More Soon - NTT

After reviewing a link that Jen had posted on my blog about More Soon I decided to follow up her recommendation and whilst looking at the piece she recommended I saw the video below that caught my eye. It was done for NTT a telecommunication company (NTT Data - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). I really liked how the music synced with the sound and it kind of reminded me of a Big Brother title sequence with shape of the circle being like an abstract eye. The imagery reminded me of a camera lens with reflections glaring from it. Whilst researching it was unclear what the purpose of the piece was for. I am now tempted to contact the company and find out more about the work.

Mathematics Contact

I contacted Mathematics (Mentioned in an earlier post > http://mikewilliams11.blogspot.com/2010/02/empire-of-sun-visuals-mathematics.html)in Australia to ask them some questions about some concert visuals they have produced for band Empire Of The Sun for a festival which I really liked because I think the visuals work well with the band's psychedelic style and I also liked the abstract style used.

e-mail conversation:

"Dear Sir/Madam

My name is Michael Williams and I am currently studying on the BA(Hons) Design & Visual Arts - Moving Image course at Stockport College in the United Kingdom. I am very much interested in the work this company produces especially the work on live concert tour visuals and hope to get into this industry myself one day. I was looking at the work that you have done for Empire Of The Sun and was wondering if I could ask someone a few questions about the work to assist me in my studies?

Many thanks for your time,
Kind regards,

Michael Williams
3rd Year Student
Stockport College
United Kingdom"

Reply:

"sure

fire away..."

To which I replied:

"Hello Josh,

1)Firstly, I have watched some of the individual number from the set on youtube and i was wondering what were the concepts for the majority of the visuals because they are very abstract?

2) How did you work with the screen because it was layered in a way in which it was many screens in the form of arches but from front view it looks similar to a single screen? Was there a template to work to? Was there a specific reason why the screen was built this way?

3) What software packages do you use, because a lot of it looks like it was maybe done in 3D software but i know you can achieve 3D effects in non 3D packages like after effects?

4) Do you have any tips or advice for me on how to visualise music successfully and how to get into the business ?

I am very grateful for your time and I would like to comment on how rich the content was for Empire's performance in terms of colour movement and composition.

Many thanks,

Kind regards,

Michael Williams
3rd Year Student
Stockport College
United Kingdom"

Waiting on reply to questions, the answers will help me understand the design process for this work hopefully and I may gain some vital tips to take to my major project!

I Think 6 months

I have expressed to Frank The Plumber and asked them what they thought about me interning with them for 6 months commencing in September. I am now waiting for a reply and hopefully begin the planning! I think that if I did 6 months I would have the chance to settle in, work on a few projects and walk away with a fantastic experience under my belt that could perhaps make me more desirable to potential employers and give me new industry knowledge and design skills.

Ian Macklin Reply

I was really glad that Ian Macklin got back to me and told me of when he would be giving me some feedback which I am looking forward to as I discussed the project with him during the production of the piece.

Macklin's reply:

"Hi Michael,

I do indeed remember you.

Sorry for not getting back sooner, i've been away from my computer for a few days.

We will indeed take a look at your work. I'll grab my wife this week and we'll pass you some comments over.

yeah, shame we didn't see you when you were down, were you with the group that went to weare17's studio?

hope you're well,

cheers,

ian"

Getting The Ball Rolling!

I am keeping up with the negotiations about my internship in LA with Frank The Plumber and the creative director has expressed a few things in his emails for me:

"I will find out what kind of rate we can pay you, but it will probably be quite low...."

I have heard from past graduates that have gone onto to do internships and placements the sometimes you don't get paid for what you do, but from what I have made out I may not be just there to run around and making coffee and that I will be involved properly on their projects as they were interested to know what software I use and that they are willing to pay me!

&

"Can you tell me what you would be expecting to get out of this experience so I can make sure it is all worthwhile for you?"

To which I replied:

"I hope to gain more knowledge and experience of the industry and have the experience of working in this area. I am really interested about the type of work you guys do and have been greatly interested in audio visual and concert visuals for years."

They replied with:

"Ok, my main concern is that during the time that you are here we are not in production on a given show, but that is rarely the case.

Even so, we will find things to work on.

