Victoria Moore

Northern Torch progress...

2011-01-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

The module brief was to develop a news portal based on the 2012 London Olympiad and more importantly how the events may affect the people of Hull.

After researching the Olympiad we were assigned an interviewee, mine was NHS Chaiman for Hull Kath Lavery. I emailed Kath to explain who I was and what the interview was for and was to be the focus, in the reply email Kath explained that she had not been involved with the 2012 projects for long and that I should speak to her contact, Gary Hood.

Gary Hood was very easy to talk to and provided great answers to my interview questions, the interview itself had to be conducted via email due to the horrific wintry weather that had halted much public transport, making arrangements to meet would have been ridiculous and dangerous so I chose the safer option.

Due to the email interview my news story plans had to change as I had intended to create a audio slideshow with the footage and audio I would have collated from a film recording.

Whilst brainstorming for my news stories I hoped to include many interactive elements. I have successfully created a wordcloud using relevant information but I would have really liked to have included some kind of slide show/ animation but even after researching ways in which to create a interactive piece I was unsure of the programmes required and basically I was too frightened.

Now I have to put my final pieces onto the news portal which has been named Northern Torch. The news site has now been constructed with basic colours and layouts being decided on and the site is even donning a flashy logo designed by the team.

Year 2

2010-11-23T04:27:00.000-08:00

I have been working on a couple of small projects but we have now been handed our briefs due in for january. All of my final pieces will be put on this blog yet I have been regularly updating my journalism blog if you are interested please have a look, the link is to the right.

Over Summer....

2010-05-21T07:52:00.001-07:00

This blog will be updated. This is to smooth out kinks in my navigation.....

Frog Origami Video

2010-05-20T06:52:00.001-07:00

One Minute Video

2010-05-20T06:45:00.001-07:00

The notion of creating a film exactly one minute long is not new, just look at television adverts and some film trailers. The difficulty will occur during the editing process, the challenge of creating a film exactly 60 seconds long that conveys a version of a story.

Looking at certain websites I realised just how broad this brief could be, looking at a competition set up on ‘Vimeo’ in which the brief was basically the same as ours I was surprised at how each video could differ so much. The collection included tutorials, mini movies, simple observations of everyday life and interviews.

I decided on two basic structures that I could possibly follow, the first would be a basic ‘how to’ guide focusing on something that you would possibly use in day to day life such as a coffee machine or how to make a cup of tea. The other option was to simply have a stationary camera watching from one view over a day and then simply speeding it up, this idea was influenced by a video I watched on ‘theoneminutes’ website in which the film maker had placed a camera in a car park and similarly increased the pace of the film until the car park was empty.

After watching the film ‘(500) Days of Summer’ I became intrigued on how to make origami birds, I decided to incorporate this fascination into my one minute video. The video would be a very simple ‘how to’ guide, influenced by the children’s television programmes ‘Smart’ and ‘Art Attack’ I would move between the perception of the viewer and that of the creator.
I tried to learn how to make origami birds but realised it was quite intricate and a fairly lengthy process so I chose to make a simple origami frog instead, the making of which would roughly fit into the one minute timeframe.

Similarly to ‘Art Attack’ and ‘Smart’ I would require an overhead continual shot, this would be a rather technical process due to the way in which the camera would be required to be set up. With the help of my fellow student Michelle Dee we were able to use a camera tripod and set it up basically upside down, this then required me to check the balance and make sure the view was perfect and that every part of the tripod and the camera were locked securely. I chose to set the camera up in the audio suite as the lighting is very clean and sharp, additionally there would be a lack of shadowing to distort the actions with overhead lighting.

How the camera was finally set up.

Once the camera was set up I filmed four takes, two of which were shot with the table as a background. When I looked at the footage the horizontal lines from the wood effect on the desk caused the view to distort. I decided the rest of the filming would be shot with a plain white backdrop, this would prevent any further distortion and also I realised it fit a lot more with the feel of the programmes that initially influenced this idea.

