multimedia journal

Show Reel

2010-05-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

So here it is... 3 years of university put into a 1 minute 25 second clip. Quite a shame eh?

Artefact 6

2010-05-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

I found it particularly difficult to come up with a final artefact, however Deb managed to put me on the right track in order to come up with a substantial experiment.

The main idea of this artefact was to discover what may stop 3D from becoming the "norm". I found that these things included cost, quality of picture and up-to-date technology...
Here's my evaluation which may explain exactly what I did for the artefact a little easier and in a nutshell.

And also, like my previous artefact here are the notes I made and read from during my presentation... I haven't done maths like that in a long long time.

Here is the website that I put the small survey up onto
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GGBCW55

And here is the chart I devised, to make it clear of the difference in money between the original plasma TV and one a few years later.

Photos for online catalogue

2010-05-04T06:50:00.001-07:00

Artefact Five

2010-04-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

I was really excited about doing artefact 5 because it was something I hadn't experienced before- Watching football in 3D. Over the Easter break I managed to round up 15 people to go and watch 3D football in any pub. It didn't have to necessarily have to be the game I was watching (Chelsea vs Man U), as long as they were watching 3D football, that was fine with me. I just wanted some general feedback from the group. I wrote all my notes in my note-book, which are barely legible.

But here's my evaluation which may help with making sense of the notes.

Artefact Four

2010-04-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

So I bought the worlds first 3D web-cam by Minoru. Whilst searching other Minoru users' videos on You Tube I came across this one, in which a girl is blowing bubbles. This is a simple idea, but quite effective when trying to use the 3D effect to its full advantage. Take a look.

I decided to user this webcam as one of my artefacts, I decided to experiment with it, to find how possible it is to record an effective 3D clip with it. I s'pose I can't really beat this one- the 3D effects of bubbles are pretty cool, but I wanted to test the product for myself, to see how easy and accessible it is to most people. Over all I found the product very simple and easy to use- as I figured it was aimed towards children. I found the quality of the picture quite basic, however, the depth of field became apparent once your eyes got used to the red & green lenses, which subsequently really hurt your eyes after a minute or two. Here is a photo I took of myself using the Minoru.

Here is the evaluation of the 4th Artefact

Artefact Three

2010-03-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Here is the survey I devised for my 3rd artefact. I am getting a bit bored now with just doing surveys...however I am struggling to find what else I could do to mix it up a little bit. Watch this space

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BNTPBCB

And here are the results

And here are the notes I took into the presentation with me:

And this is my evaluation

Client Project Project Schedule

2010-03-19T06:09:00.001-07:00

Here are the Client Project Schedules

Artefact Two

2010-03-19T06:09:00.000-07:00

These are a copy of the notes I took into the presentation with me

and here is my Evaluation taken from the 2nd Artefact

Artefact One

2010-03-12T03:02:00.000-08:00

For my first artefact I decided to conduct a couple of survey in order to find out individuals opinions on 3D as a whole. Here is what the surveys looked like :

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SYFRGRQ
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WSSPK6T

and these are the results I got:

Explanation of Stereoscopic 3D

2010-02-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

I have come across this pdf file that explains how stereoscopic cinema works. It is quite confusing to read, however it does explain a great deal, and manages to shed some light on the subject.

http://www.google.co.uk/patents?hl=en&lr=&vid=USPAT4523226&id=qOcxAAAAEBAJ&oi=fnd&dq=how+to+make+a+stereoscopic+film&printsec=abstract#v=onepage&q=how%20to%20make%20a%20stereoscopic%20film&f=false

Gantt Chart final 2 terms

2010-01-18T18:09:00.001-08:00

Here is a gantt chart I have devised to help me with time keeping within my final two terms of studying my degree. I have laid it out weekly, with colours blocked out on certain dates so I can easily decipher what to do from week to week.

The weekend past I completed my first bit of filming for the client project. Joe and I traveled down to London to film "The Morning Side's" (our client) gig. My camera was kept stationary on a tripod, where as Joe hand-held his in order to get more artistic and intimate shots. Over all I think the filming went very well, we both got a lot of footage, both from back stage and from the gig which will prove to be good material for the style of documentary we are after. Here is a documentary we have taken some inspiration from:

http://www.pulsefilms.co.uk/quicktime/F&N/F&N21.html

I love the intimacy of the film, and how it's not entirely about the band's music, but their personalities and their lives. This is the style of documentary I aim to achieve.

