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Monday, November 28, 2022

Blog Buddy comments: 2

 Here in this post, I will be presenting 5 more comments that I have made on the posts of my Blog Buddy Mo on his website titled "WRITING PARAPHERNALIA".



Website Creation : About Page


Website Creation : Home Page


Welcome to Writing Paraphernalia


Creating a Logo


S.M.A.R.T Objectives













Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Website Creation : Critical Evaluation

 In this post I will be discussing and critically evaluating my website.


Planning

When it first came to the planning for my website, I had to find the most aesthetically-pleasing template to get it started off. 


Here I chose the "Videographer" template since it closely resembled the works of both the websites of Vincent Frei and Allan Mckay (The two VFX artists I had researched their website about). I then chose my name to be the main title of my website since it should be about me and presenting myself to the public (Since it showcases my skills and myself as a whole). Lastly, I decided to focus on making a very simple and easily digested website so any audience may approach it without any difficulty. I added a simple "tagline" for my website title since I want to describe what I do as a whole, I added a Text box with the Lulo Clean font and 12px for font size and added Visual effects as a "tagline". This "tagline" immediately tells the audience what is to come out of the website below.


Research

When it came to researching about the inspiration for my website, I focused on selecting artists that had their website within the simple spectrum of aesthetic. Allan Mckay's website caught my eye at first since it presents most of his works with ease and with no hassle access, alongside the fact that it focuses on the colors : Black and Orange that makes it feel formal and simple. 
 
The next artist I would review for reference in creating my website was Vincent Frei since his website was deeper within the simple aesthetic spectrum because said website focused more on presenting information rather than filling up most of the white space that was on the website.  It presents a lot of information without straining the eyes of the viewer, making it easy to choose which article hooks them in easily. 



After researching both of them, I chose to make 5 pages for my website to start it off. each page was named respectively : Home, About, Gallery, Project 0.1, and Contact. As of current times, it has stay the same and will do until another project comes up.

Content

My website will be all about Visual Effects, its capabilities and me and my works, its purpose is to peak interest in people about Me and visual Effects as well through film editing, modeling and most of the processes on the VFX pipeline. And since I am focusing more on VFX, my website might interest those who are studying VFX at the moment, alongside people who are interested in Films and Modeling. The content of my website and itself is important since it can help me make a name for myself, help me advertise for the future like an investment and have a place where I am able to share my works to the world.

Design

 Firstly I used the template provided by Wix which was "videographer" that was the closest to what I envisioned my website's theme to be.


Videographer

Then I went on to add textboxes containing content about the page that it was located in, my own video, changed the color of each strip to my own preference, added my name as the title alongside a "tagline", my own images, a fixed header and footer, a home button being the title button of the website and different photos of myself. 


I also changed the navigation menu to fit the aesthetic of my website, however, I also wanted to avoided too much simplicity as it might look way too informal. I lastly added a registration form down below for my website alongside a simple view counter just to give the website accountability in the future.


In total, I had 5 pages for my website that presents their contents very well.

Navigation

The navigation on my website was very well made in my opinion, since it presents a short description about the page alongside a photo to present its theme, right beside the form to contact and message me about the website. 


I have also added 4 social media links containing my temporary Facebook, Twitter, Blogspot and Instagram. All my pages are interlinked since the tab bar on top gives the viewer easy access to all pages of my website and the logo being both a home button and a return to top button gives the viewer ease when wanting to view another page. Overall, when the navigation of my website is in question it can be said that it is very accessible and provides no hassle at all.
























Monday, November 21, 2022

Major project : Sequence planning


In this post I will be discussing the planning of sequence for my major project.

Below is a photo of my drawing of what my sequencing will be for the scene of my major project.

 


The scene will start off with a desk that has a paper with grid-lines on top of it, specifically on the middle area of the table. I will be editing in the object on top of the grid-lined paper then focus on motion tracking it for the next scenes. The next part of the scene will be the camera position moving from left to right, looking at the object from a different viewpoint. Lastly, the scene will end on the right side-face of the object, desk and grid-line paper.

For reference, A is the object to be edited into the scene aforementioned; B will be the grid-line paper that will be used to help guide the motion tracking and object placement and C will be the desk and background as the setting of the scene.

Sunday, November 20, 2022

Software Testing : Flipsnack

This post will be discussing my software testing of Flipsnack. This is research for my major project and website creation if Flipsnack is a software I will be utilizing.


