Starting my website

Today I started the basic frame of my website by creating a root folder and pages for the whole of my site, my next step will be to collect images and work and put them into the pages. It looks so tidy  now, I wonder how long that will last...

Best of 2013

The Great Gatsby

A lot of people criticized Baz Luhrmann for this rendition of the Great Gatsby, but I really enjoyed it.. And I have to say, it's always a pleasure watching Leonardo DiCaprio, he is truly an astounding actor.

Prisoners

Prisoners was so gripping I feared I might fall of the seat towards the end, with a brilliant storyline, brilliant acting and some fantastic cinematography. 

The Hunger Games:  Catching Fire

As far as family films go, the Hunger games trilogy is one of my modern day favourites. I love Jennifer Lawrence, and the cast in general actually!

Gangster Squad

Another film I absolutely loved but I didn't hear much about. Ryan Gosling has to be one of the best actors out there at the moment, and I loved the style the film had, it was so smooth

Captain Phillips

A really outstanding true story and Tom Hanks does it so much justice, he even managed to make me cry!

Here's hoping 2014 is such a good year for film!

The Ultimate Christmas Movie

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I've never seen 'It's a Wonderful Life' before, but now that I have I can really see why it's a lot of peoples favorite film ever. Completely plays with your emotions.. proof that a good original story teamed with some brilliant actors can make a really good film.

Scene analysis

Currently working on analyzing a scene for Brendans class, but I'm having trouble deciding which one, really want to do this scene from Drive but I'm worried I'm making life difficult for myself! It's just such a good example of modern film making

Language in media texts

I'm starting to go through my media theory assignment and structure it properly, I've decided to use as many of the texts for as many of the questions as possible, then hopefully I will be able to see what the strongest arguments are and cut out the weaker ones. The problem is, certain questions (language, structure) are far easier to talk about then others, I must try and equally answer each of the questions if I'm aiming for distinction. I must admit it has been easy learning more about Thatcher and the riots.. Hopefully I will do the articles justice.

Dreamweaver and web design

Just been learning the basics in web design today, making my ideas flow for when I design my site.. This screenshot is from the site I've created in this lesson, advertising London. I just used the London theme so I could create a basic looking site that ties together, obviously I wouldn't normally put all these different objects on the homepage, but it was just so I could play about a bit. I need to start sketching up some ideas of my layout.

Beyonces Visual Album

I don't need anymore reasons to love Beyonce, but I really liked the way her new album was released.
There was no marketing prior to the release it was just a social media announcement that it had come, with 14 songs and 17 music videos. You can see clips of all the videos on youtube. Apparently she has already sold record amounts in just 3 days, which just proves the power of the social media, it's  impressive. I think the fact so much effort was put into the videos also shows how music is becoming more visual, videos are now expected with a song release. Video releases as part of the album release is definitely the way of the future.

Auteur study, further decisions

After ditching the idea of studying Francis Ford Coppola, moving swiftly onto Quentin Tarrantino and then feeling like he would be to easy to do.. I am again stuck choosing between two directors. David Fincher and the Coen Brothers.
I've come up with a couple of different aspects to look in to:

The Coen Brothers
- the obscure
- use of the same actors
- botched crime, a crooked criminal - obsession with film noir
- an average joe who gets involved in a big scheme that is too much for them, something goes wrong with the plan and chaos spirals
- the effect of money on people, negative
- violence death and murder
- distinctive, american settings - malice in familiar settings
- greed and corruption

David Fincher
- a master of form, shot angles and filming techniques
- visual style, dark and gothic - flashy
- working with Brad Pitt
- Life theme, teaches a life lesson
- Downbeat endings
- Title sequences that set the tone for the film

I'm really stuck as to what to choose, I'm drawn to Fincher because he is undoubtedly an Auteur and has a brilliant visual style, but also drawn to the Coens just because it's far more light hearted! I am going to see what articles I can find on both and will probably end up doing the one I can create the best catalogue for. 

John Lewis Christmas Advert.. Memories

I keep seeing the new John Lewis Christmas advert, and all though I love it (it's become a bit of a Christmas tradition!), it just can't get better then last years. It quite literally fills me with emotion every time I watch it, such brilliant advertising.

Behind the Scenes: the Old Spice adverts

I absolutely loved watching this video and seeing the interesting way they create the old spice adverts, sometimes it is nice to see that everything isn't CGI, it reminds me of the way Michel Gondry does his effects.

Technology Wins

Lately I find myself constantly sticking up for modern technology, in a world where we have so many privileges it's surprising to me that so many people can complain about the way it works. I agree that somethings have negative sides, like twitter being used for bullying or how the internet takes notes of your interests without really asking your permission. But sometimes you've got to admit, we are incredibly lucky to live in an age where you can easily contact people a million miles away, and technology is constantly growing. At the rate it's growing, who knows how long it will be before we find a cure for cancer, or before travelling to space becomes a possibility for everyone. I'm not saying the bad things aren't an issue, but it's nice occasionally to just look at the positives, no matter how small they are. Below is a video from a Nine Inch Nail concert in Las Vegas, and it shows the front man Trent Reznor facetime a guy whilst on stage during the encore. It's a sweet thing to do for a fan anyway, but the guy he facetimes was actually a guy who couldn't be at the gig after just been given only a few weeks to live. Its these small privileges, being able to video call someone at the touch of a button, that we take for granted. Sometimes, the little things mean the most.

