Finally, it's done. I've spent countless hours on this in the last month and a half and I've finally got it finished and uploaded today.


Click to view my site

It features all of my graphic/web design work that I've done - both client and non-client work. I'm also offering my design services via this website, so if you know anyone who wants a website - or practically anything design related - send them on! I'm offering 20% off to students off certain web packages.

I designed the entire site in Adobe Photoshop, before slicing it into the appropriate images and coding the entire site by hand. All of the XHTML and CSS code validates to the xhtml 'strict' doctype.
Also, some of the pages feature some fancy Javascript code; whilst I adapted this code to my needs, I didn't write the Javascript - it was acquired (legally).

Have a good new years and make sure you drink plenty - I know I will!

Football Club Manager 2008-09 by ~Ste68 on deviantART

Here it is, finally, after countless hours working on it.

Since my last blog, I've added in quite a few new graphics just to add more points of interest to the scenes to stop the user becoming bored. I've also added a lot of sound effects; again, to maintain the users interest as well as to make the whole experience feel more real and to make the overall piece more interactive. Some of the sound effects are used to reinforce the decision made; for example, when you click an option to sign a player, there is a 'kerching' sound effect to reinforce the fact that a player has been signed.
Let me know how you do ;)

I began my project on Thursday night by planning the storyline. I had a vague outline of the narrative and its various pathways, but to ensure a more efficient process, I wrote the text for each 'frame' including the options and stated the frames that these options are directed to. I soon found that my idea was very broad and rather complex (over 30 frames) when I considered the amount of pathways that were created by the amount of options I wanted to present to the user. After writing the story, I drew up a frame map, showing which frames were connected to each other and displaying the general order of the frames. This gave me a solid plan to use for creating the actual interactive piece, which I believe sped up the process considerably.

However, despite the thorough planning, I've probably worked on it for over 12 hours from yesterday (Sunday) and have finished my first version. It is a 'complete' version as all the frames are present and the narrative is featured in full; however I would like to add some audio at some point and perhaps some more images and animation.

So, basically the idea is based on a football season, with you as the main character, as you are a football manager. You are the manager of a club which is bottom of the league when you take over and you are forced to make various decisions which will make or break your season. There are various outcomes, with winning the league being the ultimate aim of the story. Another satisfying outcome is automatic promotion, whilst it is best to avoid certain pathways as these see you get sacked or see your team relegated. The other outcome is mediocrity; which is - well - neither good nor bad.

The football club I have based this narrative on is Hereford United; for two reasons. Firstly, because I support them and secondly, because in their official photographer, I have a willing source for photographs to use. In terms of appearance, I designed each of the frames in Adobe Photoshop first, before transferring the appropriate images into Adobe Flash. I did this to ensure a piece that doesn't just rely on a solid narrative but also on aesthetics that will satisfy and interest the user.

I will postpone the uploading of my piece until it is fully complete and I am 100% satisfied with the outcome. Here are a couple of screen shots of the first two frames;

"The Meeting" - Final Version


The first major difference between the original footage and the edited film is the colour. I reduced the saturation of the video significantly to produce a black and white film effect, using the available tools on Adobe Premier. I did this as I felt some of the colours in the original footage weren't suitable for the narrative of the film; such as the green curtain at the beginning of the film. I also think this made it more believable as a film and less staged.

Additionally, I altered the scale and the positioning of the video. I reduced the scale, which produced black strips above and below the frame, which I feel create a really good, cinematic effect and contribute to the authentic feel of the film. I also shifted the frame to the right slightly, to ensure that the dealer character is not visible in the shot at the start, as in the original footage.

I also added several sound effects to strengthen the existing audio, including very loud footsteps when the bodyguard and the dealer are walking at the start of the film. I did this to try and create the effect that the room is silent and to make the bodyguard's walk feel more threatening, enhancing his 'imposing' character. I also inserted a knocking sound effect in place of the existing knocking as I thought it needed to be louder and more assertive. When the bodyguard goes to let the dealer into the room, I added a creaking door sound effect, as I don't think it was obvious that a door was opened in the original footage. The final sound sample I used is right at the end of the film when the bodyguard slams the dealer's head on the table; in the original footage I felt that this sound was weak and didn't achieve the desired effect, so I inserted a 'boom' sound effect which I think makes the impact seem greater and harder.
In addition to adding new sound samples, I also played about with the existing audio. After the bodyguard samples the cocaine and says "It's good", I thought this was too quiet and was hard to make out, so I increased the volume for this piece of speech. I also took the background noise from the start of the film when there are no other sounds, to use for the start and end titles as the titles didn't seem suitable with no audio at all.