Firstly, I went to the website link and signed in using my university email. I then had to fill in my name in the form presented below alongside the option to choose what my role in life is currently, I selected student and there were no more layers to fill in after that.


Next, I had to choose the format in which my Flipsnack project will be in. I chose the A4 portrait format since its what most people who create similar objects consider the general format. I did not tweak any of the size features that the website presented (e.g Width and Height).


I took some non-copyright photos from Unsplash and arranged them to represent what I wanted to convey to my viewers. Flipsnack had very easy access tools from my experience in order for me to create a test project that tells me what the software may offer, such as the countless templates and built-in stock image gallery it has.


To finish my project in Flipsnack off, I published it and it has appeared on my dashboard as published as well. Here you can view my test project as a whole.


Here below is my Flipsnack project finalized.


After using it and studying Flipsnack as a whole, I can consider it a very beginner user-friendly software, very-accessible since all tools are labelled and easy to eye on. Not a lot of knowledge when it comes to editing is required during your time using the website, though there are some features I would like to use but cannot since you were required to pay in order to use them. Though a small bit similar to the functions that Canva may provide, Flipsnack in my opinion has more to offer when it comes to gallery presentation of pictures and other texts.








Saturday, November 19, 2022

Blog Buddy Comments

This post will be showcasing 5 comments that I have made on the posts of my Blog Buddy Mo on his website.








Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Major Project: Software Research

 On this post, I will be discussing the two pieces of software and compare both about their relevance, compatibility and ease in the process of creation for my website. Firstly I will talk about Adobe after effects. 




Adobe after effects was first developed back in 1993, in which it had two versions (both of which was made by the Company of Science and Art. The first version of Adobe After Effects, however, was only available on the Macintosh computer which was made by Apple. Since then program has improved over time, having better various machine rendering at the same time and a bit of motion blur as well.

Adobe after Effects as a program, is known to be very versatile, being able to accomplish tasks such as Animating namely : Basic 3D, Vector 2D, Kinetic Typography, UI/UX mock-up. Focusing on Visual effects, however, it can give access to the creation of smoke, explosions, fire, sparking, lightning, so on and so forth all realistic (technically possible) within a scene. 

I have used Adobe after effects and noticed there isn't much to use about 3D manipulation and modeling. It can be argued that it is still feasible and usable, however, there are other programs within my research that are better with that area.

All of this included within the program, it is to be considered a powerhouse and as advertised, versatile. However, when it comes to Adobe After Effects 3D modeling such as objects, models, atmospheres and environments. It can utilize existing 3D objects then edit them using the long list of capabilities it has but creating such scenes will be suitable for other program rather than Adobe After Effects.




Blender was first developed back in 1994 by a Dutch Art director named Ton Roosendaal. He was a self-taught software developer and as he was attracted to all things technical and creative, he had started a degree in Industrial Design in which he dropped to develop a different software titled NeoGeo. Within NeoGeo, blender was created with a purpose of becoming an app within said software, however this would change in 1995 where Roosendaal would invest $30,000 into a workstation by Silicon Graphics in order to develop Blender 1.0.

I already have tried Blender and immediately as I booted up the software, I immediately see the platform for 3D processing. It presented me with a cube as a standalone object and the grid where I can manipulate it. Though very confusing at first I studied the different tools by hovering my cursor onto them and studying them by simply using them on the object provided. Blender as a program immediately can be perceived as a software strictly for 3D modeling and the pipeline in my experience of using it at first.

Blender as a program, is a 3D computer graphics software and is also open for use to the general public (and since it is open-source, most updates are fixed by the community who utilize Blender which in turn makes bug-fixing faster than normal). The program is most used by people who are new to 3D modeling and to any effects software, however,  there are also some professional who still use Blender up to this day.  To put it simply, Blender as a software focuses on mostly everything on the 3D creation pipeline namely : 3D models, motion graphics, game creation, virtual reality, rigging, animation, rendering motion tracking and so on and so forth. It can also be said to be versatile in its field of capabilities as there are loads of options when 3D creation is in question. 

To summarize :
  •  Adobe After Effects
    This computer graphics software focuses more on Animating and everything on the 2D pipeline. When focusing on creating effects in scenes, Adobe After Effects is one of the best softwares one may use in this area. However when the 3D editing pipeline is in question, it may be better to use a different software for it.