Take 1: Not to be used in the final edit as the background was wrong.
Take 2: As above, yet the vertical positioning of the camera was correct.
Take 3: Correct view of the creator, however one mistake during the creation of the origami frog which could be easily edited out.
Take 4: Repeat of the shot above, yet very clumsy. Not to be used.
Take 5: Head on shot, view of the audience. Good as the hands return back to the centre.
Take 6: Not to be used. Origami frog went horribly wrong.
Take 7: Not very smooth. Good hands, a lot of character.

After the filming was completed the editing process was fairly straightforward, it was simply a case of matching up the actions on each camera view. Additionally the title and the credit shots were shortened and places in the correct slots. After I had decided on the final edited version of my video it was 1:19seconds long not including the titles. I chose to increase the speed of the film to 110%, this reduced the duration of the film to 1:13. Again I increased the speed to 120% I chose to stop increasing the speed at this point otherwise the video would look rushed and considering it is something of a tutorial it would become difficult to follow. The final edit is 1:10seconds without including the title, although this doesn’t technically fit into the one minute timeframe it could not be any shorter without become distorted and unclear.

The next obstacle was the music. I had heard a track created by my friend, Jareth Hawker, he had recorded sounds that can be made from paper and then distorted them. I thought this would be ideal to accompany my visuals due to the paper relation. The track which was originally over four minutes long had to be edited considerably, I decided to cut everything before the three minute mark and work with the last minute or so as I didn’t want to lose the natural end. As the music was fairly repetitive the editing process was not as difficult as I had predicted. When I had created my ideal piece I had to slow some areas down as it was slightly short to fit with the film. I chose to slow the end section to 85% however this was clearly distorted and did not work, I decided to be gentle and distribute the slowing evenly.

Overall the video works brilliantly, I personally love the way in which the music and the visuals shouldn’t really work together but they give it a fun and very bizarre sense. I feel that keeping with the simple structure and camera angles I was able to capture the ‘Art Attack’ sense yet I made the hands become the character of the show rather than the creation of the frog.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/oneminutemovies/howto/
http://www.theoneminutes.org/?thissection_id=1

Truelove Documentary

2010-05-11T03:38:00.000-07:00

Documentary Production and Evaluation

2010-05-11T03:36:00.000-07:00

When it came to editing we did come across a number of problems including matching relevant images and footage to the narration, here it was noted that possibly by talking to the camera throughout could have been an easier method however the sound quality would not have been to the greatest quality. Additionally the still images that we shot in the Maritime Museum had to be resized as they were originally outrageously large.
We decided the opening section of the documentary which includes the rough footage of the sculpture would be more gentle and softer than the following sections, we discovered that by using the ‘cross dissolve’ effect when moving through the footage we could create the desired feel. When we cut to the researching scenes we made them quite sharp, we did experiment with a number of effects between shots but it was decided that these would date the film and look unprofessional.
Eventually, after a lengthy editing process, the documentary came together quite nicely. One final problem that arose was that we had gone over the 3minute limit, we tried to edit the narration erasing all the lengthy pauses and deleting irrelevant areas of the script, it was decided that if we were to cut much more we would end up losing the story of the couple so it was decided we could only edit it down to 3minutes 30seconds.
We decided to include music during both the introductory titles and the end credits, using Adobe Soundbooth we were able to fade the music out so not to cover or distort the narration. However when it came to selecting the desired extract wanted for the final credits the software crashed repeatedly therefore as a last resort we recycled the sound clip from the introduction.
Although we eventually clipped our documentary down to less than 3minutes and 30seconds when we converted the film to flash and uploaded it onto Youtube it was discovered that there was an additional 15seconds or so of nothingness on the end of our final documentary. Whilst fading our music out on the end credits we had not sliced the unwanted area off therefore this was wrongly uploaded.
Throughout the final documentary it is noticeable that some of the narration has been clipped due to pitch change and also the mistake during the uploading process does make our film appear longer, however these are small matters that we did not have the time to clear up due to our strict deadline. I personally find that although there are a few improvements required the group has made a very good effort in constructing this piece and has shown great planning and time management.

