Thursday 28 October 2010
Sequnece at crit
The crit was useful. With positive comments an constructive criticism coming in equal measures.
The edit so far needs cleaning up.
A few more seconds of black at the start so the Blake quote can be read and digested before moving on to the moving image.
The same goes for the end of the sequnece. More time with the title legibale before the fade out at the end to give a lasting impact and set the tone.
The character names will be done using tweaked presets from adobe Bridge. Hand written font acting as a scribble to give a short intro. Names to Faces.
There are also a few masking issues i had that need sorting. Just for constant tones of colours. I want it to feel like a scrap book, not actually be scraooily put together. I want there to be control over the out come and hopefully have a clinical finish to the sequence.
Friday 22 October 2010
Font choice 2
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Decided to go with helvetica in the end.
These so called 60's fonts are all far to chiche, obvious and taccy. They hold none of the nostalgia needed within a specifically tailored font.
Helvetica deals with the the feel of a documentary title sequence particularly well, being lear and concise. It manifests a more neutral reaction as it has been designed to be a neutral Font.
Thursday 21 October 2010
Font Choice
Decided it would be best to use a hand written font. I think it will suit the scrap book feel and help to cement the writer and poet personality traits. I also think a scratchy hand written font is better for a documentary style sequence as if feels more natural.
Having trawled through the microsoft office fonts and various websites i came across these two on Dafont.com
I've not decided which to use yet. The little text that were put in Aftereffects was a test to get used to how text reacts to manipulation and to help decide compositional values and timing.
Having trawled through the microsoft office fonts and various websites i came across these two on Dafont.com
I've not decided which to use yet. The little text that were put in Aftereffects was a test to get used to how text reacts to manipulation and to help decide compositional values and timing.
Audio choice
Decided to go with the intro to 'Ghost song' - which is off jim's poetry album 'America Prayer'. Its slow building, has elements of poetry and the images created with the poetry i feel gives a further indication of who Jim Morrison is. The song itself is mind blowing but with a little bit of editing, the intro works for my sequence.
Dropped it into Ableton as its so easy to edit clips and waveforms within its clip view, imported the rough edit of the vid and tried to sync it together 'ish' to get a rough idea of what needed tweaking.
The intro with the Blake quote and black background needs to be slightly longer, dwelling on the quote, and the end title needs to last for slightly longer before disintegrating. The vid is 41.5 secs so i have a little time to play with and hopefully this can be achieved.
Tuesday 19 October 2010
Sunday 17 October 2010
Storyboard/final backdrops
I have been re-editing the background images and formulating a storyboard. This is the order in which they will appear in the sequence. I wanted to cement the scrapbook idea and develop that into a direct narrative for the sequence. I feel i have re adjusted the composition of the images to suit this idea. The lucid layering gives the images the effect of looking like they are on a light box, stuck together with tape. I really like the look of the Sepia photo filter added in Photoshop. Adds a subtle dynamic and gives the opaque layers some substance.
The video footage (Mythical imagery, archive doors footage) will be set in the top right of all the images as they shift behind. A stronger image to stand out but will still be seated behind the lucid 'Oil and water' layer. Coupled with, in the bottom left, a larger window for the vid but much more transparent and therefore slightly less prominent. It will be demonstration footage and old archive happenings from the 60's. (March on the Pentagon)
As the key figures featuring in the doc appear in the film window, the footage freezes, allowing the text and names to come in from the left, just above the 2nd film window. This repeats until the names finish. (4 of them). After 3 seconds the names dissolve and the footage resumes........
The video footage (Mythical imagery, archive doors footage) will be set in the top right of all the images as they shift behind. A stronger image to stand out but will still be seated behind the lucid 'Oil and water' layer. Coupled with, in the bottom left, a larger window for the vid but much more transparent and therefore slightly less prominent. It will be demonstration footage and old archive happenings from the 60's. (March on the Pentagon)
As the key figures featuring in the doc appear in the film window, the footage freezes, allowing the text and names to come in from the left, just above the 2nd film window. This repeats until the names finish. (4 of them). After 3 seconds the names dissolve and the footage resumes........
Saturday 16 October 2010
Friday 15 October 2010
Compositional ideas
Having looked into documentary film title sequences, i was left feeling like anything goes. In the main part, it was left to the imagery of slow live action to direct the narrative with the credits and text, usually of a small font size, tucked neatly into one corner.
I decided i wanted to use this approach but i wanted, partly due to the brief, to have a lot more going on. I wanted to try and root the sequence in its era, use a diluted doc film process as well as being able to introduce characters.
In order to achieve this, the page needed to be divided up somehow and organized so important bits of information stood out from the rest.
It was looking over at Kens monitor and seeing him browsing some comic strips, that instigated a look at 60's comics.
Comics really aren't my thing, but the way the pages are broken up to sequentially tell a story and certain images are larger, or more detailed than others highlighting importance of the 'event' appealed to me and this is the reason and formula for why and how the sequence is composed how it is.
Though playing the sequence to tutors, i have already been told it looks more like a flag than a comic strip so obviously i havent been able to capture that feel as best i could. Hopefully with further tweaking it can be achieved
The scrap book feel has really come into its own. The rough and ready images and sometimes awkward layers make it look, in part, like its layered on a light box, stuck together with tape. Although its not the exact theme i had intended for it, i really like how it has ended up.
