Assignment 2 Improved Again

There wasn't enough variation in my previous version, as the background of some photos were similar (e.g. making the bed in the bedroom and throwing the jacket on the bed). Hence I re-took some photos to show different backgrounds.

Here're the photos I decided to use from the previous version.

I decided on the coffee photo as it shows the context better (i.e. it's clearer the photo was taken in the kitchen. Next are the photos I re-took.

Instead of throwing the jacket on the bed, I thought I can pick up my shoes from the shoe rack and throw them on the floor (before I wear them and leave the house). The throwing action can then provide an opportunity for freeze action. The background will be more different from the other photos too.

I had to try a few camera settings (aperture, ISO, shutter speed) before I could get the exposure I want. This was because the lighting conditions were rather dark. I also couldn't take the photo from the side (instead of top down) as there will be backlight from the balcony or from the front of my house. This was the best shot I got, but like some of the previous photos, the shoes are slightly blur. Nevertheless, I hope they convey a sense of motion and make the photo (as well as the mundane activity of wearing shoes) more interesting.

This photo does not have to come at the end of the series and make the series sequential. Since my theme is everyday life, which is not limited to mornings, this photo can come after or before the next: I can check Facebook before I go out, or after I come home. I can even make myself coffee after I come home. The making bed photo can come after the coffee or Facebook photo too, as some people may make their beds after they had breakfast, just before they change and leave the house.

I re-took this photo because the context wasn't obvious in the previous one. I actually took that in the living room too. This photo, however, shows more of the sofa and even some parts of the balcony, which makes it look more different than the others.

Assignment 2 Improved

For my improved version, I removed the mobile phone from my photos, as I realized some of my classmates had similar execution methods. Instead of using color to differentiate how life looks more interesting through the camera lenses of the mobile phone, I took freeze action of everyday activities to make my photos look more interesting.

I took these photos with my digital camera though, as I realized it is rather difficult to capture nice photos with blur motion or freeze action with the phone camera. Nevertheless, the eye for interesting details in mundane, everyday activities comes from the keitai phenomenon, and who is to say if the phone camera cannot capture photos with similar quality in the future? ;)

Similar to my previous version, I took a photo about waking up in the morning. The freeze action comes from making the bed.

I actually asked my mum to help me spread the blanket. I chose this as I thought the shape of the blanket looks better than the rest. The room looks rather messy but I guess that makes it more natural than the previous photo where I placed a teddy bear on my bed, which looks poised.

Initially I wanted to keep the photo about brushing teeth, but I realized that water is hardly noticeable against the white surface of my sink. Hence I had to come up with another idea. In an attempt to find inspiration, I searched for images about morning routines on the Internet. While I didn't find anything very helpful, I noticed some websites talked about not checking emails or SMSes the first thing in the morning. This led me to think about checking emails or Facebook on the mobile phone, which in turn made me realize that the interface of the Facebook app on the iPhone flips when you log in. I thought capturing the flip can be counted as freeze action as it the app doesn't stop in mid-flip.

This photo can have different interpretations. It can be a more interesting way of saying how engaging with the mobile phone seeps into our everyday routine. It can also be placed at the end of this series of photos to show that all these mundane photos inevitably get posted on Facebook, which relates to the keitai phenomenon of sharing photos of everyday life.

Although the Facebook app has one of the slowest transitions of all the apps I have on my phone (which doesn't add up to a lot ;)), I still had to try quite a lot of times before I captured this photo as I don't know when is the exact time the app will flip. Even with sequential shots, the app will sometimes flip between two shots and I would still be unable to capture a shot in mid-flip.

For the breakfast photo, I took Hanis's suggestion and took a freeze action photo of cereal being poured into a bowl. I also took another one that shows my dad making coffee. Some freeze action shots look more like motion blur though. This is because my house is rather dark, and a higher shutter speed will give me darker photos (that are so dark that they will look unnatural when edited with Photoshop). Nevertheless, I think the sense of motion makes the photos interesting. I am undecided between the photos though.

The first cereal photo is clearer than the other two, but the second cereal photo shows bigger action. As the shutter speed had to be higher for the cereal photos, I had to move the bowl to the living room, where it was brighter. But the living room seems out of context for the cereal? On the other hand, although the coffee photo looks more natural as it was taken in the kitchen, it is rather blur. I'm not sure if a blur motion photo will look out of place as the rest are freeze action. Haha I need comments :)

My last photo is a more dynamic version of the previous one, where I was deciding on what to wear.

I chose this photo as I think the hand provides the context and makes the photo more natural. There is also color contrast.

The photos are not sequential as different people have different morning routines. For example, some people may check Facebook before they make their bed (if they make their beds at all ;)), and some may change their clothes before they eat breakfast.

Assignment 1 and 3 Improved

Here's my updated Assignment 1 (SDOF) with a more interesting subject, I hope.

