multimediaBLOGx

line art mood board

2012-02-14T15:14:00.001Z

what is going on with the upload on these things?

2012-02-14T15:13:00.000Z

mood board

2012-02-14T15:09:00.004Z

Clemence Behr

2012-02-14T14:24:00.000Z

3D Geometric Installation by Clemence Behr

PROTEIGON

2012-02-12T12:55:00.000Z

PROTEIGON from BURAYAN on Vimeo.

A stop motion, directed by Steve Braind for Parizan.
via

2012-02-02T16:25:00.000Z

Interesting look at the red block logo, I never really realised the popularity of the style.

Nathan Coley

2012-01-31T21:16:00.002Z

Nathan Coley, Scottish installation artist. His works are provocative and philosophical, concentrating on largely religion based art.

Moodboard Sky Arts 1

2012-01-31T20:33:00.002Z

Ok Go

2012-01-31T19:54:00.002Z

Ok Go's creative team need a pat on the back, consistently quirky and original the band recently broadcast a live performance which was pixelated using the avatars of people who tuned in to watch through facebook and twitter. A creative and interesting way of getting an audience interested in a live performance.

imgs

2012-01-29T17:15:00.001Z

Light Effects and 3d Mapping

2012-01-28T17:12:00.000Z

Shit Robot - Losing My Patience from DFA Records on Vimeo.

ManVsMachine

2012-01-25T14:47:00.002Z

Looking into ManVsMachine's previous work I found that they specialize in idents, and also did work for Sky Arts. Their work involves a lot of digital compositing which unfortunately I don't have the skills to create, but the idea of building something and rewinding it is feasible.

More 4 Rebrand

2012-01-25T13:55:00.001Z

More 4 has recently had a rebrand by design company ManVsMachine. I like the interpretation of the handmade aesthetic, instead of the hand drawn style which was in fashion a few years ago, creating a logo which can be built and can function in a real environment adds another dimension to the design, allowing it to be more flexible.

I think the branding carries through exceptionally well into the idents and can imagine these being used in a real setting immeadietly. The branding chosen flows on really well from the original More4 branding with the use of shapes to form the logo but feels more accessible.

GIF Player

2012-01-23T12:44:00.000Z

An animated gif is a digital file format where multiple images are being looped after each other, creating a short and small sized movie clip. The file type was first introduced in 1987 as a first online movie, but soon lost its function with the increasing speed of internet and the possibility to upload longer and bigger movies. The document type however has gained back some of its popularity and is even entering the field of Art today. In 1832, Jozeph Plateau, a Belgian physicist invented the phenakistiscope. The first device which was able to show a moving image and which is considered to be the pre-runner of modern cinema. The only down part however was the fact that it could only show short movie clips in a loop. An animated gif is exactly that, and after some research on Plateau’s original design, Pieterjan Grandry succeeded to build a device capable of playing animated gifs, incorporating led lights, microchips and magnetic sensors. The Gif player is a wooden box, much like a turntable, with a dimmer to adjust the speed of the animation and a small looking hole in the front.

text via.

I found this really interesting that people were still revisiting the now more or less defunct GIF, which seems to only have a life span on blogging sites such as tumblr. It's inspirational to see such simple things being given a new creative twist. I could imagine this kind of technique used on a much larger scale for cheap and effective advertising, for example on billboards, parts of the image could move, or even the moving photographs which became popular on the internet in which really slight things move, like a skirt blowing in the wind. I could see myself looking twice if I thought I saw a static billboard move out of the corner of my eye.

Survey Results

2012-01-22T21:27:00.001Z

I created a survey to find out about general expectations in club nights and about interactivity relating to my research question. The survey can be found here. From the responses I've had so far all have been between the ages of 18 and 22, the majority have been male and go to nightclubs more than once a month. Most use social networks to find out about events. Most stated that they don't notice night club visuals. Most also said that they didn't know what QR codes were and wouldn't be confident in using them to access content, however this could have been an error on my part as some people may not have known what they were by name. 53% said they don't see interactivity as a big part of a night out experience, however, 76% would like to see a form of interactivity between audience and DJ, people who specified said that they'd like to have an input on the music played. 92% said they would be encouraged to go to a venue if held a performance as well as a club night event.

Use of Quick Response code in a music video

2012-01-20T12:08:00.000Z

I've posted this before but felt that it was relevant to the QR code research I'm currently doing, in the video for Metronomy - She Wants at 2:51 a QR code is shown which leads to a download link of the song. I haven't seen anything like this used before in a music video, or in moving image in that the code is cryptic and can only be accessed if the user is paying attention. This creative use of codes gives an idea of exclusivity and I feel that this sort of coding could work well in club visuals to give audience members participation through content.

Apparati Effimeri, 3d Mapping

2012-01-17T21:38:00.000Z

STEREOSCOPIC 3D MAPPING // STEP 01 from Apparati Effimeri on Vimeo.

This isn't an interactive 3d installation, however the final example shown I feel could be very effective used in a club environment, if a live artist drew the surroundings to highlight as the music played, then the surroundings moved and react to sound.

via.

Interactive Shadow Visuals

2012-01-17T21:03:00.001Z

skia @ mediaopera from muk on Vimeo.

Skia by Andreas Haider, an interactive shadow which mimic the users movements, then when the user stands still, bends and warps into different shapes. Using an infrared camera to detect the persons, openFrameworks software, processes and manipulates the shadow.

Holton Rower

2012-01-16T20:55:00.000Z

Tall paintings by Holton Rower. Large scale paintings mounted to walls.

Coldplay Wristband audience interaction

2012-01-15T23:18:00.000Z

Recently Coldplay have been using wristbands which are controlled through radio signals as part of their show at arena gigs, shown below in use at Wembley during the X Factor final and in the video, an audience member at the Glasgow concert demonstrates how the audience experience is enhanced by the bands which create a sense of togetherness and interaction with the show.

An interesting and novel way of creating participation and a communal feel for audience members. This technology could be pushed further to react with all notes and beats automatically, or through tracking of position and different colours implanted within the lights could be used to display images when filmed from above.

