Future Concept so far

Having researched over the past 3 weeks I am getting closer to my final future concept. I have been thinking about ways that can share and improve vision.
My first idea was to create a projector mobile phone which ables the users to share there videos and images with others, but after carrying out research on this concept I found that it has already been done and is currently in production and is due out next year 2008.
Secondly I came up with a concept which is a laptop that has an extendable screen, which would ultimately improve vision by making the screen larger, this would be ideal for design students etc. The laptop would have an extendable screen, would also be portable and the user can choose when and where to use it. I wanted to capitalize the screen, an extendable screen isn't enough, so i was thinking about the current trends in communication, connectivity and interactivity, social networking etc.
I have been thinking about the possibilities of having multiple interfaces, the extended screen could be used as one single platform or can be split into three screens. I started thinking about video conferencing which ables people to interact from different locations, this laptop would able a three way conversation. I have also thought about touch screen interfaces I came across the new HP TX1000 laptop, the LCD screen has an integrated touchscreen that swivels and folds flat to render the laptop keyboardless, this is an area that I need to research further before I decide to include this in my concept.
Last Thursday I presented my ideas to the class, I received some good feed back. Currently I am thinking about converging my original idea of a projector phone with my extendable laptop screen. I'm looking at the possibilities of integrating a projector in the back of a laptop. A miniature projector has already been fitted into the top of a mobile phone so, I know that small projectors are out there and I think this would be possible .

Dan Mellor

Dan Mellor is a very successful freelancer who specializes in animation and uses 3d and aftereffects, he came in on Monday to talk to us about what he what does for a living and showed us a show reel which contained examples of his work.
He trained as a sculpture and enjoyed fine art before moving to London where he became a prop maker. He became interested in animation and began to experiment with software, he is self taught. He gave us some tips about working in the freelance industry, pitching is a very important aspect of his job this means weather you will get the job or not, you can use templates and textures included with software to pitch and give the client an idea of what angle you are coming from. You have to be able to manage people, you cant be to precious about your work it as it has to get done quickly. In freelance you don't always do jobs you like, he has an agent in London that gets him work when he has hasn't got any on. Organization is very important, always keep up to date with software and include buying your software in your quote if you haven't got it already. Interacting with peers is very important and try and get an office or studio with other creative people for inspiration. Don't ever undersell your self, charge what you think your worth and don't go in with a low price to undercut people.
To become a successfull freelancer you have to be general in your work, if you specialize in something you are better off in a big company in London. ( Double Negative is a large company in London who often takes people straight out of college).
Dan recommends getting a fulltime job in a big company to get work experience before going freelance, in a large company you will begin to specialize in one aspect such as rotoscope etc.
websites. blink.com, comptonskylineproject.com, now.com, game.tv, un.cutmidnight.
Dan also recomends 3d world magazine.

Guest Speakers

For the past two weeks we have had guests that have come to speak to us about there professions and have also talked to us about our developing ideas concerning the brief and have given us feedback and ideas which has been of great help.

Week 1. Daniel Pryde-Jarman and Sam Butler

Daniel Pryde Jarman is an independent artists who runs a gallery called the Grey area which is situated in Brighton. He put forward some of his own thoughts about art and culture which led to a discussion about high and low culture, pooterism(self indulgent, mundane), street art and conceptual art. Some very interesting points came out of the discussion. We talked about Banksy's art work which is located outside a pub near Brighton station. Banksy's work is cultural, controversial and taboo,

Robert Smithson (Cultural Confinement 1972)

"When placed in a gallery it loses its charge, and becomes a portable subject or surface disengaged with the outside world".

Sam Butler works for a web technology group in the corporate and public sector, the budget his company has to work with is usually between £100.000 and £1000.000.
The elements of the user experience diagram is an overview of what Sam does.
I found Sam's session very helpful, he gave us some very useful tips about design in general and also specifically for the web, he discussed the language which is used in the web design industry and gave us some very useful websites. del.icio.us.com / www.fwa.com
N.M.A- magazine. Top 100 New Media Age - jobs.