Keep me posted on when you would want to come and for how long and I will inquire more on my end"

I Have Committed

With further conversations continuing with Frank The Plumber I have decided to commit and go out to Los Angles either in August or September 2010 and intern with Frank The Plumber. I asked how long the internship would be and Alex Czetwertynski (in house creative director) said that they have people from 1-6 months! Careful consideration will need to be taken as this is a major move in my life potentially.

I was asked what software I knew and I said in an e-mail: "The software I use and know is autodesk maya, after effects, premier pro, Photoshop, illustrator. I know some flash and starting to learn cinema4D."

To his reply he said: "Glad you are c4d friendly!"

This shocked me in a way because ever since from going to London and meeting with designers and group visits to agencies, I have learnt that Cinema4D is more and more widely used in the industry yet on my degree course in moving image we use maya. I can see why on my course we use maya and that is because it covers all grounds and is feature rich also there is a difference in price of the software, Cinema4D is cheaper making it more appealing to companies.

Further Conversations

Upon showing and getting feedback from Frank The Plumber's in house creative director Alex Czetwertynski, I have kept in contact with him and through further conversation he Alex has offered me an internship with the company in Los Angeles.

"I'm not 100% sure how we can work together yet, but if we have anything that requires a UK based person I will let you know. If you are interested in interning with us in LA, please let me know"

I was thrilled to receive this email and I am seriously considering the offer.

Frank The Plumber – We're Gonna Clean Those Pipes Right Out

John Narun Feedback

I contacted John Narun (http://www.johnnarun.com/)a moving image designer in the US to see if he could give me some feedback on my work. I decided to show him my self directed project was a concert visual piece for the Reverend & The Makers song ‘Bandits’ (Reverend & The Makers - Bandits (Visuals) on Vimeo). Narun has worked for companies such as Veneno to produce concert visuals for some major worldwide stage tours. He has produced visuals for the likes of Christina Aguilera and Madonna. I thought that for these reasons Narun's feedback and thoughts would be priceless and enable me to improve my work and it would give me some tools and tips that I could take to my major project which is on going and I am creating concert visuals that are going to be shown at a live event!

Narun's comments:

"michael,

thanks so much for your email. i watched your piece and i think its amazing fun! here are my thoughts for what its worth...

you have a great sense of rhythm. both the animation and the edit work perfectly with the song - even your use of blur in the slower part shows that you are very in touch with the musicality. nice work. i love the illustration as well. its colorful and fun. the icons that work with the lyrics are just right.

if you were to continue to evolve it i would focus on the following things:

1. find ways to make it more of a story. it should change from the beginning of the song to the end in some sort of arc. that keeps it more interesting for the viewer. perhaps its a simple machine at first and throughout the song it gets more and more complex until it breaks under the strain of its own complexity. something like that to keep it changing.

2. the reflections are gorgeous and make me wish there was even more structure. even some simple 3d structure would give it much more depth.

3. Look for moments to insert fun and unexpected nuances. The way the wheels turn and lock into place maybe. Variations in the way the lights blink. Things like that.

Overall, great work! Let me know how it's received.

J "

Feedback Frank The Plumber

I contacted US production company Frank The Plumber (Frank The Plumber – We're Gonna Clean Those Pipes Right Out) who I found whilst researching for my major project, who specialise in music videos and concert visuals to see if I could get some feedback on my work, as I am interested in the area of concert visuals and that I had created a concert visual piece for my self directed project. I was hoping that the feedback would enable me to perhaps improve my portfolio and give me some tips that I could implement into my major project, which is creating music visuals for a live event.

My self directed project was a concert visual piece for the Reverend & the Makers song ‘Bandits’. Reverend & The Makers - Bandits (Visuals) on VimeoThe feedback I got from Frank The Plumber was from the in house creative director Alex Czetwertynski and his comments regarding the work are as follows “My feedback would be that depending on the band you do this for it could be conceived of as great or terrible. It is very well executed and you can see the work that went into it, but the style is very cartoony. If you were to work for a band that liked that, great. But not all would. I would be curious to see more samples of your work with a maybe slicker approach, stuff that shows more a different style.”

This feedback tells me that the piece is 50/50 successful. Perhaps the “cartoony” aspect would be misrepresenting the band? A way in which I would improve the work is to give the 3D model a more professional and realistic look so it looks like a more serious piece of design rather than being too playful.