Survey

2009-12-01T08:19:00.001-08:00

I have conducted a survey to help me with the primary research part of my PRP. So far I have had a really great response, so hopefully within a couple of days I will have the information I need to proceed with my essay. Here is the link for my survey if anyone would be so kind to fill it out!!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SYFRGRQ

Live Client Project

2009-11-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

For our live client project I have got in contact with a well known band around where I live back home. They have recently signed a record deal and released their first single on i-tunes in April of this year. We have been asked to product a short documentary which the band will use for promotional purposes. This is a description Daryl (the lead singer) sent us through e-mail of the kind of thing he would like to have produced:

EMAIL
I think it is important to have a 'theme' to make it more interesting than random footage. I think some kind of narration/commentary over some of the filming and interviews would be of benefit too.

My idea is as follows:

· Working title: 'The Morning Side: Everybody Is Left Behind' (it's a lyric!)

· Basically a documentary covering a brief history of the band, where we at now, charting the album recording process and thereafter. Including live footage, studio diary footage, interviews, stills and music, accompanied by a music video.

· Opening scenes: live footage/stills montage accompanied by our music and narrative explaining a brief history of the band, with interviews interspersed.

Eg: “The Morning Side were formed in 2007, in a rehearsal space under the arches of a south London Tube station”. (location shot of Putney Bridge station and our rehearsal space)

“Founder member and lead vocalist, Daryl van Horn had overseen numerous line-up changes over the space of two years, but finally got lucky when he placed an ad on an classifieds website for musicians”

(quick interview footage of me explaining how hard it is to find kindred spirits – blah, blah. Followed by interview footage of each member explaining how they saw the ad, what appealed etc.)

“Inspired by an eclectic mix of British and American Indie bands, 80’s electro-pop-rock and Dance music, The Morning Side took several months to perfect their sound. In a market that is fierce, due to the influence of the internet and the recent boom of DIY music culture, their synth-heavy commercial-rock seemed to strike a chord with live audiences, who enjoy big sounds and catchy choruses.” (stills/clips etc. Followed by more interview footage of band members discussing influences – how the sound came together)

“It wasn’t long before people in the music industry discovered London’s best kept secret, when in Summer 2008 the band recorded their first 3-track demo at Skyline studios in Epsom”.

(Quick interview with Jez Larder, who runs Skyline and is engineering our album – when he heard our stuff he passed it on to Neil Reed, who runs our label – quick interview with Neil, what interested him in the band).

“At the end of 2008, new Independent label ‘Shameless’ proposed a deal to record the Morning Side’s debut album”

(Interviews with band members about the demo recordings leading to first meetings with Shameless Music Group and being offered a deal.)

“However, with a world recession about to grip the Music Industry by the throat, The Morning Side would have to wait almost a year to begin recording the album”

(interviews with band on how tough it has been, slogging our guts out on the live circuit etc. waiting to start the album, but loyal following kept us going etc. Interview with Dave and Neil at Shameless, about how tough it’s been for them to get the project off the ground etc.)

“In the Autumn of 2009, Shameless built and opened their own studio in the rural village of Crawley Down (location shot with music) and the recording of The Morning side’s debut album has finally begun.

(Queue studio footage)

· That brings us to now, but we can condense the above into 10 minutes or so. Followed by more fly-on-the-wall studio footage. We can do the interview footage at the studio as well, as the control room would be a good backdrop.

Final Simulated Client Project

2009-11-17T06:07:00.000-08:00

Anti Piracy Campaign from Rosie Godwin on Vimeo.

Anti Piracy Advert

2009-11-16T09:19:00.001-08:00

These are a few stills from the anti-piracy advert. I have almost finished the edit, so on to the evaluation. I am ahead of schedule which is ideal!!

Simulated Client Project Illustrations

2009-11-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

As we speak I am sitting with the freelance illustrator designing the pictures for the pixilation that is going to be used for the Simulated Client Project. By the end of the evening the illustrations will be completed and tomorrow I will proceed with taking the photos for the finished product. I am one day behind schedule, however I have allocated 10 days for post production, which I think is more than enough, so hopefully it should not hinder the rest of the project plan. Here is the website of the illustrator I am using; her style is very unique which is ideal to get the advert noticed

www.alexgodwin.co.uk

PRP QUESTION

2009-11-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

So I have come up with my Personal Research Project Question...Here goes:

How will the increase in use of 3D film technologies affect the cinematic experience of film enthusiasts? What are the effects of the increasing use of these types of technologies? Considering these advances in technology, will this then be seen as a “normal” way to view film and television?

I know it is a long question..but essentially, what I am trying to find out is whether 3D is going to become the "norm"

Now I just have to work out what "normal" is...

Here's a paper which might help get a firm grasp on how 3D works.

CHANNEL 4...3D?!

2009-11-03T13:07:00.000-08:00

I just saw an advert for Channel 4 becoming 3D for a whole week (next week I think), viewers can pick their 3D glasses up from Sainsbury's supermarket. I will report back with my opinion on it. Crazy shit.

