Multimedia NTU

Visualisation, Location location: Moodboard

2012-03-04T20:34:00.002Z

I put together moodboard of the many different item's that are described to be within Crooks' room. When choosing the images I was very precise in what style and look I was going for as I wanted them to be similar to the ones I imagined when reading this passage. I have also included a few images of the textures I feel that would be found within his room as well as an idea of the colour scheme. Below is the moodboard I put together:

Visualisation, Location location: The Story and Room I Have Chosen.

2012-03-04T20:28:00.002Z

The book that has inspired me to model a particular room is John Steinbeck's, 'Of Mice and Men'. The book was published in 1937 and is based within an American Ranch. The particular section I have chosen is a detailed description about a character known as 'Crooks' and his bunk. Here is the paragraph I will be using to help me model a detailed image of the room:

Crooks, the Negro stable buck, had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn. On one side of the little room there was a square four-paned window, and on the other, a narrow plank door leading into the barn. Crooks’ bunk was a long box filled with straw, on which his blankets were flung. On the wall by the window there were pegs on which hung broken harness in process of being mended; strips of new leather; and under the window itself a little bench for leather-working tools, curved knives and needles and balls of linen thread, and a small hand riveter. On pegs were also pieces of harness, a split collar with the horsehair stuffing sticking out, a broken hame, and a trace chain with its leather covering split. Crooks had his apple box over his bunk, and in it a range of medicine bottles, both for himself and for the horses. There were cans of saddle soap and a drippy can of tar with its paint brush sticking over the edge. And scattered about the floor were a number of personal possessions; for, being alone, Crooks could leave his things about, and being a stable buck and a cripple, he was more permanent than the other men, and he had accumulated more possessions than he could carry on his back. Crooks possessed several pairs of shoes, a pair of rubber boots, a big alarm clock and a single-barreled shotgun. And he had books, too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905. There were battered magazines and a few dirty books on a special shelf over his bunk. A pair of large gold- rimmed spectacles hung from a nail on the wall above his bed.

Visualisation, Location location: The Brief

2012-03-04T20:13:00.000Z

For this project I have to design, model, texture, light and render a 60 second walk through of a location of my choice. The location must be chosen from a published story or script fro a different time period. The interior location should be set either in a room in a residence or monumental space i.e. church, factory or historical building. I will need to include all the visual elements such as the furniture and objects that are described in the story.

Silent Comedy : Body and Head

2012-02-29T23:33:00.001Z

Today I have been doing my best to complete the actual build of the character before I start to add colour and paint him. I still need to add the eyes but I have completed the head, he looks as similar to the sketches as possible and I am reasonably pleased with my outcome although there are a few adjustments I have to make. Here are the screen shot's and render's of the complete character.

Screen Shot

Render 1

Render 2

Render 3

Silent Comedy : Body

2012-02-29T23:21:00.000Z

After completing the top half of the body yesterday I added the legs and shoes today, this was a lengthy process but I think his long skinny limbs will work well and allow me to produce a funny clumsy character. He also has a kind of indie feel to him, I think I will play with this when I add colour and texture's. Here is another screen shot and render from the build of my character so far.

Screen Shot

Render

Silent Comedy : Character Torso, Arms and Hands

2012-02-29T23:14:00.002Z

The other day I started to build my character within 3DS Max, so far I have just built the torso, the arms and the hands with fingers. Here are a few screen shot's and a render of him so far.

Screen Shot

Render

Silent Comedy : Character Sketches

2012-02-29T23:07:00.001Z

The first step I took in this project was to design a character and produce some sketches, here are the drawing's I came up with and will use to help me model the the character in 3DS Max.

Front View

Side View

New Brief : Silent Comedy

2012-02-29T23:02:00.000Z

For one of my new project's I have been set the task to design, build and animate a Character that can apparently think, decide, pick something up, drop something, walk, climb, trip, slip and fall. I am not allowed more than two character's and the main focus will be on the character animation itself. The animation must be at least 1 mintue long and is due on the 13th April 2012.

I am excited about this brief as I am finally going to get to design a character. Hopefully I will produce a solid short clip with a strong animation.

Maya Tutorials

2012-02-09T14:28:00.002Z

Below is a link to Baris' Tutorials on Vimeo.

www.vimeo.com/user2432106

Flickr

2012-01-20T16:39:00.000Z

I have been collecting images over the last few months of different textures that I can use for the past projects and future projects to come. Here is a link to a few of the photos... feel free to use some if you like them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgepickles/

Visualisation: Still Life

2012-01-20T01:05:00.000Z

The third of my first three briefs for the module, ‘Design Practise 3’ was a visualisation project called ‘Still Life.’ For this project I had to design, model and render 4 still life scenes using a minimum of 6 objects that I have collected or found. To aid me with this project I had to study current still life painting and photographs to allow me to get a better concept of the sort of scene I wanted to convey. I had to think about the location, the objects I wanted to model and the texture of them as well as the arrangement of the objects to find the most pleasing composition. I then had to add a camera and the lighting. Once all these were in place and I was happy with my scene I had to rearrange the scene four separate times to show how the objects worked well together. The software I used for this project was 3DS Max.

At the beginning of this project I found this task to be daunting because I didn’t feel that my modeling skills would be up to the standard necessary to produce a number of good quality compositions. However, I found that over the past few months my skills have improved vastly. The many seminar sessions taught me many new techniques to model different objects. Which gave me the confidence to model more daring objects such as my headphones and the juicer.

I started this project my studying and researching a number of existing still life scenes. I then started searching for different items that I thought would challenge my modeling and texturing skills but would also make a delightful composition. At first I wanted to put together a kitchen scene using a many different but unusual kitchen utensils but this was quickly adapted by the addition of the headphones, as I like the organic smooth shape of them. I included a lamp found in my family room from home as it was a good light source and fitted nicely within the arrangement. Other objects that can be found are the place mats, glasses, iPhone and fruit bowl with fruit. All the objects worked nicely together and give a modern, but organic mood and atmosphere, the subtle lighting and lots of reflection also give a sense of a clean and friendly environment. I wanted to portray a joyful and exciting scene and I believe the addition of the modern objects also fit the show the audience who I am as a person, and what I like to do. I am please with the outcome of the texturing works well within the scene however in places I feel the reflection could be a little less subtle but it is simply where the lights react with the smooth shiny surfaces of the objects.

Overall, I enjoyed this project a lot, especially I as I can see a dramatic change in my modeling and texturing skills from last year. I have also received a better understanding of the software 3DS Max which is vital for the career I want to pursue. As I am keen to continue working in 3D where I can model objects to their correct proportions. I am very pleased with my vast improvement over the last year and from feedback I have received, others agree too. I hope you like my final renders and continue giving my critical feedback, as this is what allows me to improve and work harder for my dream. I am very excited about what the next project will bring and the skills I will learn.

Final Render: Still Life

2012-01-19T22:21:00.000Z

Still Life Project: My Progress So Far

2012-01-17T22:52:00.000Z

Fantasy Olympics: 500 Word Evaluation

2011-12-08T17:00:00.003Z

The second of my project’s for the Design Practise 3 module of this year was to think of a futuristic sport and to design an appropriate character or characters to compete within that sport. I also had to think of the location the sport was to be set and the environment that the location would be situated in. However, the software we were to use was one that I had never used before to produce an animation ‘Adobe After Effects.’ The style was to be 2D characters and environment in a 3D world, which took a while for me to get my head around.

