Paper and Glue

Bunch of things seem to be underway, however I have realised there could be cause for concern on a few fronts.
Hooray!! :D


Web and Graphic Design

Our Website Design proposal had to be done. Lucky for me, I did not know anything about handing in a draft the previous week since the week before I was away with that migraine (which I destroyed. The casualty count was within acceptable parameters).
To be fair, I was more concerned about my other projects. After all, some of them had somewhat of a wildcard. By the time it came time to do the proposal, I wasn't too confident - I had the information from the resources, however, I had also missed a class, and goodness knows what important information I had missed.
That was my concern, anyway.
For the initial lesson, we learned a bit of HTML coding. Well... everyone else learned. I ended up taking over David's position and started teaching everyone HTML coding.
It feels good to be the king. :P
I did review some of my old coding, however. There were many things I had learned about HTML in the past in which I had not touched in years, so it was like an old friend... sorta.
Anyhoo, back to my proposal. As I said, I wasn't sure what I was doing, but nonetheless, I did it.
Pics came out looking alright too:

 The Pup Gallery Site on a Mac

 The Gallery Site, seen on a handheld device, such as an iPhone.

The marks were given that same day... I was kind of worried, to be honest, but my final mark was 19/20.
So... I believe my math works that assignment out to 95%... which I think is an A+, so I can be happy with that. :P


Drawing

This was more focused on the third evaluation, which was drawing animals. And let me tell you, animals do not really like to co-operate when you are trying to draw them!! xD
I drew some fawns, a wallaby, and my favourite piece of the lot was a turtle - since the turtle started off staying very still, I was able to capture it's form before it started to swim around. By then, it was just a matter of following it, and applying other aspects, such as patterns, to the drawing I already had done so far.
These were shown in the class the following week.
The turtle rocked.

 One shell of a turtle.

Preproduction

Aside from handing in and getting back marks for my Director's Manifesto (which ended up having a grave error in it, however still was a pass), the last lesson involved going over Scenecronize, a web program which Kevin had already described to us. I guess he wanted the others who were missing that day to learn about it, and he wanted us to practice with it.
To be honest, it was quite boring... probably in the sense that my mind was wandering constantly with my own preproduction issues on hand. I'm not saying I didn't want to learn Scenecronize, in fact, I'm pretty sure I have it sussed out.
I went through a Matrix script and completely arranged it all under the stripboard menu, so... yeah.
I guess I felt like we spent too long on it, when other preproduction techniques were currently plaguing me.


Practical Filming

Aside from four lots of people coming in to talk about what they do, and what they are looking for in a TVC (television commercial), there has also been progress on the Music Video front.
Well... progress in some areas, potential delays in others.
I suppose I should start with what is chugging along so far.

I obtained a number of neutral-expression masks from Spotlight, as well as some brushes, and some PVA glue. Hoarding the newspapers of which are never read, they were torn into pieces and given PURPOSE.
That is, I did have to save my newspapers when my flatmate threw them out, omg that could have been a disaster, luckily I discovered this before recycle day.
Anyway, I began by using vaseline as a separator - after all, I was going to paper mache on top of the masks, but the masks were only to serve as a base shape, so I needed to make sure that once I had done the layers, I could remove them again.
I suppose a photo collection might help explain the process visually.

Step 1: Gather Masks

Step 2: Try on Masks

Step 3: Slather Masks with Vaseline

Step 4: Take Photo of Essentials

Step 5: Mummy Faces

And from there, I have applied a couple more layers. Well, sorta. Depends on class times, etc. xD
But that is coming along quite nicely, to say the least. There have been some workstation issues (since I have to share the table with my gamer flatmate), but it seems to be going well.

And now, the issues...

The thing I quickly began to realise is that my shooting schedule is dependent on the availability of the singer and her band. So far, communication via Facebook, which is our only means of communication at this point, have been somewhat delayed. Planning therefore is somewhat in the air, and this has left me with a very real concern that the project will not move ahead fast enough and be finished on time.
In addition, she has some surgery. She has told me she may need a week recovery, which causes delays as well. She informed me just prior that it was postponed and that we could get moving with it during the coming week, but unless I get the necessary information I asked for regarding her and her band's availability, I cannot make plans to book equipment or the green screen room, and even then that might not be coincidental, which is absolutely necessary.
I have replied to her last message with what I need from her, that is, all available times, explaining that I would still need to make bookings, and that one available time on her band's part may not suit in case equipment or the room is booked (thus, why I asked for as many available times as possible).
The problem is, at this point, I can only see this week potentially full of planning, and feel the chances of getting filming planned and booked and out of the way (because I am still pending on crucial information on her part, which is vital for planning), before her unavailability this coming Friday (and by extension, the week of recovery to follow), that it does not look promising.