Schedule

2009-10-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

This is my gantt chart to help me plan my Simulated Client Project

File Sharing, Simulated Client Project Ideas

2009-10-28T06:11:00.000-07:00

Through out the course of my final academic year I have decided to focus my ideas on the same style I have portrayed through out the previous 2 years of my degree. For the simulated client project I have decided to stay true to form and use a pixilation in order to make the advert appeal to a younger generation- as this is the main group of people who share files, such as music, films, and television programmes. Will add a link to the proposal once its finalised.

Simulated Client Project

2009-10-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

At the moment I'm researching for my simulated client project in order to come up with a proposal. Here's the brief.

The Copyright Protection Society is starting a public information campaign that
illustrates and explains what file sharing is, when and why it is illegal and also the
consequences of being involved with this illegal activity. They want you to
produce a piece of multimedia that will address the points above. You have six
weeks to complete the task and you are required to produce a short proposal of
your designs and ideas then you will produce the multimedia product.

I have looked at various different sites in order to gain further knowledge into what copyrights are, what restrictions there are and what the outcome of breaching copyrights are. I have found several pieces of useful general knowledge about copyright laws etc, which will aid the creative process of producing a 20second commercial.

http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/
http://www.riaa.com/
http://www.drm.uk.com/

Personal Research Project

2009-10-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

Having considered my PRP extensively through out the course of the summer, I had two themes of which interested me. The inital idea was to explore the relationships between the director and editor, and how the two work together. The other theme which interested me was the 3D theme which I have posted previously about on my blog. Having talked to tutors about the director/editor idea, the reaction wasn't very positive and I felt I didn't have a strong enough thought on what I wanted to find out, and which direction I wanted to go with this idea. I therefore decided to continue on with the idea of how more and more films are increasingly being made in 3D, some eg. Toy Story (1995) are even being remade in a 3-dimensional format for a re-release. I find this prospect quite an interesting one, and feel there is a lot of ground on of which I can research further into the production of 3D, and how increasingly popular it has become. Is 3D going to become the norm?

3D films in animation

2009-04-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to see "Monsters Vs Aliens" (Dreamworks) at the cinema in 3D and found it a really fun and unique experience, as I had never seen a film presented in this way (apart from "My Bloody Valentine" which was crap). Before the film started there were previews for other 3D animated films such as "Up" (Disney Pixar) and "Coraline" (Laika, Henry Selick who Directed "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "James and the Giant Peach). This has opened my eyes to how 3D films have become feasible in modern day technology and cinema and has given me a possible foundation for my research project which I will start next year. Watch this space.

"Coraline" Trailer

"Monsters Vs Aliens" Trailer

"Up" Trailer

Frameforge & Pilot

2009-03-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

Here are my short film's frame forge and 60 second pilot...enjoy!!

Editing

2009-03-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

Through out this week I've been looking a lot closer at editing and how it can change the meaning of a film or audio/visual piece completely. Whilst looking through You Tube at recut trailers for well know films, I came across this one, and it was far too amusing not to put up here. Enjoy

Production

2009-03-12T06:49:00.001-07:00

These are the "peas" I have created for my film "Les Deux Petite Pois". I decided to keep them quite simple, as i feel this will best express the way I wanted to portray their characters. I made them out of a modelling clay that hardens when put in the oven- therefore I am unable to animate them, which is ideal seeing as I do not intend on animating the peas themselves.

Below is the storyboard sequence I created for the final film

Les Deux Petits Pois

2009-02-09T04:18:00.000-08:00

Synopsis

Two peas fall either side of a pan of boiling water, each from different “worlds”. The man (from an own brand bag of peas), a gangster type character, arrogant, cheeky yet somehow loveable. The woman (from a Birdseye bag of peas), a posh more reserved pea. Both peas are left either side of the pan, and for the man, it is love at first sight, and his mission is to woo the woman. The woman instantly dislikes the man’s arrogance and refuses to fall for his womanising ways. However, they both have to escape from the hob and make it back into the freezer if they are both to live. The woman then has to rely on the man for help to survive. The man always puts the woman first and helps her to survive and get by. The woman then sees how reliable and loving the man is and falls in love with him. They both decide that once they make it back into the freezer, they will be together despite what the other peas (Birdseye) may think. As the man helps the woman back into freezer, a person walks by and steps on the man. The woman is left alone to go back into the freezer with the other peas without the love of her life. The film ends.

“Les Deux Petits Pois” is going to be a take on the French New Wave, and therefore is going to be in black and white, and spoken in French, with English subtitles. The story is mostly going to be told through a French voice over, however, there will be a few words spoken by “the peas” themselves. This will be kept to a minimum as I think the whole point of the film is it’s simplicity and to get the timing absolutely right, as in Academy Award winning film “Harvie Krumpet”. “Harvie Krumpet” and “A Bout de Souffle” are two of the films I am taking my influences from for this project.