Ian Macklin Contact

I contacted Ian Macklin of what was know as Goodies Corp now Me&You Studio for feedback on my concert visuals piece as he said that he would like to see it when it was finished back in October when I interviewed him to gain more information on him and his work with concert visuals.

My email to him below:

"Dear Ian,

You may remember me from a few months ago when you came into Stockport College, I was the third year that interviewed you about your work! You may remember me telling you about a project I was doing making some concert visuals? I was wondering if you could have a quick look at it if at all possible and maybe give me some feedback? I would really appreciate your thoughts as you work in this area and the feedback would be really valuable! The link is below

Reverend & The Makers - Bandits (Visuals) on Vimeo

( http://vimeo.com/10631486 )

How are you anyways? I was hoping to meet up with you when you met with Rick Clapham in London a few weeks ago as we were all down there on a trip! Unfortunately I never properly arranged it with him which is a shame!

Many thanks for your time,

Kind regards,

Michael Williams
3rd Year Student
Stockport College
United Kingdom"

Russ Meyer's Mondo Topless

I was out in Manchester the Friday just gone and I was in the recently opened club FAC251 with friends and was on the second floor where they play retro 70's and 80's soul and R'n'B music, and I noticed they had three 4:3 aspect ratio video screens side by side that are above and behind the bar. On the screens they were showing old black and white movies and this kind of reminded me of Vj-ing, in the sense that visuals were being put to music. The black and white movies were quite bazaar and definitely caught my eye but they didn't have anything to offer with the music. Then a colour film came on that looked like it was maybe a porn movie but it was just scene after scene of topless women dancing to some sort of music, in the scenes you could see that they had a radio with them so I guess that was what they were dancing to. The movement of their bodies and the dancing worked amazingly with the music and it was quite captivating. I managed to catch the name of the film when it finished from its dvd menu that was on the screen and it was Russ Meyer's Mondo Topless.

I wanted to investigate it further so I could understand the movie's purpose. A description from IMDB says: "After a quick tour of San Francisco, Russ takes us on a nonstop tour of breasts in motion. Prominent strippers strut their stuff as they discuss their careers, bra sizes, and preferences in men. Written by Ed Sutton" And from what I have read it seems to be a documentary. It opened my mind to what extent you can go with visualising music because I'd of never though something explicit like this would work as great as it did.

Russ Meyer's Mondo Topless: IMDB Link

Projection animation

Saw this on Vimeo and thought you might like it. I thought it might give you some influence for your music visuals. It's quite a simple idea but really effective.

Practitioners Response Essay (UPDATED PRACTITIONER)

Here, I am going to compare and contrast the processes and practices of two of the visiting lecturers I have been into Stockport College this past academic year. I am going to talk about Ian Macklin of Goodies Corp. who is a moving image designer who came in October to deliver a talk to the current second years primarily about storyboarding but he also included other elements of his projects in the talk. I am also going to talk about Lauren Moriarty who is textile/product/industrial designer and recently came in at the beginning of March to give a lecture to the entire HE design students about herself and her work.

The reason why I am comparing the two are that I found that Ian Macklin was incredibly interesting because he works with making concert visuals for major music artists such as Kylie Minogue. This proved to be very useful to me as I am extremely interested in this area of design. My reason for choosing Lauren Moriarty is because it was possibly the most interesting lecture that I have seen since being on this course, she told a great story.

Listening to both Macklin and Moriarty I was able to conclude that in the design industry it is crucial that the delivery of a piece of work to the audience has to be done correctly so that there is not confusion and that the right message has been put across. An example of this from Macklin’s experience was whilst he was designing concert tour music visuals for Kylie Minogue’s show was faced with the issue of controlling his moving elements on screen so that it firstly, wouldn’t cause harm to the audiences eyes the screens at concerts are so big that anything that moves to q

uick could be too much for an audience member to take in and so that the attention isn’t drawn away from the performing act that would be Kylie by what is on screen. Moriarty recalled as similar experience about audience perception; where she had designed a piece of work for a product design show that was a massive print that went on a large window outside the show that depicted a white firework exploding, but it was seen to look like a large bird mess on the window. From this Moriarty had to change it by giving the window graphic some colour.