I still have no idea really how to start or end the sequence. I fear that the cliche fade in and fade out will have to be used. Though i would like to emulate a keyhole effect for the start, running over a quote from William Blake. This i feel needs to be made a feature as its an integral piece of the Jim Morrison puzzle.
"When the doors of perception are cleansed, things will appear as they truly are..... Infinite."
This is where the name The Doors originates, it illustrates a mythical and metaphysical emphasis, literary interest and was a closely guarded beliefe Jim Morrison supposedly adhered to.
The ending i want to have the title.. "No one gets out of here alive" a fade out and the oil and water effect to be present. But experimentation and time is needed to think a logical ending through.
I decided i wanted to use this approach but i wanted, partly due to the brief, to have a lot more going on. I wanted to try and root the sequence in its era, use a diluted doc film process as well as being able to introduce characters.
In order to achieve this, the page needed to be divided up somehow and organized so important bits of information stood out from the rest.
It was looking over at Kens monitor and seeing him browsing some comic strips, that instigated a look at 60's comics.
Comics really aren't my thing, but the way the pages are broken up to sequentially tell a story and certain images are larger, or more detailed than others highlighting importance of the 'event' appealed to me and this is the reason and formula for why and how the sequence is composed how it is.
Though playing the sequence to tutors, i have already been told it looks more like a flag than a comic strip so obviously i havent been able to capture that feel as best i could. Hopefully with further tweaking it can be achieved
The scrap book feel has really come into its own. The rough and ready images and sometimes awkward layers make it look, in part, like its layered on a light box, stuck together with tape. Although its not the exact theme i had intended for it, i really like how it has ended up.
I still have no idea really how to start or end the sequence. I fear that the cliche fade in and fade out will have to be used. Though i would like to emulate a keyhole effect for the start, running over a quote from William Blake. This i feel needs to be made a feature as its an integral piece of the Jim Morrison puzzle.
"When the doors of perception are cleansed, things will appear as they truly are..... Infinite."
This is where the name The Doors originates, it illustrates a mythical and metaphysical emphasis, literary interest and was a closely guarded beliefe Jim Morrison supposedly adhered to.
The ending i want to have the title.. "No one gets out of here alive" a fade out and the oil and water effect to be present. But experimentation and time is needed to think a logical ending through.
Initial play with Aftereffects
Having mocked up some backdrops for my title sequence and dropped them into after effects, i hit my first stumbling block. I thought i could get away without a story board, just using written pointers and reminders for direction. This has not been a productive or efficient way of working and from this point on, my general methodology will permanently be altered to accommodate real projection of visual ideas.
Actually visualizing ideas is a necessity. I have really struggled in organizing and composing the information in aftereffects due to this lack of foresight.
So having hit this wall, i now need to do a redesign of the backdrop images to accommodate live action footage and text. Not just make backdrops with no regard for how the final product will eventually be achieved.
Today's session made my images and ideas look way below average. This in turn has cost me time and energy in trying to think around the problem.
A frustrating day.
Actually visualizing ideas is a necessity. I have really struggled in organizing and composing the information in aftereffects due to this lack of foresight.
So having hit this wall, i now need to do a redesign of the backdrop images to accommodate live action footage and text. Not just make backdrops with no regard for how the final product will eventually be achieved.
Today's session made my images and ideas look way below average. This in turn has cost me time and energy in trying to think around the problem.
A frustrating day.
Thursday 14 October 2010
Cutting Up Archive footage
Using archive.org and prelinger archives, as well as finding rare Doors footage, the first real part of editing started.
This is the 'oil and water' effect that will be added as an opaque layer over the whole sequence to emphasise the feeling of psychadelia, without it being to blatent. The vid caps were taken from a UFO light show 1967, and the joshua light show - liquid loods 1969
Layered in final cut to add an extra texture, it was edited down into a 45sec loop as 45secs is the maximum time allowed.
A similar process was applied to the war protest material. Short clips of demonstrations and gatherings, edited down to about a minute. Too much material but i couldn't decide what to cut out or leave so to keep options open, it all stayed. Basic effects ad filters such as Bad TV and blur were used mainly to synch the original colour, making it neutral and easy to add the sepia filter at the end without clashing colours. I feel this will add to the dated, papery aesthetic im after.
Archive doors footage was hard to find. Youtube has some live video and tv appearences but i had to browse dozen of doors fan sites to find any good material, shot on film, some of these images are stunning.
The way i am seeing it at the minute, these live action sequences will be placed into an already fluid backdrop that will house them discreetly and enable space and room for the text to be animated around it.
After looking at other documentary title sequences, i would like it to look clean and simple, with the information concise, clear and bold.
This is the 'oil and water' effect that will be added as an opaque layer over the whole sequence to emphasise the feeling of psychadelia, without it being to blatent. The vid caps were taken from a UFO light show 1967, and the joshua light show - liquid loods 1969
Layered in final cut to add an extra texture, it was edited down into a 45sec loop as 45secs is the maximum time allowed.