This is the opening sequence:

Modern day, long shot of person putting pan of water on the hob. Person goes to the freezer and takes out a fairly empty bag of frozen own brand peas. The person empties the bag into the pan of water; one pea falls to the side of the hob. Person goes to freezer and retrieves another bag of peas, this time Birdseye (or brand name). Person empties a few of these into the pan, again one pea falls to the side of the hob. The camera zooms into the pan on the hob and focuses on the two peas. So the audience enter “the world of the pea”. Colour turns to black and white, and voice over in French, with English subtitles:

“The two peas are from completely different worlds”

SCRIPT

INT. KITCHEN - DAY
TRACKING: PERSON opens freezer and takes out fairly empty bag of "own brand" peas, and empties them into pan of boiling water. One pea falls to the side without Person noticing. Person retrieves another bag of peas from freezer, this time "Birdseye", Person pours more into the pan of water, again, one falls to the side of the hob.
ZOOM IN:PIERRE is a confident "gangster" character. PENELOPE is a shy demure pea. Both are situated either side of the flaming hob.
NARRATOR (V.O)

The two peas are from completely different worlds
CLOSE UP: Pierre turns to look at Penelope. Penelope turns away, looking bashful
PIERRE

(confidently)
Bonjour Ma Cherie
Penelope looks at Pierre and makes a shy "squeak" of acknowledgment.
NARRATOR (V.O)
In order to survive Penelope and Pierre must return to the freezer

(pause)
But how?
WIDE: The two peas look at each other. The camera zooms out to reveal to the audience the task at hand in order for the peas to successfully make it back into the freezer.

The Peas begin their journey across the kitchen surface, and come to the person cutting fruit & vegetables. CLOSE UP to peas' faces
NARRATOR (V.O)
The two peas never knew such danger
Penelope & Pierre begin to move towards the chopped fruit & vegetables, they have to dodge the knife. Penelope stays back, looking scared, Pierre takes it upon himself to help her dodge the chopping knife. The Peas turn to look at each other, Cue romantic music.
NARRATOR V.O
Penelope is so grateful for Pierre's help...he saved her life
PENELOPE
Thank you Pierre... I love you
Penelope turns to face Pierre.
The peas carry on their journey, they reach the sink, Penelope lets out a "squeak" of fear, Pierre reassures her. After dodging the sink and landing on a spoon, Penelope and Pierre are flung across the room and land on top of the freezer
PIERRE
My Darling, we made it, now we can both live eternally in the depths of the freezer along with our friends and family.
Pierre and Penelope share a "moment" on top of the freezer. Pierre tries to open the freezer door and falls to the floor
PIERRE
(slowly)
Penelope...I will never forget you
Penelope is left to return to the freezer alone

Natural Born Killers (1994)

2009-02-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

The film I have chosen as sound being an intergral part to the storyline and style is Natural Born Killers by Oliver Stone. Not only is the opening few minutes the best intro to a film I have ever seen, stylistically, it is perfect. The attention paid to the diagetic and non diagetic sound is so particular, and works in every way. However, it is the musical soundtrack that I have decided to concentrate on. The juxtaposition of the soundtrack with the picture complements the untoward events throughout this scene. I find this particularly effective in the fourth minute as a bullet is being shot at a woman and shortly after a knife is being thrown at an innocent man. The conjunctive music (which Mallory plays on the jukebox in the cafe) in the beginning of this scene works well, as it sets the up-beat mood for this comic, yet dark scene. Take a look!!

Researching for Script Ideas

2009-01-21T14:58:00.000-08:00

As I am struggling to decide on a solid script idea, I have decided to post a few clips from some of my favourite films in order to gain an idea on what genre and style I intend my film to be. I have decided that I do not necessarily want my film to be too serious, as I find with a small budget (like my own) it is quite difficult to make an amateur film look professional, especially with actors. I love film noir, and think it may be an intresting idea to encorporate that style into my script. The french new wave is also a period of film that I would love to take into account when designing my script. Here is a clip from "A Bout de Souffle" (one of my favourite films) by Jean Luc-Godard (1960) which is an absolute classic, and a perfect example, as it almost makes fun of the characters Humphrey Bogart would've played in a typical film noir picture.

"Harvie Krumpet" (2003) is a brilliant little animation by Adam Elliot and won the Academy Award for the best short film (animated). I love the style of animation, and believe that it is such a touching story. I find that just because films may be animated, or cartoons, the immediate presumption from most people is that the film will be lighthearted, however this is not the case, and this is the type of animation that I enjoy the most. Ideally, I would like to encorporate very basic stop frame animation into my film.

"Hotaru no haka" (Grave of the fireflies) (1988) is also a perfect example of an animated film which has a very deep and meaningful storyline, that can in no way be taken lightly.