This is a cute little squirrel made of wood. My dad placed it on a wooden log, and I think it's quite interesting to frame it with a leaf from a plant placed nearby. This is a canted shot, though it's not obvious. I did a bit of editing to reduce the effect of back lighting.

*I'll redo Assignment 2 again, I'm working on Assignment 3 first as there is more to change.

For Assignment 3, the feedback was that the theme of materialism was not obvious. The money in the collage are too subtle and the scene is too calm to portray the encroachment of materialism. Jing suggested I can do something with the flying ArtScience Museum(s) instead. She said they look like lanterns, which is interesting as this manipulates the structure of the buildings. Hence I should elaborate on these lanterns instead, and portray a romantic feel. I can also add mythical flying creatures to bring out the "fantasy" part of the montage, since mythical creatures don't exist in reality.

I think this is interesting, as I (and probably some of my classmates) initially thought that our assignment has to bring out some big issues, but by concentrating on simpler concepts (e.g. manipulating the structure of the ArtScience Museum) we can bring out the theme of urban fantasy too.

Here's my improved version:

Generally, I did what Jing suggested, but instead of a shadow, I turned the mythical creatures, the Pegasus (flying horse) and the fairy, into constellations instead. I think this blends in more with my night sky.

Here're the links to my 5 images:
ArtScience Museum: Original
Moon: http://www.flickr.com/photos/springfieldhomer/63766256/
Pegasus: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13521837@N00/2468089142/
Fairy: Original (hand-drawn by my friend for another module)

Clouds: Original

* Note: Since this assignment is on appropriation, which means we can take photos from other sources, I hope the timeline does not matter, as although the fairy and clouds are drawn and taken before this semester, I only manipulated them today. If not I'll draw and take photos again (:/) though I hope to get feedback first...

Assignment 3

Our assignment was to create a digital collage/montage with a theme related to urban fantasy.

One of the first things that came to mind was materialism, as it is one of the problems more unique to the city (e.g. poorer rural areas are less concerned with material possessions when they have problems with day to day survival). Moreover, I had this photo from Assignment 1 in mind.

I intended to use it for deep depth of field but I chose the helix bridge instead, since this has nothing in the foreground that can be used as a reference point. However, I thought this photo looks rather nice, and since it's about the city, I can use it to depict urban fantasy.

Hence my idea for this assignment was to show the city being engulfed in materialistic pursuits, although the humans who live there may not be conscious of it. I did this by adding photos of money (coin and notes) onto the white spaces of the photo. In order to make the photo visually less crowded, I tweaked the original photo as well. Here is what I came up with:

(Note: Most of the montage was done before the last tutorial, Class Exercise 4, thus I probably did some of the editing the long way round. However, since I only started re-sizing the ArtScience Museum image yesterday, I converted it into a smart object ;))

I duplicated the ArtScience Museum photo a few times and separated the different elements. I had one layer of the water, one of the museum, and one of the background with the buildings and the night sky. I erased the buildings in the background of the ArtScience Museum, and re-sized the museum to isolate and bring more focus to it. I also made the background buildings smaller and used the stamp tool to fill up the resulting spaces. The opacity of the background buildings are then lowered.

Next, I put an image of a $1 coin into the sky. This functions as the moon, which can be interpreted as materialism being something urban dwellers look up to, since the moon is usually the first thing we see in the night sky as it is the brightest.

I then superimposed distorted images of notes onto the water, to make them seem as though they are floating in the water. They (as well as the coin) are deliberately out-of-proportion, to show that money overpowers the buildings, what's more the people (i.e. us) who live and work inside them. The notes layer are set to Vivid Light, Soft Light, or Overlay at different opacity to blend into the water.

I used money of $1-$10, and not $50 or more, to show that not only the rich are concerned with materialistic pursuits. I may change this if notes of $50 or more are more coherent with the ArtScience Museum photo, a place associated with the richer.

Lastly, I duplicated images of the ArtScience Museum, and changed their blending mode and opacity to make it look as though the museum is being drawn into the coin. I did this because I thought since the ArtScience Museum looks like a flower, and it is about the Arts, this may depict that nature and art are losing their significance to materialism. I'm not sure if I can edit anything to make the message clearer though, shall see how the critique session goes.

No humans are shown in the photo. This portrays the apathetic attitude towards materialism: as we do not see individuals in this macro view of the city (as a whole) being consumed by materialism, there is less motivation to change the way things are. The absence of humans can also show that people are generally unconscious of the negative effects of materialism that frame endless wants as needs. I think people find it difficult to relate to materialism as there is less human factor in general public discussion (e.g. as opposed to natural disasters, where people are filmed dying, which motivates others to help).

