Been busy over the christmas break. im going to spend some time updating my blog with everything ive done over the last few weeks but i thought id first upload this post to mark the completion of the redesign of my blog. Im quite pleased with the outcome, though ill no doubt tamper with it throughout the next term and will once again completely overhaul the design at easter.
I am also in the process of building my own website, i will be keeping the progress of this updated on my blog and will then have a link to this blog from my site.
Watch this space.
In case the worst happens..
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Felt i ought to make posts on here in the even that my presentation doesnt work. Which knowing my luck, it probably will.
Ive just found that my laptop will not allow me to burn DVD's and so am currently downloading a trial version of Nero in the hope this will allow me to. Otherwise im royally screwed.
Regardless, ill keep my head up and remain positive that my prsentation will go well. I've been well prepared, had all my work completed in advanced and just had to worry about meeting the learning outcomes, hopefully i have, though i will admit i struggle sometimes with understanding the learning outcomes.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Introduction:
Throughout the last 9 weeks, I have completed 3 short projects.
This module is intended to help me develop an insight into the nature, purpose and direction of Multimedia.
During this presentation I am going to show you how I have been able to:
- Identify appropriate methods for structuring design work:
- Define issues which arise from your relationship with audiences and/or users.
- Demonstrate knowledge of exploration and enquiry through the development of innovative and novel ideas.
- Demonstrate evidence of problem solving through iterative development
___________________________________________________________________________________
Identify appropriate methods for structuring design work:
Throughout the course we have embarked on 3 different Assignments, each requiring a different approach to the designing our solutions.
For our Interactive Narrative Assignment, recognising a structure was vital to the success of your flash narrative. I achieved this by:
Following extensive research and understanding the way Flash works,
allowed me to recognise how narratives worked and were produced.
brainstorming ideas and developing a narrative structure/flow chart.
gather research from numerous sources.
Therefore, I did not only research existing narratives,
but looked towards films, games and books too.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Continued;
It was important to structure my work in a format relevant to my assignment. As commonly stated, Form Follows Function, and so for my Narrative I created a flow chart to symbolise my intentions in Flash.
For my Pixilation however, I created a short
storyboard of events.
I jotted in note form my intentions
for every section of the animation,
meaning everything was orchestrated and
I knew what was being performed next.
This speeds up the production and
means everything is more focussed,
the design wouldn't become distracted or off track.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Define issues which arise from your relationship with audiences and/or users.
Throughout the assignment we encountered numerous incidents where the relationship between the user had to be addressed.
During our Interactive Narrative, I had to recognise how easy my narrative would be to interact with.
I had to see my narrative through the viewers eyes and ensure my narrative is user friendly, that the user could interact and understand the intentions of my narrative.
Making my narrative quite abstract or not giving the user enough direction could cause issues as they may not understand what is being asked of them. However, it was important to make sure the element of exploration and discovery was present in the narrative, this meant there was a very fine tightrope to walk, between allowing the user to explore and making something simply difficult.
During my Pixilation, it was imperative that the content was clear and concise. By this I mean that from a very early stage the user would be able to understand what was happening and could follow the narrative of my stop motion.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Demonstrate knowledge of exploration and enquiry through the development of innovative and novel ideas.
Through the use of:
Flash - Narrative
Premier – Pixilation and One shot
Photoshop – One Shot and Narrative
Sony Z1 Video Camera – One Shot
Cannon 40D SLR – Pixilation and Narrative
I have successfully and explicitly shown
exploration of various media
and techniques.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Continued;
Through extensive research of target markets and various existing media such as:
Similar products, eg narratives or pixilations
Films,
Books,
Trailers,
Games.
I was able to understand and in turn synthesise new ideas from it.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Demonstrate evidence of problem solving through iterative development
As part of the design process, when mistakes were encountered,
We would repeat the process (iterative development) to revisit and rectify our mistakes.
Our first attempt was shot using the
wrong orientation.
We noticed this mistake and through
using iterative development we
recognised our mistakes and
re-addressed them. Our final piece
Is therefore shot with a better
composition and uses a landscape
orientation.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Continued;
When shooting our first draft of the One shot assignment, the location was not ideal, resulting in echoed sound. As a result, we considered using an auxiliary microphone and shot the film in a different location. We also recognised the location as too bright and so used lamps to help set a tone that better suit our film.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion:
Through applying the design process to Influence, Validate and Evaluate my work, I successfully Identified appropriate methods for structuring design work.
Through Feedback and Understanding my audience, I was able to define issues which arise from my relationship with audiences and users.
By recognising, identifying and analysing mistakes, I was able to use Iterative development to problem solve.
From the use of extensive research of existing forms, I was able to Demonstrate knowledge of exploration and enquiry through the development of innovative and novel ideas.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Hopefully it wont come to this.
