the twelfth week

This is it! The last blog! I can't believe it's already over!
Now this may sound cheesy, but it's true. I've loved every second of Digital Media! Even the tricky moments and projects.

I loved the lectures to bits. Tuesdays were always my largest number of tweet days on Twitter! I couldn't help but tweet out all the awesome things we were learning. Watching music videos in class? The best. On that note here's a few current favorites that I'm loving...

"Love of an Orchestra" - Noah and the Whale


"Cousins" - Vampire Weekend


"Paddling Ghost" - Dan Deacon

The labs were super fun too! I learn by do-ing so thus the labs were perfect! Although frustrating and tricky I now know Flash! Kinda. And that's the point right? The Photoshop and HTML labs were my very very very favorites.

What needs to be changed or improved? Hm. Maybe have us do the tutorial along with you? Would that be possible? Like...
"Okay and now we're going to add a new layer by clicking this"
*and then we all click along*
I suggest this because while whatever was being explained at the beginning of the lab, I'd be like " WOW I GET THIS!" But as soon as I sat down I was like "WOW I DON'T GET THIS!"

This course has made me even more comfortable and skilled in all digital media aspects. Because I had lots of Photoshop and a bit of HTML experience before hand, this course challenged me to take my skills a step further. I loved the material covered in lectures because I enjoy participating in the things we were learning about, ie social media, rss feeds, blogs, etc.

I think that the most important thing I've learnt in this course is again cheesy but true. Anything is possible when it comes to digital media. It is a great mix of the technical and the creative. I knew that digital media was taking over the world, but only this semester did I realize the extent of ground it has already covered.

I'm so sad for this course to be over. And Laurie if you're reading this? Thanks for everything. It has been the best.

the eleventh week

This week in lecture we learned about Crowdsourcing! Things that only professionals where doing before, are now open to 'anyone' out there online! Kind of like a online mass contribution! The users get to be a part of something much bigger, and the organizations or companies get to save money. A lot of bands are making music videos with the help of fans shooting some of their own footage.

One example is The Beastie Boys concert film, where they asked fans for concert footage and then pieced it together!


Another example is how Pepsi held a contest, where artist could submit new Pepsi can designs. The winner won $10,000 and their design was printed on certain cans.

Crowdsourcing is a great fun and easy way to get fans and users involed!

the tenth week

Web 2.0 yo! Here are the five characteristics!

Dynamic content
Content is no longer static! It is now organic and constantly changing! The content that one viewer of a site might see one second may be completely different when another viewer see the same site a second later! Constantly updated, users contribute in a way that changes said information. It's viewable on multiple platforms and can be something like a reader.
Example? Digg
Digg is a social news website where users can submit stories and "digg" them if they like 'em. You can also "bury" something you don't like. This means that the top stories are top because people said so.

User contribution
User contribution means that the user plays a role in generating the value of the content. By tagging and rating the content allows organizations to see how people experience their content. This means that the creators know what you like or don’t etc.
Example? YouTube
Users can not only upload their own videos, but rate other videos too. Also, just by viewing a video on YouTube, the user contributes to the "times viewed" number, which can increase the popularity of video as well.

Social media
Social media is online media that provides opportunities for socializing, connection, and sharing between users. Users can express their identity and interact with others.
Examples? Twitter
Twitter is a social media/mico-blogging site that allows users to constantly update how they are feeling, what they are doing, what they are liking, and more! They can follow other users and interact with them by @ replying them or "RT" or Re-Tweeting them. Users showcase their identity with their profile picture and with their background images.

Online applications
An online application lets users create things in a browser, with the help of software run online.
Example? Picnik
Picknik allows users to upload photos and then edit them online. Like an online and simpler photoshop.

