Week 12

DVD Menu Design 03 - 12 - 2010

Evaluation

I completed the evaluation of my final product today by referring to the document, ' evaluating production work'. To make the evaluation flow, Simon discussed the importance of independenly planning the document. I reffered to the planning sheet I produced also to help me complete the evaluation.

Evaluation Plansheet

• Introduction 
• Skills Developed (technical, presentational, equipment handling, meeting deadlines)
• Knowledge aquired (Photoshop tools, Encore features, conventions of menus)
• Problems Encountered (contingency plan)
• Feedback (feedback given and response to feedback)
• Final Product ( how objectives were met)
• Improvements if repeated

Week 11

DVD Menu Design 26 - 11 - 2010

Evaluation

I began on the evaluation of the project by planning and starting to write up the evaluation today.


Television Advert 25 - 11 - 2010

Research Unit

We were introduced to our new assignment of producing a 30 second Television Advert. There are 3 units covered within the project.

• Unit 1 - Pre Production techniques
• Unit 3 - Research techniques
• Unit 30- Advertisement for television

We started on an individual report that will go towards the research techniques unit entitled 'What is research?' It covers the types of research commonly used in the industry ( primary, secondary, quantitive, and qualatitive research ) using examples. I also covered market research techniques. Advantages and disadvantages of each type of research are explained also.



DVD Menu Design 23 - 11 - 2010

Response to Feedback

To respond to a feedback point outlined by Harry, I made sure my blog included media that is relevant to the different parts of the blog. For example, I included an image of the moodboard that I created to show the themes and colours that will be used on the menu.

DVD Menu Design 23 - 11 - 2010

Skills Profile Update

See skills profile.

Week 10

DVD Menu Design 20 - 11 - 2010

Response to Feedback

As response to Feedback, I produced an animation storyboard that planned the animation I would be using. I researched story boarding on the internet first to make sure the one I produced was of a good standard. To start with, I sketched the different frames of my animation, showing the movement of the bubbles. After doing this, I included how the animation would be made, which included the program I would be using and the tools that would be needed. 

DVD Menu Design 19 - 11 - 2010

Response to Feedback

To show how conventions have been followed, I have included a screen shot showing conventional imagery of a crime/gambling thriller being used. This particular screen shot is from the deleted scenes menu. There are images of cards, giving connotations of gambling, set against a background filled with lights, giving links to Vegas, a well known setting for various films of the same theme. As well as imagery conventions, color conventions are shown by the use of white, black , and red. I know these are all color conventions of crime and gambling thriller because of my existing product research.


DVD Menu Design 19 - 11 - 2010

Animation

I completed my animation today which included creation in Photoshop and importing the .mov file as a timeline into Encore. When imported to Encore I linked the file to the Main Menu by using the pickwhip tool. This is a screen shot of part of my animation. The animation consists of 3 bubbles moving towards the surface of the drink.

DVD Menu Design 18 - 11 - 2010

Feedback

When I went to Andy for feedback, he gave an opinion that the font used for the buttons was not the best font that could be used to give connotations of the theme. I took this into account and decided to test a different font to see if it looked better.

I decided on using a different style of font called 'Trajan Pro' . I have included a screen grab of the Main Menu screen to show a different look of the menu. I decided that this new style of font suited my Menu more than the previous style, so I decided to use it.


DVD Menu Design 16 - 11 - 2010

Linking Menus

I completed the production stage today by linking the menus in Encore. I did this by opening up the flowchart screen and linking the menus with the pickwhip tool. I found this way of doing it clear because an advantage of this way is that it is easy to see where each menu is linked.

I have attached a screen shot of the completed main menu screen taken from the DVD Menu.

I am happy with the final product because I have included the colour and imagery conventions that I planned on including in my pre production stage. For example, I used red and black, two colour conventions of crime and gambling themed products.

DVD Menu Design 16 - 11 - 2010

Feedback

I went to Harry for feedback and I was given 6 action points that will improve my work.

Action Points to Improve work

• Organize evidence of work - I will do this by including more titles and definitions of terms to make the evidence more clear to the reader.
• Cite all research - This will be completed by providing a source of where I gathered the information from.
• Detail in Blog - I will complete this by including all feedback and including further media, ( images, video ), to provide more evidence of production and to make the evidence clearer.
• More design processes - More evidence of the design process needs to be included. I will do this by further annotating my sketches and the storyboard of the animation.
• Conventions followed - I will complete this by making sure that in all products, the generic conventions are followed.
• Refer to grade descriptors - I will refer to the grade descriptors and make sure all points are completed.