All my videos are on Youtube, user name indiechris08
Both my narratives are on Deviant Art - user name loveremains
Most my images are on photobucket username chrissya8
Thanks.
Ive just found that my laptop will not allow me to burn DVD's and so am currently downloading a trial version of Nero in the hope this will allow me to. Otherwise im royally screwed.
Regardless, ill keep my head up and remain positive that my prsentation will go well. I've been well prepared, had all my work completed in advanced and just had to worry about meeting the learning outcomes, hopefully i have, though i will admit i struggle sometimes with understanding the learning outcomes.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Introduction:
Throughout the last 9 weeks, I have completed 3 short projects.
This module is intended to help me develop an insight into the nature, purpose and direction of Multimedia.
During this presentation I am going to show you how I have been able to:
- Identify appropriate methods for structuring design work:
- Define issues which arise from your relationship with audiences and/or users.
- Demonstrate knowledge of exploration and enquiry through the development of innovative and novel ideas.
- Demonstrate evidence of problem solving through iterative development
___________________________________________________________________________________
Identify appropriate methods for structuring design work:
Throughout the course we have embarked on 3 different Assignments, each requiring a different approach to the designing our solutions.
For our Interactive Narrative Assignment, recognising a structure was vital to the success of your flash narrative. I achieved this by:
Following extensive research and understanding the way Flash works,
allowed me to recognise how narratives worked and were produced.
brainstorming ideas and developing a narrative structure/flow chart.
gather research from numerous sources.
Therefore, I did not only research existing narratives,
but looked towards films, games and books too.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Continued;
It was important to structure my work in a format relevant to my assignment. As commonly stated, Form Follows Function, and so for my Narrative I created a flow chart to symbolise my intentions in Flash.
For my Pixilation however, I created a short
storyboard of events.
I jotted in note form my intentions
for every section of the animation,
meaning everything was orchestrated and
I knew what was being performed next.
This speeds up the production and
means everything is more focussed,
the design wouldn't become distracted or off track.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Define issues which arise from your relationship with audiences and/or users.
Throughout the assignment we encountered numerous incidents where the relationship between the user had to be addressed.
During our Interactive Narrative, I had to recognise how easy my narrative would be to interact with.
I had to see my narrative through the viewers eyes and ensure my narrative is user friendly, that the user could interact and understand the intentions of my narrative.
Making my narrative quite abstract or not giving the user enough direction could cause issues as they may not understand what is being asked of them. However, it was important to make sure the element of exploration and discovery was present in the narrative, this meant there was a very fine tightrope to walk, between allowing the user to explore and making something simply difficult.
During my Pixilation, it was imperative that the content was clear and concise. By this I mean that from a very early stage the user would be able to understand what was happening and could follow the narrative of my stop motion.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Demonstrate knowledge of exploration and enquiry through the development of innovative and novel ideas.
Through the use of:
Flash - Narrative
Premier – Pixilation and One shot
Photoshop – One Shot and Narrative
Sony Z1 Video Camera – One Shot
Cannon 40D SLR – Pixilation and Narrative
I have successfully and explicitly shown
exploration of various media
and techniques.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Continued;
Through extensive research of target markets and various existing media such as:
Similar products, eg narratives or pixilations
Films,
Books,
Trailers,
Games.
I was able to understand and in turn synthesise new ideas from it.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Demonstrate evidence of problem solving through iterative development
As part of the design process, when mistakes were encountered,
We would repeat the process (iterative development) to revisit and rectify our mistakes.
Our first attempt was shot using the
wrong orientation.
We noticed this mistake and through
using iterative development we
recognised our mistakes and
re-addressed them. Our final piece
Is therefore shot with a better
composition and uses a landscape
orientation.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Continued;
When shooting our first draft of the One shot assignment, the location was not ideal, resulting in echoed sound. As a result, we considered using an auxiliary microphone and shot the film in a different location. We also recognised the location as too bright and so used lamps to help set a tone that better suit our film.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion:
Through applying the design process to Influence, Validate and Evaluate my work, I successfully Identified appropriate methods for structuring design work.
Through Feedback and Understanding my audience, I was able to define issues which arise from my relationship with audiences and users.
By recognising, identifying and analysing mistakes, I was able to use Iterative development to problem solve.
From the use of extensive research of existing forms, I was able to Demonstrate knowledge of exploration and enquiry through the development of innovative and novel ideas.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Hopefully it wont come to this.
All my videos are on Youtube, user name indiechris08
Both my narratives are on Deviant Art - user name loveremains
Most my images are on photobucket username chrissya8
Thanks.
Broadway.
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
On tuesday night i went to Nottingham's Broadway cinema.