At first I found this entire project a bit confusing because of the style but after an example given to us by my lecturer I knew what I was aiming for. It took a while for me to come up with a good futuristic style, which I could creatively pursue. I started with ‘Jet Powered Canoe Lacrosse’ and after a number of trials I alternatively went for ‘Hover Tennis,’ which was to be set in space. I did a number of sketches for different character ideas, including a human, squirrel and beaver. I developed the beaver and squirrel until I was happy with my sketches; I then scanned them into ‘Adobe Photoshop’ and continued developing them. The next stage was the environment where I included a number of planets including the Sun, Saturn and Pluto. There were stands for alien crowds, a clubhouse and commentary box as well as a Referee and scoreboard.

Once I was happy with all the different parts to my animation necessary the next stage was to import it into ‘After Effects’ and position each piece where I wanted them and then to animate. I found the animation side quite difficult as all the keys aren’t on the same timeline but after a few trial runs I started to get the hang of it and was soon able to use the different layers I had created in ‘Photoshop’ for the characters to their full advantage giving them movement in their arms and legs as well as multiple facial expressions giving them a sense of their own personality. I did most this by using the puppet tool and the timeline effectively. I also gave the referee and scoreboard some floating movement making it seem as if they were both hovering just like the characters were. There is tool within the effects panel called ‘Distort’ I used this on the alien crowd and increased the ‘Turbulent Displacement’ so that the crowd waved around also giving them some movement without having to move each one individually.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this project as I have never properly used ‘Adobe After Effects’ before, therefore I was able to explore and learn to effects that I can apply to future animations whether it be of a similar style or even an animation I have produced and then imported from 3DS Max. I feel that learning this software is vital for my future career especially when it comes to compositing, which I am very excited about learning next term. I feel that this project has pushed my skills far beyond what they were before and has therefore has possibly opened a new door for me to consider about my career.

Fantasy Sport Animation - With Sound

2011-12-07T22:45:00.000Z

Fantasy Sport First Render - No Sound

2011-12-07T01:34:00.002Z

Here is my first render, it is slightly different to the image shown in my previous post but i think it works well, I just need to add sound now.

Fantasy Sport

2011-11-30T02:02:00.000Z

Recently, I have been developing my environment in After Effects for my Hover Tennis Olympic Sport, I have gone for a futuristic tennis court with neon lines, which hovers. I have simply then created a clubhouse and spectator stands matching the colours of each player. I have also included a tree and planets for an extra scenery effect.

I have still yet to include a scoreboard, referee, and alien spectators to further develop the futuristic aspect to the advert. I will then animate it and render it out, I hope to have this all done by the end of the weekend.

Project 2: Fantasy Sport Test 1

2011-11-28T01:33:00.001Z

This image below is a quick test of me putting the different 2D images I have produced to produce a 3D world. I decided to go for a futuristic neon glow for my idea 'Hovering Tennis' played within a bubble in space. This image is to give you a sense of what my idea is, however I have a long way to go before this will be complete... I have to add crowds, tennis rackets, balls, hover boards, referee, planets and the bubble before I can even animate so I best get cracking... feedback please?

Project 2: Fantasy Sport Characters

2011-11-26T23:50:00.000Z

After a lot of development and sketches which I will upload shortly I have finally design both my characters that will be the face of my olympic sport. The sport however I am still trying to identify exactly what sport I want to do but the characters will fit nicely into the sport. At the moment I am thinking of something along the line of hover tennis or hover lacrosse, or hover basketball but I am not sure of which one I want to pursue. I hope you like my characters, any feedback would be amazing!

The Chess Player: 500 Word Evaluation

2011-11-18T03:09:00.000Z

The first project I was set this term was to produce a short animation that was at least thirty seconds where a conflicted self-defeating chess playing machine takes place.

At first this project seemed extremely daunting as I felt that I lacked the skills that were required to produce such an animation but over the last six weeks, I have learnt about hierarchy, environmental design e.g. lighting and texturing, as well as the importance of camera angles and sound. It took me a while to get to grips with the rigging of the robotic arm so that it worked exactly like a human arm but after a number of attempts I vastly improved and managed to produce a simple arm with three different types of joints. I included eyes on both my characters as I felt it gave them more of a carton feel and directed the audience’s attention to certain parts within the animation and it gave it a humorous feel. I found the actual modeling of the arm quite simple to put together, using the different tools within 3DS Max allowed me to recreate the arm in 3D to the one I designed on paper.

The next stage of producing my animation was to model the chess pieces. All I knew before was to model them using the ‘Lathe’ tool but after a lecture on modeling I had a better understanding of a new and more advanced technique to produce higher quality pieces, which in the end improved my overall outcome dramatically. I also included eyes on my horses to continue the sense of humor and their own personality.

Another vital part to my animation was the environment. For my animation I wanted to keep it quite simple so that all the attention was focused on the board and the characters, therefore I used an Omni light to act like a spotlight over the game. The texturing I used was to have a classic look for the board and pieces, so therefore I used a marble and polished concrete bitmap to obtain this effect which I believe worked well. As for the arms, I gave one a rusty bitmap with red eyes to represent old and evil and the other a shiny metal bitmap with blue eyes to represent new and good. Both of which I would say are clearly evident for the audiences perspective. I used a number of camera angles, including panning, close-ups and still improved the quality of the animation further and keeps the audiences interested. For the sound I didn’t use much as I felt it was not necessary throughout the animation, however I did include a few which I think enhanced the storyline.

Overall, my skills have improved greatly over the last six weeks and I am exceptionally pleased with the final outcome. I feel the storyline is obvious to the audiences as well as having a comedy twist. I have learnt many things from hierarchy and rigging to modeling and lighting. All of these are vital for the vocation I wish to follow in animated films and advertising as these projects allowed me to gain a better understanding of character and environment design all of which will be relevant for my future career.

The Chess Player - Final Version

2011-11-17T15:50:00.004Z

Here is my final version of my animation for the project. 'The Chess Player', Enjoy!

The Chess Player: First Render

2011-11-15T15:36:00.001Z

This is my first render for 'The Chess Player'. I need to add sound and make a few edits in Adobe Premiere Pro until this project is complete, I am not far off though. I hope you get the concept, any feedback would be fantastic!

Animated Robot Arm Test

2011-11-02T14:22:00.001Z

I have added eyes to my robot arm to give it more character. Here is a quick animation I did to get an idea of what the eyes look like and to get a feel on how to animate the arm. There are a few issues I believe, one of which is I need to produce a smoother animation and the other is the light reflecting from the eyes. Take a look and see what you think, any feedback would be fantastic.

Chess Pieces and Board

2011-10-30T01:26:00.002+01:00

I have spent a lot of time over the design of the board and the pieces. I couldnt make my mind up on whether I wanted to go for a modern unique style or an old antique style. As seen in the image below I decided to go for more of a traditional style as chess is an old game and it just seemed to fit better with the theme I am going for. Here is a render of one of the arms mid-move. Now I have to sort out the texturing, the lighting and then animate. I better draw uo my storyboard first however.

Robot Arm

2011-10-30T01:20:00.000+01:00

Here is my final robotic arm, I changed the robotic claw to a hand as I decided I wanted to the arm to be more cartoony. I also felt I could give this hand more character than a claw making my arm more life like. Although it looks quite simple I think it looks quite effective and it works well. What do you think?

My chess Board Arm

2011-10-30T01:12:00.003+01:00

I havent blogged in a while now, I have just been very busy with my up coming Context 2 assignment. I have also been learning how to rig my robotic arm, I had a few problems along the way but I can now proudly say I know how to rig an arm in 3DS Max. I had an idea of how I would like my arm to look so I did a few sketches which allowed me to develop my arm. Here a few of the sketches...