A similar process was applied to the war protest material. Short clips of demonstrations and gatherings, edited down to about a minute. Too much material but i couldn't decide what to cut out or leave so to keep options open, it all stayed. Basic effects ad filters such as Bad TV and blur were used mainly to synch the original colour, making it neutral and easy to add the sepia filter at the end without clashing colours. I feel this will add to the dated, papery aesthetic im after.
Archive doors footage was hard to find. Youtube has some live video and tv appearences but i had to browse dozen of doors fan sites to find any good material, shot on film, some of these images are stunning.
The way i am seeing it at the minute, these live action sequences will be placed into an already fluid backdrop that will house them discreetly and enable space and room for the text to be animated around it.
After looking at other documentary title sequences, i would like it to look clean and simple, with the information concise, clear and bold.
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Typography Research
Simple and clean. The slow panning camera is something which i may emulate to some degree as it really invites the observer into the frame.
I like the colour pallet used, its minimal, simplistic aesthetic and the message inherent within is inspiring and positive.
The Fonts, seemingly clear and legible regardless of the form the words take. There are differences in spacing and kerning, scale and motion and tracking but it retains its readability at all times.
Maslow - Introduction
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology, proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation. Maslow subsequently extended the idea to include his observations of humans' innate curiosity. His theories parallel many other theories of human developmental psychology, all of which focus on describing the stages of growth in humans.
1. Self-actualization
“What a man can be, he must be." This forms the basis of the perceived need for self-actualization. This level of need pertains to what a person's full potential is and realizing that potential. Maslow describes this desire as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming.
2. Esteem
All humans have a need to be respected and to have self-esteem and self-respect. Also known as the belonging need, esteem presents the normal human desire to be accepted and valued by others. People need to engage themselves to gain recognition and have an activity or activities that give the person a sense of contribution, to feel accepted and self-valued, be it in a profession or hobby.
3. Love and belonging
After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, the third layer of human needs are social and involve feelings of belonging. This aspect of Maslow's hierarchy involves emotionally based relationships in general, such as:
* Friendship
* Intimacy
* Family
Humans need to love and be loved (sexually and non-sexually) by others. In the absence of these elements, many people become susceptible to loneliness, social anxiety, and clinical depression.
4. Safety needs
With their physical needs relatively satisfied, the individual's safety needs take precedence and dominate behavior. These needs have to do with people's yearning for a predictable orderly world in which perceived unfairness and inconsistency are under control, the familiar frequent and the unfamiliar rare.
5. Physiological needs
For the most part, physiological needs are obvious — they are the literal requirements for human survival. If these requirements are not met, the human body simply cannot continue to function.
Physiological needs include:
* Breathing
* Nutrition
* Homeostasis
In marketing Maslow's hierarchy as one of the first theories as a basis for understanding consumers' motives for action. Marketers have historically looked towards consumers' needs to define their actions in the market. If producers design products meeting consumer needs, consumers will more often choose those products over those of competitors. Whichever product better fills the void created by the need will be chosen more frequently, thus increasing sales.
Friday 8 October 2010
Photoshop Backdrops for After effects.
With these images, i have been thinking about the video window in AfterEffects and how to achieve that 60's feel.
As Morrison was a film maker, poet and musician, i want the sequence to have a papery texture, hinting at the notion of writing and the skitty nature of Morrisons' artistic outlets as well as making specific reference to the social attitudes and political climate at the time. The Sepia tones help make the 60's images look dated. There are surrealist pieces of art, mythical charts and symbols, war demostrations and pictures of the march on the pentagon, psychedelic imagery and poems disguised within the images.
These images were created in illustrator using layers, opacity settings and filters, using vector functions to delete segments of information and disguise the seams between images, then taken into photoshop to add final filters and subtle effects.
Using AfterEffects i would like to animate effects such as blur, opacity, photo filters and then transforming certain attributes on different layers to make the features feel fluid and alive. I would also like to add a subtle oil and water feature to be layered over the top of it all, really cementing the psychedelic idea, yet having it subtly enough for it not to be too heavily emphasized. My initial thoughts on how to achieve this are to use grey scale instead of colour. Make sure it is lucid and opaque and keep its activity (mixing the oil and water together) to a minimum ratio. eg 3 parts water for one blobule of oil or ink.
Initial thoughts about the camera are to do with slow panning and subtle zooms to draw the eye into the piece.
Still undecided on text and character images so have excluded them from this set of images. Further experimentation is needed and will be documented shortly.
As Morrison was a film maker, poet and musician, i want the sequence to have a papery texture, hinting at the notion of writing and the skitty nature of Morrisons' artistic outlets as well as making specific reference to the social attitudes and political climate at the time. The Sepia tones help make the 60's images look dated. There are surrealist pieces of art, mythical charts and symbols, war demostrations and pictures of the march on the pentagon, psychedelic imagery and poems disguised within the images.
These images were created in illustrator using layers, opacity settings and filters, using vector functions to delete segments of information and disguise the seams between images, then taken into photoshop to add final filters and subtle effects.