Experiments for client project

2012-01-12T17:11:00.000Z

For my short for Sky Arts I'm looking at experimental ways of mixing colour as an initial exploration,

David Wilson for The Maccabees

2011-12-20T19:44:00.000Z

The Maccabees - Pelican - Making Of from David Wilson on Vimeo.

David Wilson, a director I have looked at previously has directed the new video for The Maccabees, watching the original footage actually blew my mind trying to work out how it was done, in particular the scenes with liquids (this still wasn't fully explained, I'm assuming they were frozen) such a simple idea, very well executed. Very excited for the new album and for more of David Wilson's amazing creativity. He is currently also releasing an "advent" of short films. One for each day in December, all collaborations with different musicians. A really cool way of making something every day.

KeepItVisual

2011-12-06T21:17:00.001Z

Visuals created by Mario Elpsey at KeepItVisual.

Jamie XX x Quayola

2011-11-28T16:26:00.001Z

Jamie XX (of The xx fame) teamed up with Quayola—as part of RizLab‘s series of collaborative projects—to road test the latter’s Partitura sound visualisation software, which he built in collaboration with Abstract Birds. What ensued was a perfect melding of sound and vision. Jamie XX’s laid back pulsating beats gave life to Quayola’s highly rendered graphics, which flowed and formed on 17 meter HD screens, immersing the captivated crowds in their glowing fluctuations. The intricate forms that played out across the canvasses danced and splintered, breaking and reforming in flickering structures, turning music into a visual entity.

Someone remarked that it was the best screensaver they’d ever seen, but it was much more than that—a real-time music visualisation tool with 500 different visual parameters that uses algorithms to generate a beautiful palette of colors inspired by artists like Kandinsky and Paul Klee. Impressively, the unfolding graphics are not pre-sequenced, so it becomes an exploratory piece and is addictive to watch. It’s so smooth you forget that it’s actually responsive, as it takes on a life of its own, coming alive in bursts of color and assorted shapes.

(original article)

Charlie XCX - Nuclear Seasons

2011-11-24T21:48:00.001Z

I love the effects used in this video - really inspiring and easily transferrable to my projects.

Directed by Ryan Andrews

2011-11-10T17:31:00.002Z

Strobe light effect used in music video, really effective. (Don't watch if you're sensitive to strobes!)

Research Project

2011-11-08T18:46:00.000Z

I'm really struggling to word my question, I know what I want to get across and what I want to create but I can't find a way to sum this up...

How can visual imagery for performance effect audience mood through projection and lighting?

Synaesthesia has been explored throughout history, Plato, Pythagoras and Aristotle all explored the relations between music and colour. This research project intends to look at how colour and music are linked and how these links can be used to create projections for performance. How do audiences react when unexpected effects are used? Does it make the music and atmosphere more intense or does it cause confusion? As an example, Beyoncé’s performance at the Billboard awards in May 2011 which was designed by New York creative consultant Kenzo Digital. The performance received rave reviews partially due to the visuals created by Kenzo Digital, in which a variety of novel animations created an interactive with the choreography on stage. Animation, colour and lighting were used to draw the audience’s attention to different parts of the stage, then distracting them with special effects – adding to the performance on stage. The performance pushed traditional lighting effects and brought forward new ideas for set production and how projections can be used. Traditionally stages use lighting set ups which highlight or dim, and project colour, drawing the focus to a certain area of the stage, however with digital projections a new realm of colour and imagery can be used to manipulate the size of the area and change the performance completely.

In 1994, Patricia Valdez from the University of California’s department of Psychology lead an experiment in to the effects of colour by shade, hue and brightness which based on a scale of pleasure, arousal and dominance. The study, which is found in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, confirmed emotions which were felt when subjects were shown colours, proving that colour has a definite impact on mood and atmosphere. Mentioned within the notes of the experiment is another experiment carried out by Alexander Schauss in 1979 at the Naval correctional institute in Washington State, in which compounds were painted a pale pink shade, titled Baker-Miller pink, which had an extreme calming effect on inmates. The Navy’s report on the experiment states that "Since the initiation of this procedure on 1 March 1979, there have been no incidents of erratic or hostile behaviour during the initial phase of confinement". This confirms how colour can change mood and atmosphere.

This research paper intends to find how colour, light and imagery can be matched to music to change how the audience reacts and feels as a result of the audio visual projections. The research will be carried out on a small scale with the intention that the results will easily translate to other more elaborate or technically challenging locations. Results will be collected through a series of focus groups of between 1 and 10 people, who will be asked to respond to a series of artefacts designed to provoke a reaction either through shocking imagery, colour or lighting. By shocking it is not necessarily implied that the subjects will be gross or sexual but rather unexpected. The aim of the study will be to show how individuals perceive imagery along with music and how the results could be translated into different medias such as television or live performance in a club or larger venue, taking inspiration from light shows and projections and current technologies readily available in clubs and concert venues.

Title page for client proposal

2011-11-08T18:42:00.000Z

Not necessarily the final version of my proposal front page, but since it was mentioned today in the lecture I thought I'd start to draft some ideas, I want a simplistic yet modern feel to my work and I want this to come across from the initial proposal.

Start up company

2011-10-26T20:00:00.000+01:00

I have decided to create a digital magazine with a similar premise to aggregation websites such as hypemachine & elbo.ws.
The magazine would work like a news site, constantly updated with options to favourite stories, share them, comment them. However rather than reporting every story subjects would come from whatever is popular on the web at the moment, using information from blogs and social medias. There are already iPad apps which work in this way, however my idea is that not only would the service be an iPad app, it would also have a strong online presence which could be transferred to any tablet or smartphone through an app. Subject matter would be music, working with services such as last.fm and spotify to learn your music tastes and recommend videos, gigs, other artists and articles.
Google attempted to launch a service similair to this in 2009 with Fastflip, however this was unsuccessful. Whereas free iPad app, Zite, was recently purchased for $20 million by CNN, showing that when done right this can be an extremely lucrative market.