  • Blender
    Blender as a computer graphics software creates a smooth process when the 3D editing pipeline is in play, since the program gives a long list of its capabilities when you are to tackle 3D. Though Adobe After Effects is better when it comes to adding effects to a scene, Blender makes creating objects onto a scene very accessible which is better for my creation of the major project.


    All of this being said, I will be utilizing Blender for my major project plan rather than Adobe After Effects since it is the most suitable between the two of object creation onto a scene.

References :

Foundation, B. (no date) History, blender.org. Available at: https://www.blender.org/about/history/#:~:text=Blender's%20History&text=Roosendaal%20wrote%20the%20first%20source,tracer%20built%20for%20the%20Amiga. (Accessed: November 16, 2022).

Chillingworth, A. (2022) The Pros & Cons of using Blender Software: Epidemic sound, This is the Epidemic Sound blog | Epidemic Sound. This is the Epidemic Sound blog | Epidemic Sound. Available at: https://www.epidemicsound.com/blog/blender-software/#:~:text=What%20is%20Blender%20software%20used,the%20entire%203D%20creation%20pipeline. (Accessed: November 16, 2022).

Chillingworth, A. (2022) The Pros & Cons of using Blender Software: Epidemic sound, This is the Epidemic Sound blog | Epidemic Sound. This is the Epidemic Sound blog | Epidemic Sound. Available at: https://www.epidemicsound.com/blog/blender-software/#:~:text=What%20is%20Blender%20software%20used,the%20entire%203D%20creation%20pipeline. (Accessed: November 16, 2022).

 

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Website Creation : About Page

In this post, I will be discussing about my "About Me" page on my website. Below is the contents of my About me page.

Welcome, my name is Alan and I am interested in the art of “illusion”. Anything that pertains to editing media is what peaks my interest.

Looking back, amongst the oasis of ideas , there wasn’t anything that gave me the same fuel of passion as VFX. I tried drawing, pursuing maths, searching and researching in science, and other different opportunities that were presented to me, however, VFX striked me the most.

Currently, I am a VFX student studying Media at De Montfort University International College (DMUIC), Leicester. My desire is to use the capabilities of VFX, to create the 
scenes, effects and text that can light the furnace in people to go out there and explore this world I am in; the exciting world of VFX...


I will then add this as my bio on my website. Firstly, I went to the left-side of the website creation tool in order to add text boxes. The first text box will contain the title of the tab "About Me" and the second would contain the contents about me. Before adding the text, I first made sure to set the font style to Lulo Clean and font size 18px so that it is pleasing to read. After which, I added the contents of my about page and the title of the page. 




I also added a square and adjusted its color and size to act as a background for the photo of myself and a bit of extra information not included in the about me contents of the page. This area also included my social media links which I added via the left-hand menu of the website creation tool that was under the "Apps" section. I edited a simple photo I took myself using the crop tool that the website creation tool had when left-clicking the photo.





After finishing and polishing the desktop view of my about page, I proceeded to edit the mobile view since it was not organized the way I wanted it to be. I did the same process as my desktop view pertaining to font style, font size and font color. 















Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Website Creation: Contact Page

In this post I will be discussing the creation of the contact page section of my website, which I took inspiration from Vincent Frei's website

Firstly, I created an introduction section for my contact page. Here I took a picture of my hand for a non-copyright and very fitting image for my contact page introduction. Here was the picture I took after I edited and cropped it to fit my website contact page section. I used an iphone 12 on its auto settings.


1/800 sec. f/1.6 4.2 mm ISO 32.

I then added a square to fit the background of the two text boxes I was planning to add to this section and shaped it to fit the area. I then added two text-boxes for the title containing "Reach out" and the introduction contents of my contact page. I then adjusted the font style of Lulo Clean and then fixed the font size to 18px to be easy to read for the viewers.




In the latter part of the contact page, I focused on making it very simple and accessible as I also took inspiration from the website of Vincent Frei and its section of Contact as shown below.



I then made took a template for a contact form sheet that the website creation tool Wix had provided which was located at the left-hand side of the tool under the "add element" tab. Here I tweaked most of the content within the template to fit the simplicity and accessibility I envisioned for this part of my section. Making sure the font is black and the font were serif, I then took a text box and added it to the section of the template which looked aesthetically pleasing to place it (I added the text box via the left-hand side menu of the website creation tool Wix). I also edited the background of the section to make reading the text easy for the eyes of the viewer.