I intend to take influences from each of these films and design my own script taking all of these ideas into account.

I just saw this aswel and thought it was pretty funny.

Review

2009-01-16T06:44:00.000-08:00

I had my review today, and Jools advised me to have my own domain name. I have set this up, however, the website redirects to my blog at the moment. I am in the process of setting up an online portfolio, so when that is completed, the website will be directed to that. Within time I will design the website, and begin to build it in order to make it look more professional.

www.rosiegodwin.com <====== thats me!!

Urban Art

2008-12-11T02:42:00.001-08:00

19/11/08
We began shootin for the four minute documentary. This took place in Kid 30/Small Kid's studio in which he produces most of his work. We asked Nathan (Kid 30) to paint a piece that was an artistic representation on himself using his spray paints and his usual character graffiti style. As a group we collectively decided not to rent out the boom microphone along with the rest of the equipment, as we wanted his spoken interview to be as a voice over, over the film. However, in hindsight, it may have been useful, as spontaneous snippets of conversation could have worked well within the finished edit. Here are a few photos from the evening of filming.

21/11/08
I drove the group around town to go to various locations to shoot some more footage. These places included "Russel Youth Club", "The Above Gallery" and the walls outside the night club "Blue Print". In all these locations there are pieces of work produced by Kid 30, however in different forms. We decided to shw these to show how versatile a "graffiti" artist can be.

Unfortunately I was absent from the 22nd November until the 3rd December, so there for was not involved in the actual filming of Nathan's interview. However the group kept me informed of what their plans were, so to keep me as up to date as possible.

On returning to Nottingham on the 3rd December, I made sure to invlove myself in as much as possible in order for me to catch up familiarise myself with all the footage taken in my absence.

Urban Art

2008-11-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

Our original documentary idea didn't go according to plan, as we didn't manage to get hold of the character we first decided to base our documentary on.

However, after a couple of weeks of extremely bad luck and quite poor planning, I came across a rather intresting character who I thought would be an ideal person to do our documentary on. Whilst having dinner with my sister and her mates, I thought I'd just throw the question out there "does any one know someone intresting enough to do a documentary on?!" and that's where it all started.

Nathan is one out of the five men who are collectively known as "The Oxygen Thievez"- a group of men who graffiti around Nottingham. His day job is as a graphic designer, but holds various workshops for youth groups and takes part in live illustration events to name a few. As a collective, the Oxygen Thievez legitimately paint in various public locations around notts.

Having met up with Nathan on Tuesday evening, the group was then able to discuss exactly how we intended the documentary to appear and sound, and therefore managed to produce a successful proposal.

We plan to start filming on Monday.

SPP2 Seminar 2 Discussion

2008-10-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

Using your own personal experience, write a few lines that describe how a personal contact has provided a creative opportunity for you.

During my gap year, a friend who has worked his way up from being a runner at the age of 16 to Second Assistant Director of many big budget films gave me the opportunity to work as a runner on the film "Atonement".
The placement was for only one week, and unpaid, however it provided me with an excellent insight into what goes on behind the scenes of a big budget feature film. The week invloved fetching and carrying various pieces of equiptment, organising the extras, and general menial tasks.

Also during my gap year, through contacts of my mum, I worked for a couple of weeks at a television production company based in London called "Rokkit". This was also unpaid, however this placement provided me with useful knowledge of how a smaller production company functions. This placement was on a much more personal level than the big budget movie set, but was just as hectic and the hours were just as long. Even though after both placements I was physically drained, the fast paced lifestyle really appealed to my personality, and would most definitely like to look further into doing work experience in this area.

Pixilation in Identities

2008-05-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

During the easter break I was coming up with ideas for a pixilation that would be suitable to use in the identities project I have recently completed. I had the idea of having a television as my interactive showcase with different "channels" showing my different interests. This is what I came up with for the "music channel":

Review 10/04/08 and Ideas for Interactive Showcase

2008-04-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

I had my review/feedback tutorial on Thursday with Debs and Simon, and I found what we talked about extremely useful. These are a few points that we discussed:

- document more ie. don't just write up the final result of projects on my blog, but write them as I go along.
- check grammar. Even though this is a pretty obvious point, it is very easy to miss out full stops and capital letters when typing, and it is very useful to get into the habit of writing correctly.
- keep a sketch book to jot down ideas when they come to my head
- try to find work experience the the field that I am interested in- AV
- continue experimenting with my digital camera and possibly think about investing in a cam-corder
- begin to build up a portfolio
- look at other peoples work.

Having done my review I decided to think of ideas for my interactive showcase or "box"

After playing with the idea of a fridge, vending machine and a TV, I came to the conclusion that a television was probably the best suited object to my personality seeing as I always have my television on in my room even if I am not watching it. I wanted a very basic model of tv to be used, similar to the televsion in my room- here's what I came up with:

I will probably design about 4 or 5 channels, each with a different intrest of mine playing in mini films and photos.