StartUp factory report

2011-10-20T18:17:00.000+01:00

While looking into what I wanted to create I was looking at production companies and as I was researching I realised I much prefer to analyze these companies rather than to create my own. Which brought me to think of magazines and how they are changing with the new digital medias. We were shown a digital magazine in a tutorial which was an app in which the articles were clickable and they brought up videos and other media. This is the kind of route I'd like to go down with my company, I already have knowledge of these as I read digital issues myself so research will be to look more in depth at these existing apps and how they work.

For my digital magazine I'd like to focus on culture - the arts and music, as there is so much interactive content which could be included it seems like the obvious choice as that's also where my interests lie.

Zinio - digital reseller of magazines/books.

Start Up Company Research

2011-10-20T11:54:00.000+01:00

Websites of existing companies:

Tribe Inc set design

Left Eye Blind music promotions and film making

Research project

2011-10-19T22:34:00.001+01:00

I've been reading more to get more depth on my research topic cause I'm really struggling to find a question. I looked into how colours make you feel by reading a journal about an experiment tested on university students which has given me some inspiration. I also looked at the Technoetic journals following on from Simon's lecture on the research project. I found some really interesting articles regarding projects which experiment with perception and interaction and I'm going to read more into those tomorrow. I really want to create some visuals for my project which can be used in club environments, looking at people currently doing this like Kenzo Digital and Ali Demirel, amongst others.

Ideas for Simulated Client Brief

2011-10-06T18:02:00.000+01:00

WORDS from Everynone on Vimeo.

Made by Everynone (in Collaboration with WNYC's Radiolab & NPR)

Directed by Daniel Mercadante & Will Hoffman

A short film by Everynone made up of clips of everyday situations. Thought provoking, it makes the audience think about what they are watching as each clips flows into the next, linking different meanings and descriptions for the same words, then flowing on to others. Below shows the film recreated using existing YouTube videos.

Re:WORDS from Everynone on Vimeo.

Watching these and the other films created by Everynone have really helped me in getting a direction I'd like to take with the project for the Nottingham Trent Alumni. I'm hoping to focus more on which part of the Alumni I'd like to advertise and hopefully start to think of some shots. Originally I was going to focus on the donating side, possibly with a thank you film or showing where the money went to, however in my tutorial Danny suggested that this may work well with the cancer research part of the donation scheme.

Music Video

2011-08-26T14:30:00.002+01:00

love the effects in this video from TEEBS. I'd quite like to experiment with these kind of effects in my final projects.

Teebs "Moments" from Paul Trillo on Vimeo.

Design work

2011-07-12T20:08:00.002+01:00

Since my last post I've fallen into a bit of luck, a friend of mine who worked for a fashion supplier passed my information on saying that I had a background in design, he's since asked me to create some promotional work and create the graphics for a website. This is an ongoing project and I will post the link when it's completed.
I've also sorted some work with my friend who does fashion photography and styling, we're planning a shoot with some models for her (and my!) portfolio. I'll be working on a set with her helping her sort shoots and doing hair/make up.
Very excited to get stuck in! :)

Work experience

2011-06-27T13:38:00.000+01:00

As part of getting remotivated for third year I've sent off a few emails to local film makers hoping to gain some experience, one is for set design and props for a horror film which sounds really interesting. Hopefully I'll hear back from them.

Neglected

2011-06-27T02:09:00.000+01:00

WOW.. My poor blog has seriously been neglected these past few months, I'm blaming it on the discovery of tumblr and lack of motivation to make serious posts. I will be making a conscious effort to post on here over summer as much as possible to get my back into the habit of using this again for the new year.

I'll end this comeback post with some imagery from my favourite photographer Pierre Debuscherre.

Malac Intro Edits

2011-03-09T20:56:00.001Z

I prefer the second edit, (which I've exported under the wrong settings and I'm reuploading now..) I'm getting more used to colour correction and how to use the different effects available within premiere, neither of these will be in the final piece as I don't feel they flow well enough.

Experiment

2011-03-03T22:41:00.001Z

Carrying on from the video I posted before by Louise Lynn I thought I'd try to experiment with QR codes and film to see if they could be used with motion. The code above does work (yay) and links back to my blog. I didn't realise until the upload the bad quality (or the colour difference in the text) but as an example of a working code I'm happy with it. I tried different colours but it only works with dark colours although I'm sure with enough manipulation you could get different results, I'm going to go on and attempt.

Also feeling the little nod to MTV Base? ;)

Masking experiment

2011-03-02T11:20:00.000Z

Playing around with masks in Adobe After Effects CS4 with some HD footage I shot in Kensington Gardens. Hoping to experiment with more intricate designs.

I saw this short clip on the blog of student, Louise Lynn. She has used masks to create this overlayed effect which has turned out well. I'm going to attempt now to do something similair with previous footage.

David Wilson - Portfolio example 1

2011-02-26T22:53:00.001Z

David Wilson Creative

David Wilson's website/portfolio follows a similar layout to indexhibit, it's simple and effective. Colour schemes are implemented to separate each medium he uses, work is displayed with a short explanation and date.

Moodboard

2011-02-22T19:01:00.002Z

Someone please tell me I'm not the only person who completely loves chanel knock offs like this? I really want one but I've not seen one that's tickled my fancy enough to get one.

I finished the moodboard, missed a few images off by accident so I'll just leave them at the bottom here..

Also some portfolio websites, obviously theres thousands upon thousands these are recent ones I've come across;

http://jackwells.co.uk/

http://studio-sloan.com/

http://blackbrushcreative.com/

Boom Bear Logo

2011-02-22T17:08:00.000Z

This is the logo style I'm aiming for. I'm currently knocking up a vector now and I'm gonna make a stencil out of it and get some paint and glitter in the mix in the next couple of days. I'm heading back to Manchester this coming weekend so hopefully I'll get some inspiration while I'm there for some work I can get on with. Done more illustrations too to get in practice for the title sequence I'm hoping to get done. Just looked back at this logo, I love this logo, why did they think of it first?

website

2011-02-22T16:31:00.003Z

I've began to sketch up some logos for my website, I've had one in my head for ages but I'm really undecided with the look I want for my site. I'm leaning towards a simple black&white hand drawn vector. I want the site to be accessible and I've found this little gadget so hopefully I'll get some QR codes on the go, and possibly make stickers from it. I've spoke about using indexhibit before and I've come back to it again, it seems like the most likely choice although I've got no idea how to use it but I've got 3 weeks(ish) to pull my hair out over it so I wont worry. I plan to sort out a domain name this week too... no idea what to choose though leighharrison.co.uk just seems so boring. Any ideas?

ok just tried this out on my phone, I'm officially impressed. How the hell is this free?

