edsonweb.co.uk

This Blog is CLOSED...but...

2010-02-04T11:50:00.004Z

This BLOG is now CLOSED. To continue, please visit
http://www.tom-edson.co.uk/blog

Retail Outlet 2-Week Project: 1st Designs

2010-01-18T16:49:00.000Z

Below are a few design ideas I have had for creating a new website for Grassmoor Glass - a glass merchant based in the Mansfield-Chesterfield areas.

Their current website is http://www.grassmoorglass.co.uk/

The Waterfall v. The Whirlpool Methodologies and how it applies to website design...

2010-01-12T21:32:00.004Z

Slide 1

Both the Waterfall and Whirlpool developments methods are very much valid, practised, and accurate in their own way. However, there are a number of differences between the two, and one which I believe appeals more to me as a web-developer than the other.

The Waterfall methodology is largely considered to be the traditional approach. This methodology contains stages in a set order, once one thing is completed; the next is started. The Waterfall methodology largely depends on five core phases, and as such is executed as below, with no exception to its order:

Requirements>>Analysis>>Design>>Build>>Test

The ‘strict’ nature of this methodology means that all projects that operate under this are consistent; however, it can be argued that using the Waterfall methodology appears to focus more on just getting the job ‘done’, rather than getting it done properly.

This is where the Whirlpool methodology comes in to its own. Like the Waterfall method, the Whirlpool has a similar set of stages in its lifecycle. A common series of phases in a Whirlpool method can be seen below:

Business Modelling>>Requirements>>Analysis & Design>>Implementation>>Test>>Deployment

Unlike Waterfall however, the Whirlpool model does not have to be used in this order, this is merely the sequence of phases that would be expected to happen if a project were to run 100% smoothly, as we know from experience, this does not often happen.

The Whirlpool methodology is designed so that previous stages in the cycle can be ‘re-visited’ this potentially allows for mid-project decision changes, and increases the margin for error/misunderstanding in the earlier stages.

The only slightly negative point about this is that it is liable to be inconsistent, this can put strain on time restraints, project budgets etc.

Being so flexible means that the quality of the final result is more likely to be both higher in quality, and accuracy to the clients requirements.

Out of the two methodologies discussed in this blog-entry, I strongly believe that in most circumstances the Whirlpool method would be the preferred, especially for me, my style of project management, especially in web design.

During a web design project many things can unexpectedly change. From a sudden change of heart from the client, to having to change your design as part of a technical- blunder.

For this reason alone I concur that the Whirlpool methodology is a certain must to any web-design project as it is capable of dealing with many of the inconsistencies, strains and problems associated with modern web-design.

Sources:

My Head
http://www.puffinonline.com/Tecademy/003%20Waterfall%20vs%20Whirlpool.pdf

File Size Problem

2009-12-10T00:19:00.000Z

As many of you will know my website project file needs to be no more than 5mb in size. Talk about skin of ones teeth!

Bring Down IE6!

2009-12-09T13:13:00.001Z

http://www.bringdownie6.com/

An interesting campaign by .net magazine.

IE6 also won .net's infamy award this year!

Stephen Fry wins .net magazine award!

2009-12-07T14:37:00.001Z

http://www.netmag.co.uk/zine/home/iframe-test

Nearly Finished!

2009-12-05T20:52:00.001Z

it's virtually done, just minor tweaks and file size now. Oh yeah, and to remove lorm ipsum with english hehe http://www.edsonweb.co.uk/wollaton/index.html

Validated as XHTML 1.0 Strict!

2009-12-04T15:27:00.003Z

Took a while but I got there!

Blog Account Change

2009-11-30T20:32:00.001Z

Annoyingly, thanks to Google's 'unique' ability to not let you un-do any mistakes. I've had to try and swtich all my accounts over to a seperate one.

Not overly interesting to anyone, but just incase you could do with doing the same, this link was really usefull: http://www.bloggertricks.com/2008/02/how-to-transfer-bloggerblogspot-blog.html

Website Update

2009-11-30T15:25:00.003Z

I have been aruging with myself over the last two days about weather my website is better being more dynamic (moving images etc), but risking the functionality and accessability, or having it less 'flashy' (excuse the pun), and have it work perfectly.

the non-flashy version im keeping on my main link (ref the previous post) @ http://www.edsonweb.co.uk/wollaton

the dynamic site ive got stored speratly @ http://edsonweb.co.uk/wollaton/withflash.html

Virtually Finished Home Page & Online Progress

2009-11-29T14:56:00.002Z

http://edsonweb.co.uk/wollaton/

please look at the link to see what my home page will look like as well as progress with the rest of the site.

The Final (ish) Design

2009-11-23T21:21:00.001Z

Ok, so this is the final design i'm going to use for my project, the front page of the site will look pretty much exactly like this bar any minor details that may be changed later on.

Another New Design

2009-11-16T20:57:00.002Z

It's more of a development/murger of two existing ones. Opinions please.

Design Comparison

2009-11-14T18:29:00.001Z

Comparison of all my designs. I think I prefer the top left. Opinions please.

Another Temporary Design

2009-11-14T17:30:00.002Z

Another fairly modern design to add to the possibilities.

And More Tweaks.

2009-11-14T15:25:00.005Z

More Twiddly Bits

2009-11-13T22:36:00.001Z

Just a few alterations on my current favourite design:

Further Designs

2009-11-13T19:47:00.003Z

I've developed both these designs quite a lot, at the moment i prefer the top version although unsure which to continue with.

Designs Started

2009-11-13T19:42:00.002Z

but won't be developed any further...

Original Wireframes

2009-11-13T19:32:00.003Z

Below are all original wireframes for my website project, based on Wollaton Park.

Logo Change

2009-11-13T10:53:00.002Z

On our logo change task I decided to take a well known logo, with strong connotations, and try and force it in the opposite direction.

The JCB logo, originally has very strong links with the mechanical and physcial industries, as such also has strong suggestions of bulky, manly, masculine and strong appearance.

By changing the main hue to a pinky purple colour, the image is instantly given a more bubbly, fun-looking and feminine feel to the appearance.

Wollaton Park Website Project Update.

2009-11-08T12:08:00.004Z

Since starting this project I have finalised my decision to continue with the 'Wollaton Park' theme for my website.

I have created two different wire-frames and mock-up designs for the project, both of which I'm not entirely pleased with, however, the latter of the two I believe will have a larger impact of the aesthetics of the final product.

Wire-frame 1:

Design 1:

Wire-frame 2:

Design 2:

The second rough design is nowhere near finished (as you can tell), but I thought it would be worth the upload just to give an idea of where I am going with it.

I have not decided what Flash/JavaScript elements I will use yet, however, I have pretty much settled on the idea of using a JavaScript function to create the 'photo stream' on the front page.

Social Network Website Reviews

2009-10-22T19:55:00.006+01:00

Review of 3 'User Provided Information' Social-Networking Type Websites

For this review I have decided to review three websites which I currently or have previously used. This way I believe I can provide a better report of user experience having used all of these website for some sort of long-term period, as opposed to just over viewing them briefly for the purpose of this Blog post. The only downside to this is that all the website's I will review are 'forum' based. However I do believe with the exception of the big Social Networking websites i.e. Facebook, MySpace, there are very few specific alternatives without forum-esque layouts.

www.dslruser.co.uk

This website is direct quite specifically at armature, semi-pro and professional photographers, who specifically use DSLR cameras. I started using this site upon purchase of my first DSLR. The website has a friendly approach. Being photography based the general appearance is made up of quite a few very strong and professional looking photographs.

The user account system is fairly comprehensive. They receive their own profile, a mail box and an online photo-gallery section where they can upload their own work. The amount of information available to budding photographers really is endless and very comprehensive. I really like this website!

www.fiatforum.com

This is another website I have used a lot in the last year. As a current fiat driver I found this site very useful for querying little things that would usually take a garage hours to respond to, as well as advice on insurance and servicing etc.

As a user experience this works well as there is a massive following, providing a wealth of information on one topic. The only two downsides I can really find for this websites are that it’s aesthetic design is not particularly good. Like many forum based website there is a big feeling of ‘importance’ amongst the longer-subscribed members, which can be a bit daunting when trying to find information and asking questions.

www.free-riders.co.uk

Unfortunately, this website has recently been taken down and this URL now forwards to a similar, although not as impressive website.