Click the link to watch the video

Tarantino Referencing Pop Culture

I'm thinking about studying Tarantino for my auteur study, there's a lot of info out there on his references to pop culture and I think it would be something I could really go to town on. However, is it too easy? It's certainly easy to watch his films again and again.

Animation station

With the animation deadline looming, I'm trying to get as much done as possible every day. It's certainly a challenge, but it'll be good to get it done so I can put it onto the website I am creating for Web Design. Here's a screenshot from my opening title sequence, hopefully more to come soon!

  

American Beauty: The Dinner Scene

Today in film studies we watched clips from 'American Beauty'. I particularly enjoyed this dinner scene.

It's great how you get the impression of a happy family scene and this slowly deteriorates. In particular, the camera shots, cutting between the mother and father create real tension and an idea of separation. The division is clear from the establishing shot and the distance between them, but it isn't really clear until further on in the scene. I especially like the use of lighting, the way Kevin Spacey ascends into darkness every time his anger rises. Brilliant film making. 

Exciting news from Disney

I love the first feeling I get when I see a new film poster for something that excites me. I love Disney in general, but Sleeping Beauty was always a favorite when I was a child. I'm not Angelina Jolie's biggest fan, but I can't believe how good she looks as Maleficent. I haven't heard much more about the making of this new film, but a picture is worth a thousand words.

Image taken from: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/angelina-jolie-maleficent-trailer-released-article-1.1515321

Unfortunately the trailer isn't nearly as exciting, but still.. I'm sure it will be well worth a trip to the cinema.

Typography presentation

I've been researching typography for a presentation we have to do in Graphics, I'm going to look at different TV and film posters and analyse the fonts used and how they create different moods. I've chosen to only look at the speculative fiction genre, I think the sub genres  like sci-fi and horror have brilliant genre conventions that will help me with my assignment.

New: "Carry Me" Interactive Music Video

These days the amount of music videos being released is endless, bands no longer have to only release videos just for their main singles, with websites and social networking sites needing more video content then ever before. I regularly find myself watching a video and comparing it to a million other ones that are pretty much exactly the same. With the industry changing, most bands/artists are constantly battling to come up with the best new ideas, and trying to do something a little bit different. Bombay Bicycle Club are no exception, with their new music video being an interactive experience, where the viewer drags their mouse across the screen to get different things to happen on screen. This not only makes the viewer feel involved in the process, it also means you can watch the video a number of times and never see the same thing twice. Sure, it might not be the best looking video in the world, but it's different. And being different means it's a lot more memorable then your regular indie music video.

Watch: "Carry Me" Interactive Video

For me this is just proof of the many ways in which the world is changing, nothing is off limits anymore. It's extremely exciting, and even though this video won't get the same amount of hits as the more mainstream videos, it's a nice little reminder of the way we are heading. Everything is multi-platform. This isn't just a music video, it's a game and a piece of art too.

Graphic Design and Typography

Today we were given our first two assignments for Graphics. The first being a Powerpoint presentation analysing different typographies on products, and the second being taking this research and using it to create a product.

 Image taken from: http://www.brandsalsa.com/branding/destination-branding-states-and-countries-part-one/

I've got a couple of ideas already about the kind of product I could do. I think it could be good to do a website or app, or even a magazine. Something where I can incorporate image manipulation aswell.

Intellectual Property

Today we were learning about copyright and trademarking, it surprises me how things eventually become public domain and are free for the public to use as they like. It's also very interesting to learn about intellectual property and the loopholes in the law. It's almost unbelievable that the man who designed the Dalek doesn't make any money now.

Image taken from: http://connect.everythingzoomer.com/video/rammstein-feuer-frei-fire-at-will-not-william

I think this lesson will stick with me for a while, and it's going to be really useful to know my basic rights with regards to the things I create.

Anarchy in the UK vs. Pride of Britain

One UK event that sticks in my mind from the last few years is the riots that took place in London and various places across England. I remember watching a live stream on the news of a furniture shop going up in flames. As the anchor explained how the shop had been a family business, built up for years by one family and destroyed in a minute by some thoughtless kids, I couldn't help but be filled with anger.

Image taken from: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/aug/08/london-riots-escalate-police-battle

Another strong memory I have from the last decade is the feeling I got when watching the London Olympics opening ceremony. As the beautiful spectacle directed by Danny Boyle unfolded in front of me I remember feeling extremely proud to be British, and excited for the coming sports events. 

Image taken from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/london-2012-olympics/wp/2012/07/27/opening-ceremonies/

The contrast between these events is obvious, which is why I'm glad that one of our media theory assignments is to compare the representation of the two in the newspapers at the time. It's always good to have experience and feelings that you can use in your work, but it's about understanding everyone feelings and how the media tries to control them. I can't wait!