We discussed Web 2.0 styling

• Using a site is more like a piece of software
• Everything should serve a purpose, don't overcrowd a page
• Every graphic should represent something
• Less is more

Mike Blow (Arts Technologist)
evolutionaryart.co.uk
Genetic Artwork
CAT
William Latham
Hardware interfacing
Immersive installation
Computer-controlled Air Pump
Phidgets
Arduino
Physical installation
Infra red sensors
Above are terms and areas which Mike has worked in.

Principles

• The idea is king
• Technology should be transparent
• Technically keep it simple
• Be critical of work, especially your own.
• Be prepared to justify your artistic decisions
• Collaboration (with artist and industry) can enable you to achieve results you could not do on your own.

Rona Inness
Moshimachine.com
Rona Innes is a sole trader, she has her own company and works from her studio in Brighton. Her work is flashed based and designs for the web.
Rona provided us with some useful advice and tips about setting up our own company, she discussed tax issues concerning company's and also the benefits that we would be entitled to.
She gave us advice about the presentation and content of our show reels and some usefull websites to search for jobs.

• Epic
• Wired Sussex
• BANG
• Curb
• Littelab
• Workmedia
• Chinwag.com
• Creative catapult/wiredsussex

Angie Taylor
Angie Taylor's work includes Animation, Illustration, Motion Graphics Design,
Visual Effects for film, Tv and New Media.
She is currently working for Apple as a demo artist. She has a book called creative after effects 7 which is one of the most successful books concerning after effects on the open market today.
Angie has worked with Chris Cunningham on the Aphex Twin video, her job was to morph the characters.
She feels that you should be diverse as a designer to become a successful freelancer and that your show reel should show a range of techniques and styles which would appeal to a range of people, however she does think that you should specialize with one tool such as after effects as its impossible to learn multiple software applications and be able to work to a high standard. She said that you should know your limitations, don't take on a job that you don't think you can do. Always share your ideas, you get what you give.
Angie concluded with a tutorial in after effects which was great, we learnt new skills and tricks of the software. We looked at expressions and adjustment layers.

Angie Taylor's Future Idea
Software to be made modular.
mobstar.com
LSM
Moderntoss

We were also given Some useful sights to look at which include information about expressions after effects.

JJ Gifford.com (good at expressions)
AENHANCERS.com
Other sights:
Zaswerks.com
Creativeaftereffects.com
Bliptv/angietaylor
Creativecommons.org
Book recomendation- How to cheat in photoshop

Future Concepts-Research so far

Over the past couple of weeks I have been thinking about how technology has progressed and developed over the past ten years. In my opinion some of the hightlights of the past ten years include, Increased internet access, Java technology,Usb, Mobile phones and Plasma and LCD Tv's.
I feel that the innovations mentioned above have had a dramatic impact on our lives as electronic consumers.
The Breif is concerned with the development of a concept that addresses the future our concept has to include an element of reality and be informed by any emerging or current trend.

Converged Technology in 2007
Technology as we know it today has come a long way in ten years, technology that we use on a day to day basis is becoming converged. The mobile phone used to be one seperate product in its own right, but now mobile phones are combined with camera's, Video,MP3 players and have access to the internet. Technology is becoming personal. Computers are now becoming a second self, our lives and personal interests are stored inside te machine, we use them to have video chats with freinds and family, watch tv and dvd's, listen to music, pay bills, all these things and more used to be seperate elements or products but are now combined and converged into one product.

Research into designers future visions
I Purchased a book ( ON/OFF New Electronic Products by Mel Byers) which I have found of interest for this breif, the book includes products that are already in mass production but also a number of concept models are included, revealing designers future visions.

Hella Jongerius - 'My Soft Office' Future Concept.
Hella Jongerius has taken technology to an ultimate personal level she combines technology with homely living objects that we use everyday.
Check out her work at www.vividvormgeving.ni

First session (Ba hons) multimedia Top-up

Today is Monday October 1st 2007, I am in the process of writing my first blog.