After the presentation
I have just come out of the presentation, I feel it went pretty well, I got my point across well and got to see some fantastic pieces.
I don't feel the video in the dome really worked as well as I'd have liked it to, the main problem was it was my piece before I'd fine tuned it so there were a lot of errors that were fixed in the final piece (Below)
This final piece again isn't properly dome corrected which means some of the effect is lost. I feel the 3D effect of the opening explosion was also lost in the render for some reason as before it was rendered the particles came towards the screen but they just sort of blur in the current version.
Overall it could have gone a lot better but at least I had a film to present which wasn't the case this time last week.
The Final Piece which wasn't shown in the dome.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Finished Article
Overall I feel my project has gone pretty well but there has been some problems along the way. The main problem I had during this project was the fact I was using a Mac to make my project, this meant that the dome plug in wouldn't work on my computer and I had to find a PC user to finish the project, transferring the files was a problem and I did lose a few files.
I have made most of the project using Trapcode Particulator I feel this plug in had the best range of effects I could portray, the problem with using this plug in was that I used the demo which left a large X on the screen when played back, Whilst it doesn't really detract from the film I feel it is quite unattractive for the viewer.
Another problem I found I had was the file was extremely big (7.5GB) this was because I was forced to use avi file format by the computer. The result of this was a long process which was made even harder by my external HD being formatted to FAT32 so I had to compress the file and then unzip it afterward, wasting precious time.
In the end the size wasn't an issue although audio had to be applied separately for it to run smoothly.
A majorly disappointing aspect of the video for me was simply an issue of choosing the wrong file, I had two versions of the film rendered before truncating, one which had an audio waveform animation which I added last minute and the original video. For some reason I selected the wrong video ( or the waveform didn't render correctly) by the time I'd realised I'd already handed the work in. This meant the end of my film is pretty boring and doesn't really flow with the music in the way the rest does as it is a very simple animation in its place.
Whilst I did have all these issues one big positives was getting to know the plug in and successfully making a film related to synethesisa to be played in the immersive dome.
If I did the project again I feel that I'd manage my time better and make sure I can complete all the challenges I set myself and have a plan for if I can't!
I have made most of the project using Trapcode Particulator I feel this plug in had the best range of effects I could portray, the problem with using this plug in was that I used the demo which left a large X on the screen when played back, Whilst it doesn't really detract from the film I feel it is quite unattractive for the viewer.
Another problem I found I had was the file was extremely big (7.5GB) this was because I was forced to use avi file format by the computer. The result of this was a long process which was made even harder by my external HD being formatted to FAT32 so I had to compress the file and then unzip it afterward, wasting precious time.
In the end the size wasn't an issue although audio had to be applied separately for it to run smoothly.
A majorly disappointing aspect of the video for me was simply an issue of choosing the wrong file, I had two versions of the film rendered before truncating, one which had an audio waveform animation which I added last minute and the original video. For some reason I selected the wrong video ( or the waveform didn't render correctly) by the time I'd realised I'd already handed the work in. This meant the end of my film is pretty boring and doesn't really flow with the music in the way the rest does as it is a very simple animation in its place.
Whilst I did have all these issues one big positives was getting to know the plug in and successfully making a film related to synethesisa to be played in the immersive dome.
If I did the project again I feel that I'd manage my time better and make sure I can complete all the challenges I set myself and have a plan for if I can't!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The New Idea 2
Now I fully have the idea of Synethesisa as my topic I need to find some subjects to interview about their experiences with the condition.
I will also show both of them the song which i am using and asking for the feelings they get when listening. I will use this as the main basis for what is on screen in my project.
I have two friends, both unconnected to one and other from different cities (London and Stafford) this means that the two have had completely different life experiences.
(I have changed the names of the subjects to protect their identity)
Steven (Staffordshire) Sees letters and numbers as colours, and to a lesser extent also gets smells when I sees certain things (such as fish and chips and the sea when he sees the beach)
Me: Hi Steven, When were you diagnosed with synesthesia?
