Benjamin King

Client Project........Where is the 2012 NCCC CB40 kit?

2012-02-16T09:34:00.003Z

The shoot date has now gone back a further week!!!!!!!

Research Project - Artefact ONE

2012-02-16T09:20:00.002Z

. Audio - 1 in 3 votes from the General public went to a factor relating to audio (Music, Sound Effects or Voiceover). The combined total from the 3 possible audio factors accumulated to 22 votes out of a possible 66.

. Over ¾ of the Expert votes were split amongst 4 factors (Voiceover, Lights, Music and Edit).

. Audio related factors accounted for almost 50% of the Expert votes.

. Both ‘Lights’ and ‘Edit’ were far more important factors according to the Experts.

. Experts failed to give any votes to 6 of the possible 13 factors listed. This included Attire and Colour scheme, which scored well with the general public.

. Interestingly Brand received no votes from the experts despite the Brand name NIKE or the famous NIKE TICK featuring over 40 times in the 1 minute video. Brand only received two votes from all individuals out of a possible 81 votes.

. Attire and Visual content scored 0 votes with the Experts even though the commercial was all about American Football apparel, an attire that is very bold & distinctive.

Points of Interest

From my results a number of questions sprung to my attention, questions which could shape a future artefact........

. How important is audio?

. Does the viewer subconsciously identify the brand or do they just choose to identify it as not important when portraying emotion?

. How important is the Edit sequence?

. Does the power of Audio Factors mask the Importance of Visual Factors?

Legendary Notts historian joins the twitter ranks

2012-02-06T12:01:00.002Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR0YqCBlG-A

The above video is short teaser video I produced for Nottinghamshire County Cricket club to promote Nottinghamshire Cricket and Trent Bridge Historian Peter Wynne-Thomas joining Twitter.

You can read Robin Hutchison's thoughts on the latest marketing idea to come out of Trent Bridge by using the link below.

http://blog.thecricketer.com/?p=36091

Research Project

2012-02-01T14:08:00.003Z

First artefact is complete and the results have been logged. Results showed some interesting facts and in particular the outstanding presence audio has in a commercial in the perception of the viewer. According to my results 1 in 3 votes were allocated to a factor relating to Audio as the factor that the viewer felt best portrayed emotions.

Stage 1. This consisted of showing the same commercial to 22 individuals, one at a time & using the same laptop to display the video. All participants were approached to take part in this survey either just as there lunch break took place or during a short break from work, this was to try and catch everybody in a similar mindset. Various people were asked from early 20's to late 70's.

Stage 2. This involved asking 5 people working with in the industry to carry out exactly the same process to see if there results differed at all to those of the general public asked in stage 1. These individuals are all employees of BBC and working in various roles from Station Producer to Camera Operator.

Boise State - Client Proj Inspiration

2012-01-19T11:08:00.002Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYawfQPjXGc&feature=related

This is a similar style to which I plan to shoot the individual player intro's for the Outlaws CB40 campaign. It incorporates futuristic digital elements which is the key aspect that will run through the CB40 campaign tying everything together.

Inspiration for client Project

2012-01-19T10:47:00.000Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKL254Y_jtc

The way the narrator describes Detroit and brings together the city and Chrysler to add a strength and prestigious value to its new car.

Recce pics......Client Project

2012-01-04T20:38:00.003Z

These are a few shots from my location Recce for Broadmarsh Car Park. The pictures include wall and floor textures so that I was able to plan my storyboard. Visiting the car park before drawing up a storyboard allowed me to consider the right shot choices and equipment for the job.

........Storyboard for client project

2012-01-04T20:07:00.004Z

Client Project - Test Clip

2011-10-29T17:08:00.005+01:00

This is a test Clip I created to try and create a sample of the mood and styling I was thinking of for one of my Ideas for my potential client project. This was an Idea that developed from my Simulated Client Project (Alumni).

Alumni Video

2011-10-26T10:33:00.002+01:00

Development: Alumni Project

2011-10-24T15:27:00.004+01:00

From the moment I heard the Alumni brief I decided I wanted to make good use of the opportunity. I chose to do a project that would allow me to learn and develop my skills using a software that I knew pretty much nothing about (After Effects). I wanted to take the chance to use these three weeks to test myself and hopefully gain an understanding with a software package that I'd like to use to help me in forthcoming weeks with my client project.

I started out by trying to create some 3D text which you can see a little further down the blog (Alumni text against a white background).

I then found out that we would struggle to obtain what I would describe as solid relevant footage for this project so I decided I would forget the Idea of using video at all in this and really challenge myself by creating something from scratch purely by using After Effects, Photoshop and Premiere.

I took the Images that were provided from Alumni and decided to cut them up into layers. The layers were cut in accordance to depth of Image. Items or people in the foreground would be separated from those behind and then walls or backdrops would be another separate layer. I created a plain back drop and floor in After Effects. I Discarded the back layer (walls) and began layering the remaining layers in a a style that I felt would work. I always felt as though the transitions from one Image to the next would need linking and tying together so I started working on creating a bouncing ball that would move between layers before eventually integrating itself into the Alumni text at the end of the sequence. The ball was ok but it needed a bit of work so I worked on making the ball squash and reform as it made contact with the floor on every bounce I then added in a shadow to try and bring the ball to life a little. Later I decided it was best if the ball was best to finish its movement off by doting the 'I' in Alumni instead of some my other ideas like bouncing out of shot filling the screen in the process or smashing through the text. I chose the doting of the I as it was a more tidy finish and something which wouldn't deliver a message that could be misconstrued like smashing up the word Alumni could of done.

The track used in this sequence is a unreleased track from a local unsigned band called 'Patterns in Static'. This is a band that I have a link to and was able to use there track as part of a deal that we struck between ourselves which involved them receiving a new band logo.

The screen shot below was taken from one of first drafts which involved the word future dropping down and swinging into position from the E in the word ShapE positioned above. This text was all joined together and rose out of the ground through the bottom layer being led by 'pick whip' from the word Helping.

The following Images show some of the development as it took place including the keyframing of different layers, positioning of layers and the movement of layers within the timeline. The blurry shot (three images down) was taken from the footage I collected while trying to record the sound effect for the bouncing ball which features at the beginning.

Alumni Project Screenshots

2011-10-23T20:41:00.003+01:00

I've been having problems uploading some of my video draft edits so here's a few screenshots from my Alumni title sequence.

Simulated Client Project (ALUMNI)

2011-10-10T16:58:00.004+01:00

For my simulated client Project (Alumni) I am planning on creating a short 4-8 second video clip that Alumni can put at the start of any of there videos to help them offer some form of continuity. The clip will contain a small amount of footage from around NTU and will also reveal a logo that I will create as they don't have one at present. I haven't really worked with motion graphics before so my plan is to take this opportunity to try my hand at some motion graphics as I feel this will be a valuable learning process that will benefit my live client project in coming weeks.

This was my first attempt at creating some 3d text in After Effects and playing around with some lights and a single camera.

SHANGHAI...........WOW!!!!

2011-09-27T19:19:00.034+01:00

What an incredible experience.....I don't really know how to summarise the trip in words which will do it the justice it deserves!

Our first point of call after walking through the arrival doors of Pudong International Airport was to travel to Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts (SIVA). We arrived at SIVA based in Songjiang, a suberb of Shanghai referred to as the university area which is made up of seven different specialist universities. After a 10 hour flight, a 7 hour time difference and very little if any sleep it was now 8am in Shanghai and we were beginning to look a little worse for wear. If we were looking worse for wear earlier in the day just imagine what we looked like by mid afternoon......! Lets just say that by mid afternoon we no longer had control of our bodies and they were automatically trying to switch to standby or shut down mode. Glancing round the room there was nodding heads everywhere as we all battled to stay awake and avoid the awkward situation of dozing off on day 1 during an introduction lecture from the SIVA lecturers. Some did better than others.........(a very short video clip will follow as evidence).

Yes, he was a sleep!

Day 1 slowly spiraled out of control due to the inability to stay awake and we made our way over to the hotel. We (the students) stayed at 'Shanghai Vienna International Hotel' which admittedly we were slightly apprehensive about as our paper work read, En-suite twin no windows.......NO WINDOWS and that was before we discovered the locals refer to the hotel as the place to go if you were looking for how can we say a little adult activity!!! In the taxi we all had a good laugh about how we thought the rooms may look so when we arrived at a 20 story tower block with lots of windows we were a tad surprised. We made our way to our rooms, which were actually rather delightful, they were large and spacious with two double beds, a en suite bathroom, TV, fridge, AC and curtains........Yes, a window........No, just curtains!!! I was then even more surprised to find brown running water coming out of my en-suite taps which thankfully cleared after a few alarming minutes. Anyway a quick shower and change and we met back up to go for dinner at local restaurant number two, where we massively over ordered under the assumption the portions may be small because they were so cheap.......WRONG, food just turned out to be very cheap in China. I say restaurant number two not because that was its name but because we swiftly moved on from number one after firstly struggling to read the menu and secondly identifying goose blood and other strange options on the menu which were all a little too much for a group of 8 very hungry English folk on day 1 of the trip. This meal was also a wake up call. The students we met early in the day spoke very good English and helped us to settle with ease but the same couldn't be said about the restaurant staff who spoke very little if any. Let me assure you that explaining all of our meals had not arrived at the table was pretty difficult.......Don't worry we got there in the end!!!!

After what can only be described as an amazing nights sleep that was well overdue. We woke up feeling a little more perky than the day before and after a breakfast we were on our way. I'll come back to breakfast in China a little later.

Day 2, we were back at SIVA and touring round the campus again. Andy Love took a session on animation which we sat in on along with the SIVA students, it allowed to us to interact properly with our Chinese counterparts for the first time which was fantastic. After some creative discussions it wasn't long before we were onto trying our hand at pronouncing some Chinese words and spelling. It was soon lunch time and with chopsticks in hand we were greeted with some little wooden boxes that contained our lunch. There was certainly no sandwiches in sight!

In close proximity to our new found friend/tour guide (Ben, student from SIVA), we headed a little closer to downtown Shanghai, choosing to stop at and old town.

