Pano Planets

Take a Photo of Something That Makes You Angry

Take a Picture of Something Spinning

Independent Photography Project Inspiration

For this Assignment we were assigned to create our own project that involved photography. my idea was to create these little planets that i found while browsing ideas on the interweb. my concept was to shoot these panoramic shots in 4 or 5 different areas, for example an industrial area, a cityscape, a forested area, to show how each area is like it own little world, and how the differ to each other.

There are many different ways of creating these panoramic planets, but the photo taking process is all relatively similar. for my test planet i just used my phone camera and created a sort of plumb line attached to the bottom of it so that i could insure that every photo was taken from the same spot at the same height. it took about 5 minutes of me rotating around taking pictures so that each one overlapped the previous one by about a third so that it would be easy for them to be lined up later on. to stitch the photos together i used a feature on Photoshop called photomerge, which automatically positioned all the photos together after I selected the ones that I wanted. I had to than change the image size so that it was a square and rotate it 180degress so that it was upside down. and i had to rotate it slightly so that the edges on either side lined up. i then used the polar coordinates filter which distorted it into the planet shape. to finish it off i did some touching up and adjustments to make it look a little cleaner. Below i have the test that i did it is very rough since i didn't want to spend too much time on it. it was just to see what i would have to do in order to get the best results. because i had my camera on auto the exposure changed for every shot and they didn't fit together well.

These are all the images I took

Photoshop was able to use photomerge and put all the images together

The polar coordinates filter made it into a planet shape

Here are some examples of ones that I found online

Animated Gifs

"Yes! It's true, I am Nacho."

Nacho Libre, 2006

I chose to use this portion of the movie for the animated gif that I created because, it is the moment in the movie when the two sides of nacho's identities are show.

"While i was in the wilderness, I wrote a song for Encarnation. In my mind. Shall I sing it for you?

Nacho Libre, 2006

Career Path Infographic- How to Become a graphic Designer

We were assigned to create an infographic that shows the path we would take to get to the career of our choice related to the CyberARTS program. This is the infographic that i created, showing the path to becoming a successful graphic designer.

I wanted to keep it simple, to make it easy to understand, because some infographics I've seen you have to spend 5 minutes trying to decipher them. I tried to make it as professional as I could to make it look as if it was done by a pro. I tried to make it as visually pleasing as possible by using lots of colours that work well with each other. Also adding the curved line, so that it is more interesting than a straight line.

Something I really like about this piece is how I made it balanced, there may be more on the left side but I think that using the black title on the right side really balanced it out well. For the font I used Helvetica because it is a very clear bold professional looking font, that I thought really suited the overall look of the graph.

About Humber college's Advertising and Graphics Design Program

for our first assignment in grade twelve we were asked to research a college or university program that we were interested in applying for, so that we could prepare everything needed for it. here is a program at humber college that I ma interested in 

Type: Diploma

Campus: Lakeshore

Program Code: 04701

Length: Four semesters, beginning in September, plus a four week internship

Admission Requirements

·       Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or mature student status

·       Grade 12 English (ENG4C or ENG4U). If English is not your first language visit the English Language Proficiency Policy

·       Three Grade 11 or Grade 12 C, U or M courses in addition to those listed above

·       Applicants who do not possess the required courses may complete admission testing to determine equivalencies. Invitation and booking of admission testing is done using the email address provided on the online application

·       A good working knowledge of various computer applications

·       Attendance at an information/interview session, which includes:

·       presenting a portfolio of 12–15 pieces of art design

·       presenting a recent sketchbook showing rough work, drawing and process work

·       composing a letter describing why you chose this field

·       Applicants will be assessed on overall creativity, ability in drawing, sense of design, creative process (roughs and preliminary drawings), craftsmanship, and comfort level with computer technology

Fees

The 2012/2013 fee for two semesters is

- domestic $3,705.48

- international $12,800.

Amounts listed are the total of tuition, lab and material fees, student service and auxiliary fees for the first two semesters of the 2012/2013 academic year.

Fees are subject to change.

For more information visit Fees and Financial Assistance.

