Production Practice Lighting Workshop

In this weeks Production Practice lecture, we had a introduction to lighting workshop. We have never looked at lighting before so this was literally the first chance I have had to learn about them. Prior to this lecture, I viewed the BBC introduction videos that we had been advised to look at via blackboard. I found them helpful and it allowed me to learn a bit more just before the lecture.
At the start of the lecture, we learned about the 3 point lighting system. This is the basic set up of lighting that we need to know; we will mainly be using this for interview settings. The reason that we have been introduced to them is because we are doing more factual work and so we need to talk to people about the subjects we choose.
Here is a simple diagram of the basic 3 point lighting system:

As you can see, the fill light is the main bright light that gives the subject the main focus. This is usually placed at the same sort of angle as the camera itself. On this diagram it is slightly forwards. The key light is a light that illuminates the other side of the subject and gives off a softer light compared to the fill light. This is used as well so the subject isn't overwhelmed by the fill light. Finally, the back light does what is says on the tin. This is usually opposite the camera and gives the back of the subject light; adding depth to the shot.
I made some notes during the lighting workshop that I thought may be useful to me when doing lighting for myself:

• Lighting shouldn't be obvious
• Iris control can brighten shot
• ''Making shadows disappear''
• Always use diffuser paper
• When interviewing, be closer
• Arrive at least 30 minutes before
• Test set up with crew beforehand
• Book - 'Harris Watts - What's On Camera'
• Health and safety is paramount
• Fill illuminates hair (gives 3D)
• Background is very important
• Lighting is based on personal taste
• No lighting (amateur) lighting (professional)
• Moving the fill light gives effects
• Reflector for more light (light disc)
• Even desk lights are useful

I found this lighting workshop very useful because I have never used lighting before. I think that I will feel confident when using lighting now because I know the basics and took in the information. We have also been given information booklets to help us as we set up the equipment; this way we can read about health and safety and how to use the equipment on set.

Speak soon!

Production Practice Treatment - Factual Piece

Production Practice Factual Piece Treatment

For my treatment I would like to present the idea of using the new Liverpool Museum to do a factual piece on. A working title for the film would be ‘The Museum of Liverpool: A New Era’. I thought of this idea in relation to the other project that we are doing on the Media Professional Studies course; in Creativity and Concept, we have been asked to design a new exhibit for this museum. I thought that doing a factual piece on the museum would be an insight in to one of Liverpool’s most recent builds. We would also be able to present the history of Liverpool through the exhibits.

I have sent an email to the museum through the website enquiring about filming and I am not awaiting a reply. Here is a screen shot of the email that I have sent to them. I have looked in to different people that we could interview and it is difficult to find names of the mangers/owners of the building and so I will have to find this out through the email contact.

What I was thinking is that the film could set the scene of the building and talk about the actual architecture of the building first, the site, etc. This would set the scene for viewers and show why we have the new museum (old Liverpool Life Museum closed in 2006). We could then enter the museum and look at the various exhibits and artefacts inside. Of course we would look at getting those who work on the museum floor to talk about the exhibits as they would know most about them because they show the public around.

I think that the short film would be educational for those who have not been to the museum yet and it could encourage visitors when it goes on YouTube/Facebook/Tumblr/etc.

I picture the film having short interview shots of the people that we are going to interview surrounded by footage of inside and outside the museum. Again, because our group usual get a lot of footage when on location, I think that it wouldn’t be a problem as we usual make sure we get footage of everything possible; this way we have more to work with and will have different styles of shots.

As I have been to the museum before, I know what exhibits are inside. We would have beautiful shots of the main artefacts such as an old train carriage and also The Beatles famous suits in a glass case. We would be able to get close ups of some artefacts because they are not in cases; and shots of the whole museum floor would be nice as well because they are well lit.

Giving the fact that the museum is called The Museum of Liverpool, we would need shots of Liverpool itself to establish the scene. Therefore, I think that shots of the Liver Buildings and the Docks would be nice from the actual windows of the museum. The views are magnificent from the windows as you are quiet high up when looking out in to the city.