Harnessing collective intelligence
Tagging let's users assign keywords to content, so that you can find what you want easier. Also known as “folksonomies” the tags you create are then “you-based”. The website then knows what the user wants and likes and can direct the user to other things or users they may like as well.
Example? The Sixty One
The Sixty One lets users listen to music and tag the songs that they like. By doing so, it can recommend what other songs they might like. The Sixty One let's artists submit work, and track what people are listening to. With this info they then create lists for users of what other users are listening to most and what songs are hot.

the ninth week

The moment I saw Barbara Adler perform her slam poetry I instantly became inspired. Having had lots of trouble trying to decide what to do I was overwhelmed with joy when she happily gave me permission to use her poetry in this assignment. My ideas changed and became more concrete at the same time.

At first I really wanted to incorporate my photography into the project, but then realized that this would not work well with this poem. I wanted to focus on the words. Keep things crisp and clean. I also decided to challenge myself with the kinetic type. You see, while I am very comfy using Adobe Lightroom and CS4, I had never opened up Flash before this class. Needless to say I did not pick up flash in a flash. I found it very tricky but after a while I think I got a bit of a hang of it.

Although my project is not perfect, I’m quite happy with it. I would have liked for the sound and text to be more synced up but I am still figuring out how to do that. I am hoping to improve these lacking skills and go back to this project and make it better. Hope Barbara likes it!

After watching others work, I realized just how much you can do in flash! The possibilities are endless! Now, I just need to figure out how to upload my flash to YouTube without it getting corrupted.

the eighth week

This week we learned about ARGs! Alternate Reality Games! So neat!

ARGs are digitally interactive games that have intense player involvement. The players of the game help solve plot based puzzles. The players share the information that they gather over the Internet and swap what they've learnt to work together as a team. Crazy cool right?

So who else is involved? Well there's a "Puppet Master". The unseen leader. The Wizard Of Oz! The man (or woman) behind the curtain! And speaking of the curtain - that's a metaphor for the separation between the puppet master and the players! The "Rabbithole" is what we call the first website, contact, or puzzle that starts off the ARG.

They have usually been used for video game viral marketing because hey those nerdy geeks get into it! And hey I'm one of those geeks! I few years ago I played an ARG! It wasn't for a video game, but a British TV show - that never aired in Canada. Lol right?

I stumbled up a website which spoke of an unreal celebrity's death. From there I found myself on a fake chat board and next thing I knew I was trying to solve a fake celebrity death hoax! It wasn't as interactive as the ARGs we discussed in class, but still! So fun!

After talking about ARGs in class I'm super temped to get involed with one again! So I'm keeping my eyes peeled for any suspicous looking bilboards or websites. Find soemthing? Let me know!

the seventh week

Scopitone videos! The first music videos! Kinda! Scopitones were a kind of video jukebox. Because it was so bulky, you can't find many scopitones around today. So let's go back in time shall we?

What do these videos have in common. Well for one they're all French. Not all scopitone videos were French, there are just lots of French ones on Youtube. What else? These videos don't really have any concept. The videos are simple and colourful. There seems to be lots of dancing in all of them as well. The songs are all super catchy! And the singers are all quite talented!

Now let's look at some of today's "top music videos"...







Like scopitones, these videos are colourful and there's dancing. Unlike scopitones these music videos have plots, giant sets, and some even have explosions! All three of these videos are also selling the artist's persona, wither it be "the diva" or "the girl next door". It's less about the song and more about the star.


Wow music videos have come along way!

the sixth week

Eek! This week is a tricky one!

I find it hard to make decisions. I've come up with about a billion brainstorms (rough number) on what to do, and still I'm having a hard time making up my mind. Blarg. It's the worst.

Alright. Focus Kate. Just make a decision already. Or do another brainstorm.

YEAH! That's it another brainstorm.

So. Here's what I know...
I want to do a lil' mix of kinetic type and photographic animation. I keep changing my mind on if the focus will be on the type or on the photos. I guess it depends on what this animation will be on.

At first I thought about recording a monologue that one of my friends wrote. I still like this idea a lot, but it requires lots of extra work. Not that I don't like doing extra work, I just don't know if I have time. Oh how I wish I had all the time in the world. But no.