Here are the links to my images (I searched in Google Image first):
$1 coin: http://kforkiat.blogspot.com/2010/12/its-end-of-2011-one-more-day-to-go-for.html
$2 note: http://www.epier.com/BiddingFormDutch.asp?1859663
$5 note: http://notes.syazwan.com/2010/04/singapore-bank-notes.html
$10 note: http://notes.syazwan.com/2010/04/singapore-bank-notes.html
ArtScience Museum: Original

Class Exercise 4

We had a Photoshop tutorial this week. I think it was a good recap and I also learned new image editing techniques :)

Our main focus was on non-destructive editing. Actually I did it before, just that I didn't realize it was called non-destructive editing. For example, since I'm using CS5, the adjustment layers that I usually create are on a separate layer. I've also read in a newspaper column somewhere (I can't really remember, it was probably at least a year ago) that another way of non-destructive editing is to copy the original image to another layer and edit from there. This is so that the original image can still be retrieved from the background layer.

Nevertheless, I became more sure of some editing techniques after the tutorial and also learned something new.

1. Layer mask: I used this before, but I've always thought it was kind of confusing, because I have to be sure of what should be on the top layer, and what I should erase using a black or white brush. However, after some practise in class, I think I became more confident and may use this in the future.

I would have copied the original image and changed it to black and white on the top layer, then use the eraser to create this effect instead of a layer mask.

The layer mask is much more effective though. For example, if I accidentally erased something wrongly, all I have to do is to change to a white brush and paint over the erased area. This mistake will be much more difficult to undo if I copied another layer to black and white and used the eraser tool. Although I can undo my steps, there is a limit of 20 steps in Photoshop. Hence I may not be able to restore the black and white image if I exceeded 20 steps, unless I copy the image again and edit from the start. If I used layer mask though, I don't have to worry about this limitation. By not having to duplicate images, the layer mask technique also reduces the file size of the Photoshop document.

In addition, I've also learned the shortcut "X" that allows me to change the background and foreground color, which makes life easier ;)

2. Smart objects: I think this was helpful as I didn't quite know what smart objects mean in Photoshop. I added images which were automatically converted to smart objects before, but I didn't know the significance. The class taught me that smart objects can be re-sized (especially from big to small, and to big again) without degrading image quality. I had this problem before, so I'm really grateful to smart objects =)

3. Refine edge: I've learned how to use the quick selection tool in NM3217 before, and I think it's better than magic wand tool (which sometimes leaves jagged edges around the selection) and magnetic lasso tool (which is more tedious) that I had learned back in polytechnic. Nevertheless, I still wonder how people manage to select tricky images such as those with hair and fur. This tutorial introduced me to the "Refine Edge" option under quick selection tool (I guess I didn't notice it or attempt to try it out before, though I've got CS5 for a year or so). By using edge detection and smart radius, I can adjust the settings to select the boy's hair easily, to rather good results. (The image of the boy is superimposed on that of the field.)

I'll definitely keep this in mind :) I also used layer mask and quick selection to change the color of the boy's shirt. This was a good idea I learned, as using the paint bucket to fill the selected area with black or white is more efficient as opposed to using a black or white brush.

Assignment 2 Critique Session

My group mates said my concept was clear and they can tell that the 4 photos are in the same series. However, the execution could be better. For example, instead of taking still objects, I can take photos of everyday activities in action, or people engaging in the various everyday activities (i.e. waking up, brushing teeth, pouring cereal for breakfast, etc). This makes the photos more "lively".

My group mates also mentioned that the first photo (of the teddy bear on the bed) looks deliberate and not everyday. They mentioned that I can take a photo of a messy bed instead. I think this feedback is really helpful as I didn't realize the problem of others being able to recognize the "posed" photo.

Thus, after the critique session, I decided to make my photos look more lively and realistic. However, I think it may be rather troublesome to get someone to pose for me. One solution may hence be to adopt Hanis's suggestion, which is to take photos with my mobile phone from different angles as I am engaging in everyday activities (i.e. from first person's point of view). I think I can show that the photos are taken with a phone camera by using filters from apps. I'm not sure if this will work out though. Shall upload the photos again.

Class Exercise 3

We were supposed to find digital collage(s) or montage(s) as a group and justify why we find them aesthetically pleasing. My group decided on this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/-collage-/2382083933/, because we liked the effect of the textured wall showing through the skin of the girl. It gives a creepy effect like the ones commonly used in horror movies, where ghosts or some other supernatural beings can appear through walls. At the same time, however, the girl is rather sweet-looking, and she holds a bunch of flowers in her hands. By placing her in front of a forlorn-looking background (i.e. the peeling wall), the image also portrays a sense of nostalgia. As Jing mentioned, the image also portrays a sense of decay. This is a good example of a digital montage as at least two images (of the girl and the wall) are blended smoothly together.

This image is part of a series. Other images can be found by searching "digital montage" on Flickr.

Assignment 2

For this assignment, we are supposed to take a series of 4 photos about the keitai phenomenon.