I would like to get employees of the museum to interview, especially those who know about the buildings itself and also the exhibits inside. This would give us all the information about the museum that we need. I think that it would be a clever idea to interview people who are visiting the museum; of course this would be something that we take a day separate to do. This would just be a case of standing somewhere with a nice background, and waiting for willing participants. This would give the viewer a feel for what the general public think about the new museum.

I would like to enquire about any archive footage/images of the museum being built for the beginning of our film. I have searched the internet for such images but haven’t been able to source any. Asking the museum itself would be a good idea because they would have an archive that we can also refer to in the credits rather that an internet site.

The location is easy for the whole group to get to as we have filmed around that area before (the docks). We would probably meet at the screen school to pick equipment up, if not we could meet at the location if one person is taking the equipment. I believe that we have enough time to cover the story, as long as we get the permission to film. If the schedule becomes tight, then the group could split in to two and go to different areas of the museum to film if we book out two cameras.

I would like the story to flow through the museum in this order:

·        Outside the museum (establishing shots) in the morning time

·        People entering the museum as it opens (maybe a time lapse)

·        Working through each exhibit from the ground up

·        Progression throughout the day, as if in real time (morning onwards)

·        Shots when speaking about the museum itself of Liverpool (near beginning, again establishing)

Because the museum is a large organisation, I we get times for interviews and filming, I know that they will be reliable as they would have to fit us in to a schedule. If we were filming somewhere that was independent, however, this would not be the case.

I personally am interested in this idea because the history of Liverpool is very interesting to those who have not read about/seen about it before. We will be able to look at the museum from the inside and out and I find location shooting very interesting and fun to do (like our last assignment about the fireman).

As a back-up plan, in case we are not allowed to film at the museum, I was thinking about the Echo Arena as this has the same sort of ‘new build’ aspect to it. I have emailed the Echo Arena also to see what their response would be. Here is a screen shot of that email.

Speak soon!

Film Language - Shane Meadows and other stories

In this lecture, we looked at the work of Shane Meadows and also the theories of realism. Here are the aims for the day:

• To analyse the works of Meadows within British social realism
• To introduce the concept of realism and its place within the film
• To understand realism as having a social and an aesthetic dimension
• To analyse the work of Meadows as Auteur

We need to define what realism was in terms of film, and the best description our lecturer said that he could think of was: ''Realism is a tangible representation of lived experience''.
We started to look at Shane Meadows' work and tried to find themes throughout. Here are a list of themes present in Shane Meadows films:
Themes

• Break up of family - absent fathers
• Bonding between friends
• Crisis of masculinity
• Violence
• Retribution and revenge
• Break down of relationships
• Racism
• Focus on working class life

We then moved on to looking at the style of filming that Meadows uses. This refers to the likes of camera work, etc.
Style

• Frequent use of handheld camera - contrasting his use of static camera work
• Frequently uses slow motion in order to draw the viewers attention
• Using a combination of established actors and inexperienced actors
• He has the ability to capture a sense of both place and local culture

Meadows likes to use music as a large part of his productions. He uses it in many ways:
Music

• Acting as an important signifier
• Acting as an interlude (little narrative development takes place)
• This Is England (2007) is a prime example of these

After the lecture, we watched the film Dead Man's Shoes by Meadows. I have never seen this film before so I was excited because I like other work by Meadows. We were told to look at the narration, listen to the sound used, pay attention to the flashback scenes and the trip scene, and also answer the question 'is it social realism?'

From watching the film I could see that again Meadows has used music as an extra character in his work. He likes to emphasise sounds that could usually be over-looked by other directors. He gives the audience the sense that they are in the room with the characters rather than watching from the outside. The change in volume depending on how close/far you are from things such as a frit machine gives a realistic feel to the film. In the 'trip' scene, the camera angles and use of handheld camera made the scene a lot more effective. If he hadn't used such camera work, the whole peice would not have been as effective. I believe that Meadows makes his films very real, and as our lecturer said, you can see that he has experienced these things (because he was from such areas and eras).
I thouroughly enjoyed the film and I want to look at other work by Meadows that I have not yet seen such as A Room For Romeo Brass.

Speak soon!

Logo Development

I have decided to create a logo which I can use on my website and also all of the pieces of media that I create. Here a few designs of the logo, I think it reflects me as a person and media producer as well.