Week 9

12 - 11 - 2010 DVD Menu Design

PSD File Production
All of the images and text that needed to be included were added today. This included images of cards and poker chips that acted as icons.

I then completed the production of the PSD files which included the coding of the buttons and rollover effects. Doing this furthered my understanding of the different codes that need to be added for this kind of product to work. I did this for all my menu pages. All that is left to do is the Encore stage of production which includes the linking of the menu pages and then finally post production which will complete the project.
Examples of codings that I used the most.
Button - (+)
Rollover Effect - (=1)

11 - 11 - 2010 DVD Menu Design

PSD File Production

I produced the basic layout of all my Menus in Photoshop. This included adding images that I have taken and editing them for a proffessional effect. I also added the text that needed to be added to the Menus. I kept to my planning by referring to the production schedule to remind me of what needed to go where.

Week 8

DVD Menu Design 05-11-2010

PSD File Creation
I created an example PSD file very similar to the main menu of my inal DVD Menu design. It included imagery similar to the images I will use and also the effects I will use on my final product.


DVD Menu Design 05-11-2010

Moodboard

I started searching through magazines for images that could be used on my Mood Board. I looked in film magazines such as ' Empire ' and found images of colour conventions I will be using, actors that are linked with films from the same genre, and images that give connotations of the themes I will be basing my product on.

I have attached an image of the mood board I created in Photoshop. As you can see, colour conventions of crime and gambling are included such as red, white, and black. Also, the theme of crime is represented with the inclusion of images of recognized characters from films that follow the same theme and genre.
DVD Menu Design 04-11-2010

Moodboard
I produced a mood board on Photoshop today as part of my Production schedule for the DVD Menu Design project. I included images relating to the genre of crime and gambling. This included images of recognizable characters from known films. I also included images that gave links to gambling E.G. Las Vegas, Dice.

DVD Menu Design 03-11-2010


Animation and Audio
Today, I produced a document outlining how I will include Animation and Audio in my DVD Menu.
          I had different ideas on how to include Animation in my Menu and settled on animating bubbles in the drink the character is holding. The bubbles will be animated so that they appear to be floating towards the surface of the drink. This is a simple Affect I will use however I know it will be effective at bringing the character to life.
        When deciding on the Audio Soundtrack I will be using, I know it is important to research the Audio used on current DVD Menus from the same genre and theme. From doing this, I know that an instrumental soundtrack made from classical music is conventional of crime thriller DVD Menus. This type of soundtrack is what I will be using in my product.

DVD Menu Design 02-11-2010

Encore : Review of learning
We were given a learning review sheet to complete. It included questions that I am able to answer as a result of completing exercises on Encore. An example question that was asked was ' how do you create a new project in Encore '. There was also space to include our own thoughts and  how confident and focused we are on the project.

Week 7

19-10-2010 Encore Exercise

We created a basic animation of an image moving across the canvas in Photoshop. The process we used to create the animation is called Tweening. This tool is found by selecting , Window, then, Animation. When pressed, an Animation box will apear at the bottom of the screen, below the canvas and the tween tool is found there.                                     

This is the icon of the tweening tool.

The Tweening tool animates the image by creating frames in between the beginning and the end position of the image. After saving as a .mov file, we imported it as a timeline into Encore.
           I had a play around with this tool by creating animations with other images and found it good to create simple, cartoon animations.

Week 6

15-10-2010 Encore Tutorial

Exercises 

 I completed exercise 8 which involved importing video and audio as a time line and using other features found on the monitor panel. This is an image of one of the features of the monitor panel that I used. It controls the zoom of the video.

14-10-2010 DVD Menu Research

Resources and Budget , Production Techniques, Legal and Ethical Considerations

As part of my DVD Menu Research, I completed the research on the

• Resources and Budget - Involves how much a graphic designer chargers a day and per project.
• Techniques - Techniques using Photoshop and Encore.
• Legal and Ethical Considerations - Representation of individuals and groups. Copyright notice / warning. Permission from individuals to use pictures or videos of them.

Production Pitch
I started producing a Production Pitch on Photoshop. It will include information about the production of the product and the planning stages that have been done to reach the final product.