In addition, I attempted to edit out the mistakes in the dialogue, by trying to cut out the areas of hesitation. I believe the result was good in terms of audio; however, the sudden change in the video may make these edits too obvious.

I created the opening title in this style as I feel it contributes to the cinematic feel I tried to produce. I inserted a fading effect for the transition from the end of the film to the credits, as without it, the ending was too sudden and abrupt. Overall, I am happy with the final output; although, in the opening scene, the curtain in the background is clearly evident and I feel this takes away from the authentic feel of the film.

Original, Un-touched Footage


I evaluated the original footage we shot before editing it, so I could identify the areas that need to be cut out, improved or altered.

Firstly, I feel we could have found a location more suiting to the narrative we had chosen, as the green curtain in the background removes the natural effect and immediately makes the entire situation feel staged. However, this is an issue that can be dealt with during the editing stage; perhaps by reducing the saturation of the video.

I also think we should have introduced costume into the planning, as I feel more appropriate clothing, such as a suit for the bodyguard, would have nudged the final product over the right side of the line between the realistic and the superficial. This would create a more authentic feel to the piece and draw the viewer into the narrative more and make them believe in it.

In addition, we began the filming stage with a solid idea of the overall narrative but only a rough idea of the dialogue, resulting in a largely improvised performance. This has lead to a couple of minor errors/hesitations in the character's speech, again reducing that authentic feel. If we had formed a definitive script for us to learn, these errors would have been eliminated. Hopefully, I will be able to amend these issues during editing.

There are a couple of very minor camera issues, including the opening scene, where the dealer character is waiting to enter the room, but can just be seen in the right edge of the shot. Also, at 0:58 on the above video, the mobster character moves slightly, revealing a bag of sugar (the cocaine) on that side of the table! I should be able to solve these issues by cropping the video in Adobe Premier.

Onto the positives...
I feel the lighting we used creates a very appropriate effect for the chosen narrative. We used one light positioned quite low down, to the left of the camera shot, facing down on the table towards the dealer character on the opposite side of the table. It created a very small area of intense light - which was directed on the areas of interest; the dealer, the table and the mobster's hands. This light was also just enough to show the bodyguard's hands in the background, making his presence felt, whilst ensuring this presence is a subtle one. Surrounding this area of intense light was a large area of shadow/darkness, especially on the mobster, ensuring they are largely anonymous throughout the film, creating a very dark/mysterious effect. I feel that this immediately lets the audience know that this character is a very important one of great stature.

In addition, the storyline evidently progresses and emotion builds up as tension evidently grows between the dealer and the mobster, drawing the viewer further into the story.

I also think that the character of the mobster was portrayed very well. An emphasis is placed on hand movements, as the mobster uses clicking and pointing to instruct the bodyguard. This immediately shows the authority he possesses as well as his substantial stature within the drug community.

There is also a good use of props, as sugar was used to represent cocaine. I think this helped to strengthen the dialogue and provides another dimension to the film, rather than the viewer just having to listen to a conversation.

In the editing stage, I plan to decrease the saturation and the brightness of the video; at least enough to ensure the green curtain in the background is not noticeable. I also plan to introduce a few sound samples, to strengthen the existing sound. The edited version will follow in my next blog.

This is a colour wheel; colours opposite each other are called complementary colours.

So according to this colour wheel, complementary pairs of colour are;
Green and red.
Yellow and purple.
Orange and blue.

I have chosen a football theme to show complementary colour pairs by replacing colours in Photoshop using the Colour Replacement Tool.

Left: Original image
Right: Blue colour replaced by purple to complement the yellow colour of the shirt.


Left: Original image
Right: Yellow colour replaced by orange to complement the blue on the sleeves and shorts.