Initially I wanted to take everyday objects, but I wasn't sure of what exactly. I then thought of our handphone(s) being inseparable from us: we bring it to our meals, to bed, and to the washroom. (Ok, this may be exaggerating, but I do think there are people like that.) Thus, I wanted to take photos of a handphone lying beside a bowl of rice, a pillow, a toothbrush, etc to depict the phone accompanying us as we get by our daily activities. I deliberately chose non-mediated activities to portray the handphone as invasive and pervasive. The phone even invades our daily activities that do not need media: it's not as if we need the phone to eat or sleep, unlike doing work, listening to music etc. But the fact that it is there shows the convenience of the handphone that makes it pervasive (unlike a laptop, for instance).

However, I then realized the keitai phenomenon refers to that of taking photos with the handphone, and not to the handphone itself. So I tweaked my concept a little, and changed my photos to show a handphone taking photos of a pillow, toothbrushes, cutlery and a wardrobe instead. The world outside the photo is post-edited to be black and white. This is to show contrast: everyday life is mundane, but through the lens of the handphone, we find interest and color in life that is worth capturing. This is part of the keitai phenomenon as people tend to take photos of everyday objects and share them with their family and friends through social media. Nevertheless, through my choice of everyday objects, I still hope to portray the handphone as being invasive and pervasive (as explained above) at the same time.

I kept the phone to the bottom left of all photos for consistency. The photos are arranged to the sequence of our morning routines: waking up, brushing our teeth, having breakfast, and changing for work/school. Here're my photos:

I placed a teddy bear beside the pillow to add color contrast. I don't actually sleep with it ;) This is also the only photo where I had to add saturation to the colored photo. The contrast between color and black and white isn't really great otherwise.

I had some problems taking this photo as I had to avoid capturing the camera and myself in the mirror. Thus the composition of the colored photo is not ideal. However, in the context of the whole photo, the composition becomes more acceptable.

This photo presented the least problems when I captured it. The lighting in my kitchen was kind of dark though, which explains the shadow in the colored photo. However, I thought this makes the photo more realistic, so I didn't correct it.

This was actually the first photo I took. I had some trouble as I had no surfaces to rest my arms while I was taking it. My tripod doesn't give me a good angle, and my arms were tired by the time I took the photo. There was also reflection of my room and myself on the phone's surface.

However, I then realized I can actually superimpose the color photos taken from my phone, so I don't have to worry about the reflection. I solved the difficulty of coordinating my hands to take both photos simultaneously by taking the photo on digital camera first, before capturing on the phone as I continue to hold my left hand in place. And so this is what I did for the previous photos ;)

Assignment 1 (Revised)

The feedback for Assignment 1 was rather positive. I'm glad my group mates and Jing liked my canted shot of the Helix bridge for DDOF. My group mates chose the first photo for SDOF as they thought it showed SDOF better, with more details in the background. They liked the blur motion photo too, though one of them suggested that I may want to crop it to make the photo adhere more to the rule of thirds. After some consideration, I decided against it as I think it too looks fine as it is.

More comments were given for freeze action (which I totally agree, as I think the photo wasn't well taken). My group mates suggested to photograph colorful fruits instead (e.g. strawberries), as the cut apple and guava are as pale as the white plate, so there is less contrast in the photo which hence makes it less interesting. They also suggested to drop the fruits with greater force so as to achieve more visual impact.

However, as I mentioned in my previous post, I decided to change my theme for freeze action. I took photos of falling beads instead. I dropped tiny beads into a container and photographed them bouncing/scattering. (I did consider dropping them onto the table/floor, but I'll probably have a hard time trying to pick them up.)

This was really difficult as I could not focus on the beads despite setting the shutter speed to the maximum. This was partly due to me shooting indoors, where the lighting is more dim. The best shots I could get were next to the window. Nonetheless, I did post-editing to brighten the photos.

Another challenge was to coordinate my hands, as I had to film while dropping the beads. Sometimes, my fingers or the shadow of my hand are caught in the photo. I also needed to experiment with different angles, and sometimes, the form of the dropping beads were not aesthetically pleasing. I took a few hundred photos in all before I ended up with these two photos:

 

I can't really decide which is better. I prefer the first's composition it generally follows the rule of thirds. However, the beads' form in the second photo is more interesting than the linear one in the first.

P.S. I hope not all beads have to be clear to count as freeze action. I didn't manage to take one photo where all the beads are in focus :(

Shall ask for feedback after mid-terms next week.

Class Exercise 2

The topic for this class exercise was to take photos that show the "extraordinary in the ordinary". Thus we had to scout for relevant scenes in school. I think it's actually much easier to take interesting photos than extraordinary photos. I found it difficult to justify why the photos were extraordinary, while it is easier to say that the photos look interesting aesthetically, due to the less conventional content and visual effects. Nevertheless, here're the photos I took. (Note: photos were taken with Instagram.)

Photo 1: This is a remote corner I found in school (with Jessie). Located below AS3 (if my memory serves me right), it is probably a corner for cleaners to rest, as there're chairs, water bottles and some snacks there. It was empty when we photographed the place. I think it's extraordinary in the sense that although it is a forgotten corner to most of us, it is actually a peaceful little resting place to the cleaners. The Instagram effects give the photo an old/dreamy feel, which further enhanced what I would like to convey about the place: forgotten, slightly desolate, yet safe from the hectic city (or university) life. 