Additional Costs

$500 – art supply kit (list available upon acceptance) for first semester; $200 to $500 – textbooks, subscriptions, printing costs (per semester); a home computer is encouraged – instructors can advise on technical needs and sources for affordable Macintosh computers and software.

for other info on the program visit http://www.humber.ca/program/advertising-and-graphic-design#admission-requirements

Breaking Benjamin, I Will not Bow: music video

this is a music video that me and two other students made for the song "I Will Not Bow" by Breaking Benjamin

Inspiration: Iron Man Behind the Scenes

I came across this this behind the scenes video for the movie Iron Man on youtube today. it is just talking about the production of the movie and how it was done and what it was like to do. Something I really enjoyed about it was getting to see how everything is done like the special features, like the flying and the suit, and how they made the suit. and also seeing them practicing the flying scenes with Robert Downy Jr, before he was actually being filmed doing it, also seeing how stressful it was for everyone to have to do all the tasks involved in making the movie. I've put the video below it is about 35 minutes long and in for parts since it is off youtube, i highly recommend watching it if you are into the movie business.

Watch them in order from top to bottom

Tutorial: DIY $20 ring light

Today I came across this video on youtube about how to make a ring light for your camera. i did some research to see the prices of ring lights and they can be anywhere from $30-$1000. This video tutorial uses a circular camping light for $9.20 on amazon, and a $2 battery pack from radio shack, and some electrical tape. 

Tutorial: DIY Slit Throat Effect

This is an effect tutorial that i found on youtube, i thought it was very cool and well done. the person that made it is a professional that has done this many times and knows how to do many other effects. this effect took a lot of preparation, and a lot of work to create the device. it costs about $50-$60 to make is very good for that amateur video maker that cant spend hundreds of dollars on special effects. see other videos of his here.

Tutorial: DIY Softbox

This is a video i found that I thought had some clever ways of making your own video lights, that work just as well as ones that you would buy and the store for a ridiculously larger price. If you are an amateur video maker with little money to buy lights, here is a good tutorial that shows you how to make a diffusion screen and a soft box from cheap materials you can find at local stores.

Poster Draft

We were asked to design a poster for a music video we are making in class, and i am having trouble deciding what else it needs. the poster is supposed to convey the message and the mood of the song. if there are any suggestion that anybody has as to how to improve it. i would gladly appreciate if you left any suggestions you have at all in the comments. below is my poste so far and a link the song the music video is on. The message i receive from the song is to never give up and to keep pushing forward no matter what gets in your way, which is why i have the person holding a boulder up a hill, showing that this person is  not giving up. and the I Will Not Bow in the background is representing the fact that he/she is not going to give in, and the reason for it being in the background is to show that it is set in stone and he/she is not going to change their mind.

Listen to the song here

Remember PLEASE leave a comment

Chair Design The Paradiddle

Our last project was to design a chair, and then make it out of foam core. we first spent a class look at other chair designs online, and we each picked our favourite designer. we then had to do a presentation on some of our favourite furniture designers work. we spent a couple of classes brainstorming ideas as to what we wanted our chair to look like. once we got the design we wanted, we did orthographical drawings of them them from those drawings created our chairs out of foam core.

The purpose of my chair was to have a chair that you could sit comfortably on in multiple positions. On my chair you can sit on it straight like you normally would sit on a chair, if you sit on it on and angle you are reclined a bit, and if you sit on in sideways, you are laying down. the shape is based off the shape of a base drum since I play the drums, and the chair had to reflect our personality. The reason for being able to sit in it in all different ways, is that i like to  be comfortable and I can never stay in the same position for a long time, this allows me to be able to change positions and still be comfortable. I named my chair the Paradiddle, Paradiddle is a rhythm, you would hear a lot of drummers, play. 

Artistic Inspiration: Steampunk

Just last night I was looking at Steampunk stuff. I really like the style of steam punk, with its really retro rusty look. You can find all kinds of steampunk things everything from; steampunk vehicles, to steampunk jewelry.

 Here are a few examples. To learn more about Steampunk go to this link here

Music Videos Over the past three Decades

we were assigned to look at music videos that have been made over the past three decades. over that time there has been about every ideo you can think of put into a music video. I've gotten a lot of inspiration from watching all of these music, and since we are making our own music videos in class right now you will definitely see some of these music videos incorporated into ours.