Documentary Final Idea

2010-05-11T03:35:00.000-07:00

Documentary –Final Idea
The project brief is to construct a 3minute documentary this should have a continual narrative including a beginning, middle and end.
The group, which includes myself, Anila and Michelle, decided to focus on Michelle’s idea of the ‘Truelove’ statue as this would be a topic that could be useful in other areas of our study at the college.
After a number of plans were put together on how we were going present the ‘Truelove’ heads it was decided that we would focus on the actual story of the young Eskimo couple. The sculpture itself would be our protagonist and the antagonist of our documentary would be the struggle in finding relevant information on their journey.
It was decided that we wouldn’t use the ‘talk to camera’ method throughout our research process but use the ‘voice of God’ and record our narration separately and use some whaling music, found by Michelle, to change the pace of the documentary when the location shifts.
The documentary would begin with rough footage of the ‘Truelove’ sculpture to show how hidden and solitary it is.

Production Timetable
Week 1 – Group ‘brainstorming’ session.
Week2 – Looked at rough footage of the sculptures.
Week3 – Produce a proposal including in depth planning.
Week4 – Filming (History centre and the Maritime Museum)
Week5 – Narration Recorded and Editing.
Week6 – Final Editing session and finished product by the Thursday.

Documentary Planning

2010-05-11T03:29:00.000-07:00

Documentary
Documentaries are a tool used to delve into another way of life, to unveil a bigger story behind a past event and to basically educate. There are several areas that the majority of people will be familiar with, simplified they are wildlife, human (whether it be different cultures or understanding a certain psyche) historical and nature. Without going too deep into the realm of documentary and the different ways in which they can be shot to convey certain views I shall be first coming up with two thought out plans for a documentary film story.

Idea 1
Focusing on the local weekly event held at Linnet & Lark, I will be looking at what has made ‘”The Sesh” successful and how it has created a window for local talent to perform. I will talk to Mac, the guy behind it all, regular attendees, bands that have gained success from using “The Sesh” as a starting point and also newer talent just starting out and why it is that they see the event as a good way to get ‘out there’.
Interviewees-
Mac- host/organiser
Mike – Sound Guy
3 random members of the audience
Tom Atkin – The Paddingtons
Josh Hubbbard – The Paddingtons
John Copley – John Copley & The Belle Collective
A random fresh band on the bill.

Idea 2
On a less factual and serious note I will be seeing how prepared the inhabitants of Hull are if there was to be a zombie attack. I will be looking at several films and what is typically required to survive an attack and then go onto the streets and interview several people and discuss what they have prepared and if not, why not? Additionally as I have discussed this issue many times with a select number of my friends I will also be interviewing them for a different view as I know for a fact that they already have planned for an attack, even if it is
all in jest. This is to show that documentaries aren’t always required to be a serious lecture on some event in the past.
Interviewees
Several of the general public
A few of my selected friends

Photography. Semester 1. Flikr

2010-03-05T06:48:00.000-08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/44278853@N05/

Photography.Final Piece.

2010-03-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

Throughout my planned photoshoot I felt the need to play with both artificial lighting and natural and how they would both work with my desired use of black and white. From my research process I intended to use a plain background with my model,Samantha, in striking black and white clothing however Sam has intensely dark hair in contrast with her snow white skin, this I noticed was enough of a contrast aready.

-This first image was just a practice shot to show how the artificial lighting would work with my ideas. I was very unimpressed with the background and the lack of contrast. I was hoping to recreate the striking effect of Irving Penns work. Although it does show one style, it does not impress me enough.

-This second image was taken outside so the lighting is alot softer and the whole image seems to brighten up therefore I was able to capture the contrasts more effectively. Also I chose to use a background to add another element to the image, I personally find this image rather interesting due to the varying grey shades and textures.

In this shot I tried talking to my model to capture different emotions and expressions, I was able to create quite a collection in a short space of time. This particular photograph was taken at a point in which Sam thought I was being strange when tring to direct her, this is clearly shown with her puzzled yet amused expression.

With this third image I chose to keep the same look of the previous picture yet backed off a little and tried to capture some movement similar to Richard Avadon. I have not used photoshop or any other tool to edit my images as all the photographers I have researched have all used vintage cameras which restricts them from manipulating their images. I find that my skills developed in this image, I was able to capture alot more emotion and Sam's true character rather than just focusing on ways to make the image 'pretty'.