Coca Cola GTA video game advert

2008-04-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of months I've noticed a new advert on television for Coca Cola. It's one of those adverts when you see it for the first time, think it's really good, but almost forget what it's for when you next see it? It's a spoof of the award winning video game "Grand Theft Auto" which could have something to do with the new GTA game coming out this month. It opens with the camera following the car as if the viewer was playing the video game, then it pans out to show the whole story. I think this advert is wicked and, for me, is up there with the Phil Collins Gorilla advert for Cadburys, which has the same effect- the first few time's you view it, you have no idea what it's for as the Cadburys name or logo is not mention until the very end. Actually...I think I'll have to put up both adverts cos I've just remembered just how good the Gorilla one is too, and if you have not seen either- now is your chance!!

Typhoo Advert

2008-04-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

"Horton Hears a Who" was not advertised as widely as some films, and the souce of advertisemen that I heard about the film was a Typhoo Tea advert, which I have yet to find on the internet until this day. Even Though the clip is no longer than 20seconds, i feel it still market the film as well as one can in a 20second slot by taking a key moment from the film and editing it to create a short snipet. Hears the advert...i have yet to get an elephant though.

Horton Hears a Who!

2008-04-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

I recently saw the film "Horton Hears a Who!" and found it absolutely hilarious. The film follows an Elephant called Horton who struggles to protect a microscopic community from his neighbours who refuse to believe it exists. I'm a huge fan of the Pixar and Dreamworks animations, and really enjoyed "Ice Age" which came out in 2002, so seeing as "Horton Hears a Who" is made by the same people I considered it a must see!! Thankfully it lived up to my expectations, although there have been mixed reviews.
Here a clip from one of my favourite parts of the movie, and a short trailer.

V Side

2008-03-04T05:46:00.000-08:00

So, after much deliberation I have decided to use a programme called V Side instead of Second Life, or Seal Online. However because of the extremely poor internet connection in my halls of residences the download says it is going to take 53 days, 16 hours and 43 minutes to complete. Hopefully this is a miscalculation seeing as I only have 10 days to complete my online journal of V Side. If by the end of the day it has not finished downloading, or hasn't got a significantly shorter time to download, then I will have to use a friend's pc, who has downloaded the same programme. Having talked to a friend who has been using V Side for the past week or so I have discovered that I can make my avatar look like any thing I like, although I have decided to base my avatar on myself ie. same style of clothes, hair colour etc. I'll report back in a few hours once I have re asessed the situation of the download speed.

stupid mac

2008-02-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

Seal Online, does not seem to be compatiable with a mac...so as usual, I am going to have to find an alternitave. I will keep you updated....

Pixar here I come

2008-02-18T10:38:00.000-08:00

Seeing as there is not a version of 3D Studio Max available for a Mac, I have downloaded a similiar programme which was free off the internet, called Blender. However, because I haven't ever used a programme like this, I have to teach the basics to myself...it may take a while, but I will get there eventually...Pixar here I come.

seal online and second life....

2008-02-18T03:19:00.000-08:00

For our identities module, we were asked to join an online gaming community and create our own avatar. Second life is meant to be exactly what it advertises as- a second life, and the gamer can move around his daily business a he would in reality ie. go shopping, buy a house and meet people from different walks of life. However, the progamme by which you would play second life made my computer crash, and the same occured for many of my class mates. So, the last resort was to try Seal Online, which is very similar to Second Life but is more fantasy based. Although I was able to download the programme, because I have a Mac, I am having problems trying to access the programme, and have gone home for the weekend where I do not have access to a PC. Once I'm back at uni I will get straight on a PC and sort it out!!

Sweeney Todd...

2008-02-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

Seeing as I have enjoyed all of Tim Burton's films (apart from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory which was just weird), I thought it was my prerogative to got to see his latest collaboration with Johnny Depp. Even though I have seen the stage production of Sweeny Todd, I didn't really expect the screen adaptation to be a musical as well as it isn't marketed as a musical, because I presume, (as it would have done me) put the perspective audiences off. In the first half hour I was tempted to get up and leave the cinema as I couldn't take Johnny Depp singing seriously, but I persevered and it suprisingly got more bearable as soon as it got more gory. Because Tim Burton's style is so gothic and eccentric the fact that the script was sung 99% of the time, the film did work rather well, but also think that the film didn't need the music to carry the film, as it would have been amazing with out it. Although I probably wouldn't buy it on DVD when it comes out, I think it was worth seeing and would recommend others to go see it.

Choose a picture that screams LIGHT and COLOUR...