The old town was our first sample of traditional Chinese architecture and as the daylight faded the streets filled with hustle and bustle that you'd expect. With plenty of interesting smells and sights we had all quickly drifted into excitable tourist mode and the cameras were flashing. It was soon time for dinner and we left the ordering to our Chinese counterparts and we certainly didn't expect what came next.....! In good spirits and stomachs rumbling we couldn't wait to tuck into dinner but some were more hesitant than others when we were faced with Ducks Tongue and Chicken Feet. After a few minutes debate it was time to step up, get on with it and sample the cuisine no matter how strange it may have seemed. The Chicken feet had an interesting spice to them, very little meat and the ducks tongue was a little strange as there was probably even less meat on it and we were advised to only eat the tip. The dish we found more interesting was the Chinese dumplings which at first sight looked like something from 'I'm a celebrity get me out of here' but Callum, John and myself were quickly in there to give them a go, choosing the approach of shove the whole thing in, in one go!

After Eating the strange body parts of animals you would associate with 'Old McDonalds Farm' you wouldn't of thought the night could get any more exciting but when we reached the shop on the way home to discover bottle of beers (600ml) cost 35p each, you can imagine that for a set of UK based students the night had now reached its pinnacle!!!

Day 3 and we were faced with Chinese breakfast. Now, breakfast to me could consist of......Toast, Cereal, Fruit, Bagels, pancakes, full English or maybe some waffles or pastries. In China, breakfast consists of......errrrrr, DINNER! Yes, breakfast in China is the same as both lunch or dinner which are also close to identical. Basically at breakfast expect to see a lot of over cooked vegetables, pork, beef, dumplings stuffed with pork, a few sweet pastries stuffed with some random pastes or pate's (possibly vegetable based) and some melon but be warned grab the melon while its available because it doesn't last long.

During Day 3 we sat through the presentations of the SIVA students and it was clear to see that they all work very hard. For me the stand out performer was a Graphic Design student who's work was exceptional, he was producing re-branding work for professional businesses all over China and this would include everything from signage, letterheads, merchandise etc and it would be completed inside 2-3 days in some cases. This included all of his design ideas, the development stages and final design. Now the final design in every case was just brilliant, every design looked at ease in the real world and when he explained the meaning or purpose for his design the explanation was so deep and meaningful that the whole thing just left you speechless. In complete honesty at this point all our heads were turning left and right looking to each other for a response and we all had the same thought written all over our face. I think the look would probably be described as.....'WOW, our work doesn't look as good as this!'. This was a great experience for all of us. I believe that over my first two years of uni, I've worked really hard and I've put a lot of effort in but some of these guys must eat, sleep and breath there course. While watching these presentations I thought to myself I wish all my colleagues back home could see this because this is our competition in the real world when we start looking for jobs after uni. Big reality check. People back home could learn a lot from the mentality and work ethic that was visible during these presentations.

By day 3 we were desperate to get to downtown Shanghai and tour guide Ben was happy to take us once our SIVA day ended. Roughly an hour and half later after a taxi ride and the metro we were walking out into the business district of downtown Shanghai and we were greeted by some of the tallest buildings I have ever seen. 'The Shanghai World Financial Center' stands at 492m (Tallest building in China), Jin Mao tower (421m) and The amazing 'Oriental Pearl Tower' 468m. The Oriental Pearl being our chosen destination for dinner. I am someone who admittedly isn't very fond of heights and only one week earlier chose to take the 30min walk down Gibraltar rock rather than take the cable car because of this but, I have always wanted to eat at a revolving restaurant, overlooking a city and this opportunity was too good to miss. The view was exceptional. I was sat admiring the astonishing 360 degree views of Shanghai at sunset, with a great bunch of people and the best meal of the trip and I hadn't even left my seat except to get ice cream! This night was Fantastic!

Celebrity in Shanghai! You might expect me to follow that up with film star Jackie Chan or former NBA superstar Yao Ming but no instead I mention ourselves, NTU Students!!! That might sound a little odd but walking the streets of Shanghai is a little like being a celeb because people want photo's of you all the time. You don't really spare a thought for it at first because Britain is such a culturally diverse place to live but when you walk the streets of China you begin to take notice that there is only really one race living in China. When a group of 8-10 white people take to the streets together you become a bit of walking circus act and the cameras start flashing. It was quite entertaining to be honest and certainly a unique experience.

Day 4 - TV studio's, animation company and a crazy taxi.....that was pretty much day 4. I thoroughly enjoyed this day particularly our trip to SMG (Shanghai Media Group). SMG is company that houses 30 floors of tv studios and radio stations. In an environment that I'm a little familiar with I was just happy wandering round and taking everything in but once we got chatting to the employees it wasn't long before the conversation stepped up to a whole new level of interest. It wasn't long before I was faced with our group interpreter asking If I would be interested in doing an internship with SMG after my third year. Discussions bounced back and forth for a while between myself, an interpreter, a member of SMG management and the Dean of SIVA and it wasn't long before Callum too was brought into the conversation. By this point Myself and Callum looked on feeling gob smacked, a little confused and excited about the prospect in hand. By the end of the conversation it was decided that more conversations between SIVA, SMG and NTU would be necessary as this would be a new venture for all but who knows it could be an option.

After SMG it was off to the Shanghai Animation Studio. This animation company was described to me by the SIVA students as the most iconic animation company in China. Apparently the SIVA students would spend numerous hours sat watching animations created by these guys as children as this company. This was too, very interesting and a great opportunity for us and one that I think Andy Love and Alex Card particularly enjoyed. This meeting too presented possible partnership opportunities between NTU, SIVA and the Animation Studio. The day had suddenly turned very productive from a business point of view.

In our free time we headed to 'People Square' again surrounded by large towering buildings. This was what appeared to be the shopping district of Shanghai. We didn't really have any shopping time here as it was time for dinner so we headed to another nice restaurant for a very good meal that included some lovely desserts. Dinner often takes several hours in China and did so in this case too but after we walked along the street towards the waterfront area which directly faces the business district and its monstrous brightly lit structures including. By this time it was around 11pm and with an hour and a half journey back to the hotel ahead of us we decided to head back. Now, I've been to a touring car race but I have never been involved in one but this must have come pretty close. I think Jason Plato would of been impressed by the reactions of the Shanghai Taxi drivers who weave in and out across several lanes of traffic on the Shanghai elevated highways. Our driver in particular was fond of the move from the outside lane to the inside lane and back across again in one swift motion dodging traffic by millimeters in the process while also refusing to use his mirrors. I think the basic rule or maybe mutual agreement of driving in Shanghai is to only worry about what is in front of you, that way you don't need to use your mirrors. In some cases our driver had to adapt his favourite move of sweeping across all 3 or 4 lanes of traffic because they were full but the hard shoulder proved a surprising yet common alternative. When the driver chuckled and laughed out 'Ohhhhh, Heavy' as he over steered while exiting the highway with three Brits rolling around in the back (seat belts are unwearable due to there being nothing to plug them into) we were marginally amused even if still a little anxious and nervous as to whether he might get us back to the hotel in one piece. (Unfortunately this video doesn't show the journey in its full rollercoaster glory but if I hadn't of been clinging to the door I may have got some more footage).

Our 5th day started at a few art galleries in the old part of Shanghai. Most art galleries in Shanghai appear to be based in big warehouses dotted all over the city. The names of the two we visited on this day appear to have slipped my mind for the time being but don't let that reflect the art work that was on offer. There was some really interesting bits of art work and some that offered inspiration for my final year project (I'm going to keep those cards close to my chest for the time being!). There was one thing in particular that seem to interest everyone and that was a giant red balloon that inflated and deflated very quickly. The idea behind this balloon is that it would act as a prop for some creative photography in and around the city. They would turn up very early in the morning at the location, quickly set up the equipment and begin to inflate the balloon. The balloon was both extremely durable and pliable and would inflate around objects and to the point of oozing out of gaps. (Example below)

Something else that is quite interesting is the fact the you find whole art galleries of posters in China, this is because of government rules and regulations that prevent them displaying them anywhere else.

After the art galleries we headed to the Chenxiangge Temple close to Lishua Road. This area was the first place where I think I witnessed Shanghai adapting itself for tourism. It was a very commercialised area that was made up of lots of shops, restaurants and street stalls, I even spotted a 'Starbucks'. The architecture was beautiful and in typical Chinese style. Once our cameras stopped flashing we soon got caught up in the shopping frenzy. There was people buying Chinese tea, chopsticks, stamps and souvenirs. Then there was us (Myself, Callum and John) stood in the electrical store eyes fixed on 'Beats' headphones. I wouldn't say we are stupid but we were now stood in a commercialised area of Shanghai, a city that is within the country that Brits associate with the line 'Made in' found on the bottom of just about every product on sale in England. We knew full well that these headphones were highly likely to be fakes but couldn't resist the bartering process that we all love a go at. Now if there was any doubts in our mind about the legitimacy of these products to begin with those thoughts were quickly assured as the price fell from £180 a pair down to £30........100% fake! At this point most people would walk away but we had slipped into stupid mode by now and were contemplating the purchase purely for aesthetic reasons and to be fair the sound quality was pretty good until we started checking all 3 pairs. The constant vibration in the left ear from one of the sets of headphones brought us back into the land of sanity and we made a snappy exit from a shop that had turned a little hostile after constant bartering and then failure to buy. This amused the rest of the group for sometime and there are a few details I've admittedly chosen to omit but you really would of had to of been there to appreciate the full glory of our stupidity!!!

Day 6 and it was time to head home, an early pick from the hotel and a fairly emotional set of good byes to our new friends set us on our way. A 12hour flight later and we were back in England having experienced a whirl wind of an adventure that I'm sure we will talk about for sometime.

One day later and it was time for the SIVA students to land in England. This time, we were the tour guides and it was our chance to return the outstanding hospitality that they had offered us days ago.

One can only hope that they enjoyed there visit to Nottingham as much as we did Shanghai.

It's been a while......!