Speak soon!

Developing My Website

So I have started to develop my website for Digital Media Tools. I think that it will be a really worthwhile thing having my own website to showcase my work so I am putting a lot of effort in to this project. Dreamweaver is a difficult program to use so I have created Photoshop mock ups of my website before starting to use Dreamweaver. Here are the mock ups that I have made, showing all the pages that they are through the navigation selection.

The blocks on the page will all have images on them showing what you can select from the menu. When you hover over any shape, it is highlighted using a shadow. It is subtle but makes the site look clean.

I hope you like my designs, it is early days yet to I hope it goes well!

Speak soon!

Results!

Got a few marks recently so I thought I would share them because I'm pretty proud of myself!
So for the essay that we had to write in Creativity and Concept about thinking techniques I miraculously got a 1st! Too happy about this result because I have always prided myself on good writing skills and the note taking seemed to pay off! Alongside this essay, we had to create a ScreenR presentation based on the role of reflection. I got a 2.1 on this presentation which I think is a fair mark. I don't think that I deserved a first because I do think that I could have put more effort in to this one. I think I was just scared of recording my thick scouse accent! Anyway, really happy with these results together, I worked pretty hard on these.

Here is my ScreenR presentation, it is in two parts:

http://www.screenr.com/MSQs

http://www.screenr.com/OSQs

Other results that we have received lately was the Google Maps presentation on a location based narrative. For this project me and my group all received 2.2's. I don't mind this result because we did sort of struggle to come up with an interesting story to tell. On the results it said that we didn't have an interesting enough narrative but we did use the Google Map tools effectively which is positive. The was only a small assignment to the result isn't low enough to bring any of my grades down.

Another result that we got this week was the location profile film that we made in Production Practice. Our group as a whole got a 2.1 which I am proud of. I think that we deserved this because there was some work needed to be done that we just didn't have time for. We also got the comment that we were in the top three best films in the class to I am a happy bunny!
I think that I am doing well in university looking at these results. I just need to be more confident with what I am doing an maybe use my time a bit more effectively. We still have a few more assignments to do so lets see how I get on!

Speak soon!

Contemporary Media Issues - MEDIA!

How much media do we use each day?:

• Social events - Pancakes!
• Film watching - DVD/cinema/downloads
• Games - Xbox/mobile/etc
• Reading books - News/magazines
• Online reading
• TV - Watching live or recorded
• Chatting - Phone/Skype/Facebook

We use much more media now than ever because we have a larger choice. Everything is a t our fingertips. Technology allows us to delve deeper in to whatever we are looking at. There is a whole world inside one subject - everything links on the internet/through technology.

Media producers nowadays need:

• Knowledge of different platforms
• To know that people don't buy any more/but people do advertise
• To provide for the largest audience there has ever been
• More opportunities to show media
• To be global - Audience is now more dispersed

It has advantages and disadvantages of being a media producer, but there has never been a better time to be one because of the multiple platforms that we can work for.

Henry Jenkins - Convergence Culture (Book) talks about Lovebytes and Emotional Capital. We have emotional investment in media content - become attached to it. Participation is a large part of this culture. They want us to keep watching/buying/investing.

Hollyoaks use social networking to give characters a life outside of the screen. This gives the audience a way of communicating and then they buy in to the franchise. They become more engaged with the content.

We are 'Information Hunter Gatherers'.


Ted Nelson - Traditional media is like ice (containable and not changing), digital media is like water (flowing, living, not containable and moving)


Marshall McLuhan - Rear view mirror - the past. Comparing new to old, everything stays the same through familiarity, this could be restrictive. (i.e. book page - web page).

This lecture was to show how much of the media that we use in every day life compared to the past. Since the internet came around, there has been no stopping the media machine. The internet provides the world with access to everything at your fingertips. We, as media students, need to learn how to use these technologies to our advantage when we eventually become professional media producers.

After talking about the media, we looked at the Wiki's that we have just created. My group looked at deforestation and how this is portrayed/advertised/given through the media. We decided to see what everyone thought about Wiki making, here are the points made:

• Superficiality
• Clumsiness of technology
• Issues with writing styles (different people)
• Everyone started at the same point
• It makes your writing public (could sensor yourself)
• Condensed writing
• Conversation?

