Here is an update on the E Stings project thus far...
The following two video clips are test animations that I have created.
Click the E Stings Dairy link below to download an MS word document containing my thoughts and ideas, plus much more! There is also the supporting Questionnaire.
Download: E Sting Diary
Download: Questionnaire
“E4 Tetris & E4 Pong” – Gav Cooper
youtube.com
YAY! A new brief!
E4 Stings is an annual commission competition run by Channel Four in conjunction with Creative Review magazine. E4 is one of Channel Four televisions digital offshoot channels.
The brief is to come up with and produce a series of stings / idents for E4 and E4 Music.
The winner will receive a commission from E4 to make a series of idents with a £15,000 budget. Two runners-up will each receive £1500 worth of kit of their choice.
Another group work project, we have been given 21 days (3 weeks) to produce a short 15-20 minute 'performance art' event that is to be hosted at a site / location specific to the subject (that was given to us). Our subject is... Harold Shipman.Its been a relaxing festive season this year and I got some great presents, all of which I am very thankful for. One present was a pair of Sennheiser wireless headphones!
They are nifty, work flawlessly and are very useful for around the house or studio.
I've had mine plugged into my computer mostly, with WinAmp playing my whole music collection on shuffle, leaving me free to wander anywhere with-in a seizable range (which I haven't managed to venture out of yet) whilst still being contained in my own little happy bubble of sound. They recharge themselves when not in use, so no dead battery worries and best of all...
NO WIRES!
*Observe the rather obscure 'MySpace' style photo below...
Its all so very pleasing...
Happy New Year!
Well, I just keep em' rolling in don't I...
Here is another video I stumbled across on youtube and all I have to say for this video is “OMG” x(times) a million... and one! Over here in the UK we are not exposed to the type of 'gaming industry intensity' that Japan, Korea or China experience. Maybe if we were, our UK gaming collectives would pick up skills like this? (I wonder if he can play the piano?)
Its safe to say that this guy must have put in a good amount of hours and a few thousand Yen on this machine, that is some serious “P'OWNEDGE” that he is laying down on this game! ENJOY!
More comedy gold from the works of Adam Buxton...
I really love the way he selects a suitable scene, from stock footage, writes and records an alternate voice over for one of the roles, then edits everything together to fit around a completely different scenario. Mr Buxton has also produced another video in fitting with this one, involving Osama Bin Laden and the BBC news. ENJOY!
After catching up with someone I got to know through playing "Counter Strike" on-line, he told me about a gentlemen (Sam) who was looking for someone to come up with a few web banners for his website. Thirty whole English pounds (£30) to produce a few banners / adverts for “Honor Guard” (think that must be an American spelling – eww)
“Honor Guard Hosting” is an established Internet service provider. They are known for a superior service on a variety of services ranging from game servers to dedicated servers".
Here is a few quick test example that I made with Photo Shop & Flash, put together from CS screens shots. More to follow...
Here is a short film I made about Microsoft's infamous “BSOD”.
BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH!
gavcooper22 - "BSOD"
youtube.com
I've decided to respond to a video blog on youtube and I came across this video below “Plane Take Off”. It reminded me of a short piece of film footage that I shot in 2005, when me and my friend Matt flew from Manchester, England all the way to Tokyo, Japan. We spent just under 3 weeks there, traveling around a little, visiting different citys. It was a great holiday and an amazing place to visit, especially on the multimedia fronts!
vadik2000 - "Plane Take Off"
youtube.com
This is a short film, shot with just one take, as the plane is leaving the runway its a point of view shot out of the planes window. I've added some titles to my effort with a drop of music to finish it off. ENJOY!
gavcooper22 - "TAKE OFF"
Aphex Twin (music) "Drukqs"
youtube.com
I have been enjoying the 'Interactive Narrative' project over the past 2 weeks (now that I'm finally kick starting myself back into this whole education/multimedia mess that I've let build up) click below to play...
BURGLE MY HOUSE!, based around... yes... burgling someone's house... my house for the record, which could make this a very dangerous piece of multimedia, if it got into the wrong hands, EEK!
I got a little ambitious about how the whole game worked at first. My initial idea was so in-depth that it would have took a good chunk of time to figure out how to program the whole thing together, so I simplified things. I dropped the idea of a 'character select option' at the start of the game, as this got me into one hell of a “spaghetti junction” when it came to linking all the different pages together, with the different outcomes. Same goes for the inventory system' (as mentioned in a previous blog entry) it all seemed a little out of my depth and frustratingly close to the hand in dead line as well, which kinda makes me wanna kick myself!
Now... you have a set time limit to work your way through the house in a linear order. Each room you enter (will have) a set time limit in which you have to grab (point and click) what you think is worth the most out of what's in front of you. A correct choice means you go onto the next level/room, a wrong choice and GAME OVER!
So essentially what I've put together here is a very easy to follow, visualy clear (for the dump crims out there) step-by-step guide to 'doing me over' of ALL my worldly possessions ...and... also, its a point and click, get it right before the time runs out type of game... type thing.
* Please note that this is still a work in progress.
* I'm still working on a countdown timer function.
* I am also planning to add a few more levels.
But for now... see if you can find the stash of cash, hidden somewhere in the house, its an alternative ending. ENJOY!
After spending some amount of time fuming over what happened on November the 5th, I had an idea for a 'Interactive Narrative' project.
“BURGLE MY HOUSE!” is the title. An interactive web based point and click game put together using a program called 'Macromedia Dreamweaver'.