Using AfterEffects i would like to animate effects such as blur, opacity, photo filters and then transforming certain attributes on different layers to make the features feel fluid and alive. I would also like to add a subtle oil and water feature to be layered over the top of it all, really cementing the psychedelic idea, yet having it subtly enough for it not to be too heavily emphasized. My initial thoughts on how to achieve this are to use grey scale instead of colour. Make sure it is lucid and opaque and keep its activity (mixing the oil and water together) to a minimum ratio. eg 3 parts water for one blobule of oil or ink.
Initial thoughts about the camera are to do with slow panning and subtle zooms to draw the eye into the piece.
Still undecided on text and character images so have excluded them from this set of images. Further experimentation is needed and will be documented shortly.
Thursday 7 October 2010
Type - Serif vs. Sans-Serif
Text: Serif vs. Sans-Serif
When using fonts on screen, it is important to understand the differences between serif and sans-serif fonts. Serif fonts are the fonts that have little tails— fonts like Times, for example. A sans-serif font, such as Arial, lacks these tails. Due to the effects of anti-aliasing, it is important to try to avoid using serif fonts for on-screen use whenever possible. If the are to be used, they should be used at a size large enough to avoid the problems shown below.
From the French sans, meaning “without,” some typography sources refer to sans serif typefaces as "grotesque" (in German "grotesk") or "Gothic," and serif types as "Roman."
Sans-serif examples: Arial, Verdana, Tahoma
Serif examples: Times New Roman, Garamound, Century Schoolbook
Other useful terms:
Kerning - the spacing between the words
Tracking - the space between the characters
Vertical scale - the height of the text
Horizontal scale - the width of the text
Business Fundementals
Niche Marketing
This involves a business selling its product(s) in small, often lucrative, segments of a market. It is the opposite strategy to mass marketing. Many small businesses can identify unsatisfied consumer needs in a particular segment within a large industry, and they can develop products to meet these needs.
This allows the small businesses to exist in industries that are dominated by large businesses (e.g. Classic FM in the radio broadcasting industry, SAGA in the holiday industry). However, if larger rivals appear within the niche market, the smaller businesses will often find it difficult to compete effectively with these well-resourced businesses.
It is also dangerous for a business to offer just one product within the market, since any larger rivals are likely to be more diversified and have a wider product portfolio. Theses larger businesses could, therefore, reduce their prices to such a low level that the small business cannot compete profitably.
Nevertheless, during periods of economic growth and higher consumer spending, then niche markets can offer a very lucrative opportunity to many small businesses to offer a personalised, high value-added service/product.
Asset-Led Marketing
This refers to the situation where a business develops its strategy based upon its existing strengths and assets. This involves the business focussing on what it currently performs effectively, and then using this as the base for developing new products or breaking into new markets.
Niche marketing capitalises on the consumer loyalty that a business has, and helps it to develop new products and devise new marketing strategies.
Product
Products can generally be classified under two headings - consumer products and producer products...
Consumer products
Purchased and used by individuals / citizens for use within their homes and these products fall into 3 categories:
Convenience products
Shopping products
Specialist products
Producer products
Purchased by businesses and are either used in the production of other products, or in the running of the business. For example, raw materials (timber, steel), machinery, delivery vehicles, and components used to make larger products (e.g. tyres and headlights for vehicles).
The price level that a business decides to sell its product(s) at will affect both the quantity of sales and the profit-margin received per unit. There are many considerations that a business will need to take into account before it decides upon a selling price for a new product, such as:
The objectives of the business if the main objective of the business is to maximise profit, then it is likely that the product will be priced at a high level.
The degree of competition in the industry the number of competitors in the industry will affect the price level that the business decides upon for its product.
The channels of distribution the more intermediaries that are used in getting the product from the factory to the consumer, then the higher the selling price is likely to be.
The business image if the image of the business is prestigious and up-market, then a higher price is likely to be charged for the product.
Price
There are many methods and strategies that a business can use in order to arrive at a selling price for its products:
Cost-plus pricing.
Mark-up pricing.
Predatory (or destroyer) pricing.
Skimming pricing.
Demand-orientated pricing.
Competition-orientated pricing.
Promotion
Promotion refers to the tactics that a business uses to make consumers aware of their product(s) and to entice them to purchase the products, creating sales revenue for the business. Promotion can often be referred to as either:
'above the line' - promotional activity refers to extensive promotional campaigns on national media, such as television and newspaper advertisements.
Or, 'below the line' - promotional activities include more short-term tactics such as personal selling, sales promotions, packaging, branding and direct mail.
Most businesses will use a combination of 'above-' and 'below the line' tactics in order to create the desired impact on consumers.
Place
This refers to:
firstly to the stores and the retail outlets where consumers can purchase the products of the business,
secondly to the channels of distribution that the business uses to get its products from the factory to these outlets.
The channels of distribution refer to the intermediaries that a business chooses to use to transport its product and make it available to consumers (e.g. wholesalers, distribution companies and retail outlets).
This involves a business selling its product(s) in small, often lucrative, segments of a market. It is the opposite strategy to mass marketing. Many small businesses can identify unsatisfied consumer needs in a particular segment within a large industry, and they can develop products to meet these needs.