My main idea was to use a claw like the ones you would find in an arcade. I also did some research to of current robotic arms which allowed me to produce this design.

Project 4: Context 2

2011-10-13T22:03:00.001+01:00

For this project I have to research and write a report discussing my place in multimedia in terms of my network and companies that I identify, that can be connected to the the network and I am interested in working with.

So far I have researched nine different Animation studios and sent messages to them asking about what work they do and whether they offer work placements for students like me, fingers crossed I will get positive responses.

The report I have to write is between 2000 and 3000 words, which is a lot more than I have ever written I think, so I am going to do little by little each week to make the amount of work seem a lot smaller as essay writing isn't my strong point. Wish me luck!!!

Project 3: Still Life

2011-10-13T21:51:00.000+01:00

My 3rd project is a Still Life project, I thought I'd never have to do Still Life again when I left school but apparently that is not the case.

The brief to this project is...

'Still life can show us new ways of seeing at ordinary objects and it is one of the major genres of Western art. Principally, the subject matter is anything that does not move or is dead. So a still life includes a small grouping of all kinds of man-made or natural objects, cut flowers, fruit, vegetables, game etc.

For this project you will need to design, model and render 4 Still life scenes using at least 6 objects that you have collected or found. Research and study various still life paintings and photographs and think about the concept you would like to convey in your scene. Consider the design elements such as the, colour, symmetry, pattern, shape, lighting, shadows and the mood with in the pictorial composition.

Set the scene, choose the location i.e. table by window and the objects then model and texture them. Next arranging the objects until you find the most pleasing composition then add a camera and lights and render the scene. Rearrange the same objects and render scenes 2, 3 & 4.'

The idea of this project is to think about texture, lighting,size, colouring as well as the layout of the objects, although this sound extremely boring to me, it will be important for future projects, including my current projects.

Project 2: Fantasy Olympic Sport

2011-10-13T21:40:00.001+01:00

The second project I have been set is to design and make up a fantasy sport for the olympics. I have to come up with an ident for the sport as well as a 30 second animation to show how the sport works.The word 'fantasy' in the title allows me to bend the rules of reality so we can make the impossible, possible in our own 3D world e.g. zero gravity games.

The brief to this project is...

'Rationale:

Branding and character design are important aspects of both animation and motion graphics,

helping to convey a mood, product or idea in a simple and engaging way. The multimedia industry is

rooted strongly in the commercial and advertising sectors and the working processes and pipelines within

producing adverts are essential to understand. This project typifies a standard request of an animator

when working with creative agencies.

Background:

After Effects is a fundamental tool within any motion graphics studio, both as a creation and post production

tool. Through looking at After Effects we shall explore and practice designing, modelling, texturing, lighting, camera

and animation techniques with a view to understanding the animation production pipeline.

In this project we will look at using it to rig and control your character, props and scenario design within After

Effect's 3D environment space, looking at the aspects needed to execute the project and the working methods that

bind it with both compositing and 3D animation software.'

At the moment I want to do something involving Kayaks but I am not really sure how I am going to make it 'futuristic' so to speak. I have done a few sketches but I am tempted to change the sport.

This project is going to be tough and will be a serious test of my skills but again I am excited about this project I just need to find a good idea so i can let my creative ideas flow.

Project 1: Self Defeating Chessboard Game

2011-10-13T21:25:00.003+01:00

The first of the 4 projects I have been set this term is a 'Self Defeating Chessboard Game.' The brief say's this...

'Use all your creative skills and media savyness to produce at least 30 seconds of animation to demonstrate a conflicted self-defeating Chess playing machine to extreme comic effect. The Machine should evidently wish to defeat itself during the animation without narration, think hand gestures and body language. When designing and animating think about articulation, timing, camera shots, compositing Foley [sound effects], mise en scène and lighting.

Through looking at Hierarchy and control then character and prop design we shall explore and practice designing modelling, rigging, camera and animation techniques with a view to understanding the animation production pipeline. We shall look at the work of big studio and independent animation auteur’s with a view to developing an understanding of the creative and professional context of this vocation.'

I have a few ideas floating around and I have done a few sketches which I will upload shortly I just need to improve them. I am excited about this project, it should allow me to develop my skills rapidly. Andy is a good and exciting lecturer making this project a whole lot easier to do but I have to remember that the deadline isn't very far away.

Year 2 - It's good to be back!!

2011-10-13T21:11:00.001+01:00

I have been back at university for nearly two weeks now and I have already been set 4 projects. I have chosen the Virtual Environment pathway as I concluded at the end of last year. Over the summer I played around on 3Ds Max to improve my skills and keep the software fresh in my mind although I have nothing to show for this I felt it was important to do this and has worked to my advantage for the beginning of this new year.

I look forward to what else is to come this year and I hope by the end of this year my skills have improved dramatically. I also hope that you continue to enjoy the work I produce and continue to give me feedback as it is important for me to learn where I can improve my work in all areas.

Moving Image: Dog - My Edit

2011-06-02T22:33:00.001+01:00

After completing all the three projects I have decided to go back and edit my first project, moving image. I decided that our film was simply too long and needed to be shorter by at least half the time. The main aims that I wanted to achieve were:

To see if I could keep the storyline the same or as similar as possible to the original storyline.
To draw the audience in.
Remove all uneccessary scences that do not develop the plot.

Here below is my edited version of our film, 'Dog'.

Visual Essay - I am choosing my Pathway because...?

2011-05-24T02:42:00.006+01:00

This is my Visual Essay which was the 2nd of my two Context 1 Assignments set for me this year at Nottingham Trent University. The aim was to show which one of these 3 pathways , Interactive Media, Virtual Environments and Moving Image I will continue next year. The media I chose to do the essay on had to correspond with my decision.

Overall I feel that I have created a strong Visual Essay that clearly states which pathway I have chosen, with some help form the 5 practitioners that I chose. I think i could of my quite a few improvements but unfortunately either my skills or resources did not allow me to do so However, I would definitely would like to improve the voiceover and maybe I will do so in the future.

I hope you enjoy it and I would appreciate any feedback you may have.

Visual Essay: With Sound...but does it need to be edited?

2011-05-22T20:37:00.003+01:00

Below is another version of my Visual Essay, I have added the voice overs but I still have some more sound to add. I am not too happy with the voice overs so i think I am going to have to re do some of them again. However, as you can see the essay is going well so far but I still have many improvements to make. I would be grateful for any feedback or changes that you think I could make.

Visual Essay: Animation With Some Sound

2011-05-21T03:13:00.000+01:00

Below is the final render of the animation I will be using for my Visual Essay with some sound. I have added the voiceovers, at the moment I am not happy with them, I don't know whether it is because I don't like hearing my own voice played back to me or the quality of the recording. I think that I am going to re-record some of the voiceovers that I am unhappy with, any other feedback anybody may have, just comment I would be very grateful.

Visual Essay Trial

2011-05-21T02:58:00.004+01:00

Here is my fist trial render, although i haven't added lighting, sounds, textures, images and text, I just wanted to see what I had done so far so I know where to go next with the essay. As you can see it is coming together but still needs a lot of work doing to it.

Visual Essay: Update

2011-05-10T01:50:00.003+01:00

Over the last few days, I have a great deal of time designing and preparing my Visual Essay; I have made considerable progress and am pleased with the work I have completed so far. I have designed every inanimate object that I will be using and I have started animating the camera. Furthermore, I have also started to collect a number of images that I will be using; however, I am still unsure whether I want to use a voice over or use text to portray the context of the essay? To conclude, I now have to complete the animating of all final objects, camera movement and add the materials. I will then have to render the animation which I think will take about a day. Finally, I will add all the images and text and/or voiceover using Adobe Premiere Pro. Below are a few images that I wish to share with you of my animation so far.