Kanye West - All of the lights

2011-02-20T00:44:00.001Z

Directed by Hype Williams

I'm undecided on wether I like this or not... sadly leaning towards not

1000+ FAVS :) // Double exposure // Vector.

2011-02-18T03:32:00.001Z

1000+ FAVS :) // Double exposure // Vector., originally uploaded by •DΛN MOUNTFORD•.

This guy creates amazing double exposures, I have serious talent envy right now

Davide Bignotti

2011-02-18T02:55:00.000Z

This guys work is so good, very inspiring and broad style. (link)

The world without us

2011-02-11T17:29:00.000Z

Go on this link and sit and have a think.

Mount Kimbie - Before I Move Off

2011-02-10T00:17:00.000Z

Directed by Tyrone Lebon

I love this video so much, I don't even know why? Something about it really struck a chord with me. I love the flickering photos which tell a story, even something like this could be something to think about for my title sequence.

Title sequence ideas

2011-02-09T23:17:00.002Z

I want to take quite an illustrative route in my title sequence and avoid using film where possible. One idea I've had through browsing the internet is to create a large illustration which tells the story of Robin Hood or has objects relating to the story and filming it panning down/across. Using as little effects in post production as possible.

Another idea I've had to create a book which features the credits/objects etc and film the book being flicked through, like the beggining of Shrek, where the story is introduced through a storybook. However I'd like to take a more photographic/illustrative approach and possibly create an interactive book and film someone using it.

Rethink Scholarship at Langara 2010 Call for Entries from Rory O'Sullivan and Simon Bruyn on Vimeo.

Projection is also something I'm interested in, although I don't know how I would go about this. I'd like to project illustrations or stop animations onto the walls of Nottingham castle for example, or on a textured surface as this is just an idea and I don't know if you'd be able to get permission to project on the castle. & film the projections to create a title sequence.

2011-02-06T00:44:00.000Z

Metronomy - She Wants
Directed by Jul & Mat (www.juletmat.fr)

I like this video for its simplicity which makes for interesting viewing, as immediately you realise that what you're watching is being played backwards, however I didn't expect the scenes to turn, and I really liked this approach. The video itself feels like a continued, darker version of the bands previous video for A Thing For Me. Also the QR code featured as a poster within the video leads to a link to download the song for free, which is really clever and innovative as I haven't heard of that being done before.

Creep - Days
Directed by Warren Fischer

I love this video just for the effects used within it alone, alot of them would be so easy to recreate which I really want to try to do, I especially like the shots of the band members where they're covered in glitter. The mood of this video is perfect, trippy and dark.

img bnks

2011-02-06T00:28:00.000Z

Day 1 Filming - Emmanuel House

2011-02-01T15:58:00.002Z

Some pretty intense shit going down...obviously.

Today was our first filming day for Emmanuel House, a

Patrick Kelleher & His Cold Dead Hands "Wintertime's Doll"

2011-01-25T19:35:00.000Z

Label : Osaka records

Director : Sophie Gateau

This video is just amazing

Website plans

2011-01-25T15:36:00.000Z

In an effort to get more of an online presence I've started to look into websites and hosting. I think I'm going to go with Indexhibit, as I've seen it used alot and although it's simple, it gets the job done and is customizable and versatile, as I'm hoping to not only have moving image in my portfolio, but also sketches, graphic work, paintings, a page which links through to this blog and possibly my tumblr blog too.

Research etc.

2011-01-17T17:16:00.000Z

After getting in touch with Chloe Hayward for the short essay we were given I got a really helpful response basically telling me how she started, what she did in her course at uni and how she landed her current job and about her day to day role. She currently works for Intro, a design company based in London, where she is a junior director, and works in partnership mostly with Julian Gibbs. She began there as an apprentice straight from leaving uni and has worked her way up since. Lots of the work featured on her blog is through side projects for friends which she does alongside her job at Intro. Through speaking to her it's really helped me to get a focus on what I actually want from this course and also given me some inspiration for side projects to build up my portfolio.

Compositor Job Role

2011-01-08T17:50:00.000Z

Compositors work in most areas of animation and post production.
They are responsible for constructing the final image by combining layers of previously created material. Although it is primarily a 2D role within the 3D world of CGI and VFX (Visual Effects), Compositors need a thorough understanding of the CG process combined with relevant artistic skills.
In post production companies, some TDs (Technical Directors) may do their own compositing.
What is the job?
Compositors work at the end of the production process. They receive material from various sources which could include rendered computer animation, special effects, graphics, 2D animation, live action, static background plates, etc.
Their job is to creatively combine all the elements into the final image, ensuring that the established style of the project is respected and continuity is maintained.
To achieve this they enhance the lighting, match blacks and other colour levels, add grain where required, add motion blur (if appropriate), create convincing shadows and make sure levels combine together seamlessly, keying (see glossary), rotoscoping and creating mattes where necessary.
They work closely with Lighters and need to have technical knowledge of how 3D lighting works in order to understand the 'multi passes' that the lighters create. They also liaise closely with Render Wranglers to progress work through the department.
As this is the end of the production line, there can be occasions when it is necessary to work very long hours to catch up on a schedule. Compositors need to keep up to date with technological developments within their field.
Typical career routesCG Compositors are most likely to have entered the Compositing Department as Roto Artists and worked their way up. In other cases, people who have acquired an understanding of compositing in layers for 2D Animation, using programmes such as After Effects, Animo or Opus, may have the relevant experience.
There are several levels within the department; this job profile applies to a mid-level Compositor. With the appropriate talent and skills, Compositors can become Sequence Heads, Senior Compositors or Compositing Supervisors; the best Compositors can aim to become VFX Supervisors.
Essential knowledge and skills Compositors need the talent to make artistic judgements, the technical skills to take practical decisions and the ability to analyse and solve problems.
Key Skills include:

extensive knowledge of current compositing software such as Shake and After Effects;
knowledge of various other programmes including Photoshop;
understanding of 3D animation process, particularly Lighting;
a good eye for composition, colour, light and shadow;
good knowledge of keying process;
methodical and thorough approach to work, and attention to detail;
ability to communicate with colleagues and work as part of a team;
ability to take direction and willingness to address comments and make changes;
ability to work with a minimum of supervision;
ability to deliver on schedule, working under pressure if required;
respect for the procedures and requirements of a particular studio, production or pipeline;
Knowledge of the requirements of the relevant Health and Safety legislation and procedures