12-10-2010 DVD Menu Research

Client and Audience Needs

Today, as part of our DVD Menu Design project, I completed the client and audience needs, and also completed the target audience parts in college time. Out of college hours, I completed the Flowchart for the 6 DVD Menu screens and also added some extra annotation to my sketches to improve the quality of them. Completing these tasks kept me up to date with my work which will help me in the production stage of the project.

12-10-2010 Encore Tutorial

 Exercises

To further our experience and knowledge with using Encore, we completed a task which involved creating a menu screen in Photoshop and then importing it as a menu to encore. This was good because it gives us practice of what we will be doing in the future when creating our Menus.

Week 5

07-10-2010 Encore Tutorial

 Exercises

To further our understanding of encore, we completed exercise 1 independently. This exercise involved importing video and linking it to a menu.

Steps taken to complete exercise

• Create a new project on our external hard drives.
• Set up the project correctly by selecting the correct settings such as choosing DVD, and setting PAL as the Television Standard.
• Next thing was to import the video as a timeline.
• After having done this, I selected the blue notes menu as my front end menu.
• I then selected the first button of the menu and used the pickwhip tool to link the button to the video file.
• Then, I set the Menu as first play by clearing first play from the video file, and setting first play to the menu. First play is indicated by a little yellow arrow in the top right hand corner.
• We then previewed the menu,and exited the preview.
• After this , we checked the menu and video and it listed end action not set as a problem. To resolve this, I set the blue notes menu as the end action so after the video stopped, the menu screen shows. This was done by using the pickwhip tool. I dragged the pickwhip from the end action to the blue notes menu.

 One of the most useful things I have learnt from this exercise was how to set up a new project. This screen shot is of the set-up screen with the settings set correctly. The naming of the project is up to the user.

07-10-2010 Digital Graphics

Photoshop User Guide

 We gathered information today to put in our Photoshop user guide. We had to research...

• the difference between the file formats .bmp , .psd , .jpg , .tif , .gif
• the differences between Raster and Vector images
• how images are displayed on screen compared to paper ( CMYK and RGB colour modes )
• explain the different ways to capture an image eg scanners, memory cards, cameras, and the different resolutions that should be used to display captured images on the internet.

I gathered some information and made a start on my article, however I will need more time to complete it.

05-10-2010 DVD Menu Research

Contingency Plan

A contingency plan is a document that identifies potential problems and resolutions specific to what is being created or produced. We produced a contingency plan specific to producing our DVD Menus. We listed three potential problems and resolutions under the three stages of production. The stages of production are...

• Pre-production (planning)
• Production (filming, photography)
• Post-production (editing)

This was very useful as it makes us think about how to avoid problems and what to do if they occur. Overall, I know this will make the project run more smoothly.

05-10-2010 DVD Menu Research

Initial Ideas

 
After producing the contingency plan, I came up with three initial ideas for my independent thriller themed DVD Menu. I came up with either a spy themed menu, a gambling themed menu, and a superhero themed menu.

05-10-2010 Encore Tutorial

 Introduction to Encore cs3

We looked at Adobe Encore cs3 software today, a package used to create DVD and Blu-ray projects. It was only a short workshop, giving us some time to get used to what the software does, by learning what tools and features are available, and we completed a short task of importing video and linking it to a play button. It looks like a good software package and I look forward to using it more.

Week 4

01-10-2010 DVD Menu Research

Initial Research

Today, as part of the production schedule for our DVD Menu we began researching information.

We were given the choice of independent thriller, independent horror, a childrens animation, or an independent sci-fi themed film. I chose the independent thriller/genre to gather information on.

01- 10 -2010 Graphics


Film Posters

Our film poster project came to a conclusion today. We printed them out and also saved them electronically to the student hard drive. I was happy with the way mine turned out and the way it looked when it had been printed.
          I have found this project really useful in teaching me the basics of Photoshop. I have learnt about the terminology, features, and I have also learnt shortcuts. All of these things will go towards being more experiences and technically proficient with Photoshop.

DVD Menu summary 30-09-2010

Today we improved our DVD menu summaries. We did this by peer marking our work and then adding and improving to our summaries. For task 1 of the DVD menu research assignment, I added more information on the different elements and conventions. For example, I added information about the inclusion of Easter eggs, typography, and image layers to my elements section and added information on the color conventions of various genres to the codes and conventions section of my summary.