Steven: I was told by my GP I have a mild form of synesthesia at age 16 but I've always imagined letters and numbers as colours from when I was a child, I thought everyone saw the same thing so didn't think anything of it
Me: It has been said that synesthesia is more of an advantage than a hinderence when it comes to art, do you agree with this theory?
Steven: I can see why people would say that, I'm currently studying film and I'd say I have a more creative mind than most other students, but when it comes to the basics like maths it can be hard to imagine for example 5 which is red and 1 which is blue make 6 which is yellow. Its hard to get my head around them not actually making purple (7) sometimes I have to use my fingers to do simple maths which made it very hard when it came to GCSE's, a page full of numbers looked more like a rainbow than a test paper.
Me: So would you say you use your synethesia to influence your films?
Steven: I've never really thought about that before but now you mention it, if I'm looking for film locations, say on a computer or in a book if I see something that sets off a smell, I'd pay more attention to this then I would to other things.
Me: Do you tell people about your condition? If so how to they react?
Steven: Its not the first thing I tell someone but it does come up once I get to know someone, when I first told my housemates I told them I had a neuolgical condition which did raise some eyebrows to start but once I explained they seemed very non-pulsed about it. I remember now to explain the symptoms before I freak them out!
Me: I'm going to play you a piece of music now, can you write down what you think of when you hear it?
Steven: I see bursts of colour on the crashes of the symbol, lots of dots of light of different bright colours. I think the middle of the song gives a feeling like you're falling or sinking. The end is yellow and the last 10 seconds sounds like its going from side to side.
Danielle (London) Music to Colours and Time to colour
Me: Hi Danielle, When were you diagnosed with synesthesia?
Danielle: I've never actually been diagnosed but I do have it, I don't find it a problem so I don't think theres any point in going to the doctor about it.
Me: It has been said that synesthesia can be a positive thing in peoples lives clearly you don't find it a problem, but would you say its helped you in your life?
Danielle: Its never really had a massive impact on my life, when I used to play guitar it helped me learn the music as all the chords and pitches had a different colour which meant I knew when my guitar was out of tune without a tuner! So I suppose it saved me some money! (laughs)
Me: If synethesia was so helpful when playing music why didn't you continue?
Danielle: It just wasn't interesting to me, I probably could have become a great guitar player if I enjoyed it but its just not my thing, I prefer to just listen.
Me: When listening to music what sort of colours do you see? Is it the mood of the music that effects what you see or the instruments used or something else?
Danielle: I'd say the mood is the main factor, but everyone relates music to things, I relate acoustic music to summer, which makes me think of the sun and therefore yellow. But the tone of the instruments also effects it, a song with a high pitch would have a white colour while slower music is grey.
Me: Thanks Danielle, I'm going to play you a piece of music now, can you write down what you think of when you hear it?
Danielle: This song is quite varied in colour, the beginning sort of comes towards you then crashes yellow and orange. The rest of the song sort of goes along in waves of blue, changes to to a warm sort of brown or orange, then ends red and fades away with the music.
I will also show both of them the song which i am using and asking for the feelings they get when listening. I will use this as the main basis for what is on screen in my project.
I have two friends, both unconnected to one and other from different cities (London and Stafford) this means that the two have had completely different life experiences.
(I have changed the names of the subjects to protect their identity)
Steven (Staffordshire) Sees letters and numbers as colours, and to a lesser extent also gets smells when I sees certain things (such as fish and chips and the sea when he sees the beach)
Me: Hi Steven, When were you diagnosed with synesthesia?
Steven: I was told by my GP I have a mild form of synesthesia at age 16 but I've always imagined letters and numbers as colours from when I was a child, I thought everyone saw the same thing so didn't think anything of it
Me: It has been said that synesthesia is more of an advantage than a hinderence when it comes to art, do you agree with this theory?