The reason I wanted to review this, despite it no longer being ‘live’ is that I really admired the technical and aesthetic design to the website. It was again, forum based. But it made the whole experience feel much more like a general facebook or myspace website by using small widgets to keep the user feeling informed and involved, without having to endlessly respond to posts on the forum. I liked this site a lot and hope it comes back online one day.

Non-Uni Work

2009-10-20T13:20:00.009+01:00

Just thought I'd give you all a quick update on what I have been doing over the summer, and especially what I've been up to over the last few weeks since getting Adobe CS4 Web Premium (it's fantastic).

My Own Website:
I have a go at designing my own 'space' on the internet atleast once a month, and everytime i go back to it and i don't like it, as such, it never gets made into a full a proper site.

In the last few weeks i've had a couple of ideas flying around i think i might be getting very close to a design i can commit to using for a full website.

The first design i came up with recently was this:

When i first created this i really liked it. Unfortunatly however, after looking back on it over the next few days i realised that it was probably too load, too bright and a bit of a photoshop disaster.

The second rendition i came up with was this:

After disliking the previous site design because of its load nature and potentially, slightly 'childish' design i went for something a bit more formal. Unlike the previous design i still really like this. However i don't think it is best suited as a way of advertising myself as an interactive media artist. I believe that it verges a bit too close to being a 'generic' or 'typical' website layout, and as such i don't think it reflects the best of my creative ability. I will however contemplate using it either as the basis of a client project in the future, or purely as an example to show clients to see what sort of thing they're after.

My most recent design for my website is below:

At present i am really happy with this design. I think it is well balanced in all considered areas of design, from my POV atleast. I have put the image online at 'http://edsonweb.co.uk/vector/' to see how it looks on the internet. Still deciding upon what background to have etc.

Please leave any constructive comments to help me increase my design potential.

As some of you will already know, I do a lot of design and web maintenance work for my Dad's business (something to do with business management). I've currently been producing mock website front pages, logos and other small graphics for them to look at to see what sort of 'image' best reflects them. Some of those that I am most pleased with are below:

New v Old Logo
Potential new, slightly Web 2.0 style front page:

Business Card-Like Graphic:

That's about all worth showing! =)

Jorunal Task: Review Interviews

2009-10-18T12:49:00.002+01:00

Dan Saffer Interview

Looking at this interview had a bit of a disrupted start (the link from the lecture didn’t work!). But after that it got interesting.

This designer clearly knows what he is on about, and is very intellectual. The points from this interview that interested me the most were:

· Knowing the medium

· User-input

· Applied art

· Newbie mistakes

Knowing the medium, in his words, were to explain how you can only do good design, if you are aware of the surrounding design and competition. He also says that we should consider physical design as much of a parallel as digital, and I have to agree. I can’t say that I have ever really thought about it in this way, but after seeing it written down it has become evidently true. Some of the best digital designs you see today have something to do with a physical design form, be it street art or architecture, many of these styles and principles are copied and inspirational to a lot of digital works.

User-input, Saffer believes, can add great quality to a design. After all, they know their business much better than you do, and putting as much user-input into design as possible gives a piece a much higher chance of approval from a client. This is definitely something to remember during any client project.

Applied art, meaning something that is both aesthetic and functional. I think this defiantly one of the most important things to keep in mind when producing websites. One of the website my group presented in class, we thought, was a classic of example of where this had not been taken into account. Creating a website that looks great, with no functional ability, is about as useful as a painting. And a website that works great, but is horribly designed, is about as interesting a dictionary. Website really needs a happy medium to be most effective.

This designers notes on newbie mistakes made me realise some errors I have made, and probably still making today. He explained how it is important to create many different designs for one thing, not just to find one or two and run with those, this is something I cannot deny I am guilty of. The problem is, as he put it, “It is hard to kill your babies, but sometimes you have to.”

Overall a very interesting article, leaving me with a few things to consider in my future approach and designs.

Joel Schafer Interview

I really couldn’t agree more with what this guy says. When reading the article I found myself constantly nodding my head and thinking “he is absolutely correct”, on many subjects. I found it very interesting when he mentioned using a ‘manuscript’ to plan a website. I’m not entirely sure, in a web-design sense, what a manuscript would contain. Although I am sure this will come to light sooner rather than later.

His opinions on colours schemes, Web 2.0 layouts, and photography are ones I can relate to very easily. When asked “Tell us about your use of colors in your designs.” (Note: American spelling, I assume it’s a Yankey website) He responded by saying he currently prefers a greyscale layout and one other colour. I found this particularly supports my current preference of website colour schemes Even within the last week I have used this thesis on a current project.

Although I’m probably meant to be analysing this from a technical view point, I think this designer has a real likability about him. I enjoyed his comment about his first website; he says his first ever live site is still currently in use. Although he keeps the address to himself. I liked this particularly as it reminds us that everyone has to start somewhere, and that I should probably keep my first websites under my hat as well.

I can’t really agree or praise this designer anymore, so I should probably stop. All I can say is everything he said I already believed, and has in a way, confirmed my thoughts, or has made me realise where I might be going wrong in some basic principle areas.

I have bookmarked this interview, and will be doing some research into this designers work later.

The interviews can be found at:

Dan Saffer: http://www.designinterviews.com/interviews/interaction-design-is-an-applied-art

Joel Schafer: http://www.designinterviews.com/interviews/599

Identities Showcase

2009-05-11T02:05:00.001+01:00

I have finished a version of Identities which works with all elements included. I may change a few minor aesthetics before hand it, but this is basically it. Comments appreciated. http://www.edsonweb.co.uk/identities.html

Identities Free Choice 1: Website

2009-05-06T13:20:00.001+01:00

Is done!

http://www.edsonweb.co.uk/identitysite2/home/home.html

go check it out. It is a website showcasing some of my photography aswell as photographs that represent me and my life. Its a combination of art and expression to show my identity.

Box Idea

2009-04-20T00:02:00.004+01:00

After a discussion with tutors at different reviews i've decided to use my polaroid idea for the box itself...initial design:

The Final Box Design...

Website

2009-04-19T23:58:00.002+01:00

Just a temporary version to gather opinions, dont worry about the incorrect title formats and stuff like that. Just want to know what people think of the design and content.

http://www.edsonweb.co.uk/Home.html

Website Element Idea

2009-04-18T22:19:00.003+01:00

Again, after my review this week, it has become evident that the latest website idea i had using my mobile as a navigation tool was floored in many ways, and making it work on a design level could be very difficult. As a result i have come up with a new design based more about me.

Initial Design below:

More Logos...

2009-04-18T20:41:00.005+01:00

After my review this week ive become to understand where ive been going wrong in designing my logo. Here's the latest batch, i hope they're of better standard...

and three others...

Latest Website Idea

2009-04-16T17:11:00.003+01:00

After working on my CSS/HTML based website for a while id decided that the original design was not particulaly individual or represented me in the best possible way. After a few thoughts i came up with the idea of using my phone as a navigation system, as the user looking through my eyes. First preview in browser below:

Logos

2009-04-16T13:30:00.004+01:00

I eventually gave up on the 'Arrow' logo idea, it seemed what ever i did to it, it still felt slightly too simple and slightly immature. I decided to look into varying styles and came up with the idea of using headphones as the basis for the logo. Headphones represt so many things to so many different people i decided this would be a good thing to use. A headphone based logo will integrate very will with my avatar and other elements.

Below are 7 variations of my ideas, please feedback which you prefer, or how i can improove them.

Logo Re-Work

2009-03-30T15:05:00.004+01:00

After the mid-project review it became evident to me that my Logo element could be greatly improved and changed to integrate in with the the rest of my show case. As i result i've pulled together a number of urban/snow related merchandise company logos to see how they do it. I have chosen this area of style as my avatar is to represent me and my interest in skiing and skate-wear like clothing.