Photo 2: This is the drain cover a few steps away from the corner where I took the first photo. The little brick wall behind it reminds me (and Jessie) of a tombstone. I thought it was interesting as most of us would probably pass by without noticing the brick wall, let alone discover its similarity to a tombstone. Yet through this exercise, I realized that ordinary objects can connect people simply by making us realize that we interpret them in the same way, and this realization can be extraordinary in itself.

Photo 3: This was taken at a drain (yes, another one ;)) at AS3. I think by taking the photo at a low angle, I was able to crop out unnecessary details (e.g. the trees and buildings in the background), and thus focusing the viewer's attention on the drain. Through Instagram effects, I was able to blur parts of the photo and add a dreamy feel to it. I think the drain now looks like some kind of canal to some unknown destination. (Which will be kind of romantic if the drain was cleaner ;)) This photo can be extraordinary in that the change in point of view (and effects) invokes a different feel to the otherwise ordinary place that we pass by everyday.

 

Photo 4: This was taken beside the drain in the previous photo. Again, the change in perspective creates a different feel for the plants that grow only up to our feet: they now look as though they are tall enough to offer shelter and protection. In addition, as the leaves of the plant filter sunlight, they create a spotlight on the ground. I think the photo would be much more interesting if there was a subject in the spotlight though. The photo is less extraordinary with the spotlight being the subject? Still, like Photo 3, I think this photo can only be extraordinary in that the change in point of view invokes a different feel to the otherwise ordinary place.

Admittedly my justifications for the "extraordinari-ness" of the photos can be better. Thus my biggest lesson from this exercise is that although the technical aspects of photography are difficult, having a great concept and executing it is even more challenging. Looks like I have a lot more to learn :)

Class Exercise 1

Oops I forgot to upload this. What we did during the first tutorial was to take panning shots. This was an interesting experience for me as I never took them before, and I guess I was sort of confused about the difference between panning shots and motion blur. I got a much better understanding after the tutorial. Panning shots track a (fast) moving object, hence the object is clear while the background is not. On the other hand, motion blur photos are those that are shot when the camera does not track the object, hence the object is blur while the background is clear.

I decided to take photos of cars since they are probably the fastest moving objects we can find in school. Here are some of the photos. I think the second one with the blue van looks nicer in terms of colour contrast and composition.

I also realized the difficulty of taking panning shots as it is difficult to control the composition with the cars moving at fast speeds. I also had to try different shutter speeds to get better contrast between the blur background and the clearer subject.

Assignment 1

Here are the photos for my first assignment. I plan to re-take some of them though.

The deep depth of field photo is the one I took near Marina Bay Sands, at the helix bridge. I think this photo shows deep depth of field better, as compared to the other night shots I took of the landscape.

 

As I didn't bring my tripod along that day, I had to try balancing my camera on smooth, solid surfaces to prevent taking blurry photos due to slow shutter speed. I also borrowed my friend's tripod as necessary. However, this photo was taken while I balanced my camera against the slanted railing on the helix bridge. It resulted in a canted shot which I think was quite interesting. It managed to show both the helix bridge and MBS at the same time, with a nice composition following the rule of thirds. There are also leading lines formed by the bridge that lead the viewer's attention from the bridge to MBS.

I took the shallow depth of field photos at the garden of the condominium where I live. I took two photos of flowers.

 

I can't really decide which photo to use. I think the first one shows shallow depth of field better, since it is obvious that the background, e.g. the trees and the buildings, are out of focus, but the second photo has a more interesting composition. It makes use of the principle of closure, as only part of the flower is shown. The flower in the foreground also frames another in the background:

 

 (I didn't choose this photo as I thought it looked weird to focus on the flower and the leaves in the background.)

Since I can't decide, I will probably take the shallow depth of field photos again. I may try to improve on the flower photos or even change the subject matter altogether, depending on the feedback.

For the photo on blur motion, I chose to use the one I took on the same night as the helix bridge, which is one of cars.

 

I took a lot of similar photos of the same scene, but I chose this in the end as its composition is nicer. (The cars are more or less in the center of the photo, and not too close to the edges.) I also thought it looked better to show the buildings in the background, as opposed to just the road, so as to show the context where the photo was taken. Also, some of the other cars I took were too blur or too clear.  Another reason I chose this photo was because the road forms leading lines that add to the sense of motion.

I may re-take the photo on freeze action. Initially I tried to take photos of the fountain in my condo, but I thought it didn't really show the impact of freeze action. I then thought I could take freeze action of a coin (or coins) spinning. However, indoor lighting was not really ideal, so I had to make do with a slower shutter speed. The best photo I took was this:

 

(This photo was cropped and post-edited so that it looks better, I hope.) 