2008-01-28T11:55:00.000-08:00

....So that is exactly what I did. I took this photo on the beach in Antigua, and think it fits the brief pretty well. Although, the colours aren't necessarily bright, and nor is the light- to me it still screams both of those things because of the contrast between the colours and the vivid rainbow arched over the palm trees.

Identities- The Basics: Jumping Text

2008-01-22T07:49:00.000-08:00

In our seminar on Thursday we were taught the basics of 3D Studio Max. I found the whole process quite interesting and am looking forward to learning more about how to use these programmes and to produce my own animation.

Visual Aesthetics

2007-12-03T09:49:00.001-08:00

I chose to analyse the Harman Kardon Soundsticks II speakers that I have connected to my laptop. Visually, they are modern, sleek and almost sexy, with their smooth curves and dynamic shapes. Not only do they look pretty cool, but the subwoofer which works best when kept under a desk offers brilliant bass, and the sound from the speakers is crystal clear. The transparent perspex shell gives the consumer the ability to view the neat and precise electronics which gives the product a futuristic look.

One Shot Film Script- "The IT Guy"

2007-11-29T11:07:00.000-08:00

A man (Worker) is sitting at a desk in an office wearing a headset and swinging on his chair looking bored.
A second man (IT Guy) enters the shot and squats next to him.

IT Guy:
What’s happening why did you call me?

Worker:
It’s my headset I think. It’s not working.

IT Guy:
Not working or you don’t know how to work it?

Worker:
Maybe a little of both?

IT Guy:
(Shakes his head and sighs) Is it switched on?

Worker:
The headset?

IT Guy:
(Starts to check the plugs at the back of the computer) Yes, the headset!

Worker:
(Checks the power switch on the earpiece) Umm, yeah it’s on.

IT Guy:
(Cuts off workers last sentence and starts to use the computers mouse) Okay, did you go through the control panel to check the sound settings?

Worker:
Err, I tried to find that... That’s why I opened “My Computer”.

IT Guy:
Oh is that why it’s up?

Worker:
Yeah, isn’t it in there?

IT Guy:
No, you go to start, control panel, sound device... you know what don’t worry. Armatures shouldn’t be going into those areas of a computer anyway.
(There is a silence while the IT guy continues to try and find out what the problem is)

Worker:
I hear the company might be upgrading to Windows Vista.

IT Guy:
I bloody hope not.

Worker:
Why’s that? Isn’t it better?

IT Guy:
Depends what you mean by better. If you mean wasting your computers CPU then yeah it’s better. (Sighs out of his nose as a small laugh to his joke)
They’d have to start teleporting whores in before I get excited about a switch to Vista.

Worker:
(Jokingly asks) Do you go to see many whores then?
(Small Silence)

IT Guy:
Your virus protection is out of date.

Worker:
Oh, yeah... Sorry. I keep forgetting to do it. I use a Mac at home and you don’t get viruses on them.
(IT Guy cringes a little when Worker says “Mac”)

IT Guy:
You know that virus that went around in May 2000 called the love bug?

Worker:
Umm, I sort of remember that. It went around in emails right?

IT Guy:
Yeah, well I knew the guy who created it.

Worker:
Wasn’t that he from Asia?

IT Guy:
Yeah, we used to chat online all the time though. He told me about it before he released it so me and my mates weren’t affected.

Worker:
That’s nice of him.

IT Guy:
Yeah well I was the one who told him to shut it down. It was about to take out The Pentagon and if that happened then he wouldn’t be alive today. The Americans don’t take prisoners.
(Small pause)

Worker:
So... Do you know what’s wrong with my computer?

IT Guy:
I’m going to have to check the BIOS
(Cuts sharply after IT Guy says ”BIOS” and goes to credits)

One Shot Film...

2007-11-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday last week we were meant to film our one shot film...however due to unforseen circumstances (concussion and a few stitches) i was unable to be there, so Will, Jay and Rob shot the film. It was shot with a dim light, in the style of Film Noir, however, because of the demands of the script, the film would not have worked if we stuck to all the rules that Debs had given to us in our brief... so the majority of the rules were broken. After seeing the finished product, the group decided that in order to fulfil the brief we needed to start from the beginning. Jay came up with a script that he wrote himself, which doesn't involve any camera movement at all, so tomorrow night we'll shoot it.

Premier

2007-11-15T08:10:00.000-08:00

In Debs' two hour seminar today she gave us an introduction on how to use Premier to edit our one shot films that are due in the end of next week. The class was given a sample of clips from a short film to edit and put together in the way that we each found worked best. It's interesting how cuts in the camera and different camera angles gave the whole story a different feel and almost a different meaning even though everyone had the same footage to work with. Unfortunately the video that was given to us is under copyright and only to be used for educational purposes, so I am unable to upload a copy of my final cut onto my blog.

INSPIRATION!!