I have to request an extension on this, I cannot wait to be sure what is what.

And thus, yay~


Also in other news... 

I am not feeling so great. Flatmate is the sickest she has ever been, and I'm starting to feel worn and run-down.
The last thing I really need at this point is to get sick... decent sleep is my goal at this point, HOWEVER some drunken yahoos in the area have been waking up the neighbourhood with music TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW, AT INSANE TIMES.
First night, it was just after 2am. Left me throughout the day exhausted and unfocused.
The very next night, just after 4am, so as I write this, I am basically in Zombie Mode.
I swear to god, I can't afford this crap... I want to cry.
Probably doesn't help that I am also going through another one of my phases... it's probably all hormonal or something. Hooray~
I seriously want to cry.

A Bunch of I Wasn't There and the Manifestario Sensation

The week started off in the not-fun kind of way, with a migraine of which can be enjoyed by all ages. This caused me to miss a few classes, so goodness knows where I am supposed to be at, really... but I should make sure I don't stress out or anything. Stressing out will just make it all worse, so here it is:

A BUNCH OF PAPERS AND THEIR WEEKLY UPDATES

Number 1: Web and Graphic Design

...I did not attend this class due to the migraine. I had asked one of my classmates for an update on what we were doing, being told we were making buttons. For class or homework, the answer was both, which is somewhat confusing.
I have decided to wait and see what is going on - I have every confidence that I can easily make up ground in this paper.


Number 2: Drawing

...I also did not attend this class due to the migraine. So... short post is short.
I shall have to consult my handbook, however... I am certain there is a class critique coming up soon, which means I need to address that soon, perhaps this week.
Given assignments and being behind, I could make a start on Wednesday... the last thing I really want is to fall behind further than I need to, no matter the ground I can make up for.


Number 3: Preproduction

Sensing a trend? Yeah, I did not attend this class either. I have, however, been working on my Director's Manifesto, which is due tomorrow. So far, I have a scene or two for a storyboard, a mood board, a quick concept of the masks, and I have pretty much written out all I feel may be necessary.
 

 

The Initial Mask Concepts

The only thing missing is location scouting photos - I can only assume they must be relative to the project, making the photos I took for the original exercise obsolete.
The location needed is a hallway leading to a front door, of which I have that date with destiny today at around 12 noon. If all goes well, I may have a hand-in-able manifesto in which may only need tweaking.

 Current Mood Board

Number 4: Practical Filming

Gotcha! I was well by this class, so I attended. You should see the look on your face!!! xD
We played with the toy cameras, and by toys, I mean don't drop them or Chris will cry. We explored types of shots, from Long Shots to Close-Ups, and had fun playing the differing roles of Assistant Director, Camera-person/Director, Sound Monkey and Clackerbug (terms may vary depending on reality).
Head space was plentiful, of which needs to be curbed with a head space culling of sorts.
In addition, I inquired into Kimberley's potential assistance with my music video - she seems keen on the idea, but Postman Pat has to look into it - hopefully I can enslave, er... enlist her help, she seems to want to take part in a music video project... also she is great for keeping the sane away.
And then Corey was shooting for a SIT com, in which our fake attention was turned into real attention because all that was discussed in "class" was a whole heap of crap that everyone could appreciate, and we learned about the magical kingdom of Bunterland, of which are inhabited by bunts. They are a bunter-gatherer people of which invented vigente, and there was something about nuclear annihilation and the survival of specific file types and the Bunter People, and that Game of Thrones shall influence the way society was.
Booze. Wenches. Wars. Incest. Dragons.
Since I am missing a sister, I can only cry that I cannot partake of this new old world order.


Genderbending

Off-topic, I played with some song files last night, and turned some female singers into male singers, and male singers into female singers.
I found it both amusing and entertaining.
Perhaps I can utilise this in the future for when I have need of female voices but only have my sweet angelic vocals to play with~

Well, that's me for the week.
Later, peeps and poopettes!!
~Tarri

Life's a Pitch

Migraines...