2011-09-04T18:01:00.002+01:00

Wow, its been a while since I've been on here.

It's been a busy summer but the start of my third year at uni is fast approaching. After a few discussions it looks as though I have finally chosen my final year project which is to create a video for the Notts Outlaws 2012 CB40 campaign. There's plenty of discussions to be had yet between myself and NCCC but the ball is rolling and my proposal plans are now in preparation. The equipment wish list is definitely growing for this project. With the CB40 never having a specific promotional campaign before this is a new and exciting venture for both myself and the club.

My Shanghai trip with NTU, is also only a few weeks away now so I'm trying to do as much research as possible, looking into the Chinese perception of beauty and how it affects advertising within the Eastern Market.

SHIDE BOSS - RAINBOW photography: BENJAMIN KING

2011-07-07T10:47:00.004+01:00

This is the album artwork for the first official EP from the UK's very own...Shide Boss. If you take a look at the back cover you'll see my role!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: BENJAMIN KING

SHIDE BOSS - ALBUM

2011-07-07T10:37:00.002+01:00

THE HOTTEST PROPERTY ON THE UK URBAN MUSIC SCENE........available on iTunes.

This is the the EP cover for Shide Boss' first UK EP that was officially released on monday.

Second year has finished.......what have I been up to in the last two weeks?

2011-05-29T15:10:00.003+01:00

Second year finished two weeks ago and I was well and truly ready for a break however that's not happened! Since finishing uni for the year my workflow has raised to a whole new level. Initially I gave myself two days off straight after the last day of uni & spent it relaxing in Torquay but Sunday morning came round and an early departure from Torquay was on the agenda. After a 4 hour drive back up to Nottingham, it was time to go straight onto a music video set. One of Sony's newest artists was shooting his debut single video & it was my job to be on set to work as a photographer for the day. My role was to shoot behind the scene's shots for the director. It was a long old day as expected and at 1am the following morning it was time for everyone to head home. The images are currently offline as they must remain hidden until the launch day of the track but they will appear in mid June.

So......what else has been going on? Well I'm back in the marketing office at Trent Bridge working on the forthcoming Twenty20 fixtures. I'm doing the EMT studio camera Mon-Fri evenings and the Politics show on Friday afternoons. My day as a photographer on set also led to me being invited by the artist himself to come along to a white studio in Nottingham and take some shots for his album and website. Those images are also being kept on the down low for the time being but as soon as I get the green light they will be online.

I've also directed a short video for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. This video will be played before each of the twenty20 fixtures on the big screen to introduce the Notts Mascot 'Nuts the Squirrel'. That video is available to see a little further down this blog.

Anything else? I hear you ask.......

Well, there is.........I was at Broadway Cinema on Tuesday for my end of year uni event. This event was a really nice way to finish the year and 'Feel' (my groups, short fiction film) picked up 'Best Fiction' award which on its own was a great achievement but on a personal note, I was also awarded 'Most promising film maker'. This was a true shock and surprise for me but equally a lovely award to collect. That little piece of glass was a really touching moment for me after being given 'Doser of the year award back in 2004' by my sixth form colleagues it shows just how much things have changed 7 years down the line. Its been a hard working year and at times it's been difficult to do everything but I just about managed. Thank you to Jools, Danny & Deborah.

Finally I ended up back at Broadway two days later on (Thursday) for the NCCC twenty20 video launch campaign. Back in the Paul Smith Screen I was this time joined by some familiar faces of the BBC, Sky Sports, Capital FM, Nottingham Post and several other members of the media circle including some of Notts, Derbyshire & Leicestershire players to witness the unveiling of the 'Affixxius' Produced T20 campaign video. (available to see at nottsccc.co.uk)

Nuts the Squirrel Entrance Video

This video doesn't represent my greatest production but it was shot in two hours with no crew & the edit was back with them finished in 24 hours.

Nuts the Squirrel

2011-05-01T18:22:00.003+01:00

Nuts is the name of the Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club mascot. Last season before each Twenty20 fixture Nuts came out on to the field to 'Wild Thing' and slowly made his way around the perimeter waving and posing for pictures with the young fans roughly 20minutes before the start of play. This year things are different!

This year I have been set the challenge of creating a short entertaining video for Nuts the squirrel to come out to. Currently its a work in progress that is only at the storyboard stage as this video is part of one of many that I need to produce for the June 3rd start date. I have been asked to create between 2 & 4 videos for each Twenty20 fixture at Trent Bridge. That calculates to between 16-32 videos!!!! These videos need to last between 30seconds and 2 minutes in length and are going to act as part of the entertainment package that will hopefully help build up an atmosphere at the 17,000 seater stadium before play commences.

Behind the scenes at NCCC

2011-05-01T17:56:00.003+01:00

This is a behind the scenes video from the recent green screen shoot and T20 campaign shoot for Nottinghamshire Outlaws Cricket Team. This video was shot and edited by myself and has been designed as a tease for the T20 Campaign which will be launched very soon. This video will be played just prior to the the first T20 fixture at Trent Bridge on the Big Screen.

Time lapse video

2011-05-01T17:49:00.003+01:00

This is a time lapse video that I shot while on set for the Notts Outlaws 2011 Twenty20 campaign video. I've not shot a time lapse so this was my first attempt at doing so with a canon 550d and remote cord.

Advertising restrictions of todays modern world.....

2011-05-01T17:45:00.002+01:00

Citroen’s television ad featuring cyclists chasing a C4 motor car has been slammed by the advertising watchdog in case it causes copycat behaviour by children.

http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/sectors/automotives/citroen-tv-ad-banned-for-encouraging-bad-cycling/3025888.article

My Moment of fame.....0.55sec!!!!!!!

2011-04-14T16:09:00.006+01:00

Skysports News article on the recent Notts Outlaws T20 campaign promotional video. Watch out for me at 0.55seconds (Don't blink)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://bcove.me/t3jxdojl

Coming Soon to.......www.nottsccc.co.uk

2011-04-11T12:06:00.007+01:00

SAMIT PATEL

ALI BROWN

RIKI WESSELS

STEVEN MULLANEY, LUKE FLETCHER & JAKE BALL

BEN PHILLIPS

Last week I got the opportunity to shoot the player profile shots for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club 2011 season. These images are going to be used on the official club website for the player profile pages.

I also worked as part of a team of 4 to shoot the green screen footage that will be used during every game to introduce each individual player. Each player was asked to face the green screen and on cue rotate to face the camera, take a step forward and cross there arms.

Renault Clio Commercial - GREAT SONG CHOICE

2011-03-26T16:49:00.002Z

After seeing the new advert for the Renault Clio, I have to comment on the backing track for it. The track is 'Ain't nobody (breakage Remix) by Clare Maguire and it has this amazing ability to grab your attention. I was sat working on my laptop at home when I heard this advert and immediately turned round to take a look. Later on that day I saw the advert come on TV again & instantly looked towards the others in the room to see if it had the same impact on them. As I turned to face them there heads lifted from above the books they were reading and there eyes were fixated on the screen. This single advert highlighted the importance and affect music can have in a commercial.

............THE POWER OF MUSIC!!!!

Hair Razr

2011-03-24T12:58:00.002Z

Here is something else I do on the side!

Never really mentioned this but I've been doing the monthly adverts for a local hair salon 'Hair Razr' for the last few years now. This is the advert for May 2011 that gets published in a magazine called Village Link.

VIMEO ACCOUNT

2011-03-24T10:07:00.002Z

You can check out some of my videos available at:

http://vimeo.com/user6288113

Or visit my online portfolio available at:

http://www.wix.com/benjaminkin8/benjaminkingportfolio

Portfolio

2011-03-24T10:03:00.002Z

These are some screenshots taken from my DVD portfolio for my Context 2 assignment.

Robin Hood - Development Video

2011-03-23T21:25:00.002Z

Process Development video I made to demonstrate the background work behind my Robin Hood title sequence.

Robin Hood - 30 second Title Sequence

2011-03-23T21:16:00.002Z

This is my 30 second title sequence for a modern day Robin Hood film. This is a short version due to the brief stating the video had to be 30 seconds in duration but I will be posting an extended version soon. I had to drop some of my favourite shots for this in order for my title sequence to tell its intended story inside the allocated time but those shots will definitely make the extended version cut so keep yours peeled for this.

2011 Showreel

2011-03-23T21:00:00.003Z

This is my 30second showreel created in March 2011 as part of my second year Portfolio assignment.

DVD Portfolio

2011-03-23T15:23:00.002Z

This is a short video that I have created to introduce my DVD portfolio.

Robin Hood - RECCE Shots

2011-03-07T22:32:00.003Z

These are a few images that I took while planning my title sequence.

Robin Hood just got extra horsepower!!!

2011-03-01T22:42:00.003Z

Well 280bhp to be exact!

Robin Hood couldn't really have an old trusty steed, it just didn't fit......meet his new mode of transport aka Friar Tuck!

BRIEF UPDATE

2011-02-28T21:06:00.003Z

ROBIN HOOD (Title Sequence)

Today's filming had to be abandoned, TOO WET!!!!!

Plans are in place ready for tomorrow, just need a dry spell tomorrow night.

DOCUMENTARY

Is just going through the edit process. The footage looks nice but I'm a little concerned as to whether the voice recordings and interviews we got are intriguing enough for a viewer.

BIG week ahead

2011-02-27T17:20:00.002Z

There's a BIG week ahead then.......

TITLE SEQUENCE SHOOT - Monday Night

EMT / POLITICS SHOW STUDIO CAMERA - Training is over & I have a week of studio camera work at BBC to look forward to this week consisting of East Midlands Today (Monday - Friday) & the regional Politics Show (Friday).

Not to mention I've got to work on my portfolio, just selecting the shots for my showreel.

Documentary

2011-02-13T19:15:00.003Z

Not really going according to plan.