Here's my next actually solid idea that poses complications. I'd love to do a mainly kinetic type (with some photography) based on one of Barbara Adler's slam poetry. But then we bump into the whole copyright issue. I met her in person and of course the idea doesn't hit me until I leave her pressence. Just my luck right? Ack.

Here's her Myspace. Super cool right?

So for now I wait on her e-mail response with either good or bad news. And as I wait I do my best to come up with another stable idea. I really hope I hear some good news soon.

I'll get back to you as soon as I know. Fun fact? I hate not knowing.

If I had magic powers I'd do something like this or more so like this.

As I said. Wish me luck.

the fifth week

Two posts ago I posted my poster. See? Yeah. I also have up my artists statement. I kinda said all that I needed to say about the process and all that. You know what I mean? Yeah.

Additional remarks? Not to sound cheesy (ps. I love me some cheese) but I'm really proud of it! I wanted to challenge myself and I did! I wanted to have fun and I did! The class all gave positive feedback and not to sound all high and mighty, but not much needed improvement. Come to think of it, I can't remember anything negative being said. So thus... success? Nah, I love constructive criticism.

Honestly though I am very happy with the final product. Smiles all around.

the forth week

Typography!

It's pretty neat stuff eh?

So often it fly under our radar as we focus on the flashy images. But really it's the type and the text that creeps into our brains. It tells us just as much as an image can, plus yeah there is also text that we can read. Double the trouble (in this case trouble is information that our brain is taking in)! Typography is EVERYWHERE! It's by no means difficult to pick out some examples. I thought I'd pick three current or up coming movie posters! A great movie poster does wonders. Little pieces of art when done right. Let's look at some fancy fonts shall we?

Jennifer's Body

Here the typography is something similar to a letterman font. This kinda of font is usually associated with high school football jackets and high school year books. For this poster they have made it a bit bolder and given it a blood red stain. The poster is effective in that it congers up both highschool and a bit of horror, thus obatining a campy feel. This is just what Jenifer's Body is about. I saw the midnight showing of this film during TIFF! It wasn't the worst! I kinda liked it? But don't tell anyone.

Where The Wild Things Are

How adorable is this poster? Super adorable. The typography is different then that in the books (which the film is based upon), but is does an even better job at conveying the emotions and feelings of the book. The childish scrall that is tall and well...wild for lack of a better word, is just messy enough that we as viewers see the fun and youth in it. At the same time it isn't too messy an ilegible either. It's kid friednly but the tallness makes it mature for older viewers looking back to their own childhood as well. I cannot wait for this movie. Just look at that font! Does it not just melt your heart?

The Informant(!)

Big, thick, and simple. Also in itallics. In this poster, it seems that either an Ariel or a Helvetica has been used to get that straight and simple effect. The contrast with the yellow and the itallics, as well as the alignment creat that blanced yet kooky feel. I haven't seen a trailer for this film but I have seen the posters everywhere, and now I have this urge to see the film. That being said this poster is deffinatly successfull.

poster

About my kyle and kate poster…

When I heard that we would be using Photoshop in our Digital Media class I pretty much went crazy with excitement. Not just because I’ve used Photoshop lots before, but because my CS4 trial had ended last year and I’d only been using Lightroom since then. Lightroom is a great program, but you just can’t do the same things on it that you can of CS4. I was excited that I’d be able to use the program again, and even more excited to experiment around with it. When approaching this poster project, you could say that was my motto. Experiment.

Right off the bat I decided to make a poster for my new SpiritLive show that I’m doing with Kyle. Why not kill two bids with one stone? I wanted to show the goofy nature of our show and the dynamic between Kyle and I. Titled simply “Kyle and Kate” our show is an odd mix of sports news (done by Kyle) and indie music (done by myself). I know nothing about sports and Kyle knows nothing of the indie music scene. This results in lots of me getting confused, and then me bossing Kyle around. There seems to be this idea that jocks and artsy types are worlds apart, and we try and bring them together on our show. I wanted my poster to do somewhat of the same thing.