After looking at the above logos several things became evident. These things i feel i need to apply to my own logo. These are:
Logo's should contain no more than two colours, preferably one, usually black
Logo should be can contain text, 'image' part should also be recognised on its own
Using significant letters to create images works well (ie Initials)
Reference to use ie. Mountain outline, road lines, graffiti stencil, waves
To use text, own personal text works, generic fonts probably would not

After looking at these i prepared a few sketches and started to implement them, the first which are below:

Website Reviews

2009-03-23T02:03:00.005Z

As we were asked to review 3 different websites as part of our identities project i decided that websites that related to my project directly would be most appropriate. The websites i will review are:
Ferrari Racing Website - Links with logo
Burton Snowboarding Website - Links with avatar
Apple UK Website - Links with personality

The first website, http://www.ferrariworld.com/FWorld/fw/index.jsp, is the part of supercar manufacturer Ferrari's website which they discuss their racing activities. The websites home page, shown below:

The design choices in this website give a lot away about the corporate identity of Ferrari. The using only red and white as base colour gives emphasis on the team colours and a feel of simplicity, tradition and class. The use of the corporate logo, the prancing horse, surrounded by their achievements gives a real impression of success and prestige. Over all the Ferrari website gives a very good impression, which it most definitely intended.

The second website, Burton (seen below), gives a very lively and exciting impression when first viewing. The vast majority of the page is taken up by images, mainly, cartoon snowboarders. The white and light blue colours give it a very cool and crisp feel, which gives connotations of snow. The other two colours mainly used are purple and pink in various shades. These colors give the image a striking appearance and a bold look.

All the images in the website appear to be sketches which also gives a home-made feel to the website. The images are also similar to the style of graffiti artists. This makes the website feel quite urban, despite the obvious links to mountains and nature. The website is definitely geared toward a younger audience.

The third website, Apple UK (as seen below), has a very minimalist approach, to showcase their products which are very much the opposite. The use of cool white and grey colours gives a technological feel, which the company is. The website appears very organised, which could be a reflection on the company's ability to deliver effectively. Over all the website navigates very well and is very aesthetically pleasing.

3D Avatar Designs

2009-03-15T16:00:00.004Z

Deciding what I should do for my 3D avatar idea was fairly easy. It was a split between a human character or a mechanical like creature made of of components that represent me.

After a few sketches it became evident that creating a mechanical like creature wasn't really going to work and i couldn't create anything i thought i'd be happy with. Initialy i was going to create a 3D avatar of me in everyday life however i don't think that best represented me as an identity. After a few ideas i decided that i would express my identity and personality through a skiier/snowboarder type figure. The sketches i am fairly happy with are below:

Identities AV

2009-03-06T14:55:00.004Z

So, for the Identities project we have to do at least one piece of AV footage. Looking back at my Narratives project its more than evident that my strong point in AV was pixilation over creating footage with a hand-held video camera. Then the question arose, what, using moving visuals and audio, represents me and my identity.

In my opinion a large percentage of a persons identity is acquired by what they day. There day to day life. So, I’ve decided to create a pixilation movie about a day in my life.

My plan is to shoot a person doing the things I normally do. Or shoot from a first persons POV. I will probably attempt both in order to decide which is most effective. Either way I intend not to have any shots of their face and little of their physical appearance. This is important in order to emphasise that identity is about what we do and shouldn’t just be about how we appear.

The basic timeline/storyboard for the video will be as follows:

Wake Up
Get Ready
Eat Breakfast
Travel To University
Action at University
Lunch
Travel to Work
Action at Work
Getting Ready
Going Out
Eating Dinner (probably in social environment)
Going to Social Event
Action at Social Event
Going Home
Watching Film
Going to Sleep

Sounds fairly simple, but I want to integrate the idea of things being not as they seem. This is based on the idea of that, yes, hundreds of students do the same as me every day, but we all have our own identity. In order to express this ‘differentness’ I have decided that I will mess around with the sounds that are played at the time of each clip. I intend to play the clips that are at the opposite end of the day to the visual ie:

Visual - Audio

Wake Up - Going to Sleep
Get Ready - Watching a Film
Eat Breakfast - Going Home
Travel To University - Action at Social Event
Action at University - Going to Social Event
Lunch - Eating Dinner
Travel to Work - Going Out
Action at Work - Getting Ready
Getting Ready - Action at Work
Going Out - Travel to Work
Eating Dinner (probably in social environment) - Lunch
Going to Social Event - Action at University
Action at Social Event - Travel to University
Going Home - Eat Breakfast
Watching Film - Get Ready
Going to Sleep - Wake Up

I know the concept sounds strange but the way I imagine it I think it will work quite well. Bare with me!

Identities Website

2009-03-06T14:38:00.003Z

As a one of the 2 free choice elements for my Identities project i have decided to create a flash-based website about my identity. Over the Christmas period i came up with a 'Polaroid' idea which can be seen further back in my blog. I've taken the original idea behind that and start to add a bit more creativity. I've only just started to compile my initial thoughts but here's a quick snap of the front page:

More Logo-ness

2009-03-04T12:46:00.003Z

Just a quick one. I've just come up with this, its an idea for a website logo although I'm tempted integrate it into my identities logo:

Another Logo Version

2009-03-02T22:32:00.003Z

Still not sure that i'm completely happy with my logo so i've gone for a more simple colour scheme:

My Self Portrait

2009-03-02T19:23:00.003Z

Just realised i did this last week and forgot to post it. Here's my self portrait for the identities seminar =)

Car-Name Logo Idea

2009-02-27T17:52:00.002Z

Below is the first draw up of my Car-Name logo idea. I quite like it. I will have to see if i get any more ideas for it. Please comment if you've got any good ideas or constructive criticisms =)

New Logo Idea

2009-02-27T17:31:00.007Z

I've sort of come up with a new idea for my logo. Whilst sitting in a web-based lecture this week (no link really), (and no pun intended), i rememberd a cap i'd seen with Michael Schumachers personal logo on it. So, when i got home i looked it up and i got some fairly good ideas.

The Schumacher logo looks like this:

As you should be able to see, the idea is that it is initials, M.S., in the shape of a racing car. As motorracing and cars in general is something i take great interest in i thought i'd give it a go. Below are a few sketches i did to get the ideas flowing:

This one is just my first name, Tom, transformed to look like a racing car and driver. I quite like it although it doesnt look that much like a car or my name.

This is my second sketch that just uses my second name, Edson, in the shape of the car. This one looks a lot more like a racing car but its sort of loosing the look of having a name in it. So i gave it another go to see if it could be improved...

The third and final image (that i'm willing to show you anyway), again, is another attempt at putting my last name, Edson, into the shape of a race car. I like this one a lot better than the previous.

After quite a few sketches i still feel that the original image using 'Tom' in the shape of a race car is the most effective due its simplicity it feels much more like a logo than the other two.

I will post the computerised version of that when it is complete.

Cola-Advert Idea/Mood Board

2009-02-27T17:11:00.005Z

Ok, so last week I posted a few images of a billboard i found displaying a new coke advert that i really liked the look of. I intended to use it as the basis for my own identity logo. And here is the result:

As much as i like the finished product it is too complex for a logo. Keeping in mind that a logo is an easily recognisable symbol i don't think this is. However, all effort has not been lost as it acutally makes a pretty in-depth moodboard. Either as it is above or as the background images as can be seen below:

Ident Journal Task

2009-02-25T17:21:00.003Z

Using 3D Studio Max 3D I have chosen a shape with texture, lighting and colour which I feel best represents me.

The shape I’ve chosen is a Torus Knot. At first I wasn’t really sure why but I felt that this shape appealed to me a great deal more than the rest so I think I should use it. I’m not really sure if the shape suites me or I’m trying to suite the shape but here it goes.

I think the shape visually represents me as I like to think I’m fairly complex, yet easy to follow. The name of the shape also appeals greatly as Taurus is my star sign.

I used 4 different colours, these are black, blue, red and orange. I didn't choose these colours because they visually represent me, orange and red especialy. But they all appeal to me for different reasons. I used the colours to represent my interests.

Not one colour represents one intereset but i've used them to show the idea that i have many, quite different interests yet they all colide together from time to time.

3D Car

2009-02-22T23:04:00.014Z

In the latest of the 3DS Max seminars we were given a fairly basic...noddy-esque...car. And shown how to create textures for them. This is the one thing i've really enjoyed using the software so i decided to take it a little further. I attempted to create a replica 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 (for those that don't know about cars its the one from 'Gone in 60 Seconds'). Below is the process:

The first car done in the session:

The next render, i've changed the shape of the body so it matches that of the car it is based on:

3rd Render, sorted out the distorting on the headlamps, removed the white lines from where the polygons meet and have added wheels and tyres.