Training and qualifications
Compositors are likely to have gained a degree in an art-related subject, such as Animation, Design, Illustration, Painting, Drawing, Photography or Computer Animation.
However, by this level, a minimum of two years professional experience; showreels demonstrating artistic talent and technical skill; and good references are likely to be of more value than academic qualifications.
Whether they have received formal training or worked their way up, Compositors need a thorough knowledge of the relevant software currently in use by the industry. Depending on the production, this is most likely to be Shake or After Effects, but could also be Combustion or, possibly Inferno or Flame.
For people moving into Compositing from other departments, there are several Shake courses available and this training would probably be a basic requirement.

from Skillset

important sites

2011-01-08T15:17:00.001Z

The trade body for Post Production

The trade union represents Post Production personnel

Digital Post Production - website dedicated to news in post production.

Lists what skills are needed for each job

tumblr

2011-01-08T14:42:00.000Z

I'm going to use this blog exclusively for uni work related things, written work, film write ups, videos relative to what I'm currently working on. I'm going to use tumblr for images, music videos, whatever doesn't seem to flow on here.

click here to go.

Research

2011-01-06T20:09:00.000Z

Visual Effects Supervisor

What does a visual effects supervisor's job involve?

Visual effects encompass everything in a film that cannot be captured on a single piece of film in the camera. It often falls under the umbrella of special effects. But technically special effects concerns live sequences that take place on a film set such as animatronics, pyrotechnics or wire-work.

Visual effects involve everything that is created as more than one element but will finally be put together in a digital environment. It often involves compositing together computer generated effects with live sequences that are filmed using blue/green screen techniques or miniatures.

A visual effects supervisor will usually be called onto a film during pre-production. I'll need to talk to the director and the production designer as concept art is being created and as a story board artist is laying out a movie so we can discuss the scope of what is needed and what effects we can do.

For example, they might want to shoot a scene in a studio of a set piece 15 stories high. But their studio might only be 30ft high and can only fit in a set a few stories high. In order to extend it, I need to know the exact dimensions of the set, and how the camera has moved around it, how it is lit, and what it is constructed of so I can fit the computer generated version on top.

I recently supervised the visual effects for the big budget film Sahara. My biggest sequence was of a solar energy plant in the middle of the desert which, of course, doesn't exist in real life. Little pieces of it were built in the desert so we could shoot close shots with no visual effects enhancement or extension. But the wider shots needed substantial visual effects extensions. My visual effects team and I went to Morocco with the main filming units to see make sure that wide shots were covered in a way that allowed us to extend them, and to take reference footage, stills and measurements.

Back in London, the background shots filmed in the desert were digitized by the post-production visual effects company, Cinesite, and the solar plant that we had designed and built digitally was animated and composted into the shots.

How would you recommend getting into the business?

A lot of people start as assistants at visual effects and post-production companies. They are very good places for getting the basic knowledge of the techniques. There really is no better way to learn than on the job.

It's a good time to get into the business. There is a huge market at the moment as more and more films are being made using digital techniques. In fact, there is more work at the moment than there are artists.

To get into the business, you need a good basic knowledge of camera equipment and techniques, film lab processes, compositing techniques and software. You need a good visual sense and a creative approach to telling a story. The rest is just experience.

from www.moviestaff.com

Man Like Me

2011-01-05T19:53:00.000Z

Love these guys and how their video's are never too serious.

Who made this head dress?

2011-01-03T23:02:00.000Z

Does anyone know who designed/created the headdress in the video for Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Household Goods? Curiosity is seriously killing me on this and weekly googles are coming up with nothing. If I ever do discover who designed it I might buy one with happiness. Seriously though how could you create something that detailed with tin-foil?

[edit: Fred Butler]

Happy New Year

2011-01-03T22:52:00.000Z

Just an update about what I've been doing over Christmas.

1. Watching more films
Made a bit more of a concious effort to watch films. I always say "Oh I really want to see that" then never do so off the top of my head I've watched... Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, Inception, The Beach, Catch Me If You Can (Leonardo DiCaprio is my new favourite actor I've seriously binged on that guy - every film is good) Atonement, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, E.T (fave film as a kid ever), The Other Guys, Toy Story 1&2, The Grinch, Love and other drugs (actually went to the cinema for that and it was the worst waste of £7.90 I've ever spent in my entire life) and I can't think what else, but yeah - more films. I'm also starting to notice stuff when I'm watching I always think 'what kind of arsey perfectionist actually notices little inconsistencies' I am now one of them.. how crap.

2. Spending too much money
I have no christmas money left but I've got some bruises from NYE and some new threads. It's all good.

3. Made loads of lists
Which is what's prompted me to do this, I've got a big to do list for when I get back to uni, starting with sorting my passport so I can do something out of the country cause I can't remember when I last went away.

4. Took photos
Got a decent camera and finally making use of it by taking it out and about with me. Not took anything I particularly want to show to the world yet but when I do it might work it's way on here.

5. Felt a bit creative
I keep getting the urge to draw/paint/do something. I've had photoshop open for a good couple of hours most days just getting into the swing of it again, I used to have so many ideas with it I'd crash my laptop, dunno what's happened but I'm not as inspired as I used to be :( Unfortunately left all my paints in Notts but been drawing more since I've been home (I think its partially down to actually being able to feel my fingers) I've also been looking more at different ways of using my creativity in moving image and started to crack on with my essay, which is another reason why I'm making this list.

