Showing posts with label Multimedia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Multimedia. Show all posts

Interactive Narrative - The Movie

{ Posted on 13:01 by Tom 'E' }
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

{ Posted on 12:56 by Tom 'E' }
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

{ Posted on 12:42 by Tom 'E' }
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!

{ Posted on 18:16 by Tom 'E' }
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

{ Posted on 21:30 by Tom 'E' }
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.

Location Scouting

{ Posted on 20:51 by Tom 'E' }
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

Final Pixelation Sequence

{ Posted on 11:15 by Tom 'E' }
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.

Next Generation and 3G Mobile Technologies

{ Posted on 18:21 by Tom 'E' }

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!

{ Posted on 12:56 by Tom 'E' }
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

{ Posted on 16:17 by Tom 'E' }
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.

Whiteboard Animation

{ Posted on 01:34 by Tom 'E' }
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)




My First Week

{ Posted on 12:07 by Tom 'E' }
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?

{ Posted on 11:55 by Tom 'E' }
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