The reason we spoke about Wiki's was because we have all unanimously said that we dislike using them. The lecturers wanted to know why so that they can change what they use for next time. I think it is mainly the poor quality of technology and the boring layout of Wetpaint, personally.

Speak soon!

'The industry wants clever people who can make sense of chaos...'

Just wanted to add this one, something to think about for me and everyone else on MPS.

Creativity and Concept - What's it all about?

So me and another classmate expressed concerns last week that we don't know exactly were this module is taking us. I couldn't find the relevance and I was struggling to see what benefits I was reaping from creativity and concept.
Kindly, the lecturers decided to have this week to talk about what we think and what it is all about. They described how we need creativity in our work because employers find this more valuable than filming/editing skills. We went through an application form for the BBC and the questions were mostly asking about how creative you are as an individual. This now makes more sense to me because some of things we have been doing have not been media related at all.
I now know that I need to start applying the thinking techniques that we have looked at before Christmas to the work that I am doing now. This will allow my ideas and thoughts to be more creative and this was I will generate more of them. I think the reason that I don't use the techniques already is because I comfortable using the normal divergent thinking that I am used to.


We moved on to talking about the current assignment that we are doing. It is the museum assignment were we have to come up with an exhibit in the new Liverpool museum using the user group that we have chosen. My groups user group is film enthusiasts. Here is the idea that I have came up with so far (I had to present it alone because nobody else was in).


Film Enthusiasts
3 rooms with films/cameras/lectures in them
It will be a walk through exhibition where in each section a different genre of era is portrayed
We may choose different aspects of the genres to focus on such as camera angles
we would use projections of various films on all four walls of the film rooms
Each visitor will have wireless headphones and will be able to choose what film they would like to listen to by choosing the channel on the headphones
In another room for each genre/era you will have the chance to play around with camera equipment and act in front of the camera, making a film using that genre/era.
Props/costumes/scripts will be provided for everyone to use and when you are done you will be able to download the short film that you make
Another section that we are going to have could be short lectures on the genre/era
This would be held in room 3, different lectures at certain intervals, this is optional
The lectures will be virtual, not a real person actually speaking


I think that this is a good bunch of ideas all mashed together so now I am going to apply a thinking technique to these ideas and see what clear idea I can come up with.
The lecturers gave us information on what they want from us for this assignment:

• 15 minute presentation
• Show all ideas and the processes you went through
• Show maybe more than one complete idea
• Pitch the actual idea for the museum (sell it)
• Show any thinking techniques that were used
• Make a piece/pieces of media to present the idea with
• Advert
• Posters
• Prezi
• Video
• Google Map
• Website

I added to these notes specifically for my idea. I thought that we could get people up during the presentation and get them to take part in a short activity showing what the experience would be like for visitors to the museum. We could also make mini lectures showing what the video lectures would be like. I would also like to show how we narrowed the idea down through thinking techniques. 
I found this lesson very informative and I am glad that I finally said something because I really benefited from seeing what this module was all about, finally!

Speak soon!

Deforestation - A wiki!

We have been creating another wiki again in Contemporary Media Issues, this time we were given subjects to do in groups. My group was all about deforestation and so we got to work on the threads and the main body as a team. We worked well, sharing different discussions between the group and helping when we got stuck.
Here is the link to the wiki page that we created:


Deforestation Wiki


Speak soon!

Fireman - Person Profile Film

Take a look at my person profile about a fireman! All finished finally!






Subscribe to my YouTube channel - Subscribe!


Speak soon!

Person Profile - Final Editing Session

Editing the person profile piece was tough because we had to try and match up the visuals with the actually interview. I had to play around a lot and do some very detailed editing and cuts just to fit it all together. Something that we always seem to have is too many shots; of course its better to have more than less but its hard cutting out shots that we like. Because the film had to be maximum 3 minutes, we put everything we wanted in and then gradually cut it down. Matching the visuals and sound was hard but in the end it flowed really well. I do not really like Avid Editing Suite but of course we have to use it to make these films. The reason I don't like it is because I'm used to working with Adobe suites and this is essentially completely different. We only applied simple transition effects and tried our best to make everything run smooth, but it is hard when the program is so temperamental.
I think that the final edit is a really nice film, hopefully the lecturers think so too. Our subject was very interesting so I hope this is reflected in my grade. I will upload all three films that we have made as soon as I can, for some reason technology is not agreeing with me at the moment!