First we had the idea of following LARP (Live Action Role Play) in an attempt to understand the reasons behind there hobby. That idea progressed into the inclusion of video gamers taking part in a LARP event to see how they adapted and coped with being placed in almost a real world video game. Then heartbreak just a few weeks before Valentines Day as we discovered LARP is a little more secretive and private than we first thought. It turns out that many Larpers are from professional backgrounds or careers and they use this activity as a release from there daily stresses at work. We heard that many Larpers are Lawyers, Solicitors, members of Armed Forces and Police Officers all of which didnt like the idea of there hobby possibly being brought to the attention of there monday to friday work colleagues and clients. After rejection from Larp clubs in the Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Kent regions it appeared as though we were going to struggle with this idea with the time scale we have.

We switched our attentions to Nottingham Panthers sniper David Alexander Beauregard who went through a challenging ordeal in order to achieve his dream of becoming a pro hockey player but again with a timescale shrinking fast a reply was needed FAST......it didn't come fast at all so we moved on again.

Now we are working on the idea of taking a look into the lives of people who live on your street. You live in your nice little two bed house on a nice quite street in a peaceful suburb of the city but who else lives on your street? Well, this is what we plan to identify in our documentary.

Just Playing....

2011-02-13T19:13:00.001Z

These are just a few shots that I took while trying a few things with my camera at a recent Elite league Ice Hockey fixture in Sheffield.

Just playing....

2011-02-13T19:10:00.000Z

Camera 2....It's time!

2011-02-13T18:45:00.002Z

Last week the daunting Camera 2 and I came face to face. I arrived at work to discover the director had placed me on camera 2 for EMT.......! There wasn't really any pressure or anything to worry about I was just responsible for operating the most demanding camera during a live news show on the BBC......Aaarrrghhhhh!

It went surprisingly well considering. There was one particular shot where we hand back from sport that I was a little nervous about. The shot goes from a 3 shot to a 2 shot in one sweeping move with the camera starting at its maximum height on the ped for the 3 shot and finishes at the bottom of the ped for the two shot while also moving about 4 metres forward across the studio floor travelling towards the presenters. The shot didn't quite go according to plan, It started well with the 3 shot and then as I travelled forward while lowering the camera on the ped to frame up my two shot and I lost my movement a little and ended up with a two shot but the camera wasn't at the bottom of the ped like it should be. I feel as though I did the right thing at the time because I noticed my error part way through the movement, I knew I couldn't reach the desired finishing position on the ped without making a second movement so I adjusted my move so that I still finished with neatly framed 2 shot albeit from a little higher position than usual.

Superbowl Commercials

2011-02-08T15:16:00.002Z

Maybe I've got a daft sense of humour......But I think these commercials work, there light-hearted and you remember the company or product because the commercial makes you smile which can't be a bad thing. Ok there not the best ads and the footage and edit isn't great in the Doritos one especially around the section just as the kid talks but they make you smile.

Motorola Super bowl ad

2011-02-08T15:06:00.001Z

2010 Super bowl commercial finalist

2011-02-08T15:02:00.003Z

Saturday 5th Feb - Media City, Manchester

2011-02-08T14:34:00.003Z

I was thinking to myself, what better way is there to spend my weekend after my first week behind the camera at the BBC? Well, I know.......I went off to Manchester for the weekend after securing two tickets to watch the filming of a new family entertainment show 'Don't scare the hare'.

I arrived at Media City, Manchester at 10.30am half an hour before the advised arrival time to find out that the couple directly in front of us would be the last ones in.....hmmmmm (Girlfriend was not impressed at this point, after the early start to her day off!). Roughly an hour after being placed number 1 & 2 on the standby list we noticed those who had made it had started to make there way into the studio. Surprisingly standby list numbers 1-13 were called in to the studio, we had a special position..............they sat us not on the audience side behind the camera but instead on the three little benches that were in front of the camera's (At this point the girlfriend starts checking her makeup!). Anyway, we managed to make it into the studio for the recording of the saturday night Tv show that will be released in April so things turned out ok. It was really interesting to watch the Floor Managers, Camera Operators and runners throughout the day carrying out there everyday job. There must of been in the region of 30 crew members in the studio. In the game show to teams of contestants have to compete in challenges against each other in order to win carrots but they must not scare the Hare in the process. Its surprising to see how many takes it takes the professional presenters to get things right, not even they can always manage to get there lines out at the first time of asking even with the advantage of the Autocue.

BBC - My Friend Camera 3

2011-02-08T13:57:00.003Z

This is my new friend (Camera 3)!!!

Over the last week I've spent a lot of time with this little fella, he's the camera that I have been training with while working on the East Midlands Today shows which go out live daily between 6.30-7pm on regional TV. Camera 3 is generally the camera used for shots that look across the body of the female presenter (Ann) and close ups of the male presenter (Dominic). Friday was a big day for me because Eddie (My trainer) left me to operate the camera on my own. Eddie looked on over my shoulder eagerly through the Politics show and EMT just incase I needed any help but thankfully I was ok. The politics show is something I've not seen before so I was unfamiliar with the shots but managed to pick them up in time for the recording of the show which goes out in the East Midlands region on Sunday lunchtimes. I spent 2-7pm in the studio on Friday not only operating a studio camera but also working as part of a team to alter the set from EMT to Politics and back to EMT.

There are 3 studio camera's in operation during the shows and so far I have had a practice on all of them but have only used 3 and 1 while filming. Camera 2 is the biggie, its the same camera as the others but it the camera that is responsible for the majority of the moves during live broadcasts so theres no room for errors. I'm hopefully building up for a go on camera 2 so watch out for that juddering crab shot!!!

BUSY!!!

2011-01-16T19:00:00.002Z

Apologies Blog I've been absent for some time. What has been going on? Well, where do I start?

DONE....

. Over Christmas I did some video work for the Sheffield Steelers, which I will post on here shortly.

. I've recently submitted my practitioner essay.

. I made a few alterations to 'Feel' over the Christmas break, ready for the hand in.

WORKING ON....

. Think about the group Documentary

. Start planning my Title Sequence for 'Robin Hood'

. Work on my context 2 Portfolio - DVD

. Plan Eon proposal

. Planning stages for next short video (CAR Advertisment) - Location search

. Make alterations to Steelers video

. Meet with Fat Free Media about some corporate video work

. Meet with the BBC about a Studio Camera role

Blog, that is your brief update for now, I shall be back with more information soon.

My Week at NTU

2010-12-12T16:38:00.008Z

This post is a little delayed but I've had another project to work on with a tight deadline. Anyway excuse out the way......here is the current version of Feel which was presented to the group before breaking up for the Christmas break.

Having received feedback from the group I was a little disappointed that people didn't understand the style of our filming. Admittedly it was probably a bit of gamble to go for a shaky video style when we are constantly reminded to use tripods for every shot but having seen the other groups work I strongly believe that our film is the most cinematic. This static camera style that the other groups used is just so Soap feeling to me, it almost makes something hard to watch because the script is so important due to the Script being the only interesting aspect because nothing else is happening throughout the film. In complete honesty I think anything longer than 10 minutes filmed with a static camera would just send me to sleep. Looking back I feel as though the style of our camera work could of been executed better to make the style clearer to the viewer but I'm really pleased we took a risk.

The music that was produced by Mike was excellent, he really delivered for the group with this. With regards to the pointers that we received about the music I completely understand the comments and we will look to make changes where possible over the christmas period to correct this but I do feel some of the comments were a little harsh from other groups considering the fact that we (Mike in particular) were the only group to make the effort of creating our own music tailor made for the film when other groups chose to simply click the download button on a website.

The titles were a little simplistic, I felt they fitted nicely with the nature of the film at the time but I think we might look to do something a little more creative over the Winter break with this so I openly accept the comments on this without a hint of bitterness unlike the music.

The film has now been shown to one of our actors (Tony Claassen) who made a nice comment about some of the shots in the short film.

Watch this space, there will be an amended version coming soon.........

SOME OF MY FAVOURITE COMMERCIALS

2010-11-24T18:07:00.003Z

NIKE - The Mission

NIKE - Basketball Freestyle

Both of these adverts arrived at a similar time and were created for Nike. The Freestyle advert sticks in my mind purely because of the squeaky trainer noise but I really like the style of the black background which forces the viewer to focus on the actions of those involved.

Screen shots from.....FEEL

2010-11-22T14:12:00.006Z

Here's a few screen shots from our forthcoming short film 'Feel'

Behind the scenes filming of.....FEEL

2010-11-19T17:13:00.003Z

A short behind the scenes look at our forthcoming short film titled 'Feel'. This is a short video I put together that shows the team hard at work on the day of the shoot. The film itself is currently being edited so this is a little taster to wet the appetite.....

'Feel'....the shoot

2010-11-18T17:27:00.002Z

FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZING........It was a little chilly to say the least!

This was my first shot at directing and and pre edit I'm pretty pleased with the way the shoot went. Unfortunately we had to drop two scenes due to a lack of time but the script was written in a way that I knew prior to filming if we were to have any hold ups these two scenes could be cut without causing any problems to the end product. We got off to a steady start but an hour into the shoot and we were flying. Everything was running like clock work and I didn't really want to stop for lunch but a combination of having to feed the actors and a low battery forced the break at 1.30. By 2.10pm we were rolling again but the day was beginning to draw in and the decision to remove two scenes had to be done. Unfortunately another half an hour battery charge was necessary and cutbacks had to be made to give us as much time as possible. We unprofessionally had to drop the clapper board for the last scene but removing the board freed up another person to help with clearing up and allowed us to beat the rush of nightfall and the actors finish time. The whole group worked really well together on the day and showed a great team effort which really pleased me.

Over to the edit.......

My Development

2010-11-07T18:26:00.003Z

This year I am trying to test myself a bit and push myself into situations Im not necessarily comfortable with to see how I react and how I cope. I feel the method of just throwing myself into a particular role is my way of learning and developing. At the moment:

Producing - I feel quite comfortable and happy with.

Directing - In the process of learning and getting a good feel for the role

Editing - I think I can edit adequately but I have a lot to learn yet, something I will be looking to build on.

Location Manager - This is a role that I quite enjoy and I'd like to look into a little further. I feel as though this role could suit my character.