6. Made a resolution to procrastinate less...

Kanye West - Monster

2010-12-30T20:37:00.001Z

Director: Jake Nava (seriously impressive back catalogue, can't believe I only heard of him today)

Wouldn't expect anything less from Kanye, it leaked today unofficially, and is unfinished. (I'm assuming that's why there's getty images watermarks throughout). Can't wait for the full version.

Image Bank

2010-12-29T02:17:00.000Z

Dogville DVD menu, apparently a bit odd - not seen it for myself but got some lovefilm things lying about my house so gonna rob them and go on a mass dvd watch-athon.

This in 3d before toystory was amazingly done.

Follow me kids ;)

2010-12-26T15:15:00.001Z

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Chloe Hayward

2010-12-26T04:03:00.003Z

Just discovered Chloe Hayward, a motion image designer working in London. Her work covers a broad range, involving design, directing, compositing and creating visual effects.
She's worked for a lot of different companies and I found her through luck by saving a photograph of hers I liked and her name was in the title.

Her work has a consistent dream like effect through out. While still being crisp, modern and relevant.

Currently typing up an email to contact her about how she got started to discuss in my essay, seriously, I've done her work no justice flick through her blog - it's amazing. Also love the fact that there's like a 33% chance I'm in that Oasis photograph.

Image bank

2010-12-19T23:22:00.000Z

Love, love LOVE this guys work, his name's Jorge Aragon and the entire set of these photo's is amazing.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Household Goods

2010-12-14T15:39:00.002Z

I think I actually love this guy.

Apple is amazing

2010-12-02T21:44:00.000Z

Go on this website. It lists all the patents that apple is currently applying for/have been successful. Absolutely amazing stuff on there. I want Apple everything... fuck you Steve Jobs' and your amazing business.

Tea title shot ideas

2010-12-01T00:58:00.001Z

This was the precise moment I realised my kettle must be crap cause it doesn't even steam, what's the world coming to?

Love this shot, think executed well it would look great.

This shot was meant to actually be of the milk swirling in but I ran out of milk & memory. But you catch the drift.

Tea images

2010-11-25T15:12:00.000Z

Images from the Tea shooting, robbed from Phill's blog.

Jonas & Francois

2010-11-24T21:59:00.002Z

This video was created by Jonas & François, who also directed the music video's for Justices - D.A.N.C.E. and Kanye West - The Good Life. Every video clip they made feature original creative ideas and incorporate a fluid, natural element which makes them seem like they've just leaped straight from their minds and come to life. I admire this a lot. The graffiti inspired fonts and style of the video's always works so well, each song is obviously thought about, the style never feels forced.

Symbolism

2010-11-24T21:53:00.001Z

Something I've always took an interest in is symbolism, when I was in college we did some work on the pre raphealites and how they included certain objects, colours, poses etc. to give a hidden meaning within the painting. Stuff like that really captures my imagination - it adds so much depth. I'm planning on getting some books out tomorrow on symbolism and editing. I've been watching tutorials on Video CoPilot the past few weeks to get to grips with After Effects. I've also been giving some thought to our title sequence for Tea and I'll aim to get some images up in the next few days of the story board.

Location Blog

2010-11-23T01:25:00.002Z

I recently found this blog of film location scout, Nick Carr.

"For the past four years, I’ve worked as a New York City location scout finding locations for feature films. I’ve been pretty much everywhere, from the highest rooftops to the deepest subway tunnels, from abandoned ruins to zillion-dollar luxury penthouse apartments.
What always amazes me about New York is how much there is to see if you take the time to look. Every street has a hidden gem or two, and yet they go largely ignored by thousands of passersby daily who simply don’t have the time to pay attention.
As it happens, my entire job consists of paying attention, and I’ve started this blog to keep a record of what I see."

There are some amazing images on there, as well as stories about his own student days, I found it really interesting to read and it's definately inspired me to keep a look out for locations.

This story made me smile, I've never been to New York, but there's stuff like this everywhere and we know nothing about them.

Documentary Inspiration

2010-11-23T00:51:00.002Z

This is a trailer from short mockumentary, Home. It reminds me of the real documentary, Lift set in the elevator of a block of flats, in which the residents actually began to build a relationship with the camera man, which they would then go on to tell their tales and secrets to. I'm looking forward to the next project to film a documentary, I wonder what subjects we'll be given.

Image bank

2010-11-22T02:12:00.000Z

Actually pretty gutted that I didn't go to this, I didn't realise what it was for until it was too late.

It's becoming apparent that I like muted colours, and skies. :| How boring.

Hexplorer

2010-11-22T02:03:00.002Z

Ahhh. Theres so much stuff I want to do and what feels like so little time. I follow the blog of Louise Lynn, a graphic design student at Camberwell, and the subjects that the course covers are so broad, I feel alot of them translate really well into Multimedia. Like this where she talks about the advertising of The Social Network, and then has gone on to research how the promotional material was created.

I'm a big lover of all things crappy looking, and this was right up my alley. I've downloaded the program which the images were created in and I'm going to do some experimenting myself sometime soon.

Update

2010-11-22T00:54:00.000Z

Bit of an update on whats been going on - filmed for 'Tea' on Thursday. The day started pretty hectic but got better as we went along. We stuck to our timetable quite well and got the majority of the shots done. We're filming more over this week for atmosphere shots of Lee Rosy's so hopefully only a few hours of filming. I'm editing so it's on me really in the next few weeks. Going into uni tomorrow to capture the film then going to go home and get together a list of shots etc. also going to grab the story board from Dave so I can get stuck in. As I've got a pretty decent set up at home I was hoping to do most of the editing there rather than at uni cause those computers are soooo unreliable. I did a bit of editing in the MALac and I really enjoyed it so quite looking forward to this part.

Timetable for Tea

2010-11-11T17:33:00.001Z

As our filming day begins at half 8 in the morning, we've had to make allowances that some locations will be unusable until 9am, however this shouldn't be a hinderance as we have made a timetable allowing for travelling time etc.