Speak soon!

The Dream Statue

Today I went on a walk with my family to the 'Dream' statue in St. Helens. It is built above the coal mines as a memorial to those who have died. The statue is absolutely huge; it stands so high that you can see it from the motorway far below. We have drove past the statue many times as it has been there since 2009, we finally decided to go and see it. The walk isn't too far so we walked up the hill and I have taken a couple of photographs of the statue and the area around it. It was a lovely day out and it is a wonderful piece of art (created by Spanish artist Juame Plensa).
Here are some of my photographs:

Speak soon!

How to write to a university standard

An extremely useful lecture we had today was all about writing essays at university. I think we can all admit that there are certain areas that we need help in when it comes to writing essays.
Here are my notes from the lecture:

Analytical/Critical Writing
Referencing Harvard Style:
A direct quote
A paraphrased quote
A quotation within a quotation
A line of argument
Even an idea


referencing in the text itself and then again in the bibliography. Text should link to the main reference and reference should be only what is explicitly used.
Using reading, research and knowledge of other peoples ideas will allow you to come to an idea and then you will be able to push an argument.


How to reference:
Text - 
(Author Year, P. #)
Name, Year, Comma, Page, Number
(Author Year, Online)


Web sources must have:
Author
Date
A publication name
A legitimate URL
Date of access


Only use academic sites and avoid Wikipedia and IMDB, also avoid using random blogs.
Allow others to review your work before handing it in.
Books and journals are always better than the internet.
1500 words (min 3 max 10 references)


Lecturers want analytical/critical style of writing and not opinionated. They want you to engage with the research. The writing should be more of an argument. Critically evaluating the evidence the theorist/writer has given. Comparing view points of various research, then discuss. Description is allowed to set the scene but avoid trivial knowledge such as personal information. Refer to films as though the reader has seen the film - not too much detail but just enough. Have notes about everything researched to refer to. Do not include anything irrelevant. Have a structure/plan to start off with. Always make notes as you read because nine times out of ten you will forget what you were supposed to remember.


We were also given a booklet with punctuation rules and the likes to refer to for the next time we are asked to write an essay. I appreciate this lecture a lot because I did need the help with things such as referencing and what to include. i think that this will aid me for the next time I have to write an essay for university.


Speak soon!

Digital Media Tools - More About Web Design

In this lecture we learned more about web design and the main principles of making a website.
For a website to function, you need:

• Simple intuitive navigation
• Strive for consistency
• User feedback
• Don't make users think
• Focus attention
• Make use of effective writing
• Avoid content overload
• Follow conventions
• TEST!

Web habits are similar the the way customers have habits whilst shopping. Users do not read, they scan so this means you need to focus (grab) their attention. They are impatient and insist on instant gratification. So you should always follow intuition; they want control over what information they are being given and they want it to be obvious/self explanatory.

The principles of web design are - balance, rhythm, proportion and dominance.

The elements of web design are - line, form, texture and typography.

It is good to have a look at symmetry and asymmetry on websites because they can make the contents interesting. It is good to use symmetry like Apple for instance, because their site is very structured and organised. On the other hand, using asymmetry can make the content jump out more and be more creatively enthused.

We looked at good and bad proportions of websites and how the layout can effect the users perception of the content. 

Lines:

Lines are about movement, direction and can help separate content and have weighted value. Slight colour change can help - not obtrusive. Using lines subtly breaks up content and makes the site more engaging.

Form/shape:

Form/shape can be realistic, 2D, 3D or isometric. Creating unity through shapes. geometric shapes allow options for menu ideas. Creates depth on the page.

Texture:

Backgrounds should be neutral, but you can use texture to give the site a 'feel' depending on your websites theme or content. If in doubt, use white and beware of colour combinations - colours can be used to navigate.

Text:

Always stick to Times, Helvetica or Arial so that the text is always formatted correctly on ANY computer. Try not to mix serif with sans serif. Play around with the same font - bold, italic, etc.