This allows the small businesses to exist in industries that are dominated by large businesses (e.g. Classic FM in the radio broadcasting industry, SAGA in the holiday industry). However, if larger rivals appear within the niche market, the smaller businesses will often find it difficult to compete effectively with these well-resourced businesses.
It is also dangerous for a business to offer just one product within the market, since any larger rivals are likely to be more diversified and have a wider product portfolio. Theses larger businesses could, therefore, reduce their prices to such a low level that the small business cannot compete profitably.
Nevertheless, during periods of economic growth and higher consumer spending, then niche markets can offer a very lucrative opportunity to many small businesses to offer a personalised, high value-added service/product.
Asset-Led Marketing
This refers to the situation where a business develops its strategy based upon its existing strengths and assets. This involves the business focussing on what it currently performs effectively, and then using this as the base for developing new products or breaking into new markets.
Niche marketing capitalises on the consumer loyalty that a business has, and helps it to develop new products and devise new marketing strategies.
Product
Products can generally be classified under two headings - consumer products and producer products...
Consumer products
Purchased and used by individuals / citizens for use within their homes and these products fall into 3 categories:
Convenience products
Shopping products
Specialist products
Producer products
Purchased by businesses and are either used in the production of other products, or in the running of the business. For example, raw materials (timber, steel), machinery, delivery vehicles, and components used to make larger products (e.g. tyres and headlights for vehicles).
The price level that a business decides to sell its product(s) at will affect both the quantity of sales and the profit-margin received per unit. There are many considerations that a business will need to take into account before it decides upon a selling price for a new product, such as:
The objectives of the business if the main objective of the business is to maximise profit, then it is likely that the product will be priced at a high level.
The degree of competition in the industry the number of competitors in the industry will affect the price level that the business decides upon for its product.
The channels of distribution the more intermediaries that are used in getting the product from the factory to the consumer, then the higher the selling price is likely to be.
The business image if the image of the business is prestigious and up-market, then a higher price is likely to be charged for the product.
Price
There are many methods and strategies that a business can use in order to arrive at a selling price for its products:
Cost-plus pricing.
Mark-up pricing.
Predatory (or destroyer) pricing.
Skimming pricing.
Demand-orientated pricing.
Competition-orientated pricing.
Promotion
Promotion refers to the tactics that a business uses to make consumers aware of their product(s) and to entice them to purchase the products, creating sales revenue for the business. Promotion can often be referred to as either:
'above the line' - promotional activity refers to extensive promotional campaigns on national media, such as television and newspaper advertisements.
Or, 'below the line' - promotional activities include more short-term tactics such as personal selling, sales promotions, packaging, branding and direct mail.
Most businesses will use a combination of 'above-' and 'below the line' tactics in order to create the desired impact on consumers.
Place
This refers to:
firstly to the stores and the retail outlets where consumers can purchase the products of the business,
secondly to the channels of distribution that the business uses to get its products from the factory to these outlets.
The channels of distribution refer to the intermediaries that a business chooses to use to transport its product and make it available to consumers (e.g. wholesalers, distribution companies and retail outlets).
Fonts and Type
The top few are fonts that i have found on the internet, depicting a link to 60's iconography and imagery. From research already done, i feel that one of these would fit perfectly with the overall feel of the sequence, however clarity and readability of the text might diminish as a result.
The middle section of font selection has derived from looking at documentary title sequences. They seem to be clear, concise and no frills. This probably has something to do with budget constraints more than anything else. But it also helps deliver a clear message, meaning that you dont need to look at it for very long, normally the type is small, not taking up much of the composition, allowing powerful imagery to be observed without interference from other spurious artefacts.
The last section of simulated handwritten typefaces has also derived from initial research. Stemming from Jim Morrisons poems and the lyrics written down. His handwriting scratchy, italic and often illegible. With Jims poems and writing being one of the main themes of the title sequence, i thought it appropriate to see how such fonts would look in context.
This is also the reason why these styles of fonts could clash and cause discordance. If there is already words to focus on within the frame, unless pronounced enough, the words could be lost to a wash of other visual information.
Trial and error is definitely the order of the day.
Social Network -Design Focus
Some niche social networking sites can seem tough to break into and become a part of the community. One of the best ways to get involved is to study what people in the community are doing and simply join in! Sometimes just hanging around and observing will give you a taste of the language or formalities that are normal for a specific niche or community.
For this post I looked for some specific design and art related social sites and tried to dissect what each site is all about and how they may be beneficial to use.
deviantART
"11 Million members, over 100 million submissions, and receives around 100,000 submissions per day."
deviantArt aims to provide a place for any artist to exhibit and discuss works. Works are organized in a comprehensive category structure, including photography, digital art, traditional art, literature, Flash, filmmaking, skins for applications, Furry and others. DA also has extensive downloadable resources such as tutorials and stock photography. Member submissions are known as “deviations.” The goal of the site is to allow artists and art lovers to interact in a variety of ways, ranging from the submission of art to conversations on a number of topics.
This site is a thriving community. The best way to get noticed and to have the community interacting with your work is to comment, comment and comment some more! Post replies and threads in the forums. Comment on peoples artwork and user pages, use the chat room and the shout box. Give out good and constructive comments, to stand out – many people will like to return the favor. You don’t get anything out of it if you don’t put something into it. In other words, you reap what you sow.