Three doors which represent the three pathways, after entering the two I do not want to continue they are boarded up.

Virtual Environments (My Bedroom)

Interactive Media

Moving Image

Animation: Completed Haunted Ride

2011-05-06T14:13:00.002+01:00

This is the final version with sound of my Haunted Ride.

My final project of the year was in Virtual Environment’s; the brief was to design and build a haunted ride with at least 3 scare scenes and suitable to fit within the Waverly Theatre. Initially, this project seemed daunting to me as I did not feel that I had enough understanding of the software (3DS Max) to be able to create a ride that would be effective as well as scary. However, after acquiring inspiration from the moodboard I produced and also sketching possible designs ideas, I began to gain confidence in my ability to utilise the software successfully and build an interesting haunted ride.

I intended to maintain the suggested them of a haunted mansion and graveyard. I began by drawing up designs of coffins, gravestones, a mansion, falling skeletons, swinging blades and a variety of cart ideas. I soon realised that my designs were far too complex and intricate for the limited skills that I have; however, I did not let this prevent me from attempting to create these designs. I started searching online for tutorials that would allow me to fulfil my visual ideas and I slowly began to piece together my ride. I found ‘trial and error’ played a large part in the project; many features I would liked to have included, such as rain, I simply did not have the knowledge to execute. Features that I did manage to include were fog, flames for the candles and flashing lights for lightening. I feel that I have progressed significantly since the beginning of the year and the ‘TV Ident’ project.

Overall, I am pleased with what I have achieved as I feel that I created 3 ‘scare scenes’ that are good quality, and also incorporate numerous textures to give my haunted ride a realistic atmosphere. The fog gives is intended as pathetic fallacy and to help enhance a cold and spooky experience; moreover, it aids to blur the audiences vision so you they do not know where the next scare is going to come from. I am also satisfied with my cart design, as I believe the idea of using a coffin was unique and adds a sense of terror. I included my logo from Interactive Media as I felt that the name worked lucratively with the ride; the colours were adapted to fit with the theme.

I had number of issues with rendering and the length of time this process took, however, I persisted and I believe I finally had a render that I could be proud of. I found adding sound using Adobe Premiere Pro relatively undemanding and I feel that the sounds enrich the ride by appealing to the audiences senses.

I have learnt a vast amount whilst completing this project. This has led me to confirm my decision to continue Virtual Environments next year and therefore to create a ‘Visual Essay’ based upon this pathway. I am now very excited and look forward to the next two years studying Virtual Environments.

Animation: Haunted Ride Final without audio

2011-05-06T14:07:00.003+01:00

Below is the final render of my animation, I have taken into account most of the feedback I have received and made some changes. I have also included the logo that I used for my Interactive Media project and edited it to fit the theme for this animation. Hopefully you will agree with me that this version of the animation is a vast improvement from the first. Now all I have to do is add some sound, which I will post in my next blog.

Visual Essay: Storyboard

2011-05-05T01:24:00.003+01:00

After writing up my plan for my Visual Essay I felt that it was important to draw up a storyboard so that I can get the image that I have in my head, down on to paper. They are only quick sketches and show very little detail but I feel that they show my vision and they will help me to stay organised as I work. I hope they give you an in sight into my idea and fingers crossed it will all come together nicely.

Animation: 2nd Haunted Ride Test Render

2011-05-04T22:38:00.003+01:00

The feedback I have received has led me to make some changes; I have increased the density of the fog and slowed the flickering lights as they were flashing too fast for the audience to identify exactly movements and events. I have also received positive feedback about the scenery and the number of scares that I have included. Below is the updated version, however I still feel improvements can be made as I still intend to add the effects of thunder and lightening.

Animation: Haunted Ride Test Animation

2011-05-04T13:28:00.002+01:00

I have completed a test render to see the effects of my animation so far; this will allow me to make amends to any problems that may be occurring. Below is the rendered animation, I would appreciate any feedback that anybody can give me so that I can improve my ride.

Animation: Haunted Ride Rendered Images

2011-05-04T02:35:00.000+01:00

Below are four images of the rendered objects I have designed as well as adding materials to each object. I have tried my best to make each object look as realistic as possible by assigning the correct material.

The Cart.

Part of the Entrance.

The wooden planks after being pushed out of the way.

This Blade

Animation: Haunted Ride

2011-05-04T02:22:00.001+01:00

For my animation, I have decided to create a haunted graveyard where the audience will come across a number of scares, such as a falling trees, blocked pathways, jumping zombies, falling blades and flashing lights. Some of the main objects included in the animation will be coffins and gravestones. Below are a few screenshots that I have taken whilst producing my Haunted Ride animation, these images are without any materials added.

This is a screenshot of 3Ds Max as I see it when designing my animation.

This is the cart I have designed, it is a coffin that I have adapted to look like a cart, I plan to add a wooden material to it.

Above is the blade that moves up and down quickly up and down. I plan to add a bloody material to it.

The above two images are a few of the gravestones I plan to place into my animation, each will have its own material, for example, marble, stone and wood.

Visual Essay: Plan

2011-05-04T01:36:00.005+01:00

Introduction

Starts outside the room with one single door.
The title of the essay ‘Visual Essay by George Pickles’ appears out of the wall.
Enter through the first door, into the hall.
Presented in front of you are 3 doors titled ‘Moving Image’, ‘Virtual Environments’ and ‘Interactive Media’.
Text will appear that displays the question that I intend to answer by the end of the visual essay, ‘Which Pathway Will I Choose?’

Interactive Media Room

As you enter this room you will see HTML in large font bouncing around the room.
A computer will be placed on a desk in the middle of the room, along side a chair.
The camera will zoom up to the computer screen, which will display information and images to do with Interactive Media and why I believe that it is not for me.
The camera will zoom out of the screen and on to a keyboard, which will have all the keys missing apart from the letters that spell the word ‘Monotonous’.
Leave the room and the door to this room will now be boarded up.

Moving Image Room

Access the door to this room, in front of you will be placed a 3 tungsten lights, a camera and a pile of videotapes and a projector.
The lights will be setup and the tapes will fall over.
The camera will zoom up to the projector, which will provide my thoughts on ‘Moving Image’ as well images and my first practitioner.
Zoom away from the projector.
Leave the room and the door to this room will now be boarded up.

Virtual Environments Room

As you enter this room the first noticeable thing you will realise is that there is more furniture, as it will be setup like my bedroom to show that, ‘Virtual Environments’ is for me.
In this room there will be a desk, cupboard, bed and an Armchair. Placed in this room will also be an iPod, Laptop, T.V. and toy buildings.
Zoom the camera onto the toy building blocks where information will be presented about ‘Archiform’, which is my 2^nd practitioner.
Zoom out of the buildings on the iPod, where information and images will be provided about my 3rd practitioner I have chosen from the trip to London.
Zoom out of the iPod on the laptop screen where my information and images will be shown about my 4^th and final practitioner as well as why I enjoy doing Virtual Environments.

Evaluation

Zoom out of the laptop screen on the T.V. where screenshots of my work that I have done throughout the year will be shown. I will also include a few sentences to conclude my decision.

I may also include a voice over and/or music tracks as well as a few sound effects.