Steven: I can see why people would say that, I'm currently studying film and I'd say I have a more creative mind than most other students, but when it comes to the basics like maths it can be hard to imagine for example 5 which is red and 1 which is blue make 6 which is yellow. Its hard to get my head around them not actually making purple (7) sometimes I have to use my fingers to do simple maths which made it very hard when it came to GCSE's, a page full of numbers looked more like a rainbow than a test paper.
Me: So would you say you use your synethesia to influence your films?
Steven: I've never really thought about that before but now you mention it, if I'm looking for film locations, say on a computer or in a book if I see something that sets off a smell, I'd pay more attention to this then I would to other things.
Me: Do you tell people about your condition? If so how to they react?
Steven: Its not the first thing I tell someone but it does come up once I get to know someone, when I first told my housemates I told them I had a neuolgical condition which did raise some eyebrows to start but once I explained they seemed very non-pulsed about it. I remember now to explain the symptoms before I freak them out!
Me: I'm going to play you a piece of music now, can you write down what you think of when you hear it?
Steven: I see bursts of colour on the crashes of the symbol, lots of dots of light of different bright colours. I think the middle of the song gives a feeling like you're falling or sinking. The end is yellow and the last 10 seconds sounds like its going from side to side.
Danielle (London) Music to Colours and Time to colour
Me: Hi Danielle, When were you diagnosed with synesthesia?
Danielle: I've never actually been diagnosed but I do have it, I don't find it a problem so I don't think theres any point in going to the doctor about it.
Me: It has been said that synesthesia can be a positive thing in peoples lives clearly you don't find it a problem, but would you say its helped you in your life?
Danielle: Its never really had a massive impact on my life, when I used to play guitar it helped me learn the music as all the chords and pitches had a different colour which meant I knew when my guitar was out of tune without a tuner! So I suppose it saved me some money! (laughs)
Me: If synethesia was so helpful when playing music why didn't you continue?
Danielle: It just wasn't interesting to me, I probably could have become a great guitar player if I enjoyed it but its just not my thing, I prefer to just listen.
Me: When listening to music what sort of colours do you see? Is it the mood of the music that effects what you see or the instruments used or something else?
Danielle: I'd say the mood is the main factor, but everyone relates music to things, I relate acoustic music to summer, which makes me think of the sun and therefore yellow. But the tone of the instruments also effects it, a song with a high pitch would have a white colour while slower music is grey.
Me: Thanks Danielle, I'm going to play you a piece of music now, can you write down what you think of when you hear it?
Danielle: This song is quite varied in colour, the beginning sort of comes towards you then crashes yellow and orange. The rest of the song sort of goes along in waves of blue, changes to to a warm sort of brown or orange, then ends red and fades away with the music.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The New Idea
My idea as I have previously written is to make a music based piece, I have now chosen my song, I am going to use, which is Come Down on Me by Lemon Jelly as you can see, the video is already a graphics based piece I am going to watch this video for inspiration to my own idea.
I have cut the song down to a 1 minute version, encompassing the start of the song, the part the music kicks in and the end, I feel I probably could have done a better job of editing the song if I had experience editing music but this was my first time.
I am going to use a similar technique as to the one seen in the recent adverts for Ford Focus (see below) the adverts use coloured lines around the car to emphasise motion I am going to use similar lines, created in After Effects. The lines will be on a random path, with a camera and a light used to give the video a 3D effect, I will move the camera around the lines to give the effect of motion around the dome, I hope this won't give a sea sick like feeling to the audience but this will be hard to determine until I get the video up in the dome.
I have cut the song down to a 1 minute version, encompassing the start of the song, the part the music kicks in and the end, I feel I probably could have done a better job of editing the song if I had experience editing music but this was my first time.
I am going to use a similar technique as to the one seen in the recent adverts for Ford Focus (see below) the adverts use coloured lines around the car to emphasise motion I am going to use similar lines, created in After Effects. The lines will be on a random path, with a camera and a light used to give the video a 3D effect, I will move the camera around the lines to give the effect of motion around the dome, I hope this won't give a sea sick like feeling to the audience but this will be hard to determine until I get the video up in the dome.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Test
I have done a test of the tree design I am going to do, to do this I am going to use Adobe After Effects and Photoshop, the tree is in a silhouette style which I feel would work well in the dome, to make this I have used a simple key, mask and transparency effects, whilst simple its also very time consuming which means I will have to give a lot of time to this part of the project. After viewing the test I feel that I may use colour, as it will work well to show the change of seasons and also to make the leaves stand out from the branches as the silhouette leaves have the effect of bumps in the branches.
