects to San Francisco’s most delectable aquatic neighbor.

Sketches

To think through and present my vision, I’ve sketched out a number of short videos.

The following videos demonstrate the gist of my vision, and show off some elements that would appear over the course of the 5-10 minute final. Including but not limited to: Nebulous swirls, camera pans, focal length warping, rigid formations, and climactic flashing.

The crab, a San Francisco staple

Growing up in San Francisco, the dungeness was unquestioningly a celebratory food. My family would enjoy it annually as part of our Thanksgiving feast, and as much as we could get our hands on it throughout the winter, whether smothered in garlic atop noodles out in the avenues, doused in a tomato broth amongst its marine companions in a Cioppino, or steamed simply at home with some cocktail sauce.

I came to learn later its many connections to the city and its people. As examples: its importance to the Italian community in fisherman’s wharf, as an “anti-mascot” for the San Francisco Giants, and as a staple for the Filipino community.

The crab is truly a San Francisco special.

The crab, a triumph of aesthetic form

I’ve seen three successful “types” of video content on the salesforce tower. Abstract textures, sharp colored patterns, and simple dramatic forms.

A swirling group of crabs, amazingly, achieves all three of these. Zoomed out, the tangle of claws, bodies, and spikes form a pleasing rough texture. Moving towards the shape reveals sharply contrasting white against red, and in the moment a crab breaks free, a patient viewer is rewarded with the striking iconic form of a lone crab.

The crab, or as otherwise known, the artist

My name is Aaron. I grew up in San Francisco and the surrounding area, and have lived here for most of my life.

Professionally, I build interactive experiences for science and math education at Brilliant.org.

Outside of that, I surround myself with creative pursuits, and I invite you to explore some of them at aaronstrick.com/explore.