http://www.meandyoustudio.com/kylie-x-us-better-the-devil/

How both Macklin and Moriarty get work is very different as Macklin told that he has to usually pitch work to clients or is approached to pitch work. Macklin talked about turn around storyboards, which is a very fast presentation of designs and ideas to the client. He once again recalled the Kylie concert visuals project as the project took just under a week from start to finish and presenting it to the client, which in my opinion is an amazing achievement. Whereas Moriarty got work and got her work out by going to trade shows with her products for sale. Moriarty like Macklin pitches her work to companies such as Habitat, who have took on a number of her pieces, which includes a successful butterfly lampshade that has had Habitat asking Moriarty to produce a bird version of the lampshade which is layered to create a motion of the bird’s and butterflies’ wings flap when the lamp is spun.

http://inhabitat.com/2006/02/02/fluttering-butterfly-lamp/

Both Macklin and Moriarty rely on their contacts in the industry and recommend it to students for when they get into the industry. Macklin told of a contact that got him and his company into designing concert tour visuals including the Kylie project. Macklin started as a freelancer and mainly working in broadcast until his contact took him into new grounds, which is now a major part of his practices. Moriarty’s contacts on the other hand are of a huge array talents and skills. Moriarty mentions contacts such as students who she collaborates with that bring different materials and methods to creating products such as how she collaborated with a student that was able to share with her a thermo ink that she implemented into one of her lampshade designs that changes colour with the heat of the lamp to reveal an image of the London skyline.

http://mocoloco.com/archives/004405.php

Moriarty also has many contacts in the industry with stockists and suppliers as she uses a vast array of materials for her products. Macklin wasn’t really able to outline any contacts or collaborators other than his wife, which he runs the company with. The nature of Moriarty’s practice depends on her collaboration with others especially suppliers of the materials she uses.

From this analysis I can take a number of issues discussed and implement them into my own practise especially what Macklin’s response told me about how he designs around the audiences response to the work. This is because in my major project I am to designing concert tour visuals and I am using many small elements rather than a few large, which is more likely to distract the audience. Moriarty’s contacts base is quite inspiring and is some thing I would keep in mind and utilise, as her work proves the old saying ‘it’s not what you know it’s who you know’ as this assists her and her work and generally gives her a wider knowledge of her practice.

CARL BURGESS

Hey Mike found this website by a designer called Carl Burgess
http://www.moresoon.org/
Look at the piece called 'Tales Of The Unexpected' - He shows a little part of it on his homepage - But I think it's your type of thing for what you're looking into for your final major!
Hope this helps!
Jenny

SAINT - Portfolio Visit - London

On Wednesday 3^rd March 2010 fellow student Sophie Harrison and I visited the London based motion design company Saint. Saint create motion graphics for a variety of areas in the industry including; advertising, broadcast and live music visual performance which was the main aim for visiting them as I extremely interested in music visuals. Clients for music visuals include Rod Stewart and Muse.

As this company was relevant to the work that I am doing in my major project and what I would like to do in the future, we decided to show them our own work and get some feedback from them on what was good about the work and what needed improving etc. This was also ideal for Sophie as she has done broadcast work in the past and is working on a music video for her major project.

Upon arrival we were welcomed into their studio buy the Creative Directors Nicky and Matt. The studio was quite small consisting of 5 or 6 people across two rooms including designers and a secretary. Firstly we had a chat with them about themselves, about their company and what they do etc. to break the ice. I decided to show them the work that I did for my self-directed project, which was some music visuals. They seemed impressed with my work and managed to give me some constructive criticism and helpful advice on how I could improve it and what parts were effective etc. Specifically they told me that because for parts of the work I was very literal in what I was visualizing that to make it better I should make the work more literal as the work was fun and had a strong narrative. After we both showed our work and got feedback we continued to talk to them about many issues in design including techniques and software etc.

I found the visit to be very helpful to me, as I know what I need to improve on in my work. Also I left the visit brimming with confidence that I could perhaps be able to handle working in the industry as a result of their feedback. When leaving the visit we discussed the possibility of sending them samples of our work in the future, which they were happy to go ahead with.

http://www.creativesaints.co.uk/index.php