You play the burglar attempting to burgle a house, you can gain entry to the house via different ways, some ways are better than others, some are not... simply point & click. ('Broken Sword' this simple but great series, is an instant inspiration for this style of video game)
You can only carry so much (maybe 2 to 4 items) some items take up more space than others (based on an 'inventory system' used in such games like 'Resident Evil')
There are different rooms to go in throughout the house, a time limit will be set (depending on your chosen rout of entry) setting how long you have to search the house and also grab any “loot”. If your still in the house when the time runs out, "you're NICKED" by the police!
GAME OVER!
Items are worth different amounts off £££, so the player must choose wisely about what to steal and what to leave behind (you cant take everything remember) At the end of the game you turn your stolen goods into cash at the local pawn shop, based on what you stole results in a score £££. Highest scorer WINS!
There may even be a high score leader board... (if I can figure it out)
"Ah, L'Amour" - by Don Hertzfeld.
'LOVE' is the translation of 'Ah, L'Amour' and for most guys (and GALS) I think that 'love' or harsh experiences with love, is defiantly a message that all viewers can relate too, especially in this short film.
As the films opening credits say... “A Bitter Film...” that boils down to money in the end.
The film and the way the story is told has a childish feel to it, which also blends in with the shaky guitar soundtrack and how it changes with the different moods throughout the film.
I love the noticeable fingerprints all over the camera lens and the distinct lack of 'perfectionist obsession'.
This film was produced in 1995, shot on 16mm film, it was one of the first films the artist (Don Hertzfeld) had made and was never intended to be screened publicly.
'Ah, L'Amour' became a wildly popular cult film and In 1998, the film received the HBO Comedy Arts Festival Grand Prize Award for the - "World's Funniest Cartoon."
NOTE** CLICK THE BLANK SPACE BELOW, I'll fix it soon, thanks.
“Don Hertzfeld - Ah, L'Amour” - 1995
bitterfilms.com
An example from one of my possessions that has value in both 'fine' and 'applied' design.
Subject: M15-A4 Tactical Carbine AIRSOFT Rifle.
Functionality - “having or serving a utilitarian purpose; capable of serving the purpose for which it was designed: functional architecture; a chair that is functional as well as decorative.”
It is safe to say that this product serves the one purpose in which it was designed for, shooting.
It has been fashioned and marketed as a piece of sports equipment, much like paint ball guns... but for a sport called “Airsoft”, which originates from Japan.
It takes 6mm plastic BBs and fires them at a rate of 350fps (feet per second) which is the legal limit in the UK.
Aesthetic Beauty - “pertaining to a sense of the beautiful or to the science of aesthetics.”
The realism of this rifle has been kept true, which I believe adds a lot of aesthetic beauty to this product. Not only are the markings and engravements on this piece 100% accurate, also are the materials that were used to make it. I can't think of anything that gives it away as an Airsoft piece... even the weight is spot on, apparently.
The sport itself has an enthusiastic military reenactment following, unlike paint ball. A lot of players show up in teams, all wearing the same uniforms or outfits and many go 'the full haul' with costumes, right down to the finest details on their chosen 'look'.
Communication - “what it does to expand your knowledge of yourself, your environment, world past, future.”
Playing this sport helps me keep kit, stay active, i get to meet new people and make new friends and it also raises awareness & knowledge about fire arms, the limits, laws and restrictions and also helps build responsibility.
Decorative/Entertainment Value - “the act of entertaining; agreeable occupation for the mind; diversion; amusement: Solving the daily crossword puzzle is an entertainment for many.”
I enjoy the sport of 'Airsoft' a great deal and every time i play, it takes me to a place where I have never been before. There are many different sites up and down the UK.
Photograph - "M15-A4 & Boots"
Gav Cooper - 2006
"Quotes"
dictionary.com
“9 TO 5”
The concept for our 2 minuet narrative shot film is based around one person’s transition into education and university life.
Our character in this story is a young man who has been working in a dead end, 9 to 5 office job for some time. He has grown bored with his minimum wage income, tired of his repetitive daily routine and he feels like his life is going no where fast. Just another cog in the machine.
Whilst on his break at work one day, our character is sat at his desk flicking through a comic book to pass the time. After a short while, he slips off to sleep at his desk and enters into a dream about quitting his job and going to university.
We enter into a comic book style dream. With all this new found freedom away from working 9 to 5 our individual turns into a bit of a “party animal” and doesn’t take this new life as serious as he should be.
This dream shows us his down falls and how miss understood the meaning of becoming a student is to him. Here is a great example of the “comic book style dream” that we are looking to achieve, cheese on toast.
“AHA – Take On Me” - 1986
youtube.com
He is awoken from his dream by his boss, who in turn fires him from his job for sleeping whilst at work. This however does not phase our character as he has now made up his mind to go back into education… and this time he knows what not to do. We believe this short film will carry a very relevant message about the attitude and approach to university life.
(one that I feel I SHOULD enforce upon myself)
So, i have been asked to put together a 3 page presentation, using power point or flash, based around ME!
* Your Name
* Area of interests (work & play)
* Favourite Bands
* Favourite Designers
* Favourite beer... Etc.
... P.S. you can lie.
Seen as how i have only ever played through the odd 'flash' game on-line and have never touched on 'flash' in the terms of using it as a tool... I'm going to use 'Power Point'.
Here is an intresting video... and rather "annoying" song for that fact, about 'Power Point' and its VAST length of power, as a multimedia tool:-
BOBARA - "Power(Point) Ballad"
youtube.com
Not much in my blog at the moment. For now... check out this great blog:- www.adam-buxton.co.uk
Le Fin!
