Blogs in FdA Digital Media Design
15 years ago
Asahi Beer
This ad for Asahi fits my brief perfectly. It has a Handmade look and feel and it also it roughly 30 seconds long. I think this was a bad way to go about researching because this may completely throw me off my idea but it also could help me form a final idea.
USA Website
Asahi Breweries Website
Geoff Mcfetridge
Mcfetridge did the graphics for Beautiful Losers, above is the dvd cover by Mcfetridge.
"Geoff Mcfetridge graphic designer and visual artist based in Los Angeles.
The breadth of Geoff's work covers designs for magazines, posters, t-shirts, textiles, motion graphics and advertising as well as film production. In his most recent work for HP, Geoff created a motion graphics piece about nanotechnology that is embedded withamusing inside jokes that only
nano-scientists will understand. For the rest of us less nano-minded, we can delight in the visual pleasure of his graphics. One of our favorite designs is a pair of high-tops that Geoff designed for nike. The retro-80s high-top is meant to be ripped apart to reveal the messages and graphics beneath." Website Link
Beautiful Losers
This is a film Directed by Aaron Rose.
"BEAUTIFUL LOSERS celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural moments of a generation
In the early 1990's a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the "establishment" art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture."
Website Link
Whitney Lee
Whitney Lee is an artist featured in the Handmade Nation film. She creates latch hooked rugs of women, mostly models purveying the "ideal" plastic airbrushed bodies, in an ironic manor. As she was something of a feminist herself.
This is an image of a rug that Whitney Lee created. I think this is an interesting combination of ideas as arts and crafts are often associated with the elderly, this has given a fresh look on the development of this culture. I think that the fact that Lee is using pornography is quite relevant to this project as it porn is often linked with the internet which is digital and Whitney Lee has created a handmade object from something digital. In this project we will be creating something handmade and converting it to a digital outcome so it is the opposite process.
"it has become my mission to create sex-positive images of self-confident women of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities."
Whitney Lee
Website Link
This is an image of a rug that Whitney Lee created. I think this is an interesting combination of ideas as arts and crafts are often associated with the elderly, this has given a fresh look on the development of this culture. I think that the fact that Lee is using pornography is quite relevant to this project as it porn is often linked with the internet which is digital and Whitney Lee has created a handmade object from something digital. In this project we will be creating something handmade and converting it to a digital outcome so it is the opposite process.
"it has become my mission to create sex-positive images of self-confident women of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities."
Whitney Lee
Website Link
DIY
DIY culture (abbreviation of Do It Yourself) is a broad term that refers to a wide range of elements in non-mainstream society, such as grassroots political and social activism, independent music, art, and film.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIY_culture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIY_culture
Handmade Nation
This is a film by Fayth Levine, who travelled over 19,000 miles across America to document the new wave of craft. She interviewed over 50 artists who are involved in the D.I.Y (do it yourself) movement.
Hand Made
We have received our new brief which is entitled Handmade. The brief is inspired by the recent trend of using handmade, hand drawn and rough elements to design and advertising. Stella Artois is an example in the brief, in which they use 1930's graphics and effects to strengthen the sense that the brand is long standing and has a tradition of quality to the brand. I will have to produce four elements to an advertising campaign for an alcoholic drinks company; A full 30 second advert for television, A version for smart phones or portable devices, A poster design and A billboard design.
There will be three steps in the process of completing this project.
-Working with traditional media
-Incorporating the traditional media into digital space
-Selling the brand information in visual terms
There will be three steps in the process of completing this project.
-Working with traditional media
-Incorporating the traditional media into digital space
-Selling the brand information in visual terms
Re Shoot?
I'm debating whether or not to re-shoot a different idea, I feel that this idea is a bit stale and my project would benefit much more from a different idea being explored. It could either bring a better outcome from the second shoot or make me feel more strongly about my original idea. I also feel if I don't shoot another idea I may look into making the film more sinister and giving it a twist like the opening sequence of Dexter, which I looked at for my research. I may also be wrong as I know that with design sometimes you get bored of your work if you have been looking at it for a prolonged period of time, especially with video editing and the short space of time having to be filled.
Story Boarding
Story boarding is a key ingredient in the film making schedule, it is necessary to create story boards so that you have a filming plan.
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Camera
Nikon D90 Review 1Nikon D90 Review 2
I have been lucky enough to be able to borrow one of my uncle's friends camera. A Nikon D90 which is a very good digital SLR which also shoots HD video. I have checked out a few review sites for the D90 and I have discovered that it is perfect for shallow depth of field which I think is very effective and I want to use in my video. It is very effective camera for what I need to shoot but it is also not very effective at any sort of moving shots, such as panning etc. What I have read up says it is imperative that you use a tripod with this camera. So I will borrow a tripod to ensure my shots aren't wobbly and that I can get some crisp shots with nice depth of field.