4th Render, i've removed the stripe going over the top of the car as i couldn't really get it to look as i wanted it to so in the end i decided to remove it and take influence from the General Lee (Dodge Charger from The Dukes of Hazzard) and put a confederate flag on the roof!

Final Render, quite a lot of changes here, the bonnet has been lowered as i felt it was too box like and looked like the front of a truck. There were a few flitches with one wheel and a rear panel on the boot, they're now fixed. I have also coloured in the tire tread and given underneath the chassis colour and exhaust componants. The final product below:

Research Task

2009-02-22T22:00:00.003Z

For the most part my creativity has been for me, either for spare time enjoyment, increase my portfolio or to achieve a qualification. A few individual pieces have been completed on request from friends and family, however that is a very small percentage.

On completion of a piece of work it is very rare for it to look like what I’d initially imaged when I’d started it. I’m pretty sure none of my work is unique. It all has to come from somewhere. I draw a lot of inspiration from young novice artists displaying their words on the Internet as well as things from mainstream media. Most of my works draw inspiration from things a see and experience throughout its build time.

I would like to think that the future of my creativity can achieve two things. Firstly, creativity with a higher-level of finished quality, in whatever its form. The second future I desire for my creativity is for it to be used in profitable media and would be a sustainable career for me to work in. Research can help me achieve these in a number of ways.

By researching the current market of work in my area would help me achieve a greater understanding of what people want, what creates customers and what impresses people. Researching classic works can help me gain a basic understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Without the basics, not much really works.

The ‘Starting Point’ that I most feel drawn to is ‘For’ – What else is happening on other related disciplines. Whereas the ‘Starting Point’, in front of, is the one I feel most weary of is. This is because it is the only one I really can’t relate to. I think this is because a lot of my work doesn’t pass other peoples eyes before completion. Even though I feel that none of the ‘Starting Points’ are irrelevant I am unsure at the moment of how the ‘In/Through’ process really works.

Idea for Logo

2009-02-19T20:35:00.003Z

To be honest I'm not really sure what we're meant to be giving as a logo. I understand to a good extent how companies use logo's, why they use them and how it can be one of the most important things in marketing.

When anyone talks about logos or indents one company is always destined to arise, The Coca-Cola Company. Coca-Cola have possibly the most recognisable logos on the planet. It's no coincidence then that they are also very good at advertising.

The idea I've had for my logo is very much based on a brand new advertisement for Diet Coke. Starting from, well, yesterday, Coca-Cola have started a new series of advertisements on all formats, TV, Billboard and Magazine (to name a few), with pop-star Duffy as their new centre girl.

I can't say i found their new TV-ad really inspirational. It aired for the first time during the Brit awards last night. And, if I'm honest, its not great. However the billboard advertisement that's been shown over the UK as the TV-ads road-side equivalent really caught my eye.

After seeing it for the first time the other day i scouted the Internet for a few hours trying to find it, and well...i just couldn't find it. So equipped with my camera i headed out to where I'd seen it (a very busy road in Derbyshire!). Unfortunately, the photo isn't great as the only place i could park the car and stand to take the picture without getting ran-over was about 4-feet from the wall it was posted.

So, please, if you will, try and imagine this as one long image:

I know strictly speaking that this is an advertisement and not a logo, but the its the design of the ad id like to adapt into my own logo. The key elements in this for me are: photographic, cartoon, text and composition.

3Ds Max!

2009-01-29T17:42:00.005Z

We'll heres my attempt at a few basic animations of my name. I'll be honest i've not really got to grips with this yet, which i thought i would have tbh, nevermind. They were fairly quick attempts anyway. Lets hope the next renders from Max have a bit more POW! Sort of like Batman.

Self Identity: What It Means To Me...

2009-01-16T00:00:00.009Z

Task: Continue to research your concepts of self identity and what it means to you?

I found this task quite hard to interpret. Then it sort of dawned on me that what self identity means to me, must be how i interpret it as well.

I recently had a discussion with an old friend from school who is also doing a media related course at Northumbria University. He also has a module based on the idea of identity, his final piece was a stop motion animation which i think is definitely worth a look at.
Below, 'Wear Your Identity?' by Kallum Richardson:

After a bit of thinking i decided that i consider my self identity to be all the things that make me different from everyone else. What combination of things makes me different to the other person walking down the street. Is it clothing? Is it the food i eat? Is it the music i like? Whatever you choose, there's always someone that also likes it. Then it hit me, it's all of your preferences that make up your self identity. Its the clothes you wear, the music you like, the food you eat, the countries you like, the cultures you enjoy, the hobbies you do, the things that grab your attention, the films you like, then magazines you read. It's everything! The chances of another person having everything in common is almost impossible!

Now I've figured out what makes my self identity, i need a medium to show this. Initially i decided to go with a photo montage with images of things that represent all the things that make up my self identity. However i felt that this could be expanded on. So, with a similar theme, i decided to make an interactive self identity program using Adobe Flash.

The final product isn't finished yet but to give you a bit of an insight it will look a little something like this:

The front screen of the interactive piece (left), is a picture of myself split up into 12 sections. Each one of these sections are labelled with something i feel make up part of my self identity. These included everything from photography to food. In the final product each box will link to another page with a brief description of what it means to mean and a collection of images to support it.

This is now in the production stage however more ideas do keep coming to me, hopefully it will work as well as i have envisioned.

'Wear Your Identity?'
Animation and Narration by Kallum Richardson
Audio by riddlez3

Film 2008

2009-01-09T13:53:00.008Z

Well Happy New Year and a whole lot of stuff to talk about regarding the film industry ey? As you can see from my title, due to the whole Jonathon Ross - Russell Brand faff that happened earlier in the year I've taken it upon myself to deliver, to you, my film review of 2008.

So the big money makers last year were:
• Iron Man
• Indiana Jones
• Sex and the City
• Hancock
• Mama Mia
• The Dark Knight
• High School Musical 3
• Quantum of Solace
• Madagascar 2

All these films, in the UK alone bad surplus of £8,000,000 (that's eight million!) on their opening weekend. I'd like to say I'm enough of a film buff to have watched all of these and be able to give you a good review. Unfortunately I'm not, and can't think of anything worse than having to sit through a feature length rendition of Sex and the City. I also have an irrational hatred of musicals so that's Mama Mia and High School Musical 3 out of the question!

So what's left? We've got Iron Man, Indiana Jones, Hancock, Quantum of Solace and Madagascar 2. Yet again I'm a bit of a let down as I haven't seen Indiana Jones or Madagascar 2. Indiana Jones I feel should have been left in the 90's - that's my poor excuse for not watching that. However, I feel like I've let myself down by not going to watch Madagascar 2. I thought the first Madagascar film was borderline Shrek in its genius so I have no reason not to have seen it, except its not been out that long. But be sure I'll review it when I do!

Personally for me the film of the year without a doubt was The Dark Knight. As much of a tragic story followed the films production. The final piece of footage was the best I've seen for some time. That's why I want to save that film for last. However, Batman - a comic book hero. Iron Man - a comic book hero. Hancock - not a comic book hero, but a superhero non the less. The
trend into turning superheroes into film stars is something that has been evolving over the last 10 years.

On the release of the first Spiderman film and other early comic book films I found myself sitting in cinemas feeling that they were making films purely to show off new technology in film making. They were all just glamorised comic books. However, this latest incarnation of comic book films from DC, Marvel and the like really have started to get my attention.

I'd like to start with a brief review of Hancock - reason being, I felt it was a little bit of a disappointment. The film was given great publicity just before and on its release. Having one of the most established actors of the last decade, Will Smith, certainly convinced a lot of people they were in for a quality film. Normally, if I don't like a film, I don't talk about it. I find criticising the work of a few hundred Hollywood geniuses slightly hypocritical just because I don't like it. However, with Hancock, it wasn't that it was a bad film, it checked all the boxes, but for some unknown reason, for me, it just didn't work.

Hancock had a great story line, it had great special effects, it had great comedy scenes, it had great action scenes and it even had a good twist. Despite this something was missing. The film initially dragged me in via its trailers on the big a slightly smaller screens. The trailers showed two seriously attractive prospects. Firstly, an action film with some Will Smith comedy, we know from experience that's almost a sure hit. Secondly, a bad-ass super hero? Hancock seriously took the stereotypical and turned it upside down, inside out, gave it half a bottle of scotch and a brown paper bag. I think anyone that has the balls to walk into a production office and mention the words "How about a film where a homeless alcoholic with super human strength and the ability to fly occasionally beats up some bad guys?" must have a good concept within their head.