Props

Doors
Window
Camera
Tungsten Lights
Projector
Videotapes
Large Font
Computer
Desk 1
Chair
Keyboard with unique lettering
Bed
Cupboard
Desk 2
T.V.
iPod
Toy Buildings
Laptop

Animation: Haunted Ride Moodboard

2011-04-15T01:14:00.001+01:00

My last project of the year is to design and create a haunted ride using the software 3DS MAX. This will be the second time I have ever used this software; I am excited to learn and experiment with this software and will do my best at creating a haunted ride.

As I am attending to continue with Animation next year, this project is of particular significant to me. I am aware that I will require to spend plenty of time learning and improving the basic skills I will need to complete this task using this software. I have managed to download the student version off of Autodesk on to my Mac so I can begin my work.

Below is a moodboard I have put together for inspiration so I begin to formulate some ideas that I wish to use for my haunted ride.

Digital Me: Evaluation

2011-03-26T22:06:00.000Z

The second project of this term was called ‘Digital Me’; I was set the task to code and design a five page interactive website using Adobe Dreamweaver. The purpose of the website was to act as a digital portfolio and promotional online resource for my University work. I had to display proficient design principles, learn to self-promote and gain an imperative understanding of coding and building a website. Consequently, I had to show a fundamental insight and true concept of the current common attraction to utilising social networking sites as a form of advertising and displaying information.

Firstly, I drew up wireframes so I could begin to explore and interpret initial ideas for my website design. Secondly, I began to investigate and learn about Adobe Dreamweaver; this was the software that I would be using to code my website. Primarily, it took me while to learn how the software and HTML worked. This proved to be far more challenging than last terms project, 'Interactive Space'. However, with much patience and guidance from my lecturers in seminars and also extensive online research, I gradually began to grasp and to successfully apply the software. Finally, I managed to build the basic template that I had predesigned using the wireframes as a guideline.

Once I had the basic template, the actual design of the website had to be decided. This included deciding on which font, logo and colour schemes I wished to portray on my website. It was a lengthy process to compose a name for my site that I could base my logo on as this was an important decision as I felt passionately about making the website reflect my personality. I spent time mind mapping and experimenting with possible ideas until I had the concept of my final choice: ‘I-Scream Design’. I scanned this image into Photoshop, where I then traced the image and added colour in an original way. I used muted bright colour’s to reflect my personality throughout the site; cheery and loud, but with a sense of calm and tranquility. I then moved and used the logo to design the banner. To achieve this, I downloaded two fonts from dafont.com and inserted my logo; again this was all completed in Photoshop.

I believe the most successful components of my site were the colour choice that I used; they all complemented one another and provided direction through all the pages. I had to edit the gallery’s XML so the font and colour’s followed with the rest of the site; these allowed a pleasing flow for an audience as they travel between pages. I also felt the unique features I included, such as the contact form and the redirection of the page after form submission, brought a professional atmosphere and quality to the site.

On the contrary, time and skill permitting, there are many improvements that I would like to have made to the site. Majority of these improvements would require me to know JavaScript, however, I believe they would have added to the sites content and overall design. I would have liked to have added a Facebook feed and possibly change the main font I used, as I do not feel it harmonised with the rest of the site.

Having now completed the project, I can conclude to the vast knowledge I have gained throughout the designing of my website. From knowing very little about HTML and Adobe Dreamweaver, I am now confident I have a reasonable understanding of coding and am suitably capable to build a functioning and aesthetically pleasing website. On completion of the project, I have been left questioning which pathway I wish to follow next year as I enjoyed exploring new software leading up to the creation of a functioning and gratifying website.

Digital Me: Website

2011-03-24T17:53:00.000Z

Here are screenshots of all the webpages I have designed, I hope these images give you an insight to what my actual webpage looks like. I will write a 500 word evaluation which I will upload shortly.

Home

About

Portfolio

Gallery

Videos

Contact

Thank you

Digital Me: Social Network Icons

2011-03-24T17:12:00.000Z

Below are the 3 Social Networking icons I wish to use for my site, however the icons below are ones I have edited for my website. However, I do not think they work, as they do not stand out on the page and they are not as recognisable as the actual social networking site's. I have decided to use icon's I have found from a website called Icon Archive, I have used hotspots to link them to my pages.

Facebook

Twitter

Blogger

Digital Me: Banner

2011-03-24T16:58:00.000Z

The next stage for the design of my website was to design a banner that can be inserted into the header of the site. This meant finding the correct font that I want to use as well as including the logo somewhere within it. I decided to create a number of banner's and then from this choose which want I will choose for the site.

The above banner is one that I do not want to use as I don't like the positioning of the logos or the colour of the font, I also feel that I that two font's could make it more aesthetically pleasing.

This banner is better and the improvements from the above banner have been made, however I am still not happy with the positioning of the logo and I want the font to be larger as there is too much blank space.

For this banner I enlarged the font and used the logo as the dot above the 'I' this does not work as the logo is too small also the font for 'design' needs to be enlarged.

This is the final banner I wish to use as I feel that the font's work well together and enlarging the logo and only using a section work's aesthetically with the rest of the site.

Digital Me: Logo

2011-03-24T16:31:00.000Z

Once I had decided on a layout, I wanted to come up with a name and a logo to design my website around. At first I drew many images of different object's until ended up with this ice cream in a glass with a straw and a cherry on top as seen below. This is a sketch of the logo that I plan to use in my website, I would like to make a few alterations but this is the basic logo I would like to use.

The next step I took was to scan the above image into photoshop where I used the variety of tools to trace over the sketch and then add colour. The colours I have used are faint but bright colours as I wished to show my bright and cheerful personality through my website. I didn't keep the colours in the lines as I wanted to have a tissue paper type effect. The image below is the final logo I want to use for my site.

Digital Me: The Wireframe For My Website

2011-03-12T02:21:00.001Z

Here is my initial layout designs I produced in Adobe Illustrator, there is a possibility however, that the designs may be altered as I am coding my website because I am sure that there will be complications in my design or improvements that I would like to make.

Digital Me: Research

2011-02-24T01:48:00.003Z

I decided that I needed some inspiration for my website so I did some research online. I searched for interesting designs, each using different layouts. Here a few screenshots from the pages that I liked, I have also included links below each screenshot so that you can have a look and see exactly why I enjoyed each site:

www.maydayparade.com

This webpage is quite simple but I like the layout, from the positioning of the navigation bar on the left to the title of the page itself.

www.melissahie.com

I like this page as I believe that it interacts with the user very well, it's exciting to play around with, but slightly harder to navigate around than the webpage above.

www.thekillersmusic.com

I also feel that this webpage interacts well with the user. I like how you can scroll from the left to the right, travelling through their 3 albums in order of there release as if you were going through time with the band. This page was also designed using HTML 5 which is the latest version of HTML.

New Project: Digital Me

2011-02-24T01:16:00.002Z

We have been set a new project called 'Design Me' where we have to design a website based around ourselves and our personality. We have gone straight into the project, learning HTML code and laying down the basic layout of our webpage. The first bit of work we have been set is to put together a moodboard about anything that we like including TV programmes, bands and fonts that we could include within our site. Here below is an image of the moodboard I put together:

Evaluation Of Our Groups Film: Dog Life

2011-02-18T18:02:00.013Z

This term we were divided into groups in which each would receive a different script to produce. The aim of the project was to utilise our creativity and originality in order to develop the script in our own way. My group was given ‘Dog’; initially, we found the story to be extremely outlandish. However, given thought we realised that we could make this film exciting, humorous and interesting. Since I was given the responsibility of Filming and Lighting, my preliminary thoughts were directed to the different camera angles we could use and lighting that would be needed to set each the scene. Moreover, I was forced to consider the time span of the film, whether it take place during the night or day.