Thursday

7 - Make sure all group members are up and contactable so we can make last minute adjustments for members not coming in/being late.
8 - Group meet at Eric's house in the Lace Market, near to our locations to make last minute preps and to pick up equipment from Eric's as we're collecting it on Tuesday from university to do test shots.
8.30 - Director will be meeting the actors at university building and driving them to our first location, parking is available outside (pay and display).
9 - Location one (Lee Rosy's Tea Shop) will be open for filming, all group members and actors will be arriving. Set up and filming there until 10.15am
10.30 - Filming will be wrapped up at Lee Rosy's and move onto Cape, our second location. Set up and film there until 11.45
Midday - Arrive at our third location, the House. Stop for a lunch break, lunch will be purchased the day before, or ordered in on the day so as not to disrupt filming schedule.
3.30 - Actors are due to finish, we will stay behind to take any missing shots, (atmospheric shots etc.)

One of many dream jobs

2010-11-08T11:16:00.004Z

I think I'd have died and gone to heaven if I became a researcher, travelling across the world to get inspiration for projects would be amazing.

Egyptian Hip Hop

2010-11-07T11:50:00.003Z

Directed by VASE

Directed by Ivan Ogilvie.

Listening To:

2010-11-05T22:34:00.001Z

TEED will get me through this essay.

Proposal

2010-11-05T11:32:00.001Z

Tea is a short film documenting the failing relationship of two lovers who share an intimate bond through tea. On the surface the couple look fine but as we follow their story the audience see the relationship deteriorating before they can themselves.

The length of our proposed film will be exactly 6 minutes long including the titles & credits.

For the schedule we have decided to complete all of the required filming in just one day as we only have the actors hired for this time slot between 8:30am & 3:30pm on Thursday the 18th of November. To ensure the shoot runs smoothly we will be staging a rehearsal at the University with the actors on Wednesday the 17th of November, to run through shots and ensure everything is as we planned it to look/feel. Editing will commence as of the 19th of November, and will be completed by the 3rd of December.

The script has been written by Julius Ayodeji. Talent that will be used in our short film will include professional actors Melissa Simpson & Jarrod Cooke, who will be playing the main characters in the script. As for camera crew we plan to use solely up & coming talent who are current students on the multimedia course at Nottingham Trent University. We are also planning to use friends as extras within our pub & cafe scenes, as well as some members of the general public is permission can be given and the necessary paperwork completed.

For the film shoot we have decided to use a Sony Z1, which we will be filming in HDV as well feel this well give better execution of the film & for it to stand up to industry trends. We will be using a Sennheiser K6 mic to capture the audio as we feel the Z1's built in mic does not record in enough quality, or give us the option to direct the audio with the K6 will.

The stylistics we are going for in this short film are going to be nice, clean, simple & crisp look, leaning towards a modern feel. We took inspiration from the program 'How to make it America' with the style of their credits & art direction of the whole show, with the characters being a young, professional trendy couple who you would associate with a certain clique of people.

Here are some links to 2 examples of how their opening titles look, as well as how they cut from scene to scene sometimes, which works really well if executed right.

OPENING CREDITS EXAMPLE

http://vimeo.com/16484536

SCENE CHANGE EXAMPLE

http://vimeo.com/16484207

When looking at our locations we tried to keep in mind the the general direction & feel of the film that we were aiming for. Keeping this in mind we have decided to use 'Lee Rosy's Tea Shop' for the cafe scenes, The bar at ‘Cape’ for the pub scene and a student house for the kitchen and house scenes.

Stuff

2010-10-31T23:08:00.001Z

Rotoscoping

2010-10-30T13:29:00.001+01:00

TODOR & PETRU from CRCR on Vimeo.

How amazing is this? This is how rotoscoping SHOULD be used. Immaculate execution, clean lines and compliment the original photographs perfectly.

Programme Credits

2010-10-25T14:10:00.001+01:00

Looking over the projects for this year one thing that really caught my attention besides the dread of two 2000 word essays (wtf etc etc) was the title credits we have to make. So thought I'd stick a few cheeky ones on here that I like so I have them to come back to when it comes to it.

Dexter. Award winning credits, enough said.

Just good. No two ways about it.

Just cause its so famous.

Catch me if you can. This was fresh on my mind as I watched it yesterday, but I really like how this is composed. I want to look at more digitally generated title sequences.

WHP Idents

2010-10-25T14:06:00.000+01:00

WHP 10 ROOFTOP from Chris Cairns on Vimeo.
One of a series of animations for www.thewarehouseproject.com 2010 in Manchester

Produced by the irrepressible Bonnie Anthony

Post by www.rossmcdowell.co.uk

Many thanks to Sam and Sacha, Paul, Cadi and Andy, Tim, JC, Nick and the gang

Music: Beauty by Silkie

WHP 10 STEPS from Chris Cairns on Vimeo.
One of a series of animations for www.thewarehouseproject.com 2010 in Manchester

Produced by the irrepressible Bonnie Anthony

Post by www.rossmcdowell.co.uk

Many thanks to Sam and Sacha, Paul, Cadi and Andy, Tim, JC, Nick and the gang

Music: 16bit

WHP 10 CASTLEFIELD from Chris Cairns on Vimeo.
One of a series of animations for www.thewarehouseproject.com 2010 in Manchester

Produced by the irrepressible Bonnie Anthony

Post by www.rossmcdowell.co.uk

Many thanks to Sam and Sacha, Paul, Cadi and Andy, Tim, JC, Nick and the gang

Music: Uranium by Radioactive Man

David Wilson

2010-10-23T20:12:00.003+01:00

SKREAM - Listenin' To The Records On My Wall -Making Of from David Wilson Creative on Vimeo.

Making of for music promo for Skream.

David Wilson is someone who I really admire, I first found out about him a few months ago while researching for my blog and I just came across this music video which he directed for Skream, unfortunately this is actually better than the video itself which is a shame, cause you can see here the different effects they've used in the video but in the video itself they feature really briefly and the way they're spoke about in the making of clip I expected more. He's represented by Colonel Blimp, who I've looked at before and also Blink Ink, both of which I'm planning to look into.

Malac Filming

2010-10-23T13:16:00.000+01:00

Malac filming took place on Wednesday. Of the bits of the film I've seen I think it looks really good, Tom did a really good job on the camera. The day didn't go too smoothly as we had to have an actor step in really last minute cause one didn't turn up, but we got there in the end.