Video Resolutions
I have done some research into video resolutions to ensure I select the resolution I feel is right for me. I think that 720P is a good bet as the camera I have been looking at to use for filming exports at this resolution. I feel that for good quality I would like to film in High Definition and this is a moderate size for HD.
15 Second Film Festival
I have discovered the 15 second film festival which is very helpful as there is a large collection of short films. I have selected the ones I feel are most effective.
This video is quite similar to the Amelie sequence I have looked at, I think it is very effective because it has a comical narrative to it. I used to love drawing on steamed up car windows when I was a kid, I think it's a nice twist that he draws a masterpiece and it isn't realised by his mum.
Amelie Opening Sequence
Link to Amelie opening sequence
Here is a clip of the opening sequence to the film Amelie, the sound quality is quite poor but I feel it will show the shots nicely enough. In this video the director is introducing the main character in the film, Amelie Poulain. The sequence is set in the main characters childhood, the shots are a collection of things that kids do such as; drawing a face on your hand and speaking with it, peeling PVA off your fingers, playing with dominoes and spinning coins. The sequence isn't a great example of rapid cuts but is a good reference for content and stylistically I think it looks very effective.
Wickes Advert
Link to the Wickes Ad 1
Link to the Wickes Ad 2
Link to the Wickes Ad 3
Here is a selection of adverts for Wickes D.I.Y, I have seen these on T.V and felt it was the sort of thing I would like to film. I really like the use of depth of field through out the campaign as it gives a feeling of quality to the products. These ads are roughly 30 seconds long which is double the time I have for my project. Also within 15 seconds there are only about 15 shots which is quite a few less than I am aiming to shoot. I think although it is not exactly what I will be producing I feel the types of shots used are very effective.
Grey Goose Advert
Link to Grey Goose Advert
This is an ad for Grey Goose Vodka, supposedly the best tasting Vodka (also one of the most expensive). I feel this is an effective example as it is a completely different market and product from the Dexter sequence yet it still has a similar quality. The ad is trying to portray a luxurious feel about the Vodka, this is done by making the film black and white. This gives an elegance to it straight away, also the content of the video is a couple enjoying some time on a boat with oysters. This gives the impression of wealth, which is necessary when drinking this beverage.
Dexter Opening Sequence
Link to Dexter opening sequence
This piece of work id the title sequence for one of my favourite T.V Shows Dexter. The Video was created by Digital Kitchen, a collective who were involved with Offf Oeiras. I was lucky enough to see them on our Lisbon trip and they were very inspiring. I feel this video is very effective as it uses a very small amount of time to get across the fact that he's having breakfast. Also I feel that the video works well as it is very sinister and as Dexter is a serial killer in the show, they have made the individual everyday activities look gruesome and disturbing.
Crash Bang Wallop
We have started our second year with a nice project. The brief that has been set is called Crash Bang Wallop in reference to the speed and dramatics of comic books. We have been set a project in which we have to create a 15 second film using a minimum of 20 shots. The film has to be very fast past and be an every day activity made dramatic. Then add effects from After Effects in post production. We were shown some of last years outcomes and amongst them were; Making Jam on toast, Starting up a Car and getting ready for a gig. I will proceed to research short films to help with my ideas, I will then implement these ideas into a storyboard.
Web Standards Essay
Web Standards
In this essay I will be covering the key concepts in web standards and the reason for them being followed. I will look at a few reasons why compliance is necessary, Interoperability, accessibility and the need for Search engine optimisation.
Interoperability is a way of making sure a diverse collection of systems can work together (inter-operate) and exchange files between them. This is key within Internet and computing as if all the computers were to work on different plains, there would be no basis for the Internet. There would be no default for a site and therefore each computer would see a different thing. “In our globalised society and given the increasing diversity of systems and applications, interoperability makes possible the development of a mass market and avoids the undesirable effects of fragmentation.”
This is why standards help to reach a required starting point for the Internet and Web sites, and therefore creating an international business.