28-09-2010 Graphics


Film Poster Production Recap

Recap
There are 3 things I will consider when designing the film poster. I will consider Iconography, color and composition, and the canvas set up. Iconography describes the symbols that describe the genre. This could be in the form of images used, icons or symbols, or the font of the text used. It is important to consider this because it is important to getting the right message and information to the audience. Color and composition describes what colors are used and how the poster is set up. The colors used tell a lot about the genre and theme of the film so it is important to consider color palettes. The composition describes the placement of the different features of a film poster. We considered the rule of thirds when designing our poster which involves thinking about the placement of different features to draw attention to certain points. Canvas set up describes what settings should be selected to set up the canvas that is appropriate to what we are making and if we are going to print it. We will take into consideration the size of the file.

Skills Profile

Skills Profile

Photoshop

• Initial Skills and Knowledge

Before starting the course I had no experience or knowlege about Photoshop.

• Targets

Whilst producing the DVD Menu, I want to learn about the different features of Photoshop. This includes learning the correct use of the tools available. I also want to gain as much experience using the software as possible, which will help me easily navigate around the software.

• Review of skills

After having produced the menus in Photoshop, I have gained knowledge of the different tools available. One of the tools I used most frequently was the magic lassoo tool, a tool that allows the user to cut out an image by moving the mouse around the image. The tool moves from pixel to pixel, following the outline of the image. I have also gained a lot of experience, which has helped me find my way around the software easily.


Encore

• Initial Skills and Knowledge

Before starting the project, I had no experience or knowledge about Encore.

• Targets

Whilst completing the project , I hope to learn about the different tools available to use, and also learn my way around the software so that I know where all the tools and features are for easier use.

• Review of Skills

After producing a final DVD Menu, I have now learnt how to import the files correctly, and use the correct techniques. For example, I now know how to link my pages. I found it useful to link the page in the timeline window. This way is very clear to the user as it shows which menus are linked. As for the linking of the menus, I learnt how to use the Pickwhip tool correctly. The Pickwhip tool is the feature that links the menus together.

Week 3

24-09-10 Photoshop Tutorial

Annotation

After finishing the mood board, I scanned it in and saved it. We were then taught how to annotate the mood board using photoshop. We did this by adding text, explaining colour scheme choice, and how the mood board relates to our film poster. I wrote about my colour scheme choice of black, white, grey, and red, and how this reflects the genre and theme of the poster I will create.


23-09-10 Internet Browsing

Today, we discussed search engines and added some to our favourites under a seach engines folder, and we also talked about the importance of only gathering information from a reliable source. We added some Media websites to our favourites that we can gather information from. Some of the sites we added were . . .

• http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/
• http://www.cnn.com/
• http://www.ofcom.org.uk/
• http://www.youtube.com/
• http://www.itv.com/
• http://www.imdb.com/

We also browsed through newspaper websites and added them to our favourites in a newspaper folder. This type of Media will keep us up to date with news and stories.

DVD Menu design and authoring Task 2

As research for Task 2 of DVD Menu design and authoring, we got information on regional coding, why its used, and the advantages to the producer. We also got information on different DVD formats and different sound formats. We were asked to complete Task 2 as homework.

21-09-2010 Photoshop Tutorial.

Introduction to Photoshop cs3

Today, Harry gave us our first Photoshop tutorial. Because of our project on movie posters, we discussed the rule of thirds, which concerns the layout of the graphics, and the colour scheme used to create a flowing poster. We also talked about how opposite colours can be used to make thinks stand out more. To begin with our tutorial, we selected an image on a neutral background from the internet .I chose a pineapple. To begin editing, you must ....

• Use browser to locate the file.
• Select file, new
• Choose international paper, Color mode - CMYK color, and set image resolution to 100 to decrease the size of the image.

After opening the image, we had a play around with different features to familiarize us with what can be done. I found some really good features and cant wait to use it for a project.

Shortcuts and Terminology
Shortcuts and Terminology of Photoshop are important to know because they will increase our knowledge and how well we work with the software. It is also important so that when we are working for clients in the industry, we have lots of experience with the software.