Below I posted three of my favourite music videos i saw while browsing all sorts of styles of music videos.

OK GO - This To Shall Pass

this video was done in one cut it took them over 80 takes to get right. the video is a Rube Goldberg machine that runs through out the whole video and ends in a messy way for the band members. the point of a Rude Goldberg machine is to accomplish a simple task using  all sorts of simple and complex contraptions.

The Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar

This was a music video I thought was very cool because of its simplicity and concept. The whole thing was filmed from the window of a train, and pieces of the scenery where copied into different places to go with the beat. Even though there is not much that goes on in the video, it still keeps your attention and is entertaining to watch.

The White Stripes - The Hardest Button To Button

This video is slightly similar to the previous video, in the was that it has pieces repeated in the shot to go with the beat. i like the way that they incorporated stop-motion with the video. it is filmed in normal everyday public places, like city streets and subway stations. it was made by taking different shots then laying them.

Movie Trailer Parody

Our latest project was to take a trailer from a popular movie and recreate it with the audio changed in order to effect the overall mood of the trailer. I picked The Watchmen trailer.  It is a very mysterious movie that is action packed but the audio in the trailer is slow, mysterious, and calm.   I decided to create a more intense and chaotic effect that better reflects the dramatic scenes. I accomplished this by using Dubstep, a genre of electronic dance music for the soundtrack and by separating all of the fast paced scenes of the movie from the slower ones. I was then able to synchronize them more effectively with the visuals. The song I chose was "First of The Year" by Skrillex.  I chose this song because it has lots of big bass drops which were good for scenes with impact.  Smashing windows, kicks and explosions match these stronger beats well.  The introduction of the music is calmer and matches the slower scenes.  The music becomes more dynamic as the action increases.  Below, I have linked both the original trailer and my edit. 

Let me know what you think.

Original Trailer

My Edit

Inspiration: AGO Field Trip

This past Thursday we went to the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) to see different forms of art that we would be doing our selves later on, like Renaissance Art. the most impressive work of art I saw was "Massacre of the Innocents" by Peter Paul Ruben oil on wood panel. the painting is portraying the biblical story of the massacring of all the boys under two years old, in Bethlehem. if you would like to see it, there is a link to a picture here on the AGO website.


Another piece of artwork that I found very impressive was a portrait by Chuck Close. He is a very realistic painter, that does mostly portraits of peoples faces. I could not fine the one that was at the AGO, but here are some other works by him. His painting was so realistic that I had to put my face right up to it to be able to see that it was a painting.

 

Tips and Tricks: Kinetic Type in Adobe AfterEffects

            I have Adobe After Effects on my computer but have never used it because I have never been able to figure it out. So I've decided to watch some tutorials on how to do different things. Here is one on kinetic type, I thought this was appropriate, because we are doing it in class right now, but in flash, which really can be annoying to use, and you can do much more complex ad cool stuff in AE. If i get time i might put up my own attempt at using AE.

Animated Poetry Analysis

The name of the poem i picked for my analysis is called minimalism. the animation done to it is kinetic typography, done in adobe after effects. the poem is about a painting that is only a white canvas, with a small black dot on it. the narrator is talking about the painting and how he doesn't think it is real art, when a janitor comes by and helps him understand the painting.

       The design in this video was a little sloppy, at times the text is over top of other text and it makes it hard to read. They also use multiple fonts at once which sometimes looks good, but in this case in some parts of the video it looks messy. There are no colors in this video other than; black, and white. the black and white goes along with the poem, which is about a white painting that has a black dot on it. The words of the first 70% percent of the poem form a black dot, that you see when it zooms out.

  

      The only audio you hear in the video is the narrator reading out the poem along with the text. the low mellow voice of the narrator went along well with the story.

      The timing of the video fluctuates throughout the video depending on what is happening during that moment in the poem. at times the voice goes too fast for the text and, you cant read what the text says because it goes by so quickly, but it goes well with the story.

     Overall I really like the poem, and I kind of like the animation that goes along with it. the poem is very creative, and i thought a bit clever. the animation was okay but could have used a little cleaning up.