Malac setting

2010-10-12T16:54:00.000+01:00

Mega annoying, couldn't find the lead for the camera I'm using from uni. Just found it after nipping in saying I'd drop the stuff off at 9.30 tomorrow.. There's no uni tomorrow, what an idiot.

Rundance

2010-10-10T22:56:00.000+01:00

I went to the Rundance filming with a few other students today, which was good/strange/fun. It was strange to be up and about at 9 this morning after a night out (ouch) but I'm so glad I did it. I really enjoyed the filming more than I thought I would and it's made me more excited for the coursework. Also got chatting to the woman behind the promotion side of it and it turns out she's running a charity fashion show at Baa Bar and invited me to film that too. Really excited about that and so glad I got out of bed rather than feel sorry for myself all day.
Also for the Malac script I'm on the hunt for locations. So far it's looking like my basements going to be the setting (pics on the way) I'm excited to get stuck in and I'm meeting my group tomorrow to discuss everything in more detail.

Finally

2010-10-09T14:16:00.000+01:00

Finally have the internet back after a long week without it. In which I discovered there's more to it than facebook. Severely missed not being able to check out my uni timetable and bank online, and also having to go to the library to do stuff. ANNOYING. Anyway, apart from that I've been being a swat. I've rented some films from the library (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Once Upon A Time In The Midlands and The Fearless Vampire Killers - something I usually wouldn't watch) and a load of books. Most on the reading list and some other random ones about art in films and Stanley Kubrick. I've had a read of the ethics forms, it's mad I never really thought about it until it was there in writing how much there is to sort out to secure filming. Also sorted a meeting time for my group on Monday to start planning the filming for Malac, I've took a stills camera out as I'm sorting locations. Also planning to go to the Rundance filming on Sunday, which should be good to actually see something being filmed and be part of it, I really want to get involved with the possible Rock City filming as it's an area as the music industry is what I really want to go into. Also watched some good films over the summer which I never wrote about on here. Shutter Island, Girl with the dragon tattoo and Changeling. Those are the only ones I can really think of at the moment, but I'm making a consious effort to watch more films.

Special Problems

2010-09-25T13:12:00.001+01:00

I looked into Special Problems after finding the video I previously posted about. The work they produce is gorgeous. Below are two music video's I pulled from their website.

The Naked and Famous — Young Blood from Special Problems on Vimeo.

Jonathan Boulet - A Community Service Announcement from Special Problems on Vimeo.

I included these for both the cinematography, and for the effects within them. I love the mood and tone of both projects. Last but not least, their showreel.

Showreel from Special Problems on Vimeo.

I can't wait to get to grips with after effects properly so I can start making little mash ups and stuff.

Tame Impala - Half Full Glass of Wine

2010-09-24T23:20:00.002+01:00

Jools if you read this, can we please learn how to do crazy stuff like this next year?

Tame Impala - Half Full Glass of Wine from Special Problems on Vimeo.

Please :D

Huck magazine

2010-09-24T22:31:00.001+01:00

I found out about this competition which HUCK magazine is running on this blog which I highly recommend it's got absolutely loads on it. The magazine is running a competition to recreate the cover and then send in a photograph to be judged.

Advertising is becoming more interactive by the day, I'd probably buy this magazine that I only heard of 5 minutes ago cause it's got a gimmick to it. A prime example of interactive adverts is the iTunes App store, you can download games promoting films, cartoons, clothes shops. Even my mum's started shopping at Tesco cause she can do it on her phone throughout the day as she thinks of stuff and then buy it when she wants. I never wanted to admit it but I really want an iPad now cause of the amount of stuff available, my poor little iPod touch just doesn't cut it any more. Convenience is such a big factor in peoples lives and I'm only just starting to realise just how much.

OK Go

2010-09-22T10:09:00.002+01:00

Always manage to pull something insane out of the bag.

YouTube Play

2010-09-21T23:55:00.002+01:00

Either I've been hiding under a rock or looking in the wrong places but somehow I only just found out about Youtube Play yesterday. It's a collaboration between Youtube and the Guggenheim Museum, and it looks quite interesting. Currently working my way through them, and I'm going to post some of my favourites later. Love the concept already though.

1 -

I love the concept of this short. Two strangers share a dream in which they meet. The animation isn't particularly my cup of tea, but I can't knock it. It suits the story very well.

2-

This video is a bit of a home truth, especially in our generation just how much we are constantly plugged in to social networking sites. I personally feel the need to unplug quite regularly especially with the recent popularity of location trackers like facebook places and foursquare. I don't see the attraction at all and find it quite creepy that you'd want to know where people are 24/7 if anyone actually wanted to know they could ask you what you were doing that day face to face. Creepy.

The more I watch these the more I feel I've seen them a thousand time before and I'm bored. Ok as soon as I finished that sentence I found this

Really well directed, and such a simple idea. I watched it a few times and liked it more and more.

4-

This is my favourite so far, a 14 year old kid broke into John Lennons dressing room and interviewed him. It's actually amazing and I could listen to it over and over again. Shamefully I don't think I could name a Beatles song I might just have to listen to them now, just cause this is so cool.

Glamour Kills, apparently

2010-09-21T23:45:00.003+01:00

Recently discovered the work of Mark Zimmerman, illustrator/photographer general artsy person. Who's designed the advertising campaign for brand Glamour Kills. There's a few nice tee's on there although its a US company and don't deliver outside the UK. Anyway the reason I'm posting them is their adverts. They have specific adverts for different magazines. The following two were designed for Nylon.

This one was created for Transworld Skateboarding, I like how there's consistency in the tagline "create" enough so the brand would be recognizable.

And some random things I found on his blog which were quite nice.

Etienne De Crecy

2010-09-20T01:40:00.002+01:00

Oh my god. Someone tell me why I don't live in Paris?

Just discovered possibly the most amazing set design. Watch the above and tell me that would not blow your mind on a night out? And here's more of the same. Just because.

Paris social club, otherwise known as perfection in night club form? I need to be there. Next summer I'm determined to make this happen. Or even maybe easter, christmas? Whatever I don't care it is my mission to go.