During the first three weeks, we began planning; research was conducted as well as formulating a necessary risk assessments. Props were brought in addition to locations identified. As a storyboard was drawn up detailing our exact filming schedule, we invested in an actor to part-take. The original script was about a man who eats dog food, takes ‘a difficult shit’ as he gradually forms the characteristics of a dog. After reading the script, we decided to give the film a ‘comic’ tone as this is the genre we found fit the script best.

We were excited to shoot the film as we had some innovative ideas and wanted to trail their success. However, we soon faced a problem when an actor was unable to attend; we realised it was hard to rely on other students and trying to fit around their university schedules, therefore we resorted to employing a member of our own group to be in the film itself. Although he had no acting experience, he knew exactly what persona we looking for. Despite this, I still do not feel this worked to our advantage as he was unable to aid the rest of the group in filming.

I felt my role i was successful; the multiple different angle shots I suggested for each scene looked effective in the final film. It allowed the editor to do a number of cut edits to keep the flow of action constant and entertaining for the viewer. There were a number of issues I had with the camera, such as focus and white balance. This forced us to re-shoot a number of shots, but after mending the settings it allowed us to film smoothly with no mistakes. Nevertheless, I do not feel the lighting was as successful; in one the scenes near the end of the film, there were solid black shadows making a stark contrast to previous scenes. Time permitting, I would of fixed this lighting problem and reshot this scene. Feedback played a huge role in allowing us to refine and develop our film once we had edited a first cut; by uploading it to YouTube, we were able to receive feedback from a wide audience who commented on both the sound and lighting. This constructive critism was beneficial in allowing an audience to give us accurate developments in order to improve our film.

Overall, I felt that for a first attempt at a ‘Short Film’ our final outcome was quite reasonable; it fulfils all our aims set at the beginning of the project. I believe that the different camera angles give the film a diverse and realistic atmosphere as it allows the audience to comprehend the life of this unusual human being. In hindsight, I feel I was not as prepared with imagining exactly how the lighting will look; in future projects I will spend more time predetermining the complete vision of the scene. Furthermore, I believe the use of a more skilled actor would have added to the quality of the film. Another setback we encountered over the five week period was the lack of attendance of members of our group to seminars. This caused us to have a lack of communication. We did however get around this problem by the use of a Facebook group which worked quite effectively. Collectively, I have learnt a number of things while shooting. The most significant being the impact of small changes which can dramatically affect entire scenes and the overall affect of the film. Errors with lighting, costume design and camera settings can all have considerable and distracting influences on the audience. The most vital knowledge I can take away from this project is a sound understanding of the design process when shooting a film. In conclusion, I enjoyed this project thoroughly and it has forced me to rethink about what pathway I would like to follow next year. Below is a link to our film:

http://vimeo.com/20077304

6 Men and a Camera Present...DOG LIFE

2011-02-15T23:07:00.005Z

Here is our final edited version of our film, Dog. I will upload a 500 word evaluation in the next few days but for now I hope you enjoy our film because it was enjoyable to make.

Dog Life - My First Short Film from George Pickles on Vimeo.

First Draft Edit: Dog

2011-02-15T18:25:00.003Z

Yesterday, we finished shooting and Tom started immediately editing the hundreds of clips we shot to produce this first edit, there is quite a lot of sound missing and a few changes to be made concerning the length of certain shots but this will give the you the basic idea of what we were aiming for. It's meant to be a bit of a comedy as we were given such a strange script. We have received lots of feedback on YouTube which was mainly positive but anymore would be greatly appreciated. We hope you enjoy what we have produced so far and the final edit will be up shortly.

Researching: Dog

2011-02-15T18:08:00.002Z

I was researching initial idea on YouTube for films about dogs to further inspire me; I came across another version of the same script we have been given but by past first year Trent students. Some are very similar to our groups but I believe we are going to make them look better by using more refined camera angles, scenes and by detailed editing of the film, hopefully making it feel more realistic. In particular, the use of sound effects will promote the films success. In this film, I found the lighting effective and I enjoyed the acting; I thought he did a fantastic job at portraying a dog-like character. Here below is their film, enjoy!

The Shoot So Far: Dog

2011-02-15T17:52:00.006Z

Today, we started shooting our film. However, the actor we had asked to be part take was no longer available, so our back up actor, Jordan who is a member of our team was utilised at short notice. The set up of the equipment and scenery went well; all health and safety precautions were put in place as shown in the pictures below. We noticed a few problems immediately to do with lighting, space and communication within the team. Once these problems were dealt with, we managed to film all the kitchen/landing scenes. Tom had a play with the edit using Adobe Premier Pro to give us all an insight of what the finished product could look like, which is also shown below.

The Set:

The First Test Edit:

The Plan: Dog

2011-02-14T16:53:00.008Z

We have constructed a plan for the short film we have been given about a dog. We have each been given a responsibility; mine is to be in charge of the lighting and camera. Therefore, I will set up the lights to the create the correct lighting for the shoot as well as making sure the camera settings are correct so we make no mistakes as we film. We have chosen our locations, actor and bought all the necessary props we will need. The next stage was to draw up the storyboards including a written storyboard (as shown below) and to write up the risk assessments. We have now been given the all clear to film by our Lecturer, I am keen to start filming and will hopefully will be able to upload short preview clips soon.

Written Storyboard:

INT . KITCHEN . DAY

Cupboard doors are flung open and rapidly slammed as the cupboards are revealed as empty. Eventually….. one cupboard is opened and shut quickly and then re-opened. We see inside. There is a dog bowl, and a tin of dog food. [Freeze frame]

Man (V/O)

Ordinarily I wouldn’t have considered it but…….

Camera will be in the cupboard in darkness, the doors open to revel the mans face looking in. He will look disappointed for the first 4 cupboards, then face lights up as he opens the fifth. The camera will be half blocked by a tin of dog food, then a reverse shot from the mans perspective of the dog food and dog bowl on the bottom shelf.

INT . KITCHEN . DAY

The plate of dog food sits on the table . The knife and fork are straightened to become perfectly aligned.

The man gently drops a sprig of parsley onto the dog food.

He picks up the knife and fork and stares at the plate.

Directly above view just shows the dog food and cutlery on the table at first, no arms. One arm comes in to straighten the cutlery, and place the parsley sprig. Both arms then pick up the cutlery, scene cut.

INT . LANDING . DAY

From outside the toilet we hear a difficult shit taking place.

Focus on the toilet door, sounds of a difficult shit, and cut to a clock which winds forwards 3 hours, then seeing the toilet flush and the door begin to open.

EXT . STREET . DAY

Our man is walking down the street. He has a distinct, pronounced spring in his step.

Our man will be walking down the street whistling to himself, smile on.

EXT . STREET . DAY

We see our man sitting in a café. He is talking ten to the dozen.

We will be using the student union café (costa part) and have our man speaking really fast and not really making much sense. ( Mr.Bean style)

INT . KITCHEN . DAY

Our man unloads his shopping. Tins and tins of dog food, plus some herbs and milk.

We are going to have the camera in the shopping bag, looking up the mans arm towards his face, trying to portray that it is part of the shopping, then we will see the bag being put down on the table, and the camera will be unpacked and put on the table with the cans of dog food, like it is a can of dog food.

INT . KITCHEN . DAY

What follows is a montage of a series of jump cuts as plates of dog food are eaten, piled up, eaten, plates clean, knife and fork switching sides and spoon and fork. Different plates. Each time a sprig of parsley is left on the plate uneaten, sometimes the plate is a bowl.