I decided to take candid shots of Kyle and I goofing around, and then edited the photos in Lightroom. Once I was happy with the base image I imported it into CS4 and began to play around. Here’s where I got a little stuck. I decided to colour the background blocks different colours (for a fun yet funky effect), and used a big selecting tool that is similar to the magic wand. This tool was grabbing too much and, I forgetting about how you can adjust that, instead went to the magnetic lasso and took a lot of persnickety time selecting blocks. Lesson learnt. Moving on, I decided that a more raw and rough look would work for this poster. I used the clone stamp, copying the original image, and then cloning on some of the creases on the blocks. I liked the way it brought out the lines and added some directional flow, helping you eye move around the poster.

With that done it was time for text. Going to my favorite font site DaFont.com, I began to explore. Still going with the rough yet fun look, I found two fonts that I liked and thought would be appropriate. One more chunky and stubby, one thinner and more detailed. Both very distressed. I thought that it would be fun to mix it up a little with the fonts, and chose to use the thinner more detailed font for the title, and the chunky bold font for all the info. I’m very pleased with this choice, and think that the two fonts balance each other nicely. I arranged them in a way so that the chucky info bits of text framed the title as well as the photo of Kyle and I.

All in all I’m quite pleased with my poster! I can’t wait to put them up all over Ryerson and beyond. Now…if only I could afford colour prints! Viral internet advertising will have to do for now.

the thrid week

Human connections.

The feeling that someone else out there understands you and what you're going through. The fact that you're not alone. You'd think that they could only be made in person, but with the internet it has in fact become easier to connect with anyone.

Even strangers.

Last week Laurie showed us We're Feeling Fine. It's a database of sorts that gathers feelings from around the world that everyday people are writing about on their blogs and such. You can go visit the site and find out how someone in London England was feeling on a rainy day or how someone in Brazil was feeling on a Tuesday.

There are sites like this all over the web. Different projects connecting strangers from around the world. One of the most well known projects is PostSecrect. Frank Warren (the creator), encourages people to send in homemade postcards with their secrets on them. He then takes these anonymous secrets and posts a batch of them every Sunday.

Sometimes the secrets are funny, and sometimes they are deep and dark. Sometimes they are life saving. Often when readers are truly moved, they'll write in to Frank, thanking him for posting a particular secret. PostSecret has become a phenomenon. Frank has published many books filled with these postcards, and held many art exhibitions.

Another post project is Mysterious Letters. In 2009, two friends named Lenka Clayton and Michael Crowe decided to start sending mysterious letters to every single household in a small Irish village. As Lenka and Michael Crowe state on their blog...

The art work consists solely of the discussion between the recipients about what on Earth these letters are, who sent them and why, etc.

Neighbours who had never spoken to each other, began to bond over the strange mail, as we all watched the new letters be posted on the blog.

Many know about Craigslist missed connections. People go online and try to find out if that stranger who they passed by on the street felt that same spark. Sophie Blackall decided to remix them if you will. She created her own Missed Connections blog where she took the missed connections from her home town New York, and illustrated certain interesting postings. As she puts it on her blog...

Their messages have the lifespan of a butterfly. I'm trying to pin a few of them down

Post It notes usually remind us of simple tasks we don't want to forget, such as "Pick up more milk!" At thingsweforget.blogspot.com strangers post the simple things we often forget in life. They write them on post its, leave them in public places, and then post it on the website.

These are just a few of many online projects that bring strangers together. It's nice to know that in an age when it's so easily to isolate yourself, people are still making a strong effort to reach out. Just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside doesn't it?

what to do...

No select topic for this week, so the pressure is on. As I brainstorm up ideas of what to write about, I mean mean actually write about, here's some snacks to tide you over.