Below is the image I took in the style of Jane Bown.

I couldnt get the positioning of the model exactly the same as we had no seating and we are of similar height, yet the outcome is quite a success. Both images capture a shy moment with the model, both covering their faces. Although you can't see the subjects faces these portraits still unveils an intimacy with the subject as a good portrait should. Technically both images have a softness about them helped along with the natural lighting. One thing I have noticed is that although Jane Bown does not edit her images, this particular photograph is contained in a simple border. The use of the border not only conatins the image itself but adds another layer to the very personal atmosphere. I would of really liked to have used a manual camera to take this image yet I have no access to a dark room, Bown is known for her use of vintage cameras yet I only had access to digital, this did help by switching to black and white easily yet some of my images did look weak as I believe manual cameras are better at capturing certain textures and tones.

This is my self portrait. I don't particularly like having my picture taken and I found that photographs of me acting normal and smiling seem quite fake and boring. I do have a tendency to be very sarcastic and to act stupidly, I find that this photograph displays this perfectly. The image was taken by a friend of mine in a park in London whilst I was acting up.

Review

I found that in this project quite interesting and I am pleased with the outcome. Having never worked with people in photography before I was initially quite nervous, yet watching a couple of 'How To' videos on Youtube and the BBC website I was able to focus on the different directions in which I could approach this brief.
To improve my work further I could have taken a few more images using different effects and at different angles and also explore varying factors that affect the image such as lighting and possible props.
Additionally I would of preferred to of experimented with different cameras such as manual, professional and possibly phone cameras just to see how they could change the 'feel' of an image.

Photography. Brief & Planning

2010-03-04T02:56:00.000-08:00

The Brief

I am to photograph a friend in 3 differing styles and take one self portrait that I feel effectively conveys my personality.

Additionally I shall take a photograph in a similar style to a researched photographer.

Research

This can be found in my earlier post "Photography.Portraiture"

Planning

Through both research and my own personal preference I have decided that all my images will be in black and white, I find that without colour the audience is able to focus on the subject rather than looking at it in a superficial manner.

For my self portrait I have looked through old photographs and I find that both myself, my friends and family prefer the images in which I am looking away or pulling faces as I am not a very serious person.

Whilst composing my 'Comparison Piece' I came across the photographer Jane Bown and her photograph of Bjork (this is also included in my earlier post) I like the fact that a portrait doesn't have to include the subjects head with them plainly looking into the camera. I like the way in which Bjork seems to shy away although she is percieved as an eccentric character.

Portraiture Examples

2010-02-22T06:20:00.000-08:00

PABLO PICASSO BY YOUSEF KARSH
IRVING PENN
BJORK BY JANE BOWN
CAT POWER BY RICHARD AVADON

Photography. Portraiture.

2010-02-22T06:12:00.000-08:00

What is portraiture?

The objective is to display the character and/or lifestyle of the subject, many portraits focus primarily on the face but the body or a background can be included.
A portrait doesn’t have to just show a person sat smiling at a camera, if you were to catch the subject in thought or to strike conversation this can provide a variety of expressions and deeper feel to the imagery.

Comparison piece:

Yusef Karsh is one of the most famous and accomplished portrait photographers, he is well-known as ‘the master of studio lighting’ this is possibly due to his unusual technique of lighting his subjects hands separately.
In 1941 the U.K Prime Minister, Winston Churchill visited Ottowa where Kharsh was privileged enough to be able to take his portrait, however unbeknown to Kharsh this was to become one of the most reproduced images in the history of photography.

British photographer Jane Bown differs fairly radically from Karsh, Bown works with no assistance, also only uses available light and uses a vintage camera but similarly to Yousef Karsh focuses on using black and white photo’s.
It seems that Karsh seems to incorporate the personality of the subject into his images, this can be via the relevant backdrop or objects related to the particular subject, for example when photographing Picasso one of the artists pieces was included in the image. Alternatively I believe Bown is able to capture emotion a lot more, it seems deeper less about the person and who they are and what they are famous for but to show a more human side something the audience wouldn’t particularly be accustomed to.