Over reading week I am going to work on Photoshop versions of the pages I will have on my website. This will make the process easier in the long run because I can refer back to these mock ups and also use the images that I create from them.

Speak soon!

Film Language - The Mind Game Film

In this lecture we focused on the mind game film and its history and theories.


Genre, cycle, tendency?

• Forking path film (David Bordwell)
• Mind-game film (Elsaesser)
• Puzzle film (Warren Buckland)
• Complex film
• Mental melodrama (David Sorfa)

Reoccurring Genres:

• Detective
• Sci-Fi
• Thriller
• Romance
• Melodrama

Semantic/Syntactic:
Altman, R (1984) A semantic/syntactic approach to film genre (cinema journal)

Semantic elements:

Focus on units of meaning

• Setting
• Objects
• Type of Character
• Visual Style

Syntactic elements:

• Themantic patterns
• Arrangement of element
• Narrative structure/narration

The semantic approach thus stresses the genre's building blocks.

Fabula - Story order (chronological)

Sujet - Plot order (progression)

Narrative:

Forking path films/multiple draft

• Complicates simple chronological story
• Cause has multiple effects
• Issue of coincidence
• Free will

Forking path films:

Blind Chance (1982)

Run Lola Run (1998)

Sliding Doors (1998)

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

A Christmas Carol (1843)

Free will and narrative outcomes:

Fate/destiny - outcome will always be the same because:

• A greater force has arbitrarily predetermined this
• Causal links are inevitable

Outcome is indeterminable because:

• Causal progress is not predictable - the universe is not logical
• Causal progress is predictable but humans cannot process the massive variables involved - pseudo-randomness/chaos thery

Amnesia films:

Mulholland Dr (2001)

Spellbound (1945)

50 First Dates (2004)

Sullivan's Travels (1941)

The Hangover (2009)

The Bourne Identity (2002)

Interesting book - The wan who mistook his wife for a hat

Philosophy of mind: Scepticism:

• Rene Descartes: The Evil Demon (meditations on first philosophy, 1614)
• Hilary: Putnam: Brain in a Vat (reason, truth and history, 1981) update of Descartes

Virtual Reality:
Tron (1982)

The Thirteenth Floor (1999)

Avatar (2009)

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Brain in a Vat:

The Matrix (1999)

Vanilla Sky (2001)

The Cell (2000)

Source Code (2011)

'I think, therefore I am' - Descartes

Schizophrenia:

Harvey (1950)

Fight Club (1999)

Me, Myself and Irene (2000)

Shutter Island (2010)

Black Swan (2010)

Mental Ghosts
Henry James: The Turn of the Screw (1898)
The Shining (1980)
Donnie Darko (2001)


Time Travel
Back to the Future (1985)
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Primer (2004)


Non-Linear
Groundhog Day (1993)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Momento (2000)
(500) Days of Summer (2009)


I learned a lot today about the various types of mind game films. I never knew there were so many variations and I liked looking into these different styles because it gave me a clear insight in to how these films are made. I've now got the urge to watch more of them!

Speak soon!

Web Design

In this Digital Media Tools lecture, we looked more in to web design and the do's and don't's of making a website. This is all in aid of the websites that we are going to be making very soon.
The content has to be functional and accessible. There needs to be structure (left to right/top to bottom). The side should show you as a person, through the design and layout. Here is a basic web page anatomy:

1. Containing block
2. Branding/title
3. Navigation
4. Content
5. Footer
6. White space

HTML delivers layout instructions, the tags in HTML are now more complex. Able to make sites individualistic. Too much blank space is not necessarily good, you need to be able to balance it out. You shouldn't use sound on a site as it can be very tacky. Also, no wordy statements because this will make the consumer bored. You should always be thinking about the clients and the audiences expectations. The structure and navigation should be personal and able to show how you perceive these.

• Clear navigation links
• Use of space and gutters
• Feedback (mouse roll over, etc)

The user needs to know where they are, where they can go and how to get back (you can do this through visual feedback). Links should change when the mouse is over then and stay this way when on the page. Feedback can be given through movement and change (colour, etc.)