Web Accessibility is another of the standards that all sites should comply to as it is seen as discrimination if they do not reach the required standards. Web Accessibility enables people with a variety of disabilities and learning difficulties, the opportunity to use aids to help them view sites. “When sites are correctly designed, developed and edited, all users can have equal access to information and functionality”. For example when the sites have been constructed they use correct Html text replacements for any images of graphics, this will enable anyone using text to audio Internet software or text to Braille.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a way of making the content on your site obvious for anyone searching on a search engine. There is a technique to this art as it is all depends on the ability of the search engines to scan through the html looking for key words and not being restricted by any wrong Html codes. As Search Engines are used through out the world as a homepage and most use them for the basis of their web surfing. It is important to be high up in the search results list, this is known as “page rank”. It is common that the higher the page rank the more hits the page is going to get, this is why it is essential to enable the search engines to hunt out the key words and therefore promote the page rank and site views. A lot of big companies pay a lot of money to have a higher page rank as in the long run it will be benefiting them in terms of page views. The name SEO can also be applied to the Search Engine Optimizers, which is an industry of professional Optimizers who often offer a stand alone service to look through Html and other content to improve the page rank. There are many ways of Optimizing sites, the main ways of doing so is enabling things such as; Menus, Images, Content etc. To become more visible to Search engines. For example if you are creating a site for Lawnmowers and you wanted to come one of the top pages for the search Lawnmowers you would be better off having a page called Lawnmowers. To make this more likely to be picked up you would be better off having text links apposed to graphic based buttons. “Another class of Another class of techniques, known as black hat SEO or Spamdexing, use methods such as link farms and keyword stuffing that degrade both the relevance of search results and the user-experience of search engines. Search engines look for sites that employ these techniques in order to remove them from their indices.” Link farms and Key word stuffing is a process in which you cram in the key words you want to appear on the search, as many times as possible. This is frowned upon in modern web design and can also be hunted down by the Search Engines and removed from the searches completely.
In this essay I will be covering the key concepts in web standards and the reason for them being followed. I will look at a few reasons why compliance is necessary, Interoperability, accessibility and the need for Search engine optimisation.
Interoperability is a way of making sure a diverse collection of systems can work together (inter-operate) and exchange files between them. This is key within Internet and computing as if all the computers were to work on different plains, there would be no basis for the Internet. There would be no default for a site and therefore each computer would see a different thing. “In our globalised society and given the increasing diversity of systems and applications, interoperability makes possible the development of a mass market and avoids the undesirable effects of fragmentation.”
This is why standards help to reach a required starting point for the Internet and Web sites, and therefore creating an international business.
Web Accessibility is another of the standards that all sites should comply to as it is seen as discrimination if they do not reach the required standards. Web Accessibility enables people with a variety of disabilities and learning difficulties, the opportunity to use aids to help them view sites. “When sites are correctly designed, developed and edited, all users can have equal access to information and functionality”. For example when the sites have been constructed they use correct Html text replacements for any images of graphics, this will enable anyone using text to audio Internet software or text to Braille.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a way of making the content on your site obvious for anyone searching on a search engine. There is a technique to this art as it is all depends on the ability of the search engines to scan through the html looking for key words and not being restricted by any wrong Html codes. As Search Engines are used through out the world as a homepage and most use them for the basis of their web surfing. It is important to be high up in the search results list, this is known as “page rank”. It is common that the higher the page rank the more hits the page is going to get, this is why it is essential to enable the search engines to hunt out the key words and therefore promote the page rank and site views. A lot of big companies pay a lot of money to have a higher page rank as in the long run it will be benefiting them in terms of page views. The name SEO can also be applied to the Search Engine Optimizers, which is an industry of professional Optimizers who often offer a stand alone service to look through Html and other content to improve the page rank. There are many ways of Optimizing sites, the main ways of doing so is enabling things such as; Menus, Images, Content etc. To become more visible to Search engines. For example if you are creating a site for Lawnmowers and you wanted to come one of the top pages for the search Lawnmowers you would be better off having a page called Lawnmowers. To make this more likely to be picked up you would be better off having text links apposed to graphic based buttons. “Another class of Another class of techniques, known as black hat SEO or Spamdexing, use methods such as link farms and keyword stuffing that degrade both the relevance of search results and the user-experience of search engines. Search engines look for sites that employ these techniques in order to remove them from their indices.” Link farms and Key word stuffing is a process in which you cram in the key words you want to appear on the search, as many times as possible. This is frowned upon in modern web design and can also be hunted down by the Search Engines and removed from the searches completely.
Gallery
I have gathered a selection of images which relate to my site theme and i have stylized them with an angled gradient of white. This will be the thumbnails for the gallery and I will make them link to a new tab of which will show the full sized image.
Another go at the Header
Here is another header I have created I feel that this is a lot stronger and I think I will be using this in my final site. I created it in Photoshop and have added a nice texture which looks a bit like leaves. I also added a bit of a wavy shape which is popular within web 2.0 design.
Text Wrangler
We have started learning HTML and CSS coding through the programme Text Wrangler.
Here is some code I created:
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