Evolver, oil on canvas

Rebecca Partridge

I have chosen this piece by Rebecca Partridge to be the subject of my report on the use of colour and light in art.
The artist has used blocks of all different shapes and sizes; but they only appear as blocks due to the colour and light used. Different tints and tones have been used for each face of the blocks to present them as 3D objects. The direction of these blocks has also been used cleverly, as the perspective of most of the shapes points towards the centre of the piece, pulling you into the art; you're eyes are immediately drawn to the centre of the piece due to the direction employed in the painting. Aiding this effect is the way the shape colours have a stronger hue, the closer they get to the centre.
The further away your eyes move from the centre, the colours become less saturated and the blocks are much larger, all aiding the directional aim of the piece. The artist could have cropped the piece to focus on the main area of colour; but instead has allowed the shapes to expand outwards and the colour to decrease in saturation and brightness untill the colours are almost transparent. This use of light creates space around the focal point of the piece and allows your eyes to explore from within the area of strong colour to an area of very little colour. The way in which the colours fade out, creates the sense that the area of interest ends within the piece, whereas if the colours remained at 100% hue until the edge of the painting, there would be no 'end point' within the piece. This would also remove a lot of the balance the piece possesses and hinder the direction it works so hard to achieve.

C - Contrast
R - Repetition
A - Alignment
P - Proximity

The 'CRAP' principles are used for layout design. If each rule is used appropriately in a suitable quantity, the CRAP design rules make for a more aesthetically pleasing design.

CRAP Questions:
1. If unnecessary stuff is added just so there is something to repeat or something that contrasts an existing element, will this not cause clutter and detract the users attention from the actual content?
2. How do we know when to align something left, right or centrally?
3. Which CRAP rule is the most important to follow and why?

The rule of thirds can be applied to any given image. It involves breaking the image down into thirds, both horizontally and vertically by inserting imaginary lines. Where these lines cross, 'hotspots' are created; important elements of the image can be placed here.

The rule of thirds can be used differently for different types of images. For example, for a landscape photo, the horizontal thirds are used, so the horizon can be placed in the top third, the area of interest in the middle third and the foreground in the bottom third.

For images that feature objects as the focal points, the hotspots can be used as your eyes are drawn to these points and this ensures their placement achieves the best effect.

For images or film where people are involved, the vertical thirds can be used. If the person's attention is directed towards the right, it is usually best to place them in the left third and vice-versa.

I have made this video to help explain the rule of thirds using visual examples;

Really bad quality though.

Right so we have to produce a One Shot film, about a minute long, based on a title of 'The Meeting'.

A one shot film is... well, it's pretty self-explanatory. One camera, one shot. Usually, in a one shot film, the camera is not restricted in any way in terms of movement - it can pan, zoom, tilt and generally move anywhere around the room; up, down, side to side etc. However, in our One Shot projects, the camera movement will be restricted to just pans, zooms and tilts only, which will reduce the amount of possibilities considerably. This could make our jobs easier as we are forced to simplify our ideas and move away from highly elaborate concepts that may be too advanced to attempt to a good quality. Or it could be argued that these camera restrictions make our project more difficult, as we are forced to think outside the box in order to compensate for the cameras static base and lack of movement.

My group and I came up with an initial idea for the project, using the title of 'The Meeting' very literally. Four of us will be sat around a table in a room relatively far away from the camera (the room has glass windows and doors allowing the camera to capture all the action from inside), whilst two of the group will operate the camera. The four of us in the room will be having a very official and important meeting, with lots of emphasis on arm movements and expressions to give the best effect. The meeting builds up and tempers flare until an argument breaks out and someone storms from the room. However, the idea behind this film involves muting any noise captured by the camera and inputting voice-overs to produce a humorous, poorly dubbed (which is part of the humour) 4-way conversation.

The effect we want to achieve is a hidden camera effect, so it appears that the meeting is being captured without their knowledge or consent. We will try to achieve this effect by placing the camera relatively far away from the room, with lots of objects in the fore-ground and with people walking in front of the camera on occasions to create a natural feel to the footage. Additionally, there could be the occasional zoom, so it feels as if there is a hidden unknown operating the camera and capturing this meeting.

So that was our initial idea - it could well change if someone thinks of a better one, but I think this could work well and is an interesting concept. I'll post the video up when it's all done and uploaded to the tube.

• Why is it that we want our belongings to do more for us than just function well?
• Why are we willing as soon as we can afford it, to pay extra for things with appealing forms?

Company's spending endless time and money on forming an image and a design for a product is completely unnecessary; at least in terms of the product's functionality. A products primary purpose is to function well and its look does nothing to improve the way it functions. And yet, design is one of the biggest industries in the world today. So why is a non-essential luxury such as an appealing image such a huge part of a product's creation? A large part of the answer centres around business, accompanied by the materialistic environment we inhabit.