Although all the reviews and comments about deviantART are not favorable. Encyclopedia Dramatica has this to say about the community, “If the art community as a whole had cancer, then deviantART would be the biggest malignant tumor of them all.”
Concept Art.org
A lot of the members from deviantART migrate to ConceptArt.org if their work is of a certain caliber. There is drama here just like in deviantART and most of it seems to come from deviantART members that can’t take constructive critiques.
I like the layout of the site and how they feature certain artists and thumbnails of various artworks. The forums are pretty similar to DA and the heavier threads pertain to critiques and art technique suggestions and ideas.
Flickr
Flickr is a HUGE online photo and video hosting website as well as online community. There is an overwhelming amount of amazing photography and art to view. They have a great search feature and also offer users the ability to either release their images under certain common usage licenses or label them as “all rights reserved”. The licensing options primarily include the Creative Commons 2.0 attribution-based and minor content-control licenses – although jurisdiction and version-specific licenses cannot be selected. As with “tags”, the site allows easy searching of only those images that fall under a specific license.
Flickr groups are a great way to post your photos and get a specific audience. They even have local groups. There are groups for a variety of topics, velvet art is your thing? There is a group for that! Learn about other great ways to market on Flickr.
Flickr has entered into partnerships with third parties to offer printing of various forms of merchandise, including business cards, photo books, stationery, personalized credit cards, and large-size prints, from companies such as Moo, Blurb, Tiny Prints, Capital One, Imagekind, and QOOP. In addition, Flickr has partnered with Getty Images to sell stock photos from some users.
Flickr asks photo submitters to organize images using tags (a form of metadata), which enable searchers to find images related to particular topics, such as place names or subject matter. Flickr was also an early website to implement tag clouds, which provide access to images tagged with the most popular keywords. Because of its support for tags, Flickr has been cited as a prime example of effective use of folksonomy.
Vimeo
Vimeo, which had the original HD internet video, is a respected community of creative’s that are passionate about the videos they make. Vimeo’s groups allow you to create communities within Vimeo around the things you like. Share and discuss videos, photos, music, and events with other people that enjoy the same stuff. The more you interact with the community, the more interest in your work there will be. Get involved and you will enjoy the rewarding experience that Vimeo can provide.
Coroflot
Coroflot is the creative world at work. It has grown to host over 1.4 million images of creative work, from the portfolios of over 150,000 creative professionals and students from nearly every country on earth. Coroflot users are industrial, graphic, fashion, interior, textile and interaction designers; 3D modeling and rendering specialists; architects, illustrators, art directors, design managers, and dozens of other disciplines.
There are no membership requirements, application processes, or invites. If you’re a designer or someone who avidly follows creative work, they want you. If your work is good, it will find its way to the surface; if you need inspiration or advice, the world’s most active professional creative community can show you what’s what.
For this post I looked for some specific design and art related social sites and tried to dissect what each site is all about and how they may be beneficial to use.
deviantART
"11 Million members, over 100 million submissions, and receives around 100,000 submissions per day."
deviantArt aims to provide a place for any artist to exhibit and discuss works. Works are organized in a comprehensive category structure, including photography, digital art, traditional art, literature, Flash, filmmaking, skins for applications, Furry and others. DA also has extensive downloadable resources such as tutorials and stock photography. Member submissions are known as “deviations.” The goal of the site is to allow artists and art lovers to interact in a variety of ways, ranging from the submission of art to conversations on a number of topics.
This site is a thriving community. The best way to get noticed and to have the community interacting with your work is to comment, comment and comment some more! Post replies and threads in the forums. Comment on peoples artwork and user pages, use the chat room and the shout box. Give out good and constructive comments, to stand out – many people will like to return the favor. You don’t get anything out of it if you don’t put something into it. In other words, you reap what you sow.
Although all the reviews and comments about deviantART are not favorable. Encyclopedia Dramatica has this to say about the community, “If the art community as a whole had cancer, then deviantART would be the biggest malignant tumor of them all.”
Concept Art.org
A lot of the members from deviantART migrate to ConceptArt.org if their work is of a certain caliber. There is drama here just like in deviantART and most of it seems to come from deviantART members that can’t take constructive critiques.
I like the layout of the site and how they feature certain artists and thumbnails of various artworks. The forums are pretty similar to DA and the heavier threads pertain to critiques and art technique suggestions and ideas.
Flickr
Flickr is a HUGE online photo and video hosting website as well as online community. There is an overwhelming amount of amazing photography and art to view. They have a great search feature and also offer users the ability to either release their images under certain common usage licenses or label them as “all rights reserved”. The licensing options primarily include the Creative Commons 2.0 attribution-based and minor content-control licenses – although jurisdiction and version-specific licenses cannot be selected. As with “tags”, the site allows easy searching of only those images that fall under a specific license.
Flickr groups are a great way to post your photos and get a specific audience. They even have local groups. There are groups for a variety of topics, velvet art is your thing? There is a group for that! Learn about other great ways to market on Flickr.
Flickr has entered into partnerships with third parties to offer printing of various forms of merchandise, including business cards, photo books, stationery, personalized credit cards, and large-size prints, from companies such as Moo, Blurb, Tiny Prints, Capital One, Imagekind, and QOOP. In addition, Flickr has partnered with Getty Images to sell stock photos from some users.