2007-11-13T09:47:00.001-08:00

Today in our tutourial were were asked to reference two influences for our final pixelation project. The group's initial idea for our pixelation derived from an E4 advert first shown on television a few months ago. I personally liked the whole concept of this advert as it gives the viewer the idea that they can listen to any type of music any where they please. I feel that this idea mixed well into what I was trying to convey with the stop animation project I produced.

The next refrence is to another advert for the telephone network "3". The short advert that lasts approximately 10 seconds has a similar image to the our final product. However as it is quite a new advert I couldn't find a clip of it on you tube, but as soon as I find it I'll put it on here!!

One Shot Film

2007-11-13T04:26:00.001-08:00

After not having any creative ideas for our one shot film, Will came to our rescue by telling us that he had written a short story and wanted to adapt it in order to successfully produce a 1-2 minute film. Ideally it will be filmed in a "Film Noir" style and the actors in it will not speak as a narration will be spoken over the film...here's the adapted version:

She lay down upon the bed and gazed at me… sitting there, with my head in my hand and my hair fallen across my face. I tried to lighten the mood “I’m gonna get a bite to eat, that always makes me feel better” it was forced and she knew it, hell anyone could see that, she looked straight threw my words like a god damned pane of glass.
I looked into to her eyes and touched her lips with the end of my index finger, let her know I still cared and I did, I just couldn’t stand to be in the room anymore, she was always watching. Watching me when all I wanted was to be as invisible as that pane of glass.
I gently closed the door behind me and sighed, the landing was dark, the street lights outside were the only source of illumination, every single object was picked out with a faint orange glow. Thank god, I thought to myself, in that moment I felt like a 60-watt bulb could burn right threw me. I lumbered through the hallway into the kitchen like some kind of washed up drunk looking for his next drink. my bare foot twinged as it touched the cold cheap vinyl floor. There wasn’t a sound except the dull monotonous drone of the refrigerator, I pull it open and the light lit up my face, I stared into it blankly hoping that “bite to eat” would just fall into my lap… there was nothing, “shit” I mumbled to myself.
I turned and old pizza box caught my immediate attention… it would do. I grabbed the box and set it down on the table and looked at it with a glazed expression, there was a note, it read, “life’s tough… at least there’s pizza”, no shit. It was like the whole world was a joke and I was the god damned punch line.

Final Pixelation

2007-11-11T09:31:00.001-08:00

This is the finished version of my pixelation.
Organised into groups of four, each group was given a camera and a brief: to develop a stop animation using a digital camera and to last approximately 30 seconds. We were told that the final piece would consist of 12 shots per second. After taking still images of our desired sequence the group was then to split up and finish the pixelation seperately. Using Photoshop I organised the photos into several different groups as I wanted to give each group of photos a different finish and look which would be relevent to the storyline of my piece. After batch processing roughly 700 photos, the whole sequence was put together using Premier, in order for there to be a smooth transition from one photo to the next and to insert and cut the music of my choice. However, the finished product was too big a file for me to upload onto You Tube or Google Video, so I had to make it smaller...therefore, unfortunately, the quality that you see here is not as clear as the original!

Lighting!

2007-11-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

The last seminar was about learning the health and safety regulations whilst using lighting when filming. It was suprisingly interesting, and was useful to experiement with the different lights whilst filming a person against a neutral backdrop...although we didnt get to keep the tapes so unfortunately am unable to prove what a difference it makes!!... I should probably invest in a digital camera so I can take it with me to seminars...

White board animation

2007-10-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

The second project for the first week was to produce an animation using a camera to take photos of drawings on a white board. The class was divided into groups of four or five people and together were given a brief of what the short animation should involve. Contrary to my belief, it was not vital for one to be a great artist in order for the animation to be successful, so after a few minutes of discussing with the group what the story of our animation would be, we all took it in turns to draw and take photos of each drawing. The whole process of drawing and taking the photos took approximately two hours, as the finished animation would be 10 seconds long, and there would be 12 frames to each second. Watching the whole class' finished animations really impressed me as I hadn't thought of using a white board for creating a stop animation before. Although the process was time consuming I thoroughly enjoyed all stages of it.

Week One

2007-10-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

The first multimedia seminar involved producing a photograph using a pin-hole camera. In order to make the pin-hole camera and to produce a successful photo, I needed photo paper, an empty beer can, copious amounts of duck-tape and a steady hand. After I had successfully taken a photo, it was time to develop it. I found it extremely interesting to see the photo that had been taken only minutes before to be developed in front of my eyes. As I had never used a pin-hole camera before I didn't know much about photos and how to develop them, so after a day of attempting to take photos using a beer can I began to find it strangely addictive, and was excited to see the result of the rest of the photos. However, I only managed to take one photo which wasn't over or under exposed (see above).