A horizontal menu bar is always better but if you want to use anything different you need to justify why you are doing so.

Symbols can be used as visual metaphors for menu options. (film reel instead of the word 'films'). These can help with language barriers. Metaphors can also be used to create a clever first impression. A metaphor that I could use could be something to do with my organisational skills and qualities.

Here is a list of the main rules that we have learned so far:

1.  Don't make the user think
2. Manage to focus attention
3. Make use of effective writing
4. Strive for simplicity
5. Don't be afraid of white space
6. Conventions can be good
7. Test early and test often

The use of neutral backgrounds and black text is okay but black on white is best. You should take the time to see what is out there.

I intend to make mock up Photoshop pieces with layers, guidelines and showing visual feedbacks (using JPEGs).

I took the advice and decided to look up what I liked in other peoples websites; here is a list of sites that I thought were very well presented and had some good ideas that I could take from:

captaindash.com

castirondesign.com

abutler.net

scoutmob.com

mcmillerssweetsemporium.co.uk

studioairport.nl

alwaysreadthemanual.com

Again, I am looking forward to the development on my website!

Speak soon!

Image credit: www.co-bw.com

YouTube!

In our last Contemporary Media Issues lesson, we focused on the wonders of YouTube and collective intelligence! The first exercise that we had to do was simply go on to YouTube and search a subject that we were given individually. We had to answer questions on a couple of videos that we found. My subject was Lomography and here are my results:


Lomography by ROCKETBOOM
Views: 91,219
Likes: 1032
Dislikes: 57
Comments: Not about Lomography but about the girl featured in the video
Uploaded: 15/01/2010
Purpose: An introduction to Lomography through a New York company
Global Reach: Yes, I got a sense that the video has an international audience
Community: Not so much as the comments are irrelevant


What is Lomography? by horganator
Views: 63,668
Likes: 238
Dislikes: 14
Comments: Very Lomography orientated, questions and answers
Uploaded: 24/09/2009
Purpose: Laid back, relaxed way of showing the world what Lomography is
Global Reach: Positive feedback from many cultures, so yes it has a global audience
Community: Yes, Lomography itself seems to have a large one


Lomo Documentary Pt. 1 by finagler
Views: 205,977
Likes: 479
Dislikes: 14
Comments: Adding comments has been disabled, suggesting they may have been offensive
Uploaded: 27/11/2006
Purpose: To talk about the uses and styles of Lomography
Global Reach: Many of the people speaking are from all over the globe, so maybe
Community: Not shown through this because comments were disabled


Out of the Box - The Lomography Diana Mini by kaituba
Views: 60,384
Likes: 123
Dislikes: 5
Comments: Question and answer layout
Uploaded: 02/09/2009
Purpose: All about a specific lomo camera - Diana mini
Global Reach: Very much so. Camera includes instructions in several languages
Community: Yes, again a general Lomography community


My conclusions from these results are that people tend to just watch rather than take part in something. This is shown through the amount of people who actually choose to like or dislike the videos. Comparing the amount of views to the likes and dislikes shows how few people actual click the button. Also, it is obvious that sometimes commenting on these videos leads to conversations that are not related to the main subject of the video. This can cause arguments and then commenting on the video could get disabled. The global reach of YouTube videos is evident in the fact that many of the people who comment are from all over the world. The global reach is also shown through the person who uploaded the video and the various languages that videos can be translated in to.


What is YouTube?:

• A quick visual source of information
• A way to upload content to the internet
• A place where you can be opinionated
• A rabbit hole
• Away to get feedback

What is a community?:

• A group of people with common interests
• Sharing/populating a space

What is collective intelligence?:

• Groups of people giving their opinion
• Sharing knowledge
• Sharing different opinions

What is democracy?:

• Freedom of speech
• Alternative view points

YouTube provides a space for sharing and showing common interests and creates a community for people who use the internet. It allows people to express themselves freely; but they can edit what they want to show. It as a sense of collective intelligence, advancing each day. People help each other out. YouTube itself has a structure through playlists, etc.

After we discussed all of this information we then watched this amazing YouTube video giving a detailed insight in to the working of one of the most famous websites in the world.

An Anthropological Introduction to YouTube - Michael Wesch

Speak soon!