INT . LANDING . DAY

From outside the toilet, we hear a difficult shit taking place. It is so difficult our man is still trying to defecate as day turns into night.

We see our man going into the toilet, then we have a shot of out the window, but still with the sound of the man trying to shit. Day turns to night, and then we go back to seeing our man leave the toilet.

EXT . PARK . DAY

Our man studies a pile of dog shit. Slowly he stands and shuffles off, almost under his breath we hear him growl

Filmed from dog shit perspective , very close up shot, just see a nose drop into shot from the top of the frame

INT . FRONT ROOM . NIGHT

Our man sits and watches television, picking up his glass of water he begins to lap it up with this tongue.

Very dark scene, using the television light to flicker different amount s of light onto the characters face. Extreme close up when he laps up the water.

INT . KITCHEN . DAY

Our man slowly spoons dog food onto his plate, the plate is maller than any we have seen before

We will shoot this with exactly the same view as with the bigger plate, so that the plate is noticeably smaller.

INT . KITCHEN . DAY

Sitting at the table our man slowly, reluctantly eats the dog food, as he turns to eat, tears run down his face.

Shot from the opposite persons view so you are looking straight at him, the camera switches between that persons view and an extreme close up of the character chewing.

INT . FRONT ROOM . NIGHT

Our man runs around in a very tight circle, He is trying to see his back, as he runs he barks.

Filmed through the window, a shot for a woman walking her dog and noticing the strange behaviour so come to peek through the window and we get he point of view shot.

Visual Storyboards:

Term Two

2011-01-21T01:36:00.003Z

As 2011 has begun, I have been back for nearly two weeks; here is a brief update of what we have been up to and what I have to look forward to over the next term.
Firstly, I will be studying Film in which we will work in a group of six to produce a short 3 minute film. My group were given a script about a man who eat's dog food and has developed dog characteristics. I am excited about this project as we have many creative and original ideas including camera angles, lighting, sound and the characters we would like to use.
As well as this current project, I also have another Animation and Interactive Space project which we have five weeks to complete.
Moreover, I attended a trip to London where we went to three different museums; The Science Museum, V&A and The Natural History Museum to help us with our Visual Essay which we will have to produce by the end of term 3. This essay must show distinct and focussed direction of topics I would like to study for Years 2 and 3.
I look forward to showing you the work I produce this term and hopefully I will have improved since term 1 as my skills and knowledge have grown. Enjoy!

Animation: SpotOn TV

2010-12-08T01:06:00.002Z

Animation: SpotOn TV from George Pickles on Vimeo.
This is my first attempt at an Animation using 3DS Max Software. At first I struggled to get to grips with the software itself, I spent many hours practising until I finally managed to produce this. I had a few problems trying to get the correct sound clips to go along with it but I made the best of what I had and I believe this is the best outcome. I am pleased with it, however there are changes and improvements I would like to of done. I hope you like it and fingers crossed my next animation will be better than this one.

2nd Attempt at a One Shot Film: Tension

2010-12-07T14:22:00.007Z

One Shot Film: Tension from George Pickles on Vimeo.
Here is our second attempt at One Shot film. We decided to do another shot as we wanted to try and produce a film with less mistakes than the last one, 'Was it worth it?' and just simply to gain more experience with the camera, lighting and Adobe Premiere Pro editing software. The idea behind the shoot is that as the camera circulates the two people as the tension builds, until one of the characters can no longer keep there anger under control and reacts in a physical way. I hope you like it.

An Inspiring Lecturer's, Last Lecture

2010-12-05T04:07:00.002Z

Here is a video I found online, the Lecturer gives an inspiring lecture on life lessons where he shows his strength, wisdom and compassion for his work, family and friends as he is slowly dying from Pancreatic Cancer. I feel that it relates to the the virtual world I have been producing over the last three weeks in my Animation Seminar's as well as the presentation I have to give this coming week.

I feel that I can relate this to my work and skills outside of the studio in the way that it gives me a lot of strength and hope for the future as long as you make the most of the opportunities that you have been given and that the 'brick walls are there to show our dedication'.

Final Animation in Production

2010-11-30T19:03:00.003Z

Animation: Jellyman

2010-11-23T18:39:00.003Z

In week two of my animation project we learnt how to create a jellyman, again it took a lot of time and effort but I feel that I am improving. I learnt how use several more of the many tools within the software (3D Max) to allow me to create, shape and bring the character to life. I have started to sketch my ideas down which I will upload shortly for my final ident, I just hope that I will be able to create it using the software and my final idea will be able to draw in the viewer.

Jellyman 1

Jellyman 2

Animation: Jelly

2010-11-23T18:28:00.009Z

Here is my first animation, I am very pleased with it and I had to stick at it for a long time to get it right. I started over and over again till I got it right, I enjoyed the first seminar and now I cannot wait for the next one... bring it on.

Ident Research

2010-11-19T02:06:00.004Z

I have been doing some research on already existing ident's to help me with my own ideas. Here are some of my favourite ident's that I have come across on YouTube that I feel could influence my concepts before I produce my final idea. Enjoy!

Channel 4

BBC Three

Sky

Animation

2010-11-19T01:57:00.002Z

Today, I started animation; it's something I have never done before but something I am very interested in and the one out of the three projects I have been most excited for. At first I found myself to be pretty useless at it but I persevered and I slowly improved until I managed to get my text 'JELLY' to actually start bouncing like jelly, I will upload a video of this shortly. The project I have been set to produce in the next three week is an ident that represents me as a person. I already have a few ideas floating around and I cannot wait to start bringing them to life.

The Final Images

2010-11-19T01:47:00.003Z

Finally I have completed all of my final images I have produced using Photoshop, it has taken quite a while to do this, but now it is time to put them together to make my interactive space using the HTML I have been taught in my seminar's over the past three weeks. Here are all of the images I have designed that will take you on an adventure to the Zoo, they are simple which I believe allow's you to easily navigate from page to page, whilst giving you the choice to choose what story you tell, I hope you like them.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Image 6

Image 7

Image 8

Image 9

Image 10

Image 11

Image 12

Image 13

Image 14

Image 15

Interactive Space: Update

2010-11-19T01:46:00.004Z

I just thought that I would upload a few more images for you to see what I am getting up to. Creating these images in photoshop is time consuming but I feel that it will make it a more of a personal project. I am looking forward to linking the images together for you to have a play. I hope you like the new images I have created.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Interactive Space: Idea Change

2010-11-19T01:34:00.003Z

I haven't blogged in a while as I have been struggling for ideas for my final outcome. The one I talked about in my previous blog I was not pleased with. The idea was too simple and I didn't feel it was very exciting or very interactive for the user. Instead, I have decided to produce my own from scratch with the use of Photoshop and a Graphics Tablet.

The idea I have now put together is of a little cartoon boy I produced who visits the Zoo. You have to decide which animals you want to see and what you want to do with them; from feeding to swimming. The Space is aimed mainly towards the younger generations but I look forward to showing you my final outcome. For now, here is some of the images I have produced, they are simple however,I believe they are effective.

Image 1

Image 2

Interactive Space: My Idea

2010-11-09T00:38:00.003Z

For my final idea I want to produce a game where you have to search for particular products around Nottingham. You will be presented with a shopping list, where you will select which product you want to buy, this will then lead you onto a map of Nottingham City Centre where you will be able to select the shop you think will sell this product. If the product is in that store then you can move onto the next item, if not then you search another shop. This continues until you purchase all the items on your list.

