Research Seminar Task

What has my creativity been for in the past few years?
A lot of my ideas come from films and music videos. I like realism in my work, maybe not specific to the content, but the look and feel.

Who has it been for?
Mainly friends, I find it easier to motivate myself to work when it's for someone else's benefit than my own.

Why have I done it this way? Has this been my decision or someone else’s?
It's just the way I work; I have the same process with cooking. I can't find the enthusiasm to cook for myself; however it's much easier to cook for someone else.

What do I want the future of my creativity to be?
Currently, I have no idea - I'm hoping I discover this over the next couple of years. Or at least have a better idea.

In what specific way(s) can research help me get to these new places?
Research can help me to see what I truly enjoy, and what I deeply loathe. It can allow me to see what I'm getting into within a specific area before going any further into it.

Which research starting point do I feel most drawn to?
Exploratory - I like the fact it's open ended and ongoing, meaning I can research new things but leave it open to push the boundaries further.

Which do I feel wary of?
I don't feel wary of any of the research starting points.

Which seem irrelevant?
Descriptive - Not irrelevant, but felt like it was just a standard part of the research process, rather than a specific method. I feel this is done passively, so doesn't really exist as a research starting point.

Purely Boredom

Clearly the next Hollywood blockbuster!

Active Learning Task

In my own time I watch a lot of films, play a lot of video games, and generally experiment with Photoshop. I don't tend to read a lot of material in books as, suffice to say, I have a relatively short attention span! However, I do tend to read a lot of relevant material on the internet, such as; game/film reviews, and image editing/manipulation techniques and tutorials.

Whether I was doing this course or not, I think it's safe to say, I'd be playing video games. I like to keep up to date with all new releases, not only because I rinse through them rather quickly, but it's interesting to see how different game developers vary in their styles. For example, currently; THQ = brilliant, Sega = failing.

Also, I have a PS3, whereas my housemate has a 360, which is interesting when comparing the difference in quality and performance. More specifically, the use of bluray discs.

When it comes to films, I'm a huge fan of most films made by Disney/Pixar, as well as following any films based on the Marvel and DC universe. As before, even if I wasn't doing this specific course, I would still be watching films; however now, I find myself paying more attention to camera techniques and the use of product placement.

As you can probably tell by looking at some of last year’s projects, and looking at my blog I enjoy experimenting with Photoshop. I used to produce small films through gamecams, though these were more walkthroughs than actual videos.

Pixilation Piece

Water Colour brushes preset

Starting playing with water colour brush presets I downloaded and working them with layers and blending options. Idea came about after looking at some graffiti, and I thought this might be an interesting idea to recreate. Below is an image of my house mate; I have removed the original background, changed some of the lighting and added some brush effects, along with some filters to create this effect.



This is no purpose to this, I just like experimenting with colours and felt it was reasonably relevant after Jools lecture on colour.

Interactive Narrative

I have finally finished my Flash project for the interactive narrative assignment. Overall I am happy with the way it turned out. The only aspect of flash I really struggled with was the implementation of the buttons, however, after playing around with it I discovered it was more of a temporary bug with my software than an overall issue.

I really enjoyed this project and will probably be doing more in my spare time. Below is my finished piece, however I haven't decided whether I want any sort of background music playing. I think it is fine without but it might add to the effect having some horror-themed music for backing.


Uni - Interactive Narrative by ~Cdawilliams on deviantART

Microsoft's Project Natal

Found this whilst browsing the web having heard about it in work.

"Project Natal is the code name for a "controller-free gaming and entertainment experience" by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 video game platform. Based on an add-on peripheral for the Xbox 360 console, Project Natal enables users to control and interact with the Xbox 360 without the need to touch a game controller through a natural user interface using gestures, spoken commands, or presented objects and images.

The project is aimed at broadening the Xbox 360's audience beyond its typically hardcore base. Project Natal was first announced on June 1, 2009 at E3 2009. Microsoft said that over a thousand software development kits began shipping to game developers that same day.

Though Microsoft has not officially announced any price or release date projections for Project Natal, it is expected to be released in late 2010. Project Natal will reportedly also serve as the basis for a "new" Xbox 360."

Taken from source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Natal

It also goes into more detail about it on there.

I like the concept, and the trailers I have watched about it seem very impressive. However, I think the whole thing is being exaggerated slightly. It's taken the idea introduced with the Nintendo Wii and adapted it, as I said, it's an interesting and fascinating concept but realistically I don't think it'll work as expected. I've heard rumours of a release date in November 2010 (just in time for Christmas funnily enough). Waiting to see what happens.