Below is a test render of the growing leaves effect.
I’m now planning on not having the tree grow at all but instead just having the leaves from the tree blowing off of the tree. This is because I am now going to be focusing on the season of Autumn as I feel this will give the most interesting effects for the dome, I am going to mainly work with the things people associate with Autumn such as Guy Fawkes night, Halloween and the weather.
Below is a test render of the tree effect.
Having tested this method in the dome I feel it doesn’t work as well as I’d hoped, the tree doesn’t look as professional as I’d hoped and the motion of the leaves isn’t very noticeable, sadly I am now lacking on time as I’ve made so many changes, I therefore am going to change the idea quite dramatically, the film is now going to be a music based video using graphics, I am going to use the colours to reflect the sounds in the music but I am not going to be using the seasons any more as I am running out of time and am going to end up without a film to show!
I now have to find a song that will fit well, my first choice is Space Walk by Lemon Jelly, this song has quite a relaxing beat but does change into a faster pace part way through I think this sort of song would work well for a visual music piece as the change of pace could be reflected well in the visuals, I want to use a piece without singing but I feel speech will work well, I think that singing would put people off from the visuals but the music with possible speech would work well with the visuals.
I am going to keep on the theme of Synesthesia as I have already done a lot of research on the subject, I will try to use colours that reflect the sounds in the music, and if there is any speech I will write these words on the screen and try to use colours to reflect the key words meaning for example, if there are words such as love or hate I will try to show them reflected in a way someone with Synesthesia see them.
I would like to try and use the visuals that I have already put the time into making like the fireworks and the fire effects and will try to find somewhere to fit them in. I believe the fireworks will work especially well when the music increases in pace.
As I have started with after effects I feel that I should finish now, I want to make some 3D visuals with after effects to give a true immersive effect for the audience.
Below is a test render of the growing leaves effect.
I’m now planning on not having the tree grow at all but instead just having the leaves from the tree blowing off of the tree. This is because I am now going to be focusing on the season of Autumn as I feel this will give the most interesting effects for the dome, I am going to mainly work with the things people associate with Autumn such as Guy Fawkes night, Halloween and the weather.
Below is a test render of the tree effect.
Having tested this method in the dome I feel it doesn’t work as well as I’d hoped, the tree doesn’t look as professional as I’d hoped and the motion of the leaves isn’t very noticeable, sadly I am now lacking on time as I’ve made so many changes, I therefore am going to change the idea quite dramatically, the film is now going to be a music based video using graphics, I am going to use the colours to reflect the sounds in the music but I am not going to be using the seasons any more as I am running out of time and am going to end up without a film to show!
I now have to find a song that will fit well, my first choice is Space Walk by Lemon Jelly, this song has quite a relaxing beat but does change into a faster pace part way through I think this sort of song would work well for a visual music piece as the change of pace could be reflected well in the visuals, I want to use a piece without singing but I feel speech will work well, I think that singing would put people off from the visuals but the music with possible speech would work well with the visuals.
I am going to keep on the theme of Synesthesia as I have already done a lot of research on the subject, I will try to use colours that reflect the sounds in the music, and if there is any speech I will write these words on the screen and try to use colours to reflect the key words meaning for example, if there are words such as love or hate I will try to show them reflected in a way someone with Synesthesia see them.
I would like to try and use the visuals that I have already put the time into making like the fireworks and the fire effects and will try to find somewhere to fit them in. I believe the fireworks will work especially well when the music increases in pace.
As I have started with after effects I feel that I should finish now, I want to make some 3D visuals with after effects to give a true immersive effect for the audience.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Pre Production
Below I am going to list my ideas I have for each season, I might not use every one but having them in a list will mean I have choices.