 

The coin is "frozen" at a tilted angle. If you look closely though, some parts of the coin are blur, so I'm not sure if this fulfills the criteria for freeze action. Hence I decided to take photos of my mother washing and cutting fruits instead. The best photo I took was this:

 (This photo was also cropped and post-edited so that it looks better, I hope.)

I guess there will be more impact if the apple was thrown with greater force or at a higher angle so that the water splashes higher. However, I think the water now looks like jelly (or agar-agar), which is interesting as well.

If this photo doesn't work out though, I thought of throwing beads and shooting them bounce. I tried for quite a while last night, but indoor lighting doesn't allow me to increase shutter speed so as "freeze" the beads. I may try again this weekend.

Update!

This has been my NM2208 and NM3208 blog. And now... It's going to be used for NM3223 :)

Portfolio

I thought I should write a brief entry on my portfolio while I'm waiting for the files to upload to the server.

For the theme, I chose to make it like a music dvd, thus my group projects are called bonus tracks. The beginning and end of each "making of" process also starts with a crowd cheering, and the background image is like a concert stage. The silouettes are from NM2208 Asn1 ;) The lights I added in After Effects. As for the design, I chose to use a montage of screenshots of my assignments. I then did a black and white and inverse-colored version for the back and the inside. I also added a scotch tape behind some text to make it more interesting. I was inspired by the CD design of "My Life Will" by Desert Zhang.

I had some trouble with camstudio though, as it can't work on a mac and I don't have time to learn/download the alternative softwares. Hence I transferred my stuff to my PC and recorded there. However, the AVI files I recorded can't be read on my mac (maybe I didn't check properly, but I couldn't edit them in video softwares, the audio is gone), so I had to convert them to .mov in PC first. Then I realised that the .mov versions from PC don't have visuals in mac. In the end, I exported only the audio from PC and matched them together in AE. Then I exported these and compressed them. Finally, I edited the videos (with the correct audio) and added the background. That is why there are SO many videos in my portfolio folder.

I also had trouble with the DVD menu as there is no trial version of Adobe Encore. I couldn't find alternatives, so in the end I had to use iDVD. Although the software is aesthetically nice, there is less flexibility in creating the menu. Hence my menu is not as user-friendly as I would like it to be. Basically, it doesn't have a "play all" function, and after each video, it will bring the viewer back to the menu. I looked on online forums, they say you'll have to string all the videos together and export that in order to have a "play all" function. However, that will take up too much space if I were to have the individual videos as well. Chapter markers don't work as they mark at a fixed period of time, but my videos are all of different lengths. Maybe I could have explored more and compress the video, but there isn't time. Sorry for the unfriendly interface :(

I tried to keep the theme of my portfolio for the menu though, so I used them same fonts and the highlight button is similar to scotch tape.

Assignment 4

After the failed attempt I thought I should try harder to see if I could film at home, as I don't have time to lug everything to my aunt's house again.

After adjusting the aperture and exposure, I decided to film myself studying in bed. Though I could not place all the items on the bed, the video still works. This is because I decided to change my script a little. Instead of placing all items on the bed, I decided that the cloned "me"s can bring the items from off-screen to show the original me. This action shows the audience what the original me ordered the cloned ones to do.

I also filmed this version in high definition (HD), which is 1280 x 720, so I can edit my close-ups. (By the way I'm using my own camera, olympus pen e-p1, which is much better for photos than videos. I didn't borrow from school as I thought it's less convenient, which was lucky in a way, since it'd be more inconvenient as I had to re-film. The video quality could be better though...)

I filmed in the same order as the previous version. A photo of the scene was taken before I started filming, so that I can use it as background, in case the background of some shots were different. I kept the actions of the original me within the bed, and actions of the cloned ones outside, to ensure that there'll be NO overlap this time. I also didn't have to worry about the placement of the items as they were brought in from off-screen. Even the "reading" (lecture notes) was off-screen when placed on the bed. I changed the television scene to a keyboard one to keep the filming location within my bedroom.

As a precaution, I checked the dream scenes of the video to make sure that they can be edited correctly before continuing with the split screens.

Although the dream scenes were successful, the sky was dark by the time I filmed the split screens. (I started filming in the afternoon, after I came home from school.) Hence I had to alter the brightness/contrast and colors in After Effects (AE). They look a bit unnatural; I hope it's not too obvious since the split screens are just shown for a second or so. I used photos for the second split screen as their quality is much better.

I zoomed in for the close-ups. As the scenes where I rubbed my hands are masked, the clip became too small so I had to use the background photo. When I zoomed in though, the two clips scale up at different speeds. This produces an unintentionally disjointed effect, which I think is nice and it also foreshadows that the events take place in a dream.

I also couldn't frame the shots properly without the clock at the top right corner (I forgot to remove it before filming), so the time is a bit jumbled up for that. However, I didn't cover it with a solid in AE as the process is tedious (there're subtle changes in the lighting of the different scenes). I also thought the clock serves as another foreshadow that the multiple selves are a dream.

