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Tuesday, 11 June 2013

Video Installation Evaluation

The project we were given was to make a video installation using our own style which could be about anything, I chose to do mine about dreams. The reason I chose dream over other subjects is because its a strong subject and connects to a wide rang of people and it will form a great visual piece that can show how different dreams can be interpreted and what they mean to different people.

First thing I did was arranging the models and locations I was going to use in my video so that there would be no  time wasted on the days of filming, I then began on the paper work and research which would give me a few ideas of what I was going to do, whilst I was researching I liked the works of Bill Viola and decided to use him as a guide for some shots in my installation, just like Bill I used I had still shots where the image would move.


After that I booked the studio and confirmed it with the models, I began to make a mind map of different dreams deepening on what people told me they dreamt about and to help me get more ideas for the shots I wanted so that I would have a idea of what I was going to do because I didn't want to wast time in the studio. I decided to go for a mixture of vintage, abstract, ambient style all shot in black and white.


On the day I was going to film I started off by setting up the main filming location then would move on to other sections. When the models came I briefed them on what they to do, after I was done filming I took the clips and sorted them into a rough edit, when I was done choosing what goes in which order I began work in Final Cut Pro which allowed my to play around with the clips, the color, effects ect... and when I was done editing I began to add effects, music and polish it off.


Overall I am happy with the outcome of the video and if I was going to change somethings I would have used some props and used more locations not just the studio because it would have made my video better because it would have given me more to work with. I really loved doing this project and found it very enjoyable and learnt new things that I can use in the future projects.

Photography mood board


Video Installation feedback

Video Installation story board



Video Installation

Mind Map Photography


Mind Map VI


Monday, 10 June 2013

10 PHOTOZ OF MINE











Photography Evaluation

The project we were given was to take 10 pictures in the style of one or two categories which ranged from music to war, I chose Fine Arts and Fashion. The reason I chose Fine Arts & Fashion Photography over the other categories is because they can be combined to form a great visual piece that can show off a product but at the same time be a piece of art.

I started off by arranging the models I was going to use in my photos so that they would be free so that no time would be wasted on the day of shooting, I also did the same for the make up artist so that everyone would be available on the day. I then began on the paper work and research which gave me a few ideas of which direction I was going to head in, while researching I came across the works of Paul Biddle and Brian Duffy which I really liked and decided to use them as guide lines to what I want to achieve from my photos, just like Paul I used photo shop to edit the photos I took and like Brian I captured a image which stood out.


After that I booked the studio and confirmed it with the models and make up artist, later I decided to make a mind map of the style I could go for deepening on what each area related to and also help me get more ideas for the shots I wanted so that I could have everything ready because I had a limited amount of time in the studio. The style I decided to go for was a mixture of vintage, abstract, retro, ambient and magazine with inspiration from photos from brands like Rick Owens, Prada, Kanye West and Versace.


On the day of the shoot I started off by setting up the lights and tri-pods. Then the models and make up artist came and I explained to them what I was going for and briefed them on what had to be done, after I was finished I took the photos and sorted them into a 'no' and 'maybe' pile and sorted that out to keep the ones I wanted to use, when I was done choosing which pictures I wanted I began work on them using Adobe Photoshop which allowed my to play with the color, quality, depth of field ect... and when all the editing was done I began to choose my top 10 for my project.


I chose the photos I chose because I believe they are very similar to the people I was aiming to be like yet they came out very unique and different.

Overall I am happy with the outcome of everything and if I was going to change somethings or things I would have done differently would have been to experiment with black and white more and use some props in the photos and also do some landscape photos not just people and I would have liked to had more time so that I could have gone to different locations which I believe would have made my photos even better because it would have given me more to work with.
I enjoyed this project and found it fun and learnt a few new things that I can use in the future.

Sunday, 9 June 2013

Is DVD Dead???

For about 18 years now we have had the privilege of watching our movies in the comfort of our homes thanks to the Digital Video Disc or DVD or DoovdĂ© (sometimes pronounced 'doovd' is the erroneous pronunciation of the abbreviation DVD, you can thank Kayvan Novak), which had revolutionized how we watch movies instead of using VHS or film itself.