Flickr asks photo submitters to organize images using tags (a form of metadata), which enable searchers to find images related to particular topics, such as place names or subject matter. Flickr was also an early website to implement tag clouds, which provide access to images tagged with the most popular keywords. Because of its support for tags, Flickr has been cited as a prime example of effective use of folksonomy.
Vimeo
Vimeo, which had the original HD internet video, is a respected community of creative’s that are passionate about the videos they make. Vimeo’s groups allow you to create communities within Vimeo around the things you like. Share and discuss videos, photos, music, and events with other people that enjoy the same stuff. The more you interact with the community, the more interest in your work there will be. Get involved and you will enjoy the rewarding experience that Vimeo can provide.
Coroflot
Coroflot is the creative world at work. It has grown to host over 1.4 million images of creative work, from the portfolios of over 150,000 creative professionals and students from nearly every country on earth. Coroflot users are industrial, graphic, fashion, interior, textile and interaction designers; 3D modeling and rendering specialists; architects, illustrators, art directors, design managers, and dozens of other disciplines.
There are no membership requirements, application processes, or invites. If you’re a designer or someone who avidly follows creative work, they want you. If your work is good, it will find its way to the surface; if you need inspiration or advice, the world’s most active professional creative community can show you what’s what.
One in five employers uses social networks in hiring process
More than one in five employers search social networking sites to screen job candidates, according to a survey of more than 31,000 employers released by CareerBuilder.com this week.
Of the hiring managers who use social networks, one-third said they found information on such sites that caused them to toss the candidate out of consideration for a job, the survey said.
The study found that the number of hiring managers that are turning to social networks like MySpace and Facebook to delve into candidates' online behavior is increasing quickly: Some 22% of employers said they already peruse social networks to screen candidates, while an additional 9% said they are planning to do so. Only 11% of managers used the technology in 2006.
The top areas of concern found on social networking sites include:
Information about alcohol or drug use (41% of managers said this was a top concern)
Inappropriate photos or information posted on a candidate's page (40%)
Poor communication skills (29%)
Bad-mouthing of former employers or fellow employees (28%)
Inaccurate qualifications (27%)
Unprofessional screen names (22%)
Notes showing links to criminal behavior (21%)
Confidential information about past employers (19%)
The study did find that 24% of hiring managers found content on social networks that helped convince them to hire a candidate. Hiring managers said that profiles showing a professional image and solid references can boost a candidate's chances for a job.
"Hiring managers are using the Internet to get a more well-rounded view of job candidates in terms of their skills, accomplishments and overall fit within the company," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.com, in a statement. "As a result, more job seekers are taking action to make their social networking profiles employer-friendly. Sixteen percent of workers who have social networking pages said they modified the content on their profile to convey a more professional image to potential employers."
Of the hiring managers who use social networks, one-third said they found information on such sites that caused them to toss the candidate out of consideration for a job, the survey said.
The study found that the number of hiring managers that are turning to social networks like MySpace and Facebook to delve into candidates' online behavior is increasing quickly: Some 22% of employers said they already peruse social networks to screen candidates, while an additional 9% said they are planning to do so. Only 11% of managers used the technology in 2006.
The top areas of concern found on social networking sites include:
Information about alcohol or drug use (41% of managers said this was a top concern)
Inappropriate photos or information posted on a candidate's page (40%)
Poor communication skills (29%)
Bad-mouthing of former employers or fellow employees (28%)
Inaccurate qualifications (27%)
Unprofessional screen names (22%)
Notes showing links to criminal behavior (21%)
Confidential information about past employers (19%)
The study did find that 24% of hiring managers found content on social networks that helped convince them to hire a candidate. Hiring managers said that profiles showing a professional image and solid references can boost a candidate's chances for a job.
"Hiring managers are using the Internet to get a more well-rounded view of job candidates in terms of their skills, accomplishments and overall fit within the company," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.com, in a statement. "As a result, more job seekers are taking action to make their social networking profiles employer-friendly. Sixteen percent of workers who have social networking pages said they modified the content on their profile to convey a more professional image to potential employers."
Social Network - Fundementals
Social networking is the grouping of individuals into specific groups. Although social networking is possible in person, especially in the workplace, universities, and high schools, it is most popular online. This is because the internet is filled with millions of individuals who are looking to meet other people, to gather and share first-hand information and experiences, developing friendships or professional alliances, finding employment, business-to-business marketing and even groups sharing information about the end of the Mayan calendar and the Great Shift to arrive December 21-2012. The topics and interests are as varied and rich as the story of our world.
The friends that you can make are just one of the many benefits to social networking online. Another one of those benefits includes diversity as individuals from all around the world gain access to social networking sites. This means that although you are in the UK, you could develop an online friendship with someone in Denmark, South America or India. Not only will you make new alliances, but you just might learn a thing or two about new cultures or new languages.