For my production I am going to use a tree throughout the film, the tree will change with the seasons, growing leaves, buds, the buds turning into flowers, before the tree starts to wilt, icicles form on the tree, melt and the animation returns to its original state. In addition to this I will have further items to add to the animation, all the things will be related to the season I am trying to portray. Below I am going to list the ideas I have for each season.
Spring
I think I am going to include rabbits, and other animals related to spring, and possibly other plants growing.
Birdsong
Summer
For summer I believe I am going to use a beach sort of scene along with the tree, if this isn’t achievable I will try to include something else summer related, such as the sun.
Seagulls
Seaside
Autumn
Autumn will be full of brown and orange colours, I will possibly use a bonfire or rain effect, and maybe even fireworks, I feel this will probably be the most technical of the season and I may actually give it a slightly longer time on screen because of this.
Rain
Winter
I am going to use pale colours for winter, sticking with a theme of snow and ice, with snowmen, footprints in the snow and other things which people relate to winter.
Snowsteps
I want to use as many sound effects as possible to keep people interested in what is going on, on the screen, I may record some of my own sounds using a Marantz recorder or use sounds I find online, this will be determined by how long the animation takes to design. I may also use music in the film, depending on how effective the sound effects are; the music will not have lyrics and will be very subtle.
Another effect I’m going to add is a very slow zoom on the tree, this gives an effect of animation, this method is used in interviews just to keep the views interest as there is a slight amount of motion.
For my production I am going to use a tree throughout the film, the tree will change with the seasons, growing leaves, buds, the buds turning into flowers, before the tree starts to wilt, icicles form on the tree, melt and the animation returns to its original state. In addition to this I will have further items to add to the animation, all the things will be related to the season I am trying to portray. Below I am going to list the ideas I have for each season.
Spring
I think I am going to include rabbits, and other animals related to spring, and possibly other plants growing.
Birdsong
Summer
For summer I believe I am going to use a beach sort of scene along with the tree, if this isn’t achievable I will try to include something else summer related, such as the sun.
Seagulls
Seaside
Autumn
Autumn will be full of brown and orange colours, I will possibly use a bonfire or rain effect, and maybe even fireworks, I feel this will probably be the most technical of the season and I may actually give it a slightly longer time on screen because of this.
Rain
Winter
I am going to use pale colours for winter, sticking with a theme of snow and ice, with snowmen, footprints in the snow and other things which people relate to winter.
Snowsteps
I want to use as many sound effects as possible to keep people interested in what is going on, on the screen, I may record some of my own sounds using a Marantz recorder or use sounds I find online, this will be determined by how long the animation takes to design. I may also use music in the film, depending on how effective the sound effects are; the music will not have lyrics and will be very subtle.
Another effect I’m going to add is a very slow zoom on the tree, this gives an effect of animation, this method is used in interviews just to keep the views interest as there is a slight amount of motion.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Research
Research in PDF
The Research
An example of this is relating colours and letters of the alphabet, every synesthesiae experiences the phenomenon in different ways, so everyone has a different perception of what they see.
For example a study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) showed that two synesthesiae from completely different backgrounds had entirely dissimilar experiences, below are how the two women perceived the alphabet in colours.
In some circles Synaesthesia is seen as a benefit, rather than a hindrance on life, a good example of this came in “SEED” magazine on December 13, 2006, in which there was an article about Marcia Smilack a female photographer with a rare type of Synaesthesia effecting all her senses, meaning she might see a cottage and taste iced cream or smell the sea and taste fish and chips etc, she used this experience to her benefit “waiting for something in her peripheral vision to evoke the sound of a cello in her ears or the feel of satin on her skin. When it does, she stops, points her camera at the water, and waits to hear or feel it again. Then she shoots her picture.” I feel that Synaesthesia, especially of this severity means that the sufferer has a much more vivid memory of events in their life, as when people without Synaesthesia see something from their past it might evoke a memory of a smell, Marcia’s’ experience is just a much stronger version of that phenomenon.