Camera Operator - Hmmm.....Errrr......I'm not sure at the moment, thats plenty of room for development but Im not sure that its me at the moment.

Feel

2010-11-07T18:12:00.002Z

So I've thrown myself into the deep end with this one......Director Ben! I've not had a go at directing yet so this is a challenge I'm looking forward to. We have a good group, everyone seems happy with alterations to the script so things are moving along nicely at the moment. The storyboard is on its way and myself and Tom Pierrepont have had some really good discussions about ideas. We both have this really good understanding that we see criticism from each other as a constructive form and we also use each other to bounce ideas off throughout development stages.

MoNsTeRs - Gareth Edwards

2010-10-31T17:31:00.002Z

For those of you that didn't attend 'Monsters' at Broadway on Saturday..........YOUR LOSS!!!

I've got to admit it was nothing like I expected and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really like the concept of the story which I personally found really compelling. Gareth Edwards has got to be a name for the future, his software knowledge and understanding is clear for everyone to see and he uses it to great effect. The master class would of been really interesting for virtual students too as he spoke about his use of 3D studio Max. Gareth has really inspired me with the directing of my next assignment 'Feel' which I am currently brimming with ideas for. I also love the fact the he created this with such a small team instead of this huge crew, cast and huge million dollar budget and yet he created something not to dissimilar.

Malac - Final Edit Review

2010-10-31T16:29:00.002Z

Time to be a critic.......I've got to admit I'm not particularly happy with this final edit although there are positives to take from it.

NEGATIVES

. Poor Planning - NO SHOT LIST, NO STORYBOARD - This showed in the final edit because after the intro I think the film nose dives. There are a few nice shots but i think the lack of planning from the director really showed. The poor planning also made the edit difficult, at times I almost had to create an edit on the spot from what was available.

. Ellie's Sound - I think Luke's sound is fine but Ellie is too quiet. Her voice suits the role and she sounded nice and calm but the quality of the recording wasn't great.

. Lukes breathing - Out of sync just after the bag is removed but in the edit I had to mess around with the breathing to get it to suit because the recordings we had just didn't flow right.

. Ellie last Scene - Out of sync again but it was a case of not having a good shot or the right sound combined so again I had to work with what was available. Although If you watch it I think I hid it the best I could.

. Liquid Change - The change from Champagne to Water was far more obvious than we expected.

. Lighting - I really liked the idea of it being dark but the lighting wasn't moody enough to create the right atmosphere.

POSITIVES

. Proud of the intro - It turned out just the way we had visualised and it generates the feel that we were looking for.

. There are some really nice shots which I think we owe credit to Tom Pierrepoint for.

. The music is really nice and I really enjoyed working with it in the edit because it was a track that was really adaptable. I was able to break it up, take bits out, add bits in and change the order of it so that it fitted just right with the shots.

. One thing I was extremely pleased with was something Deborah mentioned on review of the films because she perceived the story exactly how I wanted it to be perceived. Due to the nature of the edit being created on the spot I wanted to avoid giving the story an obvious beginning or end. We wanted the story to be a mystery thriller and I wanted to finish the film with questions still to be answered. This decision was almost forced due to the footage available but I was still pleased that someone read it the way I wanted it to be read. I hope others watch it and feel the need to watch it again in order to work out the story.

2010-10-31T15:41:00.002Z

Video Ideas

2010-10-25T20:59:00.006+01:00

I've got a few video ideas and I'm generally heavily influenced by sports so there's no surprise's that there sport orientated.

1. This is actually an idea that I've put forward to my work place Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. I've got this vision of creating a series of short video's that could be created for publicity purposes that they can have on there club web site that show the players in a comedic value during the off season. It' something to provide the fans with during the normal quiet period, a reason for them to keep checking the web site and it could help build hype for the forthcoming season. The concept is that the players eat, sleep and breath cricket and even when there not playing its always on there mind.

Story one: There is guy walking his dog through a park and the park is really quiet. There is guy sat on a bench in normal clothes reading a newspaper (Outlaw) and the dog owner throws a ball. The dog retrieves the ball and the owner repeats the process, meanwhile the guy on the bench has noticed what is going on and on the third throw he rushes to his feet and chases the ball. The guy beats the dog and fields it as if he was preventing a boundary, throwing the ball back to the owner. The Guy at this point re-positions himself into a fielding crouch position and shouts "Do it again", "Come on man throw the ball".

Story two: There is a couple eating at a restaurant. Its a nice romantic setting with a little music in the background. The couple are in conversation for a few seconds and the waiter approaches the table. As he approaches the table a few people in the background start looking and the couple continue in conversation. The guy at the table turns to look at the waiter and looks shocked and confused. Due to his reaction his date looks up to find the waiter is dressed like a wicket keeper. The wicket keeper calmly say's "Can I take your order?". The confused couple give the waiter there order and as he turns away the lady at the table accidentally knocks the salt pot off the table. In a blink of an eye the waiter turns and dives preventing it from hitting the floor. He jumps up throwing the salt in the air and shouts "Howzat" with arms open. The restaurant is silent, the salt pot hits the floor and the waiter places it back on the table before calmly walking away from the table.

I'm thinking of another two ideas at the moment relating to bowling and batting so that I've covered the major aspects of the game.

Inspired by: Nike NHL Lockout season commercials (2005)

2. I've got an intro idea for the Nottingham Panthers its something that I'm again going to put forward but its still in progress. I'm thinking of a video that shows the netminder in preparation before a game. He's getting changed, padding up and psyching himself up for the game. There's little action clips that appear every now and again in little flashes. The music is building up and it finishes with the netminder walking down the tunnel, stepping out into the arena. The final shot is really white from the bright lights and the back of the netminder is left almost as a silhouette.

3. I'm thinking of a car based style commercial. Something that allows me to use some creative angles and shots as a car pulls up in a very industrial looking location. I want to do something with some strong dramatic music. Basically i was very much inspired by a 'Vossen Wheels' short video.

Chevy Camaro SS on 22" Vossen VVS-CV1 Concave Wheels from Vossen Wheels on Vimeo.

4. While reading the scripts for our next film project the script 'Feel' gave me an idea of a story that follows an athlete trying to pursue his dreams of making the 2012 Olympics. It follows his ups and downs and everything that motivates him intrinsically to reach his goal. The athlete's mentor and coach is a female who has a slightly different motive. She is trying to cut it as a new coach and has to face the troubles of trying to coach an athlete in an already male dominated sport. Both characters have the will and determination to achieve success but require each other in order to achieve these goals.

Let's get Mystical

2010-10-25T20:53:00.002+01:00

There are some really cool shots in this video. Its really long and there are like 4 minutes of credits but the first 8 minutes are really good. There's some nice ECU's during the video and some really nice artistic shots from 3.48.

"Let's Get Mystical" - End Montage + Credits from Mutiny Bikes on Vimeo.

On set pictures - MALAC

2010-10-24T17:53:00.013+01:00

A few shots from the days filming of Malac.

Malac is ready to edit

2010-10-21T17:10:00.003+01:00

Key word: Organisation!

Yesterday proved to be a difficult day behind the camera for a number of reasons.

Problem 1 - Delay to filming

The plan: Meet at 9.30am on set, start filming at 10.30am.

Reality: The whole group was on set by 11.30am and filming commenced at 12.30pm (2 Hour Delay!). A combination of late arrivals from both group members and actors (including an actor NO SHOW) delayed the start time of filming. This wasn't pleasing at all but on the bright side the situation got resolved and a last minute replacement was dragged in.

Problem 2 - Incomplete Shot list.

Promised shot list did not arrive on the day of filming causing constant confusion throughout the day. The solution was we worked with what shot information was available until lunch, when a new shot list was drawn up after group disapproval for lack of information.

Problem 3 - Extended lunch break

A 30 minute lunch break at 1.45 turned into a break of just over an hour. This was not useful at all especially after a delayed start to the day. Positive, everybody eventually returned back to the set.

Problem 4 - Sound

I put my hands up to this, a simple basic error may have cost us decent sound. Part way through the shoot I realised I had the on board mic on instead of the external mic. By this time it was too late to re-shoot but we did make use of the Edirol to recorder our actors script so that we had a backup plan.

POSITIVES

We made some errors over the course of day but its not all bad because we got the footage we needed and its of a quality that pleased us once we reviewed it. There's also plenty to learn from the days filming. We made mistakes that we know how to correct and we will be aware of these situations in the future.

Ready, Set, MALAC!

2010-10-19T20:19:00.003+01:00

The set is all prepared and ready for filming tomorrow. Today was our scheduled day for set preparation. All the equipment has been collected, the set has been swept and organised ready for filming to take place tomorrow. The Pictures (HUGE storyline hint) are up, lighting has been tested, intricate camera movements and angles have been finalised and rehearsed, the set has been prepared, props are in position. Any last minute alterations have been discussed today and finalised and i'm pretty pleased. RELIABILITY, ORGANISATION and PRECISION are the key words for tomorrow. We have allowed plenty of time for filming so there's no need to rush the shots, we are organised and we just wait on reliability of the actors (Fingers Crossed!).

Let's go..............It's MALAC time!

Broadening my perspective

2010-10-12T20:21:00.005+01:00

I find inspiration sometimes from the strangest sources and something i'm trying to do and have been doing for the last year or so is attend things I wouldn't normally. This is something that Jools mentioned we should really try and do this year in particular so i'm going to try and make every effort to do just that. I find a lot of my inspiration currently comes from the music I listen to or sports. I'm a big sports fanatic and find it very inspiring and not necessarily in the obvious way. Sometimes I see a person use a particular skill or movement during a game or event that inspires me to think of a different camera angle or inspires me to be a little bit more inventive. It just helps me sometimes to add a little twist to whatever it is i'm doing.

Last Saturday I got talked into a trip to the theatre to see 'Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat'. The warm cushioned seats of the Theatre Royal is not a place my buttocks is regularly accustomed to, but it was a welcomed change from the hard, cold, red plastic flip seats that i found myself on at Anfield the week before. Some could argue that the Football that weekend was probably more theatrical than Joseph to be truthful but i will refrain to comment further on that! I admit Joseph was good and i did somewhat enjoy the performance. There was the expected plentiful supply of bright colours on display and watching a musical gave me the opportunity to witness story telling of a different fashion so maybe I can draw on that experience at some date. The theatre isn't really my cup of tea but i'm glad i went and who knows maybe i will be attending a show there again soon.