The DVD comes from the compact disk (CD) family, Just like the CD it can store data which the user can access when they want but with nearly 7 times space and a different way of writing information on a disk. A normal
 DVD is a shinny disc that has a Menu, extras like deleted scenes, director's Cut ect... the movie itself, subtitle and language features and some other extras which are optional like games, pictures and many more, it also gives you the power to fast forward and rewind a scene or skip it with just a touch of a button and all these features made it the perfect gift for every movie lover because it gave them more than just the film like you would get with VHS, you were getting more of a incite to the making of the film, the actors and many other features movie buffs would love all in one disk.


As awesome as the DVD was it had its pros and cons, here are some:


Pros 



  • Quality is great.
  • It helps the film makes for there work.
  • They can be cheap to buy now.
  • Its a physical product.
  • You can make a collection out of them.
  • You can watch them as many time as you want. 
  • They can become of great value after a while.
  • Offers features all on the disk instead of you having to track them down one by one.

Cons



  • It can break.
  • It can get scratched.
  • They can be expensive to buy. 
  • You will always need something that plays a DVD e.g. DVD player.
  • They take up space.
  • Not really eco friendly.  
  • Can take days to come in the mail.

As you can see there are many pros and cons to The DVD which make it a unique product but some may argue that the DVD is dead, lets take Block-buster or HMV as an example. They were both very popular providers of films, music and video games but since the internet is getting stronger over the years it has caused Block-buster & HMV to be bankrupt due to the lack of sales in recent years because more and more people are accessing media online.

I remember when I was a child and would go to Block-Buster with my parents to get a film for the weekend I would be so happy and filled with excitement when I was surrounded by mountains of films, surrounded by different colors, faces and the sound of movie trailers and latest movies playing throughout the whole store with the smell of popcorn and brand new cardboard waited around every corner I turned...sorry I got carried away but as I was saying; it has become easier and more common for people to watch movies online whether its legal via Netflix, Love film etc... or illegal, film websites have made it more convenient for people to quickly find to the movie they want and watch it without the hassle of going to rent/buy a DVD and if they want the bones stuff they can find it and more on the internet thanks to sites like YouTube and IMBD.

As awesome as the content in the DVD may be it wont be much without the way it is packaged, from art work and pictures to minimalist and creative designs on the outer packaging and disk itself, the packaging is very important in order to sell and in some cases give a message about the film.

Some covers have even become iconic and have been made into posters or art work by different artists. A normal DVD will have a picture of what its about and the actor(s) (the legendary Tom Hardy for example) on the front with art work which shows us a little about what the film is like, for example BRONSON written in bold so we know the name of the film along with that is the picture of the man himself surrounded by guards which gives us a little insight to the content of the film and its style which looks gritty, British and biography like, also some screen shots can be seen on the back along with a blurb/synopsis like on a book to help sell it while informing you about the film and legal stuff but it can vary depending on what they company want the style to be.







For example here we see the same movie but it has different covers but same content, this is all due to the place its sold and what the company thinks will help make it sell according to that country.



The same also applies to the disk its self which also gets artwork on it just like the cover which is very useful so you know which disk you're inserting.

At the end of the day just like the CD replaced the cassette the DVD replaced VHS and now its in danger of being replaced too and maybe even Blu-Rays soon! Some people are happy with this and some (mainly people who collect DVD's) are unhappy by this and some simply don't give a...

But no need to panic as there are still people who don't know how to use the internet meaning they don't really know how to or its too complicated for them to watch films online or simply don't have internet access like LEDC's, so DVD's will keep being made for many years to come but will die out eventually because the internet will keep getting stronger and streaming will be made even simpler.

Overall I think the DVD is nearing its end and has served its purpose extremely well and will always be remembered but I'm a person that is on the streaming side when it comes to watching film or even downloading them (legally obviously) in great quality which is much simpler and faster also I'm only going to watch a film once or twice so this way I wont have to have stacks of unwanted DVDs which is also good for the environment but no doubt I will buy a DVD if I love a film like BRONSON which I can watch many times so at the end of the day (yes I know I'm repeating myself) it just comes down to personal preference of what you prefer to have, a DVD collection or a hard drive full of movies.