If a company release a brand new product which is the first of its kind in the market, they have total freedom and flexibility. Zero competitors mean the company can determine a price that suit's them and form an image for the product that is simply satisfactory among its market (the original iPod for example). However, once competitor products are released into the market (the Creative Zen MP3 Player for instance), a satisfactory image is no longer acceptable. This is because both products perform the same functions, so the only differentiating factor between the two music players is their respective designs. This is why design plays such a massive part in the creation of a product; competition in the market.

So, why do we choose a product based on its image and not solely on what it does? Today's society is very materialistic, as people must have the best they can get. We are driven by other people's opinions and what society suggests is correct; meaning if an iPod is hyped up in the media and it becomes widely purchased, 'everyone who's anyone' will have to have one! As Creative Zen released a rival product, Apple released several new adaptations of the iPod, such as the iPod Shuffle, Nano and more recently the iPod touch. These new products come in different shapes and sizes as well as many more new colours, which soon transformed the iPod into a fashion accessory as well as a music player.




The above MP3 players have very similar specifications. Both are 16GB, have a colour display and support multi-media playback. The only differences appear to be that the Zen has a slightly larger screen and a marginally longer battery life. However, their respective prices don't reflect their eqaulity, as this particular Creative Zen is advertised at £119.99 on their website, whereas the iPod Nano is priced at £149.99 on the Apple website. So surely the Creative Zen is way ahead in terms of sales figures? Infact, Apple's iPod Nano is by far and away the market leader and has sold many more than the Creative Zen. This is because of the design of the two products and the company's reputation/presteige. The Creative company isn't as well known or as respected in the industy as Apple, who are a long standing producer of technological products. In addition to this, the Zen product is available in black only and sports a somewhat bulky design; whereas, the iPod Nano is available in many bright, appealing colours and is designed to fit nicely into your pocket/hand and features unusual, quirky control buttons unlike the standard control buttons on the Zen. The superior design and reputation of the Nano allows it to be priced much higher than its rival product, which functions in almost exactly the same way.

Here it is - the long awaited, highly anticipated, completed version of The Box Monster. Sure to be nominated for countless awards.

The Box Monster - My first pixilation project.


The bare bones of this video is nearly 700 still images and a lot of audio samples. A great amount of effort went into the film's creation, right from the off, as my group and I decided to build a prop to play the star role in the movie. We took this direction as we thought it was a good way to take full advantage of the pixilation technique, as this sort of idea could not have been attempted by simply recording footage.

With our 'box monster' created and a plot decided upon, we set about shooting the photos, ending up with about 600. We experienced a significant setback as several of our photos had not made the transition from the memory card to the hard drive, resulting in us having to shoot the last 2 scenes again; however this gave us an opportunity to improve on the work we had done previously.

After duplicating certain photos where I thought necessary and adding new ones with additional effects, I had almost 700 photos to work with. Our group's idea for the pixilation project involved several scenes, with different moods, so when it came to editing the photos in Adobe Photoshop, I decided to add multiple effects to the scenes. I also attempted a change of effects mid-scene (e.g. where the scene changes to a red filter), which I believe worked out well, even if the process was a slow one.

After batching all of the photos with the appropriate effects and ensuring they were all in the right order, I put the images together in Adobe Premier to create a motion video. I cut the video in places to allow me to slow down certain parts. I then set about inserting the audio files; I had a rough idea of the mood I wanted to create, but this was largely a very experimental process. The video eventually ended up with many audio samples, in order to create the desired effect for each detail; such as the skidding noises as the box moves around and the creaking noise when the doors open.

I wanted to achieve a dark, eerie setting for a very tongue in cheek storyline, mostly with the aid of colours and sound. I believe my desired outcome was achieved and the correct mood is portrayed in the movie.

The field of Artificial Intelligence was founded in 1956 by a handful of scientists, who had been inspired by the invention of the programmable digital computer in the 1940's, capable of performing mathematical calculation. The group forecast that a machine, matching the level of intelligence of a human being would be in existence, 'in no longer than a generation'. Obviously those predictions turned out to be wildly optimistic.

The idea of copying the brain and its functionality seems a very feasible one; however, there are many things that are extremely difficult for a machine to comprehend. The human brain makes use of rational thinking and reasoning, stemming from the ability to assess the current situation or circumstance. These cognitive processes come from prior knowledge contained within the mind, that determine the behavior of the individual. In order for Artificial Intelligence to rationalise the situation in a similar way, it would require existing knowledge of its environment, the situation and how to deal with it - much like a human being.