Im also currently watching the England v Montenegro game which is NOT inspiring!!!

INSPIRED BY THE SUMMER

Well the summer feels long gone now but i did take the opportunity to learn, develop and be inspired. I've got to say there's two particular area's of my summer that stand out for me in terms of inspiration. One is the good old USA and the other is TRENT BRIDGE! I was lucky enough to spend three weeks of my summer in sunny California and the baking hot Nevada. VEGAS, what can i say? Well, if you are ever in search of inspiration Las Vegas is the place. What Vegas haven't got or haven't tried probably isn't worth doing. The city is a mass of craziness. While I was there I managed to go and see a 'Cirque du Soleil' show.....one word....UNBELIEVABLE!!! I'm not a show person but i will never forget that show at Treasure Island. The walls moved, the floor moved, incredible acrobatics from the ceiling, amazing examples of strength, the public interaction was next level and there was giant 25ft snail! I've honestly not got a bad word to say about the show 'Mystere'. I could talk forever about the show but i could probably never do it justice in words. Check it out if you get chance! Vegas as a whole is full of colour, dramatics, the outrageous, the unthinkable and of course Casino's but everywhere you look there is something that inspires you and makes you think outside of the box. Las Vegas is the perfect example that anything is possible.

After Vegas I travelled over to LA to check out Hollywood. I spent 4 nights there visiting the Kodak and Chinese theatre on the walk of fame and also had the chance to experience the back lot tour at Universal Studio's. The experience was fantastic although it was hampered slightly by a day of clumsiness which was completely my fault. From LA we travelled up the California coast visiting some of the smaller towns of Monterrey, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara etc before heading inland to Merced (Stupidly hot, 110 degree's), Mariposa and Yosemite National Park (A whole other story......Absolutely breath taking place!). Finally we finished off at Alcatraz!!!! (We chose to go there!) San Francisco to be more precise. There was plenty of art along the way from the bright lights of Vegas, the scenery of Yosemite and the hippy culture of San Fran. What i'm trying to get at, is the trip opened my eyes to new fresh thoughts and versatile ideas which i hope can inspire me throughout the year.

The other summer inspiration came from Trent Bridge (or work to me). The home of the Notts Outlaws is my job away from uni and where I spent many, many, many, many hours of work. Surprisingly I learnt a lot there that actually tied in nicely with my uni work. I had the opportunity to make coaching video's, player interview video's and promotional video's throughout the season. I had to be on the ball (excuse the pun) all the time. Straight after a T20 game we were running out onto the field for a player interview and had to have the camera, tripod and sound all set and ready to go inside 30seconds to a minute. The video was then edited and on the club website before most people had even left the stadium. I spent my time during play as the sound-man for the entertaining T20 fixtures. My role was operating the audio system for the whole ground from my little glass room located in the new stand. I had to work in a team of 7 providing the matchday entertainment package. The 7 of us (Media Manager, Match Operation's Manager, Camera Operator, Sponsorship Manager, Screen Operator, Myself on Sound and BBC's Colin Hazelden who was the live PA) had to be in constant communication via earpiece and radio to guide each other through the entertainment schedule. I had to organise the playlist before and after play, play the corresponding music for any boundaries or wickets, the team and sponsorship tracks, volume controls for each individual stand, microphone volumes and video screen sound.

MALAC (Planning Stages)

2010-10-12T18:49:00.005+01:00

Group Roles:

PRODUCER/SOUND: BEN

DIRECTOR: TOM F

LOCATION PLANNER/RUNNER: LEIGH

EDITOR/CAMERA ASSISTANT: TASH

CAMERA: TOM P

WARDROBE/LIGHTING: ERIC

During our first team seminar there was a lot of good ideas being thrown into the hat but there was one in particular that we all agreed on. We decided to go away, have a think and meet up the following week. So, we got together again yesterday and discussed our idea further by this stage Eric had found us a female actor and Leigh had found us a location. We all had a look at the still images that Leigh had for us of a basement that she had found. The basement also had its own darkroom. Quickly we all agreed the location looked good and decided to go and view it as a group. The Location was PERFECT, a little small but more than manageable. Leigh also came across some strange photographs in the darkroom which opened the door to a whole load of new, fresh ideas. There was loads of ideas being thrown around and gradually we started to piece together our story. Tom P came up with an idea of a really nice credit sequence involving photo's but i'm not going to delve too much into that just yet. Moving onto the story............

Treatment - My Version

Malac is a story of depth and one in which the set unravels. Heartbreak and emotions run wild and spillover. The mental torture of ones past relationship becomes another ones physical torture. A dark twisted encounter, set in a unforgiving picture perfect basement reveals a hidden story.

My treatment may seem a little strange but my intention was to try and generate a level mystery to the film. Within the Treatment are a few hidden clues which reflect the way the story unfolds during the film.

Getting back on track, the idea of the story at the moment is that SHE is a strong, intelligent, seductive and powerful female who is in complete control of the situation. SHE was very much a normal human being but a relationship that turned sour and upsetting transformed her into the character she is today. SHE is no longer a person that can bare seeing anybody happy in a relationship and therefore decides to start destroying others. She collects photo's of happy couples who she then tracks down and performs a torturous act on one of the members of the couple. She eventually discovers that her next victim is actually the partner of her right hand man. This is a relationship she was previously not aware of until she got hold of the image. This forces the pair into a moment of discomfort and confession as SHE strikes again.

The story is a little tricky to explain in such a short time because there is clearly a lot of background to understand to make everything clear but our intentions are to use the set and props to explain this. It is often said that a picture can tell a 1000 words and that is just what we are attempting to achieve.

It's still not finalised but as you can see the ball is very much rolling...........watch this space!

Ethics sheets

2010-10-06T15:15:00.003+01:00

Well, I have just read through the ethics sheets and understand what there all about. I understand the reason and importance of these forms but can't help but feel that it seems like another case of the world going mad!!!

BACK TO SCHOOL.....SECOND YEAR

2010-10-06T15:02:00.002+01:00

Well its the start of a brand new year and the plan is to continue the way i finished year one. After eventually deciding on my pathway choice towards the latter stages of year one, the plan is now to try and figure out which role suits my character best. At present i'm not sure but i would say editing would be something that grabs my attention immediately just because i like the creative aspect of the role but maybe the role of producer will suit my characteristics best..........WE SHALL SEE!!!

VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT - COMPLETE.....oh yeah its a SHED!!!

2010-05-23T15:20:00.004+01:00

3D Lair......the SHED

2010-05-19T09:27:00.014+01:00

I am really getting into using 3D studio Max.......! Its a shame we didn't do this earlier in the year as i think its something i really would of got stuck into. I think its one of those projects that the more time you put in, the more addicted you get to it. My Lair is meant to be a small secret lair underneath a shed!!! Ok, its hardly the usual over the top crazy secret lair hidden beneath the Sahara Desert or hidden high up in the mountains but i like the idea because its so simplistic and innocent looking on first impressions. Im hoping to get it all finished off and rendered Thursday but in the mean time here are a few screen shots of my lair:

Hello Blog!

2010-04-29T08:36:00.002+01:00

Hi there Blog

I do apologise, I have some what neglected you recently so i have decided to briefly update you on my on goings.

Firstly i am now onto my Hero's Liar project on the 3D studio max.......WOW, first impressions are it looks hard work and time consuming. The seminar's with Andy are going well there's quite a lot to take in and learn but i think it will all become clearer and easier once i get used to the software (or at least i hope).

My Visual essay is well underway and i have spent loads of time on it recently. I have got to say a huge thank you to those appearing in my visual essay. They may not thank me but im pleased with how its looking and its almost there.

Filming of 'Ticket' (3rd Attempt) is back on again........3oth April 8.30am start........! Im not saying to much more just yet on that until its done after the problems we have encounted so far......Fingers Crossed!

Now the plan for me is to get the odds and ends tied up on my interactive quiz, get visual essay finished and filming hopefully will be done friday and on to editing that should leave me two-three weeks to do my Hero's Liar.

Oh yeah and i've got to go to work.......hmmmmm!

Best crack on........catch you later Blog!

Easter Hols.......

2010-04-11T18:51:00.003+01:00

Well during the easter holiday i thought i'd have a little play with the equipment available to us and create my own little video. I came up with a spur of the moment idea so i phoned round and roped a mate into giving me a hand with a short sample video just to see if my ideas would work when put together. Im pretty pleased with the outcome so when i get chance now i'm just slowly piecing together a storyboard but for my idea that i have in mind. Unfortunately it maybe one of those things that maybe in the pipeline developing for some time as im working on it when i get the time but it would be nice to have a go at filming it after the presentation is out of the way. Anyway i really enjoyed making this short video unfortunately my team is a little too far away to use as the back drop to this so i had to make do with the local tricky tree's of Nottingham Forest. The weather was good and i had the freedom to create a video of my own choice with no limitation's........sooooo nice!!!

Filming of 'TICKET'........(Take Two)

2010-03-24T11:19:00.002Z

Well take two went much better. Fingers crossed it will look good on review too but we decided not to review the footage on the same day as shooting this time. Personally i was itching to see the footage i was happy with how things went and i was ready to crack on with it. We spent a lot more time preparing for our second attempt and Uri & Will spent some time putting together a new storyboard over the weekend. We seemed so much more organised this time round again we elected to get the equipment the day before so we could crack on early the next day. We had this really good idea of meeting at 8.30am, YES i did say AM i know that is an unknown time for most students in halls which explains the confusion across the group as only i arrived at this mysterious time of the day. Anyway by 9ish most the group was together and we were on route to the set via actor collection points. We arrived about 9.45 on set and by about 10.15 we were filming. We got all our outside shots done first as we had issues with sound on our first attempt as the day moved closer to midday and traffic grew but things were looking good. After a quick tea break for the actors while the equipment got moved from the balcony to the set inside the restaurant we were back filming again. Things were going really well and by about 1.45 we were packed up and on our way to the park to shoot the beginning sequence to our film. Luckily the weather held out for us while we were outside and we were done by 2.30 and on our way back. Luckily the battery lasted long enough (JUST) to get the final shot of the day done and that was it, its wrap.