I feel this will work well in the “Immersive Vision Theatre” where we will be showing our projects. I’d like to make full use of the surround sound, and curved dome along with vivid colour.
The film we are making can only be one minute long which limits the depth I can go
into the study, I therefore will probably focus on one element, probably the way people relate sound and colour to each other. I am probably going to make the project using After Effects and Photoshop as I have the most experience with these programs and they will work well for the effects I’m trying to put across. I have looked into Synesthesia related to the four seasons, with colours, and effects related to each of these. I will give 25 seconds for each of the seasons; this means I am going to have some fast effects on the screen. I will also use music and sound effects that people relate to the seasons.
I have found colour charts for each of the seasons (below) that I will use to pick my colours in my production.
As you can see the colours for each season reflect the colours in nature at the same time. The winter colours are mostly greys and blues, this is similar the the ice and snow, also the light at that time of year has a blueness to it. Summer has reds, blues and browns, the reds are representative of the sun, the blues of the sea and the browns, and yellows show the colour of the light.
Autumn has rich warm colours, this is similar to the way people imagine autumn with bonfires, brown leaves and trees and cosy nights in! Spring has fresh bright colours which as similar to the colour of trees at the time, and is what people think of when they think of new baby animals.
As I have such a short period of time I will probably use a voice-over, this will help explain what is going on, on the screen without the viewer having to try and work it out, it also means I can use more abstract visuals on the screen.
The Research
An example of this is relating colours and letters of the alphabet, every synesthesiae experiences the phenomenon in different ways, so everyone has a different perception of what they see.
For example a study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) showed that two synesthesiae from completely different backgrounds had entirely dissimilar experiences, below are how the two women perceived the alphabet in colours.
In some circles Synaesthesia is seen as a benefit, rather than a hindrance on life, a good example of this came in “SEED” magazine on December 13, 2006, in which there was an article about Marcia Smilack a female photographer with a rare type of Synaesthesia effecting all her senses, meaning she might see a cottage and taste iced cream or smell the sea and taste fish and chips etc, she used this experience to her benefit “waiting for something in her peripheral vision to evoke the sound of a cello in her ears or the feel of satin on her skin. When it does, she stops, points her camera at the water, and waits to hear or feel it again. Then she shoots her picture.” I feel that Synaesthesia, especially of this severity means that the sufferer has a much more vivid memory of events in their life, as when people without Synaesthesia see something from their past it might evoke a memory of a smell, Marcia’s’ experience is just a much stronger version of that phenomenon.
I feel this will work well in the “Immersive Vision Theatre” where we will be showing our projects. I’d like to make full use of the surround sound, and curved dome along with vivid colour.
The film we are making can only be one minute long which limits the depth I can go
into the study, I therefore will probably focus on one element, probably the way people relate sound and colour to each other. I am probably going to make the project using After Effects and Photoshop as I have the most experience with these programs and they will work well for the effects I’m trying to put across. I have looked into Synesthesia related to the four seasons, with colours, and effects related to each of these. I will give 25 seconds for each of the seasons; this means I am going to have some fast effects on the screen. I will also use music and sound effects that people relate to the seasons.
I have found colour charts for each of the seasons (below) that I will use to pick my colours in my production.
As you can see the colours for each season reflect the colours in nature at the same time. The winter colours are mostly greys and blues, this is similar the the ice and snow, also the light at that time of year has a blueness to it. Summer has reds, blues and browns, the reds are representative of the sun, the blues of the sea and the browns, and yellows show the colour of the light.
Autumn has rich warm colours, this is similar to the way people imagine autumn with bonfires, brown leaves and trees and cosy nights in! Spring has fresh bright colours which as similar to the colour of trees at the time, and is what people think of when they think of new baby animals.
As I have such a short period of time I will probably use a voice-over, this will help explain what is going on, on the screen without the viewer having to try and work it out, it also means I can use more abstract visuals on the screen.
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