Despite the craziness of the idea I think this film could have been a classic. However, I feel that its amazing appeal also had a lot to do with its demise. The film was a comedy, the film was a superhero action film and the film was experimental idea. Had the film been two of the three, or even two with a tiny bit of the third it might have worked. However the film tried to be three, fairly conflicting, film categories. Unfortunately that for me just didn't work.

The next film on my list was one of pure genius. Iron Man. A tale of a bad guy gone good. A scientist of the coolest nature. A major kidnap. Corruption. Weapons of mass destruction. And a cracking sound track.

As far as I'm concerned it was amazing. Now don't get me wrong, as you'll read later on it's not my favourite, and I really don't think it's the best. However it is the one film this year that incorporates every aspect of comic book heroism. No more, no less - for me that really appeals. Some reviews state that the script is too far fetched, and they're right, but isn't the whole idea of comic book hero to be the guy (or girl!) that can do the un-do-able? It's for reasons like this I really enjoyed Iron Man.

The film prospers for a number of reasons. The first is a part of film making I have a seriously, potentially unhealthy, interest in...Cinematography. I really can't think of a major scene in this film where the director of photography has wimped out and gone "paint it black". This, from personal experience is a dramatic effort. There are a few scenes, mainly those shot in a cave in Afghanistan, where little light or colour can really be seen. However, it works beautifully and I don't think you could argue that it’s a technical decision to make the production crews lives a little easier. Overall a fantastic family(ish) film which can be watched over and over.

The darkest darks, the lightest lights. The Dark Knight. My favourite film of the year. Maybe my favourite film of all time. My admiration for this film is endless; I don't even know where to start. I may as well start with a brief explanation of 'the darkest darks, the lightest lights' it isn't just a good start to a paragraph; it is also a common description of the advantages of shooting in IMAX. For those of you outside the movie geek community IMAX is an alternative to the standard film used in film productions. I won't go into the technical differences as I would like you to carry on reading and not find something else to look at, however, I will just say that it's intended purpose is to overall improve the quality of recorded footage from everything to resolution to colour, texture and tone. IMAX was used to film some of the darker and more sinister scenes in The Dark Knight.

I feel that reviewing The Dark Knight would be unjust without at least a quick mention of its prequel, Batman Begins. Batman Begins really is all about setting the scene of Batman, not just for The Dark Knight, but for any batman film, ever. The majority of the film is based around Bruce Wayne (Batman's alter ego) and his rise from childhood to becoming Batman. There really aren’t many questions left surrounding Batman and how he does what he does.
At first I found Christian Bale’s interpretation of the Bruce Wayne character very challenging. The character was depicted as a very stuck up, whining, early twenties businessman at the start of the film. Which, as you might imagine is very un-like the stereotypical Batman image. After watching the next hour or so it is obvious that this was a very deliberate decision and works fantastically! I believe it was done to emphasise the transition from Bruce Wayne – Business Man to Bruce Wayne – Batman.

The rest of the cast is full of big name actors, whom, for once seem to be playing fairly small parts. Casting both Michael Cain and Morgan Freeman gave the film something really special from both parts.
Without giving a lot of the plot away I would like to mention some of the films for technical details. The ‘multiple ninja scene’ I found really impressive. The use of dark settings and shadows without loosing much set detail. The camera edits for this scene I found spectacular. I’ll admit that it did take two watches in order for me to completely understand what had happened for Wayne to deceive his master. But if you watch carefully its not hard to see how much time and effort must have gone into every aspect of this scene.

The rest of film follows the idea of Batman’s evolution and crime fighting. The end of the film even provides a bizarre, yet very well plotted, twist. The very last scene shows Batman and Gordon (portrayed by Gary Oldman) discussing a new threat arriving in Gotham. "Armed robbery, double homicide, got a taste for the theatrical like you," says Gordon. Followed by…"He leaves a calling card." Gordon then flips over a playing card…it’s a joker.
The ending of Batman Begins and the start of The Dark Knight couldn’t be anymore perfect for each other. The Dark Knight starts of with a shot of a man in a clown mask sliding down wire-rope onto the roof top of a bank. It is here where the power of the joker can first be felt and exactly how ruthless and uncaring this villain is, the bank belongs to the mafia.

The film is a complete mind-blow of action, adventure, law and gravity stunts with a much deeper emotional, eccentric and sadistic undertones on display at all times. Christian Bale returns as Batman again in this film. As I said previously about Bale’s performance being questionable at the start of Batman Begins, this act is nothing like. You really do get a fully fledged no nonsense superhero with nothing but a bad attitude towards his enemies.
One thing that has to be said about this film is that I’ve never seen a film with what to an uneducated eye are just normal sets but, to an educated eye have some of the most complex set designs and cinematography decisions of a modern blockbuster. Every single scene has been thought about until no more ideas were possible and I think that really makes the film. I couldn’t even start to explain one scene as it wouldn’t do the others justice. I can’t stress enough how anyone that has any interest at all in movies and cinema must watch this film, Batman fan or not.

Superhero films are well known for their use of elaborate costumes for both the good and the bad. The Dark Knight is no exception. Batman really has been given the full monty, clothes, cars and gadgets. The Bat suit in the film is a proper 21st Century piece of technology. Carbon fibre, Kevlar and some substances I’ve never heard of. The role of Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) when equipping Batman with his armoury and gadgets takes a very James Bond and Q relationship feel. Slightly love hate, but it always works in the end.

Christopher Nolan, the director of the last two Batman films, I believe, is one of the key factors to the success of these films. Nolan definitely seems to have bought Batman up to date without loosing any of the comic book magic. Nolan took a massive influence from the original Batman comics and a number of other publications from DC Comics.

The best costume decision in this film, without doubt, is that of the Joker, The Joker played by the late Heath Ledger, took on a costume very unconventional to the one shown in the original comics and earlier films. Grunge was the theme, and nothing but. This really suited the Jokers psychotic mentally ill persona. Unfortunately it was the amazing acting that produced the freak of the joker that lead to the tragic death of Heath Ledger.

Ledger was a method actor. Method acting for many, as with Ledger, involves living in the mindset of your character before and during the performance period. As you may imagine, living the mindset of a psychotic serial killer might leave you with some sleepless nights. As a result of this Ledger overdosed on sleeping pills. A tragedy, but for a performance he must be proud of.

In memory of Heath Ledger.

Second Life: Friend or Foe?

2009-01-07T19:35:00.012Z

Task: Create an avatar in a 3D environment, spend time exploring a 3D environment whilst thinking about the role of identity in the virtual world. Keep a diary of at least 4 weeks of your experiences:

Week One:

The virtual environment i have decided to document and blog over the next 4 weeks is probably the most well known of the lot, Second Life. Second Life has been very well acknowledged over the past year by news and technology websites and journals, as well as a number of high profile companies including the local Nottingham based pharmaceutical company, Boots.

My choice to use Second Life was probably finalised once visiting the community's website. On my first visit to the website, www.secondlife.com, i was fairly impressed. The website displays a large quantity of screen shots showing the variety in avatar design, settings and potential things to do and explore whilst in the Second Life community.

The next stage is to install the application and get signed up. This took no time at all, the download and installation was very straight forward, and the same can be said for the sign up process. It was only when i got to the next stage i started to get a little less impressed.

During the sign up process your asked to choose a basic avatar which you will be then able to change in anyway in order to make it look like yourself. Given the choice of the bunch i felt that the fairly tall Caucasian male with longish brown hair probably would suite me best. Only problem was he was also wearing medieval boots and a cape. But I'm sure this can be changed :)

My initial avatar looked something like this:

As you can see, a little bit...old school?

OK, so we've got all the bases done and all there is to do now is make my avatar look a little bit like me, explore this sub-parallel pixelated world and think about the role of identity in this alternative environment.

When you first enter Second Life with your avatar you start off in a special area for novice user to help them understand the controls and functions.