Someone put a fork in it coz its done!!!!

Staff meeting turned out to be quite interesting

2010-03-18T20:45:00.002Z

Well the word interesting isn't normally associated with staff meetings but earlier today i had a staff meeting at work which largely involved the re-branding of the company. The company has held the same logo and corporate images for around 12 years now and with plans to make significant strides towards improvements by 2013 this seems to be the major project for 2010. A facelift to improve the corporate brand is ongoing at the moment and work with graphic designers 'Purple Circle' is well underway. The designers have had to take into account the basis of the business, the location and the the quirky club character when coming up with there new logo 'BRAND'. I place the word BRAND in capitals as this was important an important point in the meeting as the business looks to move from just a logo to a whole brand. Unfortunately i can't show you the image yet as its all under wraps at the moment but i was quite surprised to see the outcome as the business has moved away from what i would describe as being traditional to something more contemporary.

2010-03-17T20:42:00.005Z

Filming on set at FELICINI..........'TICKET'

On set.....Filming of 'TICKET'

2010-03-17T19:56:00.004Z

Location booked....CHECK

Actors organised....CHECK

Schedule arranged....CHECK

Script adjusted....CHECK

Camera shots amended....CHECK

Equipment collected the day before....CHECK

Dissapointment after filming....CHECK!!!

Well today turned out to be a major learning curve for us. Maybe we were being over fussy about our work but after reviewing on computer our shots we were slightly dissapointed. Its not all doom and gloom after three hours shooting we discovered several things;

. The Surrounding Environment
Its difficult to control what is going on around you when you are not in a controlled environment. We had buses pulling up, babies crying, ambience music and even a little spanish woman with an accordian..........How do you prepare yourself for that last one? Admittedly these are things that could of been avoided with extra thought and research but we just didnt think about them until they actually became a problem for us as they are things we haven't encounted before.

. Check all equipment (THOROUGHLY)
We arrived on set to discover we had NO K6 mic.....problem? YES! Again it could of been avoided. We had put it down on our kit list but when we collected it,it wasn't there. Our fault again we should of been more thorough when collecting the kit infact i put my hands up for this one guys this was my mistake as producer.

. Shots
Well that wasn't a major issue because i think everyone encounters that and we knew there was going to be some we wouldn't like.

Visual Essay........ABSTRACT

2010-03-08T18:27:00.005Z

This visual essay demonstrate how i have chosen my desired second year pathway through the use of image's. Through the use of pictures, audio and film i show how my decision has been made. A journey of twists and turns that has touched on all three pathway options has lead me into the favour of selecting 'Moving Image'.

Initial thoughts of selection prior to the course commencing always had me favouring the option of 'Interactive Media' for my second year. A combination of software difficulties and the introduction of pixilation changed my opinion and the pendulum swung towards 'Virtual Environments'. The One Shot assignment was enjoyable but i preferred working on Pixilation. At the end of the first term the 'Interractive Media' pathway was trailing behind and slowly falling back as the creative nature of the other two suited my style of work better.

Research and preparation going into the second term started to cast doubts in my mind over career prospects particularly with regards to 'Virtual Environments'. 'Moving Image' became the front runner and research into career options for all pathways mixed things up again but for me the 'Moving Image' route was out weighing the others. With all things taken into consideration 'Moving Image' became the chosen pathway option.

Moving Image.........

2010-03-07T20:15:00.002Z

Well the moving image section has now commenced and things are looking good. The group i am in consists of the three members of the previous group 'Team Alpha' (Myself, Uri Ilan and Will Sanger). As a group we seem to work well on these projects and i think we have hit the ground running again. We have read the script 'Ticket', we have a schedule planned, location selected and agreed, the script is well on its way to completion, camera angles sorted and we are just trying to confirm the actors at the moment. I think the key to the group is we all know our roles and openly and constructively criticise each others ideas and suggestions. Thats all i'm saying at the moment because one other thing we agree on as a group is we like to keep our ideas to ourselves until completion..........a little sly maybe but its the way we work!!!!

Interactive Quiz.........still in progress

2010-03-07T20:01:00.002Z

Its a case that i am just working on a few finer details relating to my piece but fingers crossed the project shall be up pretty soon

Visual Essay........

2010-02-25T20:22:00.002Z

Well things are moving now. I have been slowly gathering quite a lot of information about my inspiration and then using that inspiration to dig a little deeper and find out where that comes from. Im hoping that this background research will help me to develop a visual essay of some depth.

Moving Image Research

2010-02-25T19:59:00.005Z

Well i have been researching something i am particularly interested in and thats music video's. Im a fan of a lot of 'Usher' music video's especially more recent ones such as 'Moving Mountains' and 'Daddy's Home'. While researching these video's a came across a director by the name of Chris Robinson who turns out to be a major name in the industry. His portfolio contains a huge list of Urban Artists such as T.I., Usher, Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes and Nelly.

Usher Raymond Vs Raymond

2010-02-25T19:40:00.005Z

This is a short promo trailer for Usher's new album. I really like the way in which it has been shot, the lighting, the use of split screen and audio

Progress Update.............

2010-02-25T18:05:00.002Z

Im not going to mention the word beginning with F to do with interactive media because i have already expressed my feelings towards that so swiftly moving on from there i'm going to focus on the two remaining pathways. I feel as though i will enjoy both paths although i'm now swaying towards moving image instead of virtual environments. Through research i feel as though there are more career options from taking this route, i think virtual environments is largely in competition with computer science which appears to be a more recognised degree in that sector of work. I'd love to use moving image to be able to go into advertising or music video production which i feel are hugely competitive industries but then again most career routes are very competitive especially when there attractive opportunities like that. Career opportunities is a huge factor in my pathway choice because i like both options.

2010-02-11T18:28:00.001Z

http://fav.me/d2jih5y

Please checkout the above link to deviant art to view my interactive quiz which is still in progress but almost there.

Interactive Quiz.........

2010-02-10T09:51:00.002Z

Well the interactive quiz seminars come to an end and i'm not in a great position admittedly as i have decided to go back to the beginning as i did with my BOKI BOKI narrative piece. I just wasn't satisfied with the way first attempt was going. I initially wanted to create a sports quiz then i thought thats going to be common idea so i went onto music, again probably pretty common. Then Geography......hmmmm still not happy. Then i got an idea. I was sitting at work when i had a conversation with a colleague in which he asked me to come up with an idea for something at work. It clicked..........Im going to do a cricket quiz! I know that probably sounds more boring than the other ideas and i really dislike the sport but the thing we were discussing at work was scoreboards and it gave me some ideas which hopefully will help me to shape my quiz into something a little more interesting than first anticipated. Im not promising it will be more interesting but i'll have a go.

Tuesday is film day....

2010-02-10T09:32:00.002Z

Another Tuesday lecture and another European film this time it was the turn of the spanish with the 1929 film 'UN CHIEN ANDALOU'. The film name translates as 'The Andalusian Dog' and it was one of the most famous surrealist films.

While watching the film for the first time i remember scribbling two words down in my notebook those two words where COMPLETE NONSENSE! As it happens i wasn't too far wrong with that statement because the film has no plot as such and wasn't created to make sense.............Weird.

I appreciate the attempt but i've got to say it doesn't do much for me i understand these films are the foundation for modern day films and movements but i don't find them inspirational. I also beg to differ that many films created today use these as inspiration. Ok i agree directors, produces, script writers have all probably seen these films at some time but i don't believe when they are creating a modern day film they refer back to these 1920's films. Progression and development is something that happens its something that is continuously happening and these 1920's films probably helped shaped those of the 30's and 40's and those of that era probably influenced those created in the 50's and 60's and so on. I understand that this eventually leads to today which means modern day films have been inadvertently influenced by these films during the whole development stage.

Another week, another film.....

2010-02-02T19:32:00.003Z

This week it was the turn of the 1933 film 'Zero de conduite' directed by Jean Vigo. The film was banned immediately as it was feared it may lead to encouraging rebellion and rioting. It wasn't until February 15th 1946 that the film appeared and it wasn't immediately popular but it heavily influenced the 1959 film '400 blows' and then later Lindsay Anderson's film 'If'.

The film itself is set in a french boarding school and pupils eventually spark a rebellion against those in charge.

I felt that the film was ok. Its not a film i would normally select to watch and i don't think its one that would influence myself or my work. Im personally much more influenced by more modern films that have unique camera angles and special effects.

Mini Visual Essay.....Virtual Environments

2010-01-28T14:36:00.002Z

Well I think i'm going to do my mini essay for Virtual Environments. I was contemplating Moving Image but i think Virtual Environments is slightly edging the battle at the moment. I love the idea of doing something like Television adverts or music video's in the future which is why i'm hesitating over the Moving Image route but I saw someone working on 3d studio max a couple of days ago and i cant wait to have a go, it looked really good.........loads better than Online Environments, which is really falling behind the other two pathway options (Its clinging on in the distance!).

RESEARCH - "Thinking about thinking"

2010-01-22T10:49:00.003Z

PART A

What has my creativity been for in the past few years and

who has it been for?

In recent years it has been largely what i would class as being for use in the real world away

from the sheltered environment of schooling. I have done a number of advertising and

promotional projects for small business but my creativity has been hugely diverse

in a sense because i spent the last four years working within Swimming Pool industry.

Although this doesn't sound like it relates to creativity especially within multimedia, its the

first time i have had to use a form of creativity in real life situations and environments. Ranging

from Swimming Pool designs and plant room layouts i was given the chance to express myself

in creative nature that also had to function effectively.

Previous to this i was studying at school and everything i did was very much for myself and

for the purpose of getting me through the required criteria in order to progress.