I will produce a visual branch map of my idea to allow myself to plan exactly how my 'Interactive Space" will be put together, so that I don't get confused as it will be a complicated design. Fingers crossed it will all come together nicely and I cannot wait to show you the final Interactive Space.

Practising HTML

2010-11-09T00:09:00.000Z

Over the past two weeks we have been learning how to use HTML's, at first I found it a bit of a struggle but I think I have finally figured it out. After many trials and many failed attempts I have managed to use the images below to produce my own test website before I move onto my final idea (which I will explain in my next blog). However, there is lot's of room for improvements, the final website will be a lot more complicated to produce but hopefully simple and entertaining for the consumer to use.

Interactive Space

2010-11-01T23:34:00.002Z

So this is my first attempt at linking through association, the original idea came together as i sat in my room and realised what a mess it was, therefore I decided to take pictures before and after I cleaned it. As this was my first attempt I do not want to use this idea as my final outcome, but simply an experiment to see what I can do with these images and HTML's. I am excited for this project and look forward to producing to what will hopefully be a interesting site.

Which room is mine?

Do you want to enter?

Do you want to clean my desk?

Clean =D next job?

Do you want to do my washing?

Clean =D next job?

My bed is a mess, do you want to make my bed?

My bed is made =D all done?

Bye Bye

This will in between the photos to allow the consumer

to make a 'Yes or No?' decision.

I hope this allows you to have an insight into my idea, it is quite basic and not very exciting but hopefully it will allow me to learn and be more creative for my final outcome.

One Shot: My Thoughts?

2010-11-01T23:23:00.003Z

As my first project at university, I found the one shot film to have taught me a lot. The most immediate piece of experience that I suppose I've gained from this project is the realisation that it is very difficult to transfer what's in your mind to something that can be shown to others.

The original concept of the film was for a guy who has hit rock bottom at the end of a hectic, alcohol filled night (as attempted with a guy being sick) to move back through the scenes that led towards that event and slowly show a chain of events in reverse. We attempted to leave the end of the film with the same actor that was present at the beginning of the film questioning whether or not "was it worth it?", with 'it' being the party / university lifestyle. The problems that we had transferring a relatively simple idea into something that can be instantly understood by any viewer is that its really difficult to have the same person in all of the scenes of film when you are limited to one shot. To salvage at least a small part of that idea, we did actually manage to get our actor in the first and last scene of the film, even though it may not be immediately obvious (bad choice of clothing...).

Other than that I found out of the terror that is working in a group. People's schedules, followed by different outlooks on a certain idea can just be too much especially when you leave it to the last minute! However its definitely something that I'll get accustomed to overtime.

I think if we spent more time on the props used within our film and maybe explored the studio's size and dimensions before actually venturing in then maybe the message would of came across more clearly. Problems that I feel we had with our props were:

They looked nothing like walls. I opted for painting them, but time wasn't on our side.
Height wise they were a lot smaller then the height of the ceiling in the studio. Which therefore looks odd on camera.
They were very flimsy, another material other than card should have been substituted in.
They were just bad.

All in all it was a great learning experience and I consider it a positive thing to come across all of these problems so early on in the course!

Our Finished One Shot Film

2010-10-26T13:44:00.007+01:00

One Shot Film: Was it worth it? from George Pickles on Vimeo.
Here is the final edit of our One Shot film. As is evident from watching the film, we have pushed the boundaries of the rules by putting the camera on a Dolley (on wheels) so we could move the shot around without physically touching the camera. Although I am reasonably happy with the final shot, I still believe that with better props the film would of been more successful.
Within the edited version, we have added a dance audio track that has a muffle effect. This co-ordinates with the character moving from one room to another and also suggests the idea of time passing. Moreover, we have also added a title sequence to match the video. The final stage of post production editing was the increasing of saturation of the entire film. This was done because the lighting seemed to “bleach out” the whole scene, possibly because the white balance wasn't set properly on the camera when we recorded the original footage. Regardless, the film looked better with added saturation which adds to the films effectiveness.
Overall, I think that the final edit was reasonably successful and I am proud of our first One Shot Film. Enjoy!

The Unedited One Shot Film - "Was It Worth It?"

2010-10-26T00:03:00.001+01:00

Here is the unedited version of our film, the edited and complete version will be up shortly. I hope it gives an insight into our first filming experience.

The Shoot

2010-10-25T23:35:00.011+01:00

Today, we filmed our One Shot; despite not completely satisfying our initial plan, we made productive use of the limited time we had in the studio. With hindsight, there is much scope for improvement that my group and I would make, but were simply not possible during the time we had. Regardless of having an exciting and innovation idea for our film, I feel we underestimated the difficulty of the transforming the imagery and visions in our head into video. I felt the quality of the materials we used for props were not good enough - the cardboard was simply too flimsy, possibly styrofoam would have been better although this would have been harder to get hold of. Overall, the group and I were all pleased with the outcome of our first One Shot film, and cannot wait to show everyone!

Lights...

Camera...

Action?

One Shot Preparation

2010-10-25T22:50:00.001+01:00

Prior to starting to shoot our One film , our group had to meet up to assess the necessary props we required. This lead to us to face our first problem; where do we get hold of industrial amounts of cardboard? Consequently, we went to the local Tesco, to the Graphics Department in the University and managed to get plenty - too much in fact. The next job was to duct tape all the cardboard together to produce two large wall-like screens. These were used to divide as well as help to isolate the different scenes, insinuating the idea of time passing (as shown in the several images below). Moreover, during that time we also managed to finalise everyone’s roles within the production team. We then noted the list of actors that we had contacted and established who would partake in our film. Lastly, Alex and I booked the studio and equipment so all that is now left to do is film! Fingers crossed it all works out!

Lighting Practice

2010-10-18T20:00:00.003+01:00

This week we messed around with lighting techniques to notice the differences in an indoor interview environment. Below is a sample of what was recorded:

From the video you can see a clear glow on Harriet's face in comparison to Tom's. Deborah our tutor complimented us for the fade in light in the background and also questioned the composition of our shot.

The Plan For Our One Shot Film

2010-10-14T15:24:00.004+01:00

After brainstorming a variety of ideas and shuffling through an array of previously published one shot films, we managed to come to a conclusion on how ours will pan out.
Our inspiration came from a video we stumbled upon whilst looking through other one shot films which can be seen here.

We managed to get a rough text based story board of our film which I then mapped out in a visual presentation which can be seen below:

Text Based Story Board

Visual Story Board

One Shot

2010-10-06T18:32:00.017+01:00

Today, I decided to research 'One Shot Films' to get a better understanding of what I will be doing as part of my course. My initial thought was of a music video by a Music Artist called 'Tim Halperin' where the use of 'One Shot' is used in a very simple but effective way. This video was shot by two directors, known as Jonathan Combs and Joe Childress.

The reason I believe this video is successful is that there are many different scene changes, by moving the scenery, instead of putting together many takes. I believe the constant movement of the camera and scenes work well with the song as it represents the idea of life in motion.

This video has inspired me with a few ideas to try and push the boundaries and the rules that have been given to us by playing around with the idea to move the scenery rather than to change the actual scene itself. This will take a lot of time and effort to prepare the props but I believe as a group we could do this, we just need to think of a good storyline which will allow us to pull this off.

Here is the 'Making of the Video' to Tim Halperin's song 'She Runs' so you can see how the video was put together.

First Blog

2010-10-05T14:30:00.000+01:00

I've never done a blog before, let alone Multimedia; I suppose there is a first time for everything. I want to learn things I don't know and hopefully this blog will allow me to show you the development of my work over the next three years during my time here at Nottingham Trent University.