In this novice section is where the majority of people start to customise their avatars. As did i, i thought best do it as most do (make it look like yourself) so i get the genuine Second Life experience - i think attempting to talk to people dressed as a 1300's vampire hunter might not go quite as expected. After figuring out how to change my clothing, Second Life uses a fairly complex menu-ing system, i applied fairly common clothing, slightly baggy jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt. My normal attire really...

Well...except for a few parts...

As you can see, a fairly normal clothing style, with err...the medieval boots and cape! I have tried many things to get rid of the cape, unfortunately it either wont let you, or the menu structure is so complicated it would require many hours to even get to grips with the basics.

Soon as i left the novice learning area i received a request to make 'Mahulu' my home area. Being a novice user i said yes. It was here i initially found one of the darker sides of Second Life.

Mahulu is an area of Second Life, created by users and can only be described as a haven for wannabe cyber-vampires. A strange concept i know. Below is an image from the inside of Mahulu:

As you can see from the picture, all the people in here have avatars dressed in gothic clothing, after hunting around a bit, i say hunting - i mean trying to escape, i even found a very pale avatar floating and requesting to bite me.

These people obviously enjoy the idea of vampires. However i feel that there maybe two different types of people in this area.

The first, the most harmless of the two - those who enjoy vampire related media, books, films etc are given the opportunity to live the lives of their heroes. Having told someone 20 years ago you wished to be a vampire might have caused some alarm bells to ring. You would probably have been a cause for concern. Despite this i believe that there are a number of reasons in modern culture why this behaviour might be considered almost normal. I think the recent increase in vampire films, and those in which vampires are given a positive form (ie Blade, Underworld, Queen of the Damned etc) have a lot to do with this. After all, someone running around a PC monitor dressed as Batman wouldn't be that strange...would it?

The second of the two types of people however i fear might be a cause for concern, especially if children can gain access to these parts of Second Life. To be honest, i was never asked to verify my age to gain access, this part of Second Life was shown to be when a mature content was turned on!

I believe that some people in the 'Mahulu' area of Second Life are not just living a super-hero type fantasy but are actually trying to live out a sexual fantasy. Now this is cause for concern. Allowing people to express there desires online, in my personal opinion, is fine. However i don't think enough is done to section this almost fetish related area from the business and educational features that can be achieved in Second Life. Evidence for this can be seen within moments of entering this area (and many others like it) by the language used by and directed to different users in that area.

After doing a bit of floating around, literally, in Second Life it is very evident that Mahulu is definitely nowhere near the only area with some potentially adult content. It is also very obvious it is by nowhere near the worse of those that do. After this slightly alarming few days discovering Second Life and have decided to give it a break for a few days. Will report back next week.

Week 2:

After last weeks introduction to Second Life and a slightly alarming examination of its user base i decided to go and have a look for landmarks and areas that may be familiar to me. I did a search for 'Nottingham' under place. This returned 1 result, and it wasn't Nottingham. It was a graphical re-construction of a market place from the 'Robin Hood' era of time. Even that wasn't very interesting.

After having a quick chat to a few colleagues it became evident that searching for different University areas were fairly easy to navigate to, so i gave that ago. When searching for Nottingham Trent University 0 results were provided. I'm not entirely sure i understand the search function as companies and organisations i was fairly sure had Second Life simulations weren't returning any results. Either way i did a search for the second closest Uni, Nottingham University. This did provide a result.

Below an image of my avatar exploring around Nottingham University:

The above shot was taken from inside a graphical representative of their main building, the Trent Building. Unfortunately, although expectantly, some areas of Nottingham University's area were restricted to students and staff on their University only. An image of me attempting to access the restricted part of Nottingham University's area below:

It is evident from this though that Nottingham University is using Second Life for more than just, well, experimenting with 3D environments. From what i could gather it seems that even fairly important documents are being transferred through Second Life. Another area sculpted on a beach was also used for students to save there work to electronically.

I'm not entirely sure how using Second Life to do this would be financially, securely or conveniently over a university's intranet site - like NTU's Now site. However I'm sure there is a reason for it, it may be for a more educational approach for some students.

Later this week i decided to try and find some more places i know. To be completely honest not many locations i searched provided many results, never mind areas i was permitted access too. During this fairly frustrating search function i did, almost by accident, figure out how to remove my medieval clothing accessories!

Given my new slight obsession with DSLR photography i decided to look up Nikon, my favourite camera manufacturer. Surprisingly Second Life has a fairly comprehensive catalogue of Nikon related areas. The majority of which are fan bases and groups as opposed to physically explorable locations. However, there was one location which i decided to give a small visit too.

This Nikon area, I believe was fan based and not produced by the corporation, although i could be mistaken. The main clue i got that made me believe it was fan based was that all text throughout this area was written in Spanish (i think), which, as you may have guessed, isn't Nikon's country or origin. Despite the language issues (me not knowing Spanish), this part of Second Life could be used as a resource for education or camera fanatics. The main building on the Nikon site contains references as fact sheets for Nikon's breakthrough cameras throughout history. This shows a a real potential for Second Life as an information resource. When the technology used to operate Second Life improves (e.g. Internet speeds, graphic cards etc) this could be the next Wikipedia.

Below, an image of me in the Nikon area - now wearing a free Nikon t-shirt:

Week 3:

Week 3 of 4 and I'm getting a bit bored if I'm honest. I've done a bit more exploring, and I've not found anything i really feel is worth reporting. And I'm pretty much at the end of patience in looking for excitement within it.

However i feel Second Life as a whole does deserve a general review. Personally, its not for me. At the moment anyway. Despite this i can see it's appeal for some people. I can also see why it could also be quite dangerous too.

In my personal opinion i believe that currently Second Life has limited uses. The uses it does have though could improve some peoples quality of life. After all, Second Life is a virtual role-play, whether you play yourself or an alter-ego. For some, an alter-ego is the closest they will ever get to a normal existence. I can see how being able to socialise without criticism or segregation from normal society is tempting to some. Especially those with physical health conditions. People that are bed struck or with very abnormal disfigured bodies may benefit from Second Life as it gives them some insight into living a normal life, from a social aspect at least.

Despite it's use for good and to help those that are unfortunate compared to most. I believe that there is risk that an over-use of Second Life may impair peoples real social skills. Mainly as it doesn't fully represent the true actions of most people and people may become accustom to their social methodology in Second Life and start using more of it their real life. A social methodology of a vampire is a worrying thought.

From a information and educational perspective i think Second Life has got a long way to go. I believe that it could be very effective for transmitting information in multiple forms. This would mean that text, film, audio and interactive based information could all be sourced at the same time. However i do feel that there are some website already that offer a similar experience, and these don't require you to sign up and run around with a little 3D avatar before you can gain access to it.

In conclusion i believe that Second Life has the capability to one day be used for all your online needs and requirements, however until they do so i feel that Second Life's cons probably do outweigh it's pros.

A New Year - A New Idea

2009-01-01T20:52:00.001Z

Well, what can I say. My head hurts and I seriously need some sleep. All in the name of fun! During today’s recovery period I read a very interesting article in Digital SLR User Magazine, it's titled 'Winter Projects: A Picture A Day'. This article was written by photographer Charlotte Griffiths.

As a part of her assignment for January’s issue of Digital SLR User Mag she was to take a picture a day for a week. That sounds fairly easy, but, is it? Magazine photographers spend hours planning and setting up there kit in order to get the best shots for the glossy pages. So can you really get a magazine quality picture just in day to day life.

As you can imagine no one would write such a story up if it wasn't possible so obviously it is, she carried it off. So I got thinking, can an amateur do it too? One way to find out I think. So as my new year’s resolution I’m aiming to take a picture a day for the whole of January. There will be a folder on my deviantart gallery named, January. All 31 images will be placed in there. Let me know what you think.

This blog will be updated on both:
[link]
[link]

Tom

Just A Quickie!

2008-12-28T00:21:00.003Z

Hey, this is just a brief message to say check out my new photography stuff @ tomedson.deviantart.com - and please leave comments and constructive critique!

I'm also working on a flash based Photography website which I'll post the link up here when I'm happy with it!

I also desperately need to post up all my identities work and my second life review - aghh been so busy.

Finally I've done my best to watch more films that safe to your retinas over the festive period so film reviews will also be on the way, just gonna get through the rest of the stack until i decided what to waffle about on here!

Merry Christmas!