This first snack is cheesy. Last night one my my dreams came true. But actually. It has always been a dream of mine to go attend the Polaris Music Prize awards, and last night I got to shoot the show for Much! Blah I love interning for them. As much as I complain about wanting to get paid, it's pretty much amazing.

The night was filled with my type of celebs. Metric, Owen Pallett, Chad VanGaaland etc etc. My brain pretty much exploded.

My pics are up here if you care to check em out.

In poster news I still have to shoot some photos for my poster, but I've got a pretty concrete idea in my head. Even a few sketches on paper.

Here's the next snack. It's super delicious. Last night they awarded all the short list nominees beautiful limited edition posters that show's the spirit of the album. These are amazing. I want my poster to be just as stunning.

Wish me luck!

the second week

Remember that last post? CRAP and all that? Are you ready or are you ready?
You're ready! Okay good well here goes...

CRAP isn't my idea. Yeah I'm not that smart. But Robin Williams is. He came up with the concept. Let's go over it again shall we? I'll use some photos I've taken and get a lil bit creative with the text (as much as I can in this format...) so you can get a bit of an idea of what each element is.

C is for contrast.

WOW!
Alison looks so tiny in this picture.
Contrast is making things different but keeping it harmonious at the same time.
Complementary colours (like purple and yellow) are a good way to show contrast with out things getting to crazy.
You can also play with size and the thickness or thinness.

R is for repetition.

The wicker is the pattern.
The pattern is the thread holding it together.
That togetherness is what repetition can be.
A common thread keeping things from falling falling falling apart.

A is for alignment.

It took a while to get this photo and the girls all lined up the way I wanted.

But it was well worth the effort in the end.
The way you line it all up...

can make all the difference.

P is for proximity.

The things that are alike should be together. Matching. Organizing. Makes sense.

Get it? Got it? Questions?

viva las photoshop

Snazzy right? Just made it in class. No big deal. Pretty much a photoshop pro. Well.. almost. I've been using Lightroom for the past year and have gotten a little rusty in the CS4 world. But that's what this class is for right? I think My postcard looks pretty profesh.

Stay tuned for my poster. Just saying it's going to be epic. Hopefully. I want to go all out. Kyle and I just got a radio show on SPIRITlive.net (it starts next Wednesday at noon) and I want to make us the best poster. Yes THE BEST. I'm thinking of taking really simple headshots of the two of us, and then going bizerk in editing.

I also really want to try out some of that hand drawn typeface that Laurie showed us in the lecture today. Either that or the bold retro style. One of the two.

Stay tuned for week too. It's gonna be filled with CRAP. No not that kinda crap. Ew you're gross. This kind...

CONTRAST
Repetition Repetition
A
lignment

Proximity

Get ready.

the first week

Well here we are. University. Insert the cliches about growing up and moving out. Bird flew the nest. Hopefully not over the cuckoo's nest. Etc.


Me with my new apartment keys. It's all very exciting.

So here I am! Radio and Television Arts at Ryerson. Let's begin.

"The first post on your blog should be a reaction to the Digital Media lecture."
Okay. I loved it! The class got me super stoked on RTA. What's that? I can take pictures and play around on photoshop for class? Sign me up! Oh wait... I am signed up. Right.

Before that first lecture, I thought “digital media” was film, music, and art that was electronic. Quicktime players, iTunes, etc. After the lecture I realized that indeed it is that and more. Much more. Cellphones, video games and the like.

Why should a student in RTA take a course like this one in digital media? Why not!
It's the way things are going! How many times have we heard that technology is taking over the world? Like a billion and 5. I counted. Robots will soon take over the world and we need to be ready.

So here's to a great semester of learning. Wow I guess I'm a huge geek. Follow me for some adventure into the arts of the future. Or something like that.

Oh and Ps. Of course McLuhan was right. The Medium is the message. This blog is about me blogging. Not about what I write. Well a little bit about what I write but you get what I mean.

Pps. To anyone else lurking out there, rate me 5 stars for the MuchMusic VJ search! Thanks!