Lastly, I simply added a location app from the left side of the website creation tool Wix under the "add apps" tool. Then I set the location to De Montfort University, Leicester.

















Website Creation : Research and creation of Initial Gallery

 Here I will be discussing the short process of me creating the "Hipno Gallery", in which I took inspiration from Vincent Frei from his website of "Art of VFX" in the tab of "Breakdown and Showreels."


From there I began working on my Gallery tab,



 There was a template provided by Wix in which I simply tweaked the different elements namely : The title, the description, and the contents of the gallery the default template had. I changed the fonts of both the description and of the title to the common font of my website alongside the light color (Lulo Clean with a #96CBD8).



Lastly, I changed all of the photos the default template had and its whole collection then replaced it with my own photos and created a collection alongside it. I utilized my brand logo, the platform logo and lastly the advertisement project I edited using Adobe Photoshop in order to fill the gap removing the default content made.

Here is the final outcome of my initial Gallery,











Website Creation: Home Page

 In this post, I will be discussing the process of creating the home page of my Website for Alan Mark. 


Firstly, I used one of the templates the website creation tool Wix had provided in order to make the website creation easier. I then proceeded to change the trip background of each section in order to make the website's home page aesthetically pleasing. Next, I added a video to the start of my homepage closely resembling my research of Allan Mckay's website as shown below.


I then added the video box tool that was included in the left-hand menu of the website creation tool Wix and formatted it to fit the website as close to the video on Allan Mckay's website. I took the videos included within the looped video of the website within the Kimberlin Library of De Montfort University.


Secondly, I created a simple introduction to my website. I added two  text boxes that were located at the left-hand side of the website creation tool Wix. The first text box will contain the title of the tab "Meet Alan Mark" and the second would contain the introduction. Before adding the text, I first made sure to set the font style to Lulo Clean and font size 15px so that it is pleasing to read. After which, I added the contents of my introduction and the title of the page. 




I went to another section the template the website creation tool Wix had and tweaked its contents to contain some photos of my "Recent Works. Firstly, I added a singular text that was in the menu of the left-hand side of the website creation tool Wix and added the title of "Recent Works"with the font style of Lulo Clean and added an effect to the font to make it seem like it had a Holo-afterimage. I then added an app that presents the photos and goes through them one by one which I added via the left-hand side menu the website creation tool Wix had and it was under the "add an app" option.




Lastly, I added a section onto the template the website creation tool Wix provided that showcases my first project for the VFX film I am creating. I firstly added a square and made it white in order to create a background for the text I am about to put onto the area and sized it appropriately. Once that is accomplished, I then added 2 text boxes, one containing the title "Project 0.1" and the other containing a short description of Project 0.1. I edited both texts to have the font style of Lulo Clean and font color of black to make it stand out from the white square. I also added the Holo-afterimage effect to the title text box to make it aesthetically pleasing. I then added a button that leads to Project 0.1 making it easily accessible. I finished this section by added a simple photo to advertise project 0.1.

On the area close to the footer of the website, I added a title button that viewers may press in order to return to the top of the page for convenience and design, alongside my social media links.



Here is the link to my website's homepage.













Website Creation: Research and creation of Footer

 Here I will be discussing how I created the footer for my Website.  The inspiration in its creation came from the website of Allan Mckay and the footer it contains. Here it can be seen that it firstly presents the brand of the name of Allan Mckay, alongside links to his social media. It is then followed by a submission to Follow his content and have it received by the audience once it is available. Lastly, the copyright is shown below to avoid anybody from stealing content from the website and its brand.



Below is my process of creating a footer for my website.




I started off using a template that Wix had and put it onto the space I had provided beforehand for my Website's footer. I then changed most of the text that the template had into my website's common font (Lulo Clean with a #96CBD8) to make the footer very pleasing to the eyes.



I also added my copyright onto the lower part of the footer with the same font style and font color. Then I proceeded fixing the button of my subscription.



Here I simply utilized a button template to make the button stick out. I made sure to use the light color of my website as to make it pleasing to the eyes and easy to spot amongst the dark background. I fixed the hover color as well to make it aesthetically pleasing.


Lastly, I added my brand name of "Alan Mark" alongside links to my social media accounts to help my footer stand out and Give it a professional feel. 

Here is the final outcome of my footer.