Interactive Narrative - The Movie

2008-12-09T13:01:00.003Z

As youtube or blogger won't allow flash content to be uploaded i cannot post my finished product here, however you'll get it here on deviantart.com... http://tomedson.deviantart.com/art/Skate-or-Die-105811255

Interactive Narrative Flash Plan

2008-12-09T12:56:00.002Z

Below is a rough draw out of my idea for the interactive narrative project:

The idea is based upon the idea of decissions that can form your life - wether they seem important or not. It starts off with you being offered a go on a skateboard to see if you like it. The decisions you make from their on could have lasting affects on your life. The best you can be - a professional skateboareder. The worst - drugged up, drunk and dead? You make the decisions for your life!

Interactive Narrative Project

2008-12-09T12:42:00.003Z

My next project in the 'Narratives' set of work is to create an interactive narrative using Flash! Which means thinking of a scenario/plot. Creating all the potential images (time for some serious Photoshop action), and oh yeah...learning Flash! I am actually quite looking forward to this project as it should prepare me for some greater challenges outside of my University work. After the initial seminar and having a quick play around it is evident that Flash is very powerful. Although not quite the friendliest of programs, sort of like a third world dictator...without a moustache.

After viewing previous examples of work I've come to the following conclusions:
I want to use computer generated/edited images, not photos (just seems to fit better)
Having an in-depth plot seems more important than flashy (no pun intended) moving things
Quantity over 'some' quality (as regards to the images) might actually improve the quality of narrative

The plans will be up soon!

One-Shot...Take 2!

2008-12-05T18:16:00.002Z

I have never been able to get my original one-shot film to turn out exactly how i wanted it to despite the amount of variations I produced. I decided to try and film, star in, and basicaly do everything for a one-shot film.

The result:

One-Shot Film

2008-11-30T21:30:00.003Z

When shooting our one shot film the location decision became obvious. We decided to start our shooting at the Co-Op site in Wollaton. The decision was made as it was the location with the most positive aspects and which everyone could locate in order to do the shooting. Whilst on location we tried a number of different ideas, all linked to the different storyboard ideas with a number of different narratives methods and improvisation at times.

After a while it became obvious that the footage was 'OK' however could be better. One member of the team did not show up to the location and as a result the remaining members could all be transported in a single car. As a result we decided to go and try out shooting at the Cossal location.

Most filming's taken on the day went fairly successfully however the move to another location was wise as the best shoot was taken in Cossal.

My edit of the final film is shown below:

As you can see from the embedded YouTube video there are still a number of issues surrounding of the edit - despite being edited fully in a PAL format the size of the video is still incorrect.

All comments welcome, and if anyone knows why this has happened please let me know.

Changing Colours

2008-11-25T00:19:00.004Z

In todays world of photography it is easier than ever to alter an image in order to provide it with a different sence of meaning. In order to show the meaning of colour within an image I have taken two photos and partialy changed the colours in areas of the image. The image on the left is the original and the image on the right is the edited version.

As you can see from the above images i decided to alter both photos with much warmer colours - both red as a base colour, the top image with a distict tint, the second with almost a pure hue, although it was implemented with some about of shading.

The effects applied to both images change the feeling of the image somewhat. The first image is given a very warm, almost comforting glow by the alteration. Whereas the alteration to the second image has given the photograph a much deeper and sinister look. Two very contrasting impressions whilst using the same colour to edit an image.

Love More by Rebecca Partridge

2008-11-25T00:10:00.002Z

Love More, the oil painting by Rebecca Partridge, is a very interesting piece of art work with a soul focus on colour, lights and all blends of the two.
The image as a whole is very aesthetic to the human eye. I believe this is down to a number of reasons including the idea of simultaneous growth and graduation. The ‘Nature of Colour’ is made up of four key variations of colour; Hue, Tint, Tone and Shade. However this image uses only half of them, Hue (pure colour) and Tint (colour and white) in order to provide an artistic spectrum of the two.

The centre of the image starts with small cylindrical shapes with a very pure hue of colour to each one – the image seems to expand toward the edges of the page.

As the cylinders get further out they get larger in size and gain greater tint respectively until the edge of the page where the shapes are so large they can hardly be made out.

Also, at the far edges of the image the colour is to the very far end of the tint spectrum and as such it is almost impossible to see what colour or hue the shapes were.

One-Shot Film Story Board

2008-11-24T21:00:00.004Z

In preperation for the shooting of our one-shot film my group met up, to discuss potential ideas and story themes. After arguing our way through literally some ideas we decided the most plausable for good results would be those we would all be able to edit in our own unique way.

The three final idea's are shown below in the form of storyboards.

The first idea we had was to set the camera up in a building with a fairly open staircase. We intended to place the camera as high up as possible to provide a 'CCTV' type effect.

The second idea is based around the idea of a meeting in a illegal or suspicious sence, the actions are portraid of some sort of 'deal' taking place however no narrative is ever specifies this. The story board for this shown below:

The final idea is that of a meeting in a unwilling sence, a meeting between two strangers in which one is mislead in order to be open to an attack.

Location Scouting

2008-11-24T20:51:00.011Z

As with any film location is a prime choice and being from Nottingham I took it upon myself to be the location scout for our one-shot film project. Below we're the most likely shooting options:
Sainsbury's, Beeston, Notts:

Pro's: Large Space, many different camrea points, all storyboards could work here
Con's: Strict security, difficult to get to for all members

Cossal Lay-bye Car Park, Cossal, Nottinghamshire

Pro's: Secluded Place, no security issues
Con's: Hard to locate, only work for 2 of 3 storyboard ideas

Tesco, Ilkeston, Derbyshire:

Pro's: Massive space, would work for all storyboard ideas
Con's: Tight security, very busy at all times, hard to locate for team

Ilkeston Retail Park, Ilkeston, Derbyshire

Pro's: Large Space, little security
Con's: Possibly too busy, also hard to locate

Hemlock Stone Pub, Wollaton, Nottingham

Pro's: Easy to locate, would work with all storyboard themes
Con's: Very small area to work with, potential security issues

Co-Op Wollaton, Wollaton, Nottingham

Pro's: Easy to access, large area, would work with all storyboard themes
Con's: Small security risk

Bramcote Park, Bramcote, Nottingham

Pro's: Varied Landscape, 2/3 storyboard themes could apply, large space
Con's: Hard to locate

CRAP Lecture Tasks

2008-11-17T20:10:00.002Z

CRAP Questions

1. I have recently completed the visual design of a professional website, after working on the site for about 6 months no-one was ever completely satisfied with the look of the site until the number of colours and text types used were limited and unified across most pages. This seemed to be a very effective way to make a much higher quality piece of design. Are there many other ways of using repetition that can drastically improve the quality of design?

2. Alignment - during the slideshow presentation it makes a point of saying that good design should be aligned, it also makes a point of showing that left or right alignment is good, but for an item to be centralised is not good design. I understand the theory but surely on occasion having text centred as opposed to being justified to one side of the screen can have a better impact on an image and the message it portrays?

The Rule of Thirds

2008-11-10T20:47:00.003Z

The rule of thirds is a theory which can be subject to any image. The theory states that that if a key element of an image lays upon one of the vertical or horizontal lines it increases the aesthetic properties of the image.

Below is a 5 second film showing how the 'Rule of Thirds' works with one of the worlds most recognisable painting, Edvard Munch's - The Scream.

As you can see from the short clip, and this image;

The main focus of this painting (the 'Scream' figure), is located almost perfectly on the lower horizontal lines, the figure also comes very close to both vertical lines. Due to the physical scale of the image (much higher than it is wide) means that the focus point is close to many lines. I believe that this may add more aesthetic properties to the image. This could also give partial explanation to the fame of this piece.

In theory, any aesthetically pleasing image should use this rule in one way or another. This technique, and others, including the 'Golden Rule' which has a similar theory but uses different methods to view any of the focus points has been used in images that can be traced back over hundreds of years. Many people believe that abiding by these rules is the only way to conceive an aesthetically pleasing image be it painting, photograph, video shot or illustration.

The Mentality of Purchasing

2008-10-31T14:46:00.005Z

When purchasing a product there are certain things we take into account, possibly subliminally, sometimes very well acknowledging the fact. However, it is more than likely that we will purchase a more expensive version of a product for little gain except its physical appearance.

A prime example of this is with iPods and specifically the iPod Touch (shown below).