I fancied a night out, but to my disappointment there was little on at the corner house. Because of this i checked out the Broadway cinema to find it had a far better listings.
Citizen Kane, by Orson Wells, famed to be one of the greatest pieces of cinematography of all time, was screening.
To put it simply, it was 2 of the best spent hours in my life. Beautifully written, beautifully shot, wonderfully witty. Its no surprise Welles is so critically acclaimed.
Broadway has a new fan, i am becoming a member this weekend and shall be taking far more notice of whats on. I'd choose a film from the 1940s over 2012 anyday.
I fancied a night out, but to my disappointment there was little on at the corner house. Because of this i checked out the Broadway cinema to find it had a far better listings.
Citizen Kane, by Orson Wells, famed to be one of the greatest pieces of cinematography of all time, was screening.
To put it simply, it was 2 of the best spent hours in my life. Beautifully written, beautifully shot, wonderfully witty. Its no surprise Welles is so critically acclaimed.
Broadway has a new fan, i am becoming a member this weekend and shall be taking far more notice of whats on. I'd choose a film from the 1940s over 2012 anyday.
Nottingham Contemporary
Go to it, i went, it was good. I intend to go many times more before the exhibition ends.
I really enjoyed the work of david hockney, the elements that i enjoyed the most was the contrast between his early work to his work while in LA. Reknown for being open about his sexuality, his earlier pieces, to me, contradict this. His work is very deep, heavy and quite angry. Using sharp brush strokes, dark tones and hues and a lot of mixed media. His work strongly reminded me of that of Francis Bacon, another artist who was homosexual and quite a tortured soul. Hockneys early work to me implies inner frustration perhaps because of his surroundings or his sexuality and his repressed emotions are transferred onto canvas, much like that of Bacon. In a stark contrast however, Hockneys more famous works, produced in LA, show a far more relaxed and at peace person. Gentler colours and a more disciplined approach to his painting results in a calm and sophisticated and very contemporary style of work.
This is what i enjoyed most about the gallery, not seeing his work, but instead seeing the development made through his journey from student to practicing artist in LA, where he really came into his own.
I really enjoyed the work of david hockney, the elements that i enjoyed the most was the contrast between his early work to his work while in LA. Reknown for being open about his sexuality, his earlier pieces, to me, contradict this. His work is very deep, heavy and quite angry. Using sharp brush strokes, dark tones and hues and a lot of mixed media. His work strongly reminded me of that of Francis Bacon, another artist who was homosexual and quite a tortured soul. Hockneys early work to me implies inner frustration perhaps because of his surroundings or his sexuality and his repressed emotions are transferred onto canvas, much like that of Bacon. In a stark contrast however, Hockneys more famous works, produced in LA, show a far more relaxed and at peace person. Gentler colours and a more disciplined approach to his painting results in a calm and sophisticated and very contemporary style of work.
This is what i enjoyed most about the gallery, not seeing his work, but instead seeing the development made through his journey from student to practicing artist in LA, where he really came into his own.
Filming of a One Shot.
This week we completed our one shot movie. Our film is set in a speed dating scenario. We liked this because it meant it was a fast paced, busy environment. in the space of 60 seconds you are introduced to 5 characters and learn a surprisingly substantial amount about them. The camera is shot in a 1st person perspective, we felt this would be a fun area to explore as we could experiment with the camera to imply the characters emotions, eg the closing the iris to imply the character shutting his eyes when bored.
I am pleased with the concept, i have been made aware that a speed dating situation has been previously attempted, but i am more interested in our concept behind it and our practice.
As a group we worked well, we all had valid and valuable input while not criticising or putting down what others had to say. Id like to think the film is an equal contribution by everyone in the group.
The same can be said for the post production and editing, we were all huddled round one screen conferring on how it could be improved and what everyone wants to get out of the film.
I dont for a minute however think that our video is without flaws. I feel that the video is slightly cold and detached from the speed date, it looks more like a audition tape than an actual conversation, this could have perhaps been improved by more interaction, perhaps the use of someones hands and arms from beneath the camera.
Also the edges could be blurred to imply the corners of the eye, though this can be experimented with in premiere.
The sound is decent but could have been improved by using an auxiliary mic as could the lighting with the use of a lamp. these are all considerations that in hindsight would have improved out film, but considering it is our first ever attempt at filming, do not blame our selves for the mistake.
We are currently adding the final touches to the video in premiere and hoping to get it up on youtube by the end of the week for assessments starting next week.
Chris - Out; x
I am pleased with the concept, i have been made aware that a speed dating situation has been previously attempted, but i am more interested in our concept behind it and our practice.
As a group we worked well, we all had valid and valuable input while not criticising or putting down what others had to say. Id like to think the film is an equal contribution by everyone in the group.