Richard Avadon is radically different portrait photographer, he was able to make an extremely successful career through fashion photography. Unlike most portrait and fashion photographers in which the model would stand still and pose he wanted to capture action and different emotions.
Avadons work is easily distinguished as the images are usually very minimalist, additionally when developing his films he would transfer them on to large canvases some measuring up to 3 feet.
As I have previously mentioned some photographers like to converse with their subjects to make them more relaxed and possibly to capture certain emotions, Richard Avadon was notorious for asking probing questions and guide them into uncomfortable areas of discussion to provoke a reaction or emotion that people would not be normally accustomed to.

Irving Penn, similarly to Avadon, was involved in fashion photography his work is responsible for the post WWII trend for feminine chic and glamour. He worked for the U.S fashion magazine Vogue for many years, differentiating himself from other photographers Penn favoured photographing his subjects in front of a plain white or grey backdrop, unlike others he was able to use this elegant minimalism more effectively. Although Penn was a fashion photographer his work has been exhibited as a form of art, it has been said that he was able to capture the essence of his subjects.

http://www.karsh.org/#/the_work/home/

http://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/368

http://photo.net/learn/portraits/

http://www.richardavedon.com/

5 Star Website Reviews

2010-01-24T05:48:00.000-08:00

In my reviews I shall be focusing on the design of the website, the navigation and the content and information.

Manchester Literature Festival
http://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk

Visually the design is pretty simple, it has a relevant logo in which book spines are incorporated therefore purely from looking at the logo alone the visitor can basically get the idea that the focus throughout will be on litereature.
The navigation is along the left-hand side of the screen and due to it being in a vertical strip and also the choice of font cold make it difficult to read as the titles are broken and somewhat scattered.
The website as a whole is pretty simplistic and unclutters. It includes the relelvant information and also provides a link to a seperate blog for those who would like to delve deeper into the subject matter or to recieve more information on certain authors and poets.

****

Beverley Literature Festival
http://www.beverley-literature-festival.org/

In comparison to the above website the design of the Beverley Literature Festival site appears busier, again they have chosen to display a logo or a design that can be associated with the festival.
Again the layout of the navigation bar is down the left-hand side, yet in this case the titles are alot clearer with the added bonus of a symbol being highlighted once your curser is on the selected button.
This website contains a lot more information, it provides the latest news, sponsors and a brieg history of the festival on the Home page alone. In addition it provides maps, opportunities to volunteer and an archive of previous events.

***

Humber Mouth Literature Festival
http://www.humbermouth.org.uk/

-server currently unavailable-

Port Eliot Festival
http://www.porteliotfestival.com/

My initial thought was that this particular website is similar to that of a news website, this was due to the large slideshow, the small video and the regular news updates.
The navigation bar is situated across the top of the page and also each tab provides a drop down menu to skip to particular sub sections. I found this quite useful as it reduced the number of links and pages the visitor woould have to scroll through. The logo projected quite a youthful arty feel, yet in contrast I sometimes felt it contained too much text or possibly just that the text was displayed in quite an uninteresting fashion.
As the majority of people dont actually scroll down to read information I found that this website wasn't as useful as the others as it only provides a picture and news updates across the top area of every page and therefore to learn more about the festival itself it would require you to actually search for the information.

***

Durham Literature Festival
http://www.bookfestival.org.uk/home.html

The website has developed not only a running theme but also a slogan 'free range reading' providing a light hearted look at literature as the majority of people associate literature with heavy dusty books. It definately is a rarity as it links reading with a fun side as the design is that of a bird sat in a nest of papers seemingly lost from a book.
Similar to the Manchester Literature Festival website this also feels fresh and uncluttered, there is again the basic information required. I particular liked the link for 'venues' as it provides a list of information and photographs.
On the homepage instead of cluttering itself up with news and updates it gives you a big and very clear link for the live Twitter feed therefore you needn't scan through it all unless you are really interested in the festival.

*****

Wecome....

2009-12-10T11:45:00.000-08:00

...To my new blog, this will be designed solely to present my work and developing ideas throughout my time on the Digital Media Journalism course, feel free to have a look around.....once i get a few things uploaded x