The iPod touch was considered a revolutionary MP3/MP4 player when it came out In September 2007. It was also considered to be the best on the market.

I purchased an iPod touch in the first few months of 2008. When searching for an MP3 player I initially went out looking for an item under the £100 mark. Whilst searching for an MP3 player there’s two options. Either, the cheap end plays MP3’s, or, there’s the brand name models which come with a few more features ie contacts, calendar etc. As you may be able to guess, the iPod touch costs a ‘touch’ (no pun intended) more than £100. In fact it is twice the price, £199.99.

So why did I pay twice the price I was originally willing to? Was it because it came with a calendar? Or was it because there were games available? Personally I don’t think it had anything to do with any of that. After all don’t we already have items that tell us where to be and when, and don’t we have over-priced Sega’s to play games on? So why is it that we pay more? I believe it is the design and media glorification of a product that sways our decision.

I believe that the design of a product and how it is portrayed in the media work hand in hand to convince us to buy a product at twice the price of its rivals. The reason for this its obvious – well sort of. I believe that the reason we buy these products is because we’re made to feel that they will make a much bigger difference to out life style than the non-branded Japanese import. We’re never really told how they will improve our quality of life, but it seems we are willing to believe it anyway. The other reason is entirely due to the design of the product. I think that it’s our subconscious idea of wanting the best. As with anything, if its aesthetically pleasing it is considered in our minds ‘better’ than a product with identical functions.

Final Pixelation Sequence

2008-10-30T11:15:00.002Z

Below is my final Pixelation Sequence. Out of all the animations that I have trialed through this project I have decided that this is the most advanced for a number of reasons. The main reason i have chosen this one as my final piece is that it seems to flow much smoother than any other of the animations i have done previously. I also belive this is more impressive as different filters and effects were required for different parts of the sequence. Finally I would like to say that i'm really happy with it. Let me know what you think!

Tom.

Final Group Pixelation Sequence

2008-10-28T16:42:00.001Z

Below is my final edit of the pixelation sequence attempted within our groups.

Next Generation and 3G Mobile Technologies

2008-10-27T18:21:00.002Z

The mobile phone; a modern day necessity and on many occasions a burden to its users. For the last 10 years mobile phones have become commonplace in our society. We’ve always hoped to achieve the very most out of them, and usually ended up disappointed. However, the next generation is creeping up. There are already several models on the market and many will be released in the next few months. A glance at these specifications suggests that they may finally have caught up with our expectations.

The first mobile to seriously ‘wow’ its audience was the Apple iPhone, which has now evolved into the iPhone 3G. 3G Technology is basically a mobile form of high-speed Internet. As with the iPhone and its soon-to-be competitors, a mobile phone is no longer really a phone, it’s a hand-held media device designed to organise and co-ordinate every aspect of our social and personal lives. All this power in a product that fits in the palm of your hand must bring some changes to our life? Surely?

A recent study has taken place to show that modern technologies – notably the Internet and mobile phones, were initially viewed with a good deal of scepticism when reviewed in the media. Look at any technology magazine or website from the last 10 years and without doubt you’ll find a letter of complaint or article written with a negative slant. Many of the articles stated that these newly developed technologies and the production of social networking websites and virtual worlds were dumbing us down. There were reports of teenagers forming their life around the Internet as opposed to the real world and as a result this generation was becoming incapable of interacting with other people. However, the study's findings have revealed that far from developing a generation incapable of communication, this technology has facilitated communication and that thanks to the ease of internet access, family relations are on a modern day up!

The report which was documented by the BBC states that the correlation of mobile phones and the Internet are helping family members maintain stronger social ties. It can only be presumed that the more advanced this technology becomes, the stronger its capabilities will be at keeping people in touch. Speaking from personal experience, maintaining contact with loved ones in Australia over a decade ago depended on erratic air mail correspondence or a very expensive phone call. Communicating across the globe can now be achieved by a very inexpensive message posted via Facebook, MySpace etc, which thanks to these new mobile technologies, can be done from anywhere!

I believe that as these products become even more refined we will keep in touch with more people than ever before. I believe that these products will change society in a way that will increase our ability and willingness to stay in contact with those we may not see on a regular basis and will give a new dimension on ways to communicate with those that we do.

In conclusion I think the next generation of smart-phones and highly complex web compatible mobile phones will change society more for our own good than bad. However, I don't believe that this change will be recognised as significant and will be taken for granted much like every other piece of technology. That is unless it is perceived as having an adverse affect and then we’ll no doubt here about it!

Evolution Animation!

2008-10-27T12:56:00.000Z

OK, so i keep putting together strange little clay men. Which come out "OK" but I've never been that happy with so I decided I should try and do something with some sort of story/theme. I decided to do a minature evolution themed animation. The results are below:

More Animations

2008-10-21T16:17:00.000+01:00

Quick Animation Update!

Below are videos from my latest (and best) clay animation video and pixelation animation.

The clay animation:

Out of the two clay animation video's I have produced so far this is my favourite. However, I still feel that attempting to create a clay animation video of a high enough quality may require more experience.

The pixelation animation:

This video has come out better than I initialy expected. I am pleased with the current effects that have been added using the 'Batch Processing' tool in Adobe Photoshop. I am also looking foward to trying out other effects and styles.

Animation and Pixelation

2008-10-18T12:57:00.001+01:00

This weeks seminar was based around the practise of pixelation. Pixelation is the production of video footage from a series of still images (as in stop motion) however whereby people are involved.

A series of images were produced in groups of 4 and we will individualy process those images individualy. My group decided to do our filming in a local Nottingham pub - can't imagine why =) Unfortunatly those images won't be worked on until next week.

However as a continue to my animation/pixelation work I am working on producing two other small clips:

The first uses clay models as my 'puppets'. The raw image sequence for this below, as you can see sound and visual effects are still to be added, some timing issues also need to be resolved:

The second sequence i'm working on is involving the use of toy cars. The raw image sequence for this below, as you can see sound and visual effects are still to be added, further images may also be added:

Whiteboard Animation

2008-10-18T01:34:00.000+01:00

As a follow on to 'Pin-Hole Camera-ing' during freshers week we were also tought methods used to create stop motion animation. This was achieved using a stills camera (standard digital camera), a tripod, a whiteboard and a couple of marker pens.

We were split into groups of 4 and told to think of interesting ways to transfer a box from one side of a house, to the other side.

The results of this are shown below (my groups animation is from 1.06 to 1.15)

Pin-Hole Camera-ing

2008-10-11T19:29:00.000+01:00

Creating a Pin-Hole Camera was one of the activities done on welcome week! The idea is to make a very basic camera using simple materials and creating a good picture from it.

The Pin-Hole Camera was created using:
- A Can
- A Circle of Cardboard
- A Strip of Cardboard
- A Lot of Gaffa Tape
- A Piece of Electrical Tape
- A Hole
- A Piece of Photo-Sensitive Paper

Then its as simple as point, 'shoot' (the shooting part being removing the 'shutter', being electrial tape' leave for as many seconds as required), and finally replace the tape so no more light can enter into the camera (can with a hole in it).

Finally to produce the picture the photo-sensitive paper is put through the standard photo-development process:
- Developer
- Stop
- Fix
- Wash down with water

We now have the negative which you can see below:

The negative is scanned into a computer and inverted to give the genuine image, the final result shown below:

My First Week

2008-10-08T12:07:00.000+01:00

My first week at NTU has already been an exciting and enjoyable experience. The first day was a combined mixture of, talks about NTU, talks from world class athletes, talks from our tutors, and running around Nottingham looking like a member of the SAS jumping over poles avoiding push-ups from the ‘Fresher Reps’. All this was before we’d had much to drink.

My first practical session in Multimedia involved creating the images for a ‘still image sequence’ initially when I came here animation was not one of the subject I felt most interested in, however, after just one session I already want to learn a lot more, and that leads us to today, right here, right now, writing my blog – best bit is, its not even over yet!

What Do I Want?

2008-10-08T11:55:00.000+01:00

What do I want out of Multimedia at NTU?

I want a number of things including, a better perception of industry tools and techniques. A good understanding of all covered topics, most important being: animation, audio engineering and especially website design.

The most important thing I feel I can gain from this course, with the exception of a great qualification, is a precise idea of what I want to do when I leave - it'd be nice to think i'll have a good time achieving all of the above.

Tom