Why have I done it this way? Has this been my decision or someone else’s?

It has been dependant upon what was required. In some rare case's i have had freedom to express myself but usually i have had to do something to suit a required specification or environment which can sometimes limit creativity to a certain degree.

What do I want the future of my creativity to be?

I want to be able to express my creativity to its full potential and show people what i can do. I want the chance to work with others of a creative nature to produce some exciting and expressive. The

chance to work creatively on a daily basis is the dream.

PART B

In what specific way(s) can research help me get to these new places?

I hope through research i can decide exactly where i want to go, there are loads of things i'd like to do but i hope through researching practitioners and sampling my preferred routes i will be able to make a more focussed career route.

Which research starting point do I feel most drawn to?

Interim Research catches my attention because it not just researching into something in order to find out what it is and what it involves but also where it is going. Looking into the next stage, what is coming up is beneficial to me and will probably influence my career route.

Which do I feel wary of?

Descriptive to me sounds like it could head down a tedious and annoying route but also i think it can

be an important form of research and probably a good starting point

Which seem irrelevant?

I don't think any research should be considered irrelevant, i think there may be some forms that are more interesting to do than others but i think all forms are important. Some research may initially seem irrelevant but chances are you will come back to it at some stage maybe not the same day, maybe not even the same project but one day it will suddenly become relevant.

DP2 - Second week (My friend FLASH is back!)

2010-01-20T11:46:00.003Z

Yes, its back......FLASH.......its the second week working on my DP2 piece for the interactive part of the course and yes Flash continues to annoy and frustrate me. If nothing comes of me using flash in the future it may lead to me devising a way to make a more simplistic program. I sort of get the hang of it now in fairness, i still make a few mistakes but sometimes thats the best way to learn but there really has got to be an easier way. I feel this program has been created specifically to annoy and frustrate individuals who have to use it on a daily basis. Imagine using it daily.........................in fact don't, its probably better if you don't. Anyway now i have had my little say on FLASH once more, i feel a little better, i think i need to just let it out of my system after every session!

19th January 2010, Tetsuo - Iron Man (LECTURE)

2010-01-20T11:30:00.003Z

Well how will i remember this lecture? Lets see...........One of the weirdest films i have ever seen. Seriously what was going through the creator's mind when he came up with this. If i didn't know this guy, which i don't of course my first impressions of him would be 'One twisted sick individual'. Im sure he's not this character i imagine or at least i hope he isn't. I have very little concept to what the storyline was. I think this strange ongoing of turning into a man made of metal occurs in the main characters life due to the incident early on in the film where he appears to knock someone over in a car accident. My perception of this is because i believe its some form of punishment for what he did.

I dont really know what else to say about this really it kind of freaked me out in honesty.

Which Pathway?

2010-01-18T18:39:00.002Z

Over the last week i have been looking into my second year pathways and trying to gather an understanding for my most suitable route. My research has included:

. Looking into potential careers

. I also bought myself NBA Live 10 as i researched the visual effects of this game earlier in 2009

. I watched the film 'Hancock' for the second time (Wasn't particularly impressed. There are certain aspects to it such as some of the creative ideas and effects that i appreciate but on the whole i don't rate the film).

. I have created a personalised youtube channel

. I have created a magazine advert for a local hair salon (Something i have done for the last year or so on the side but they like to have a different look advert every couple of months so often create new designs for them).

. I have done some audio recordings for a project for someone else. I am currently working on editing through adobe soundbooth and premiere.

On arrival to the course i believed the interactive route maybe the right decision for me but through research my decision is changing. This isn't something i have just noticed but over the last few months i have realised that i prefer to create something of a visual presence rather than something that is hidden behind the scenes so to speak. I have also enjoyed designing stuff no matter what so i knew that would be the ideal scenario but i believed the interactive route had better career opportunity. Now the pendulum is swinging.......& research continues.......hmmm

BACK @ UNI

2010-01-14T18:00:00.002Z

Well its back to school so to speak after a nice few weeks break for Christmas and straight back into the thick of things. The lecture on Tuesday morning was quite interesting for reasons. Now we have joined up with 'Theatre Design' and 'Tv & Film' groups for our lectures. We discovered the history of our courses are very much linked as they share a very similar background but i also realised the perspectives from the groups are very diverse. The Theatre design group refer to the history of theatre in many of there views and opinions on subjects and Multimedia students tend to look to the future and technology development when they are asked for there thoughts on a matter. This is the case even when the groups are asked the same question which is something i found quite interesting, hopefully if everyone remains open minded during these lectures we can probably learn and influence each other a lot. I also feel there may be plenty of debates in the near future between the groups so lets watch this space.......

First Solo attempt at PIxilation

2009-12-14T17:59:00.001Z

Pixilation......FINITO

2009-12-14T17:00:00.001Z

Tick Tick Tick.........Thats the sound of time running out!

2009-12-10T12:04:00.003Z

Well not long left until deadline and the last week or two have been a mad surge to coursework completion. The interactive narrative was a complete nightmare to begin with and who knows how much time i have spent wasted working on that. I have spent probably 80% of my time in a complete muddle although the other 20% amounts to me actually understanding how flash actually works and getting to grips with it. At a push i would say Flash isn't even that bad now i sort of get the hang of it........It would still be a rather large push but all in all maybe its not that bad. I may regret saying that!

Pixilation i am loving still, seriously enjoying every aspect of it and don't mind spending time upon time working on it. Im pretty pleased with how my stop motion is looking too especially after the editing stage.

The essay wellllllllll, its an essay i cant say i enjoy doing them but its not gone to bad, hopefully. I've spent a lot of time on it and still don't quite get the referencing side of it but after re-structuring it the other evening i'm quite pleased it doesn't seem as though i have waffled too much, i can waffle sometimes!!!!! Obviously (Just look above!).

Anyway must continue work is still in progress...........Presentation to work on next!

Essay Draft finished.......Wahey!

2009-12-08T18:02:00.002Z

Managed to finish my draft version of the Design Methodology essay finished last night and im pretty pleased with it just got my fingers crossed that the feedback i receive is positive. Pretty pleased with the last few days, they have been quite productive.

Interactive Narrative.........Boki Boki visits London+1

2009-12-08T17:57:00.003Z

The new a slightly improved version featuring a tube guide, facts and information about the locations included. I think i'm getting the hang of Flash, I didn't say i am enjoying it yet but i am coming round to it......Sloooooowly!!!!

Boki Boki visits London +1 by ~benkingkong on deviant ART

Interactive Narrative.........Boki Boki visits London

2009-12-08T12:00:00.002Z

Boki Boki visits London by ~benkingkong on deviant ART

This is a simplistic interactive narrative aimed at young children probably no older than around 10 years old. The idea is that they

sub consciously link a place name to an image helping them to learn a little while trying to locate Boki Boki in various London locations.

Pixilation......Learning, Enjoying, Loving it

2009-12-02T18:51:00.004Z

Well yesterday i managed rope one of my friends into being my spare pair of hands for the afternoon and i must thank Lee for listening and carrying out my orders and requests throughout the period......THANKS!

Moving onto the serious stuff......I think i am beginning to realise that my personal favourite form of learning is to get a basic story and script in mind, write down a few notes and ideas and then grab the equipment required and get out there. I find that once i get the ball rolling i'm well away, the ideas start flowing, i start elaborating on different ideas, I begin to get feel for what works and what doesn't and before you know it everything begins to fall into place, Ok i might waste some time shooting by not writing out big longs scripts and fancy story boards but i feel like this is a method that works for me. Its almost like a trial and error method. I go out there start doing something, the bits i like i can keep and build on if i wish and those bits i don't like i just throw to the side and continue but all the time whether i'm keeping bits or disposing of bits i'm learning.

Once i got out there yesterday with the camera ideas just kept coming and then when i got home and uploaded the images i was thinking of new ideas and i even found myself lying in bed thinking of new ideas. I have admittedly even found myself at times grabbing a pen and paper and scribbling down a rough idea or thought in the most random situations and times of the day. I was lying in bed last night making notes and then i think it was first thing this morning i woke up grabbed a pen and paper at the side of the bed and started making notes (Yes....that really is how bad its got, i now sleep with a pen and paper next to me!) but truth be-told although its not helping my sleep pattern i'm loving this section of the course.

Pixilation......First steps

2009-11-30T10:47:00.003Z

Well last Thursday i had my introduction into pixilation and first impressions are i cant wait to do some more work on it. I enjoyed the introduction, Andy gave us a brief intro into what pixilation is all about and showed us some examples then he put us into groups of 4 and unleashed us with cameras to create our own collection on images. There was myself, Gigi, Jaz and Shelley in our group and we headed into the 'Arboretum' to collect some images we decided to use the slope that we found to our benefit so that we could make the whole sliding or gliding effect. We also used the trees to appear from behind of and then disappear behind again. We started to discover what works and what doesnt as we moved onto maybe slightly more original ideas we began to learn the boundaries of pixilation. We attempted to do a couple of shots where we wanted to create the effect of throwing somebody but in reality it came out pretty poor but it was a learning curve for us all. We discovered that some of the more simplistic ideas actually came out better on camera and those that seemed more impressive were probably best off left in the imagination for the time being or at least until we found our feet a little more. Ive got loads of ideas at the moment so im going to go write these things down while there in my head......back soon......

Interactive Narrative.........Power cut puts things on hold briefly!

2009-11-24T15:05:00.004Z

These power cuts seem to occur at really useful times so the finishing touches for my interactive narrative have been put on hold at least until thursday hopefully! I just need to include a few more layers and then im thinking about adding some factual information on each page to make the narrative one in which children can learn a little while playing.

The basic storyline now after much cutting swapping and moving is now...........It starts on a menu page where kids can select a destination around London. Once a page is selected you move to a 'Where's Wally' kind of image in which you have to find our favourite little green alien aka Boki Boki. The idea is you find him click on him and go back to the home page after this you repeat the process, choosing a different location but im thinking of incorporating some facts or info about the landmark or area that Boki Boki is hidden in so that the narrative becomes slightly educational for young kids. We will see...............