Shortcuts
Undo - ctrl , z
Undo 2 steps - ctrl , alt, z
Deselect - ctrl , d
Zoom in to our canvas - ctrl , +
Zoom out of our canvas - ctrl , -

Terminology
Canvas - This is the area we will create and edit whatever we are making.
Tools Palette - This provides us with features we can use to edit graphics and images.
Layers Palette - This is the area that manages the different layers of our final creation.



21-09-2010 Graphics


Mood Board Production

We carried on with our mood boards, adding more images and related text. I began on a second mood board to reflect the horror theme of my film poster. I included lots of black, white, and grey images from previous horror and thriller films, and included bright images of red to break up the black and white. I chose red to draw attention to the details of my poster.
 

Week 2

Graphics

Film Posters

To further our study of film posters, we started to draw three sketches of film posters that we would decide between when creating our final poster. My first drawing was of a woman looking at the screen, holding a hand of cards over the bottom of her face, so that only her eyes were visible. I wanted the feeling of mystery and hidden identity which the covering of the face acheives. While giving connotations of luck and fortune, linking the poster to gambling, the colors red and black will be used to break up the black and white theme, which will draw attention to the details of the poster. I want to create a gambling thriller genre which the inclusion of these features will help display.

16-09-10 DVD Menu Design


Terminology

As a way of introducing us to DVD Menu design and authoring, we studied DVD Terminology. This includes the Functions and Elements such as buttons , images and text, Codes and Conventions, such as autoplay, parental control and subtitles, techniques and planning, including rollover buttons and links, and production and preparation which involves such things as storyboards. As a way of furthering our understanding of the topic, we looked at 4 current DVD Menus and found out what was included in them. We then independently looked at some other DVD Menus and picket out the elements and codes and conventions used. After this research , we were set the task of summarizing our findings. This was to be in the form of a report.

17-09-10 Graphics

Research of current film posters

We annotated our film posters and gave them some final further details. Because of our previous experience of annotating current film posters, I found annotating my own easy because I knew what to include to give a professional feel to the posters.

17-09-10 Graphics

Mood Board Production

When compiling images, text and color for my mood board, I focused on the theme of conflicting ideas, images and the way opposites can be used for effect. One way in which I did this was sticking oppositely themed images onto each other. I was able to complete about a third of my mood board in the lesson but will need to continue creating it in other lesson time to complete it. I also had began to think about creating a second mood board to reflect the colours i will be using for my poster. I decided on a simple colour scheme consisting of black, white, and grey with red to draw attention to the details. From studying different colour schemes, I know that this selection of colours gives connotations of horror, death, and blood. Also the black, white, and grey give connotations of old style films.

Week 1

 What do I want to find out?

By doing this Interactive Media Course, I want to find out and be more than competent in different techniques of media production, develop a further understanding of the career pathways available with the business, and also to reach a higher level of creative thinking. I also plan to join both the journalist club and also the filming club. The journalist club will be important to give me more knowledge about the methods used to write and to add to my experience. The filming club will be important to give me knowledge of the techniques and methods used to plan and produce film. I am really looking forward to both.


Youtube Ads / Socio Economic Groupings

We were asked to watch four examples of TV adverts on Youtube.We were then asked to identify the product, identify the target audience, and describe the target audience. One way in which we were asked to describe the target audience was by looking at socio-economic groupings and find out which grouping, or groupings the advert is targeted at. These grouping are graded in order of their social status with upper middle class at the top and those at the lowest income at the bottom eg pensioners, and people on benefits. We also described the target audience by deciding the sex, gender, and age the adverts are directed at.


Graphics

Film Poster Research

We were asked to look at some posters from existing films and find out what goes into a film poster such as the colours used to create moods, different fonts, and images to show themes and give clues about the film. We did this by looking at an already annotated film poster to provide an example of what we would look for when annotating posters by ourselves. This was good practice for being able to read film posters and what is trying to be conveyed to the audience through the poster. We were then asked to start thinking about designing our own film posters.

Film : ' Grown Ups '

We went out to the cinema with the class to watch the film Grown Ups. The film seemed to appeal to different audiences. The cast that includes Chris Rock and Adam Sandler would appeal to comedy fans immediately because of how big these actors/comedians are. As the story went on, it seemed as though the film was aimed at  a middle aged audience as well because of the plot, which told the story of a reunion of childhood friends, a scenario that slightly older people could relate to. The film included comedic situations which was well suited to the cast however a few to many one liner jokes that asked for cheap laughs from the audience let it down in some ways.