Social networking often involves grouping specific individuals or organizations together. While there are a number of social networking websites that focus on particular interests, there are many that do not. The websites without a main focus are often referred to as "traditional" social networking websites and usually have open memberships. This means that anyone can become a member, no matter what their hobbies, beliefs, or views are. However, once you are inside this online community, you can begin to create your own network of friends and eliminate members that do not share common interests or goals.
However, there are dangers associated with social networking including data theft and viruses, which are on the rise. The most prevalent danger though often involves online predators or individuals who claim to be someone that they are not. Although danger does exist with networking online, its no different to day to day existence.
Wednesday 6 October 2010
Documentaries - type
Helvetica
Villa Rospigliosi (1988) by Jules Engel
Aldous Huxley doc
San Francisco 1967 / Old 8mm film - just a nice piece of film.
The Electric Koolaid Acid test - Tom Wolfe
The Hippie Revolt
Documentary title sequences appear to be incredibly simple, direct and short. they either set the scen, or are embeded within a narrative that begins the second the film starts.
Being direct, it is easy to see why documentary title sequences are done in this fashion. There is little need for anything other than basic information as the film itself is rooted in the relaying of information. The main thing to keep in mind is the imagery associated with the era or topic in question.
Villa Rospigliosi (1988) by Jules Engel
Aldous Huxley doc
San Francisco 1967 / Old 8mm film - just a nice piece of film.
The Electric Koolaid Acid test - Tom Wolfe
The Hippie Revolt
Documentary title sequences appear to be incredibly simple, direct and short. they either set the scen, or are embeded within a narrative that begins the second the film starts.
Being direct, it is easy to see why documentary title sequences are done in this fashion. There is little need for anything other than basic information as the film itself is rooted in the relaying of information. The main thing to keep in mind is the imagery associated with the era or topic in question.
Tuesday 5 October 2010
Title Sequences
Pacific
Bunny and the Bull
Blade Runner - Re make 2007
Catch me if you can
Sherlock Holmes
These are just a few opening title sequences that i found interesting. There are other Title sequences such as A Scanner Darkly, Into the Wild, Blade Runner (origional), Halloween etc that interest me more than the ones shown here. For a lot of the vids the embedded code restricts you from being able to place them anywhere else so they are unattainable for blogging.
In particular i found the catch me if you can titles interesting for its throw back stylization and 2d effects.
Everything from the type through to the music gives it context and dates the era the films set in perfectly.
I will be looking at more documentary title sequences soon.
In particular We live in Public.
Bunny and the Bull
Blade Runner - Re make 2007
Catch me if you can
Sherlock Holmes
These are just a few opening title sequences that i found interesting. There are other Title sequences such as A Scanner Darkly, Into the Wild, Blade Runner (origional), Halloween etc that interest me more than the ones shown here. For a lot of the vids the embedded code restricts you from being able to place them anywhere else so they are unattainable for blogging.
In particular i found the catch me if you can titles interesting for its throw back stylization and 2d effects.
Everything from the type through to the music gives it context and dates the era the films set in perfectly.
I will be looking at more documentary title sequences soon.
In particular We live in Public.
Oil and Water effect
This is classic 60's visual materiel. It consists of different coloured oils mixed with water. The effect was achieved through overhead projectors and acetate with the oil and water mixture in between.
i would like to have some layers of this within my composition to hopefully further realize the concept, style and feel of the 60's, psychedelics and Jim Morrison.
This technique has been used and abused for years and always represents the era in question. Whenever this effect is used, people think of the 60's.
If used as an Opaque layer within aftereffects, it could add subtle dynamic and be the defining indicator of the decade that Jim Morrison made his own.
Monday 4 October 2010
Audio Research
Having looked and listened to much of Jim Morrisons poetry, I feel that it would create an atmosphere of suspense to just have a soft voice, like a vice over for the images that would follow. It would also act as a blank canvas for the beginning of the film to start in which ever way felt right.
However the light jazz tones of 'ghost song' coupled with the content of the first 45 seconds of spoken word also suit the feel of a documentary title sequence.
Using Jim's poetry instantly gives the viewer a sense of what he stood for and who he is. The content of the poems consists of mythical imagery and mystical metaphor, whilst at the same time having an emotionally charged revolutionary spirit.
The pace of 'Ghost song' would suggest that the camera and images should be slow moving, potentaially panning cameras.
His earlier work, whilst similar in content is over zealous for the sleazy, meandering, psychadellic feel i would like to capture. This is the reasoning behind why the focus has been on this final studio album by the doors.
The more i think about overall visual tone, i think Cepia filters over black and white images and content would work well, hopefully giving it a dated feel with lots of noise and grain.
Friday 1 October 2010
An Introduction to Aftereffects
After Effects is a brilliant piece of software. Being an Adobe product it is entirely user friendly, working in all the familiar language of Photoshop, Indesign and Illustrator interfaces. Files and layers are all cross transferable from other Adobe design products which makes for an efficient work flow and organisation.
For this introduction we were given some text to have a play with and shown through some of the basic functions.
Examples of basic animation, lighting, cameras, parent and child relationships and linked action, nesting, automation, effects, the import and export of files, rasterization, rendering and output, layered images, its links with Photoshop, illustrator and Maya.
Looking forward to seeing the results if used in conjunction with Module8 and other such Vj software as there is real potential for live Application.
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