After piecing the clips together, I added titles. Since the video is a bit humorous, causal fonts are used, in various font sizes, with icons. I also added light rays as a visual effect during the scene where I rubbed my hands.

After checking that everything fits properly, I exported the video and added music loops in GarageBand. I changed the music for the dream scenes from country to rock. This is to differentiate reality from the dream. I'm glad the pause in the country music loop (for the scenes in reality) synchronizes well with the titles (: The beginning of the dream sequence takes a softer but upbeat music to build up to the rock music at the later scenes. The rock music indicates the happiness of the original me, as well as sets a faster pace to hold the audience members' interest.

Here is my video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmWqAXVgzEo):

 

Yay I finally found how to link videos here :)

Assignment 4 Failed Attempt

I started filming by "scouting" for suitable locations for the superhero assignment. According to my storyboard, I should film myself sitting at a table with a blank wall behind me. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a suitable place at home. Most of the walls at home are decorated, the hall is too dark (I turned on ALL the lights in the DAY but half of my face is still covered in shadow), and my "studying desk" in my room is actually a built-in desk facing the window (so it's impossible to place the camera outside the window, in midair o.0).

As a result, I packed my equipment and props (camera, tripod, books/readings, macbook) to my aunt's house to film. There is a nice blank white wall in the hall. I brought along my storyboard, so that I can tick off the scenes I completed, in case I left out anything. Actually, when I got there, I realized it's still a bit dark with the house lights turned on in daytime. I then remembered that I can adjust the aperture and exposure to get a better image. I filmed in standard definition (SD).

Some time was spent framing the shot as I did the whole film myself, including being the camera person, so I had to run back and forth to check the shot.

I filmed the first and last scenes first, since they should be more similar, as both are not part of the dream scenes. I then filmed the scenes with the cloned "me"s first, before the longer scene of the original me. This was because I thought I should film the cloned "me"s removing the items on the table first, so they will be at the same place as they were before the dream. Then I can just edit to add the original me with the empty table. I thought I could just add the items back since I got them in the scenes of the cloned "me"s anyway.

The split screens were filmed last as less precision is needed: they can be cropped as necessary.

I also didn't take the close ups as I thought SD quality is good enough for me to zoom in during post-editing.

It was when I started post-editing that I realized I made a BIG mistake. The scenes with the original me couldn't be edited to fit with the cloned ones! This was because I took the wrong position on the table without the items, so the clips now overlap. I tried editing the mask (I'm using After Effects as I don't have Premier Pro and I'm not familiar with iMovie), and even searched tutorials online for rotoscoping but they all don't work. (Even if they do, it's extremely time-consuming.) The fastest way is probably to re-film.

Other problems I encountered are the SD version is only 640 x 480, smaller than my movie of 720 x 480. Thus my plan for close-ups are gone.

In the end I gave up on editing the video. The failed version will still be uploaded to the server though, if Julian you want to take a look. The version with the number 1 at the back is the final one.

Group Project (Production and Post-production)

We spent about a day filming each video, and a few more editing.

CNM is about…
We actually filmed this video first as it was not as time consuming as the first one. We didn't have to change attire, act, and scout for different locations.

The designs for the props were prepared before the actual filming. We each took a part of the video, then drew or typed out the images and words in Illustrator/Photoshop (i.e. I designed “creative”, Sheng designed “analytical” and Rou Fang designed “informative”). We then put up our own sections in the video (creative/analytical/informative), and took down the one before that. We decided to print in school so that we'd have time for feedback on each other’s designs.

The filming of “CNM is about…” took place on a Saturday in a seminar room in SOC. We prepared the props (cutting out the letters CNM, printing and cutting out the designs on paper, etc.) and used blue tack to stick them onto the whiteboard. Before the actual filming, we tried arranging the items on the whiteboard first, to ensure that everything fits into the camera screen. Transparent scotch tape were used as markings, so that we'll know where to place the items for the actual shoot. The pieces of tape proved to be very useful, especially when they could not be seen in the video.

We took turns in the different roles required for filming: cameraman, actor/actress and director. The director wrote down the order in which the items were to be put up or taken down, and gave instructions to the actor/actress. There was no need to rush to put up the items as we were planning to fast-forward the video, so everything went well.

We transferred the first part of the video (me arranging “being creative”) into a laptop to check if it looked alright being fast-forwarded first, before continuing with the rest of the shoot. I thought it was a rather productive day as we managed to finish the video (from pre-production to production) in about 8 hours (11am to 7pm). This wouldn’t have been possible without everyone contributing to the process (:

Rou Fang was in charge of post-production for this video. I thought I might need to compose a track (or rather, piece loops together) for this, but Sheng found a suitable track online so we used that instead. Rou Fang also recorded the voice-over for the video. The narration was added after feedback from our friends that the message of the video is less clear without it.

