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.