The same can be said for the post production and editing, we were all huddled round one screen conferring on how it could be improved and what everyone wants to get out of the film.
I dont for a minute however think that our video is without flaws. I feel that the video is slightly cold and detached from the speed date, it looks more like a audition tape than an actual conversation, this could have perhaps been improved by more interaction, perhaps the use of someones hands and arms from beneath the camera.
Also the edges could be blurred to imply the corners of the eye, though this can be experimented with in premiere.
The sound is decent but could have been improved by using an auxiliary mic as could the lighting with the use of a lamp. these are all considerations that in hindsight would have improved out film, but considering it is our first ever attempt at filming, do not blame our selves for the mistake.
We are currently adding the final touches to the video in premiere and hoping to get it up on youtube by the end of the week for assessments starting next week.
Chris - Out; x
Essay, Essay, Essay.
Monday, 7 December 2009
Currently writing up my essay. Forgot how much i enjoy writing Essays.
Believe it or not, that wasn't sarcasm.
The Design Process seems a really easy subject, but by simply being open minded and doing a good deal of research you begin to realise how little you know and how blinkered your work becomes. You begin to become less aware of what youre doing, and why.
Believe it or not, that wasn't sarcasm.
The Design Process seems a really easy subject, but by simply being open minded and doing a good deal of research you begin to realise how little you know and how blinkered your work becomes. You begin to become less aware of what youre doing, and why.
Pixilation part 2:
Friday, 4 December 2009This is my group animation. Having originally shot it with the wrong orientation we had a great opportunity to revisit the design and build upon what we had already done. We reshot the animation and changed a few bits along the way, most importantly the orientation. This part of the process, having already shot the animation once, was relatively easy and straightforward as we was well prepared and knew what we was doing.
What was good about doing it in a group was that we were far more efficient for it, we could develop a better plot due to more available involvement it also meant we had more ideas flowing. Everyone had an input in the making of this pixilation and it really couldnt have gone much better.
Having shot the images we decided, as it was supposed to be an individual project, to distribute the images and allow everyone to then create their own outcomes. This means every member of the group had complete freedom in the editing and production of the animation and will result in 6 completely different animations.
With the video being quite a trivial idea but with a lot going on in terms of narrative, i wanted to keep everything quite simple, so i decided to edit the images as little as possible, choosing only to desaturate the images slightly making them gentler and a little cleaner and colder. I also opted for a quite simple and clean backing track that is looped. I felt this kept the animation light and trivial but didnt intrude on an already quite busy animation. What i did concentrate on however was getting the timing of the music quite accurate. I wanted to show, as my second attempt of an animation, that i had given some genuine thought and effort in the audio area of the animation. Therefore, to quite an accurate degree, the audio is in sync with the video, frames change as the bars change and the song loops. This i feel is an apparent success of my design that i am quite pleased about.
Pixilation:
A late update, but i have officially reshot and completed both my personal and group animations.
I am very pleased with the outcomes, i think the animations themselves have been successfull.
I am going to post both pieces of work and then evaluate accordingly:
Personal Animation:
As mentioned in a previous post i am very pleased with the outcome of this animation, i wanted a rough, sketchy feeling to the work as i was making a hand drawn piece. I acheieved this by hand drawing everything in a sketchy manner and deliberately not fixing the settings on the camera so the outcome of each image would be slightly different.
I think this helps build a rather eery feel to the design which i think compliments the idea of hands typing at their own free will.
I stuggled greatly with the sound aspect of the work. I wanted equally eery music to strengthen the feel, but also keep the design quite light hearted, i didnt want the piece to be heavy.
I think i found an okay piece that fits this criterea. Ideally, i would have used a sample of the song the lyrics are derived from, but this was no option as the music is not royalty free.
Considering this was the first time id ever used both audio and visual work i was quite pleased with the outcome but i do hope to improve this aspect over time.
I am very pleased with the outcomes, i think the animations themselves have been successfull.
I am going to post both pieces of work and then evaluate accordingly:
Personal Animation:
As mentioned in a previous post i am very pleased with the outcome of this animation, i wanted a rough, sketchy feeling to the work as i was making a hand drawn piece. I acheieved this by hand drawing everything in a sketchy manner and deliberately not fixing the settings on the camera so the outcome of each image would be slightly different.
I think this helps build a rather eery feel to the design which i think compliments the idea of hands typing at their own free will.
I stuggled greatly with the sound aspect of the work. I wanted equally eery music to strengthen the feel, but also keep the design quite light hearted, i didnt want the piece to be heavy.
I think i found an okay piece that fits this criterea. Ideally, i would have used a sample of the song the lyrics are derived from, but this was no option as the music is not royalty free.
Considering this was the first time id ever used both audio and visual work i was quite pleased with the outcome but i do hope to improve this aspect over time.
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