The only obvious way to overcome this problem, is to teach the machine the knowledge it needs; however, this would require an astronomical amount of information. A long-standing problem was the lack of computer power, although this is increasing rapidly as each year goes by, which in turn creates more and more possibilities. A project was started in the 1980's that addressed the knowledge problem, by simply teaching a machine human concepts, one at a time, with the creator arguing that there is no shortcut. However, this project was not expected to be completed for some decades.

There is a clear paradox with Artificial Intelligence when compared to human beings, as they can solve the most complex mathematical problems, but find great difficulty in moving from one side of the room to the other without bumping into anything!

There are huge problems to overcome but I believe that they can solve all of the major issues in time. Solutions have recently been discovered that seemed impossible just decades ago - some of the original goals set in the 1950's are finally being achieved. For example, for the first time, in 1997, a computer (Deep Blue) beat the reigning world chess champion. This was predicted to occur decades earlier; a forecast which failed to deliver on time.

Artificial Intelligence raises the philosophical issue of the mind and body. Is the mind a result of the human body and its processes, or is the mind a separate matter that is simply located in a human body (a soul)? These ancient questions could well be answered as research into AI continues.

If a machine is developed, which has the intelligence level of a human being, the impact it would have on the world would be, in my opinion, so great that it is difficult to even comprehend at this time. The world - as we know it - would not exist. It would be like a revolution. Human tasks would be minimised to an extreme and there would not be the same demands on the human mind. Such a transition could de-value the human life and create a very disposable world.

Despite the dramatic alteration in the way we live our lives, it is likely that humans will be eased into a world of AI, so they will be able to cope with the transition as it will simply be the norm - much like the world we live in now is the norm to us. I believe the current environment is the beginning of this transition, as technology begins to surpass everybody's expectations.

We had our first proper lecture today, which was far from boring to be fair. The brain-storming and the discussions about the various questions was fun, even if I wasn't quite sure of the point of the questions.

Then to the pub for some drink, pool, dinner and quiz machine. Becoming a bit of a regular thing, which I'm pretty sure my bank account resents already.

We then had our first proper practical session, in which we were introduced to Pixilation and using still images as frames to be made into a motion clip.

I think our group had a bit of a different take on this task as we promptly decided to build a rather mint prop, whilst the other groups were off taking their shots. It took some work, but we built a box monster thing out of card board boxes. Yes it is as mint as it sounds :p

After building the essential prop, we got about 60 shots done today out of a planned 420 odd. We're going in tomorrow to - hopefully - finish it off. It's not looking bad so far. I think the final, edited clips will be uploaded onto YouTube in about 3 weeks, so I'll post that then.

I bet no-one else has a box monster leading the cast in the star role ;)

Ste.

Half way through and not done much yet.

I live at home, which is a real bitch as I can't get home if I go out at night. And I haven't found a floor to crash on yet.

The party starts on Friday and Saturday with a late bus back to where I live. Or maybe I'll just go out tonight and wait for the earliest bus in the morning? Or maybe someone might be kind enough to let me sleep on their floor. Or in their bath. I don't really care.

Looking forward to Saturday, although not sure what to do yet. Want to play 5-a-side football... but pretty handy on rockband too.

As for the course, sat through some talks which, erm... dragged on a bit. Did some animations on whiteboards which was pretty fun and pinhole camera stuff later today which sounds pretty cool.

Been to the pub A LOT and wasted so much money already on the quiz machine and pool table. Think I need to revise my budget.

Should be a good week though and a good year.

Ste.

EDIT:
The whiteboard animations we did are now on YouTube. Ours is the 1st one shown.


I went out on Friday, but only to the pub for my mates birthday.
Went into Notts on Saturday night though with a mate which was a good laugh. We didn't go to the Union because my mate's not a student. We just went to random bars and clubs and ended up doing a bit of a bar crawl. Went in 8 places and had at least 1 drink in each. We paid £18 just to get in places!! Got the 1 hour bus trip back to Kirkby at 3am and stopped at my girlfriends (who wasn't impressed with the state I was in - haha). Was a good night.

I already have fairly developed skills in certain areas of multimedia such as web design and graphic design. So in order to prevent my potential career path becoming so one-dimensional, I would like to gain a greater knowledge and further my skills in the other areas of multimedia.
Hopefully, this will present a much broader range of opportunites when searching for a profession.

As well as developing new skills in other areas, I am also hoping to further my knowledge of web and graphical design.

Towards the end of the course, I hope to have built some bridges with potential employers, so the process of entering employment from education is an easy one.

But mainly, I want to leave NTU with memories. Lots of good memories.

Ste.