I was glad to know that Julian didn't think this video looked "forced" (i.e. CNM is creative/analytical/informative because these words happen to have CNM in them) (:

The Many Faces of CNM
We split the filming of this video into two days, so that the scenes of the videographer and reporter were filmed first, while the rest were completed in another. We would have finished filming in a day if not for the change of plans.

Initially, we planned to look for talents, as we thought it would be weird to see the same faces in different roles for the split-screen planned at the end of the video. However, it was difficult to coordinate schedules with our talents, so we decided to tweak our video so that we can rotate the same faces (i.e. the three of us) for the various roles. As a result, instead of promoting what students can be after they graduate from CNM, we changed it to what students want to be at CNM. Since the various roles are what students want to be (i.e. the students are role-playing), the actors/actresses can be the same people trying out the various jobs. (If it was what students can be, then we’ll have to show different people in their various professions.)We also dropped the split-screen and changed it to the three of us giving thumbs-up to CNM, to show that the video was a role-play between three people, and to also avoid the split-screen.

We took turns in the different roles required for filming. Those who were not acting were the cameraman and director. The director coordinates the passing of items, so that it would look natural when we edit the clips.

We dressed differently to portray the different jobs. For example, the videographer was dressed casually, while the advertising sales person was dressed in more formal attire. The video was mainly filmed in the School Of Computing. Locations include tutorial rooms and the Computing Club Room. Since we did not have a lot to lug around (only the video-camera and tripod, as little props were used), the filming process was rather efficient and we didn’t have to spend a lot of time traveling around campus. The only problem we had was finding an empty tutorial room on a Thursday (for the advertising salesperson scene), but we did manage to find one in the end.

Sheng and I worked on the post-production for this video. We split the video, so that Sheng worked on the first part while I edited the part from the games/graphics designer until the end. I had problems with the editing as I realized that the video-camera adjusted the brightness automatically during the advertising sales person scene. Thus I had to fix the problem by automating the brightness and contrast in After Effects. The white balance was also off, so I had to spend time correcting that as well. As a result, the subsequent scenes also had to be corrected (by changing brightness and color) to make the video look more consistent. While I was editing my part of the video, Sheng worked on the freeze screens. Then I compiled everything, and added in the titles, animation, and music. I was glad the free music synchronized with the video without me having to compose one.

Now on to the last video and the portfolio -.-"

Assignment 3 Final Version

Here is the link to my final version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC-UYFqg9y8.

Basically I added some animation to the verse so that viewers don't have to wait for the next word to appear. This should be more interesting than the previous version ;) I also changed the typeface for "take that (to new extremes)" to the standard one and distorted it to create perspective instead. I also tried to standardize the non-important words to black text, unless there is too little contrast for the words to be legible.

Assignment 4 Storyboard

I thought of a simple story for the superhero video. My superhero power will be to create multiple selves so that I can do different things at the same time. Thus I can get work done faster while relaxing too.

The main effect I will be using is done by overlapping videos to create multiple selves. I remember learning this in poly, where the camera stays at the same position, and only the person changes position. I can then overlap two videos where everything is at the same place, and only the two "me"s appear at different positions. This is similar to the soda video in the lecture notes. I may add sparkles (using particles) in After Effects when I rub my hands (I'll try to come up with a less cliche action).

The challenge of executing this lies in getting the eye line correct. Thus I'll try to look at myself when both of "us" are standing or sitting down. It is also difficult to pass objects to one another, so I'll probably point instead.

The biggest advantage of this video is that it can be filmed entirely at home, and I have all the props I need. I made myself go back to sleep instead of studying at the end of the video, in hope of achieving some humor. I also hope the process of me "duplicating" myself is not too repetitive (it only happens twice? (: ).

Here is the storyboard:

1. I walk into the screen with a pile of homework already placed on a table. After staring at it, I sigh to show that I am too tired to start on it.

2. Hence I put my head down on the table and doze off staring at the pile of homework. As I was dozing off, I wonder how nice it will be to be able to have multiple selves so that I can multitask yet finish the homework within a short time.

3. Suddenly, someone taps me on the arm.

4. I jolt awake to see myself staring at me. The other me offers to do my readings, which I agree after I calmed down from the initial shock. Then I thought I can further "duplicate" myself.

5. Although I don't know how it happened in the first place, I try rubbing my hands.
 

6. Miraculously, another me appears. Thus I tell her to watch television.

7. The next me that appears is ordered to go online, maybe surf Youtube. (For consistency, I may repeat the previous scene of me rubbing my hands before this.)

8. The original me then saw that everyone (who is me) is getting work done/being entertained perfectly. (A panning shot will be used for this.)

9. Satisfied, the original me yawns happily.

10. I then go back to catch up on much-needed sleep. (The scene then fades to white.)

11. After some time, I wake up to find the pile of homework in its original place.

12. Shocked, I look around to find an empty studying chair, and the television and the computer switched off.

13. I then realize that all the multiple selves were a dream.

14. Dejected, I go back to sleep.

Hope I don't have to make major changes.