Archive for February, 2023

/sectionb: COMPROMISED [DSD version]

Posted on February 13th, 2023 Be the first to comment

I’ve been thinking about producing a more immersive rendition of /sectionb. I’ve also been thinking that producing a “Parapsychological Spy Thriller” via conventional means is not be the correct approach. It needs to be a little more artsy, interpretive, associative. Unfortunately, illustration and animation aren’t really my thing.

Although I can draw some basic proportions and I try to pay attention to composition and colour, I can’t produce the type of visual output that modern artificial intelligence can. But as it happens I also dabble in code so it wasn’t long before I was fucking around with Stable Diffusion and similar software. Unfortunately, if I wanted to use the AI to produce short films the still images it spat out would need to be animated using something like morphing — doable but laborious.

By one propitious circumstance a fairly recent upgrade to Stable Diffusion by Deforum popped up in my search results one day and as soon as I saw a few samples I got giddy. Not only is the animated output of DSD dream-like and trippy, which is very apropos for /sectionb, it also improvises around the periphery of supplied prompts/themes in surprising ways, which is also quite apropos.

Initially I tried adding voice narration but it just didn’t fit so instead I converted the text to subtitles/closed captions, chucked in some original music, and after that the video basically just produced itself.

Filed under: /sectionb, B Sides, Dispatches, Patrick Bay, Sounds, Videos

/sectionb: KOMPROMAT

Posted on February 13th, 2023 Be the first to comment

… in which Brock and Rebekah put on a convincing performance and a deep secret is revealed.

Filed under: /sectionb, Contributed, Dispatches, Patrick Bay, Pictures

/sectionb: BLOWBACK

Posted on February 12th, 2023 Be the first to comment

… in which inspiration opens locked doors and an escape plan is hatched.

Filed under: /sectionb, Dispatches, Patrick Bay, Pictures

/sectionb: SHINDAN ACADEMY

Posted on February 12th, 2023 Be the first to comment

… in which Section B runs up against some closed doors in their pursuit of a hastily retreating Shindan Academy.

Filed under: /sectionb, Dispatches, Patrick Bay, Pictures

/sectionb: INFILTRATION

Posted on February 12th, 2023 Be the first to comment

… in which the premises of Shindan Academy are unsuccessfully penetrated. An intriguing twist emerges.

Filed under: /sectionb, Dispatches, Patrick Bay, Pictures