I was hoping my migraine would be done by now, however I woke up several times during the night with it still haunting me, and it is still quite comfortable in the inner-most parts of my head.
Can't blame it, really... there is a lot of empty space to run wild and free up there... anyway.
Exposure to the computer is a huge source of food for it. I couldn't write this thing sooner because of it, and since I still have it, I'm going to try to be short and sweet before it becomes agonising again.
Apologies if I miss out anything, or if it isn't of expected length.


Web and Graphic Design

We went over various key points when it comes to a web design proposal. This included things such as covering everything that may come after the job is done, such as modification, and also things such as costs, timeframes, disclaimers, etc.
We also were made aware of something called a Brand Bible, basically, the law of the land regarding logos and headings, and even site colours and designs, etc., regarding specific companies and businesses.
Example being, the McDonald's logo is always a yellow M on a red backdrop, and never any other colour.

We also discussed a decent format for writing a website proposal, and we were to come up with ideas for our own sites.
While I do have some initial ideas drawn and written down, I have been prevented from going much further at this point, and I may or may not be a bit behind.


Drawing

For this session, we drew our model as she lay upon the platform, staring at the mirror, and in addition, drew her reflection. For my piece, I emphasised the lines on both the drawing of the model and the drawing of her reflection, making it appear that she were lying with a twin sister, or at least a sister.


Preproduction

We were introduced to something called Scenecronized, a cloud-based program in which looks to serve as a basis for ease of scene creation in the script, and from there, creates a list of items and locations of which is required in the shoot. The scenes could also be rearranged into an order as such that it made it more efficient in terms of daylight, actor-on-set efficiency, and shot location... such a clever little program.

We also had to show what we had so far for our music videos - however, some of us did not have a song yet, so we did not have anything to show.
What I did do, however, was start on a Mood Board for Connor's Lords of Cynder - I had no confirmation on whether or not I had the song, just that he really liked my idea. My first pitch had fallen through, and I was hoping my second pitch (his) would be picked.
It was not, and I did not discover this until Friday. After that, my hopes were running on my final pitch with Ruth, for her song Not Your Fool.


Video Production

Due to dizzy spells, which were accompanied with headaches and nausea (which were only aggravated by staring at a screen, which is, pretty much what my life is all about), I had to miss class. There was no telling if I would even make it without fainting - and even if I did, I wouldn't have been able to do much, since, y'know, computers and such.
From what I learned from Patrick though in response to my apology, it was basically covering the episode that happened last Monday.
Monday's episode? Well, a proposed change in approach caused some rather inappropriate Facebook conduct - all which happened while I was in Web and Graphic Design - from the initial email, to the hubbub on Facebook.
Funny what can transpire within the single session of a single class...


The Last Pitch

I'll make this a separate little heading, since while this falls under VP and PP, happened on a NC day (Video Production, Preproduction, No Class, respectively, because acronyms).
Thankfully I felt better than the day before, which helped, since pitching isn't my most favourite thing in the world.
I met Ruth in the student lounge and pitched my idea there. Like my pitch for Connor, it would involve both some acting and footage of her band playing.
Her song, Not Your Fool, has this kind of funk-retro-ish feel to it, so with the band playing, I am reminded of video showing a band from the 80s and such, with lights and moving shapes in the background. I proposed that for this, her band could play in front of the greenscreen, and I could put the shapes and lights into the music video in post. Given my experience with Maya, a 3D program, a bit of animation could work quite well here.
With the acting segments, which would be slotted at various parts of the song (which will be dictated mostly by the lyrics), it will continue to show her singing, but also contain masks as a theme. Her song sings about changing faces, so the donning and removal of masks seemed to hit me immediately when I first listened to her song.
There would also be a male actor, and he will be the one to wear the different masks, showing he has different faces, and the song goes as if to say she can now see the real face - towards the end, in one shot, she will remove the mask from his face, showing his real face, and the idea is that she may fling it away.
I was supposed to draw up storyboards and construct a new moodboard for this over the weekend, but... migraine. Not really something I'd like to use as a reason for not getting the work done, but if I can't stare at a computer screen for a prolonged period of time without agonising pain in my head and eye, then... I guess taking care of myself is a top priority. At the very least, I have a direction in which to go in, and I can try to get in a little bit of time here and there - just not with a long session.
Those dizzy spells and whatnot could have been the precursor to this migraine... I feel so lucky.

That said, I should get off this thing, my head is starting to throb with pain again.
I'll try get more up regarding visuals by next blog entry.

Tarri out.