Wk13 - Honours Proposal Prepared & Submitted

Finished the honours proposal and showed it to Martyn.  He happily signed it.  :)

Wk13 - Decision time - Flower + Bird = Flird.

Looking back, I've enjoyed playing and experimenting with various cameras and perspectives but there comes a time when you much decide what you're going to submit... thus after the whole fishbowl incident, I've decided to go with the footage I already have of the flower since it's interesting and with limited success, I'm going to attach the birds to it... Cross fingers.

Wk12 - GoPro saved by Shoelace!!!

So, I have a bit of a story to tell today - I attached the GoPro to the side of my car today... just thought I'd check out the perspective... anyway... teach me to clean the surface first... I was about 3 minutes into my drive, doing 80km/h and the GoPro suction cup gives way... luckily I've been using a shoelace as a safety-rope... it luckily held and the camera didn't go flying but two lessons: 1) be paranoid 2) clean a surface before using a suction cap on it.  Hmmm.

Wk12 - Broke Toad Hall Fish Bowl. Brilliant. :(

In an effort to use a larger bowl with the flower as Riley suggested, I borrowed the Toad Hall one... yeah, broke it before I could use it.  Brilliant.  Not.

Wk12 - Proof Catalogue & Plinth -> a big No!

I went to the gallery today to proof my catalogue picture.  It looked good but I changed the label a bit.

While I was there, I asked about plinths, and why no one had replied to my e-mail request (which I sent on 20th)... Apparently, they've been sick and even so, they'd wouldn't be keen to lend plinths and without even looking, decided that they were all different heights and would likely be useless.  Annoying.

I think it's a bit odd that plinth availability at an art school is limited and that gallery staff are unwilling to reply to e-mail or help in any way...  Why do I pay art school fees when I use no equipment an that $240 could have gone toward plinths for me... ridiculous.

Wk12 - Portfolio Site done.

It took five days but I've got a functional site that I like now.  It can be seen at http://www.isrealmathew.com

Wk12 - Graduation not for you!

Turns out I'm one of the others who aren't going to graduate unless I chase it up.  I filled out a form today to fix it.  Turns out my transfer to my correct degree didn't include transferring status of my existing courses.  Won't be an issue though.

UPDATE, 31 Oct:  Status transferred, graduation invitation received.

Wk12 - Met Kit re: Honours Proposal

I met Kit about the Honours Proposal.  She was infinitely helpful.

Wk12 - Sandstone Mandelbox arrived

My Mandelbox arrived today.  I thought the plastic (White, Strong and Flexible) one was good until the Sandstone one arrived... this one has so much more detail.  The depth is more perfect and the way it catches the light and shadows, it sooo much better.

Also, the sample kit is pretty cool. :)

Wk12 - Did someone say Birds?

I finally have a use for some footage that I shot back in June, 2010.  Essentially, I put the camera down, a bird landed in front of it then took off in full view... brilliant silhouette.

So, I was looking at the tea and I'm thinking if I redo the tea again and get a better picture, I had maybe make it transition to a silhouette then turn into a multitude of birds... I think it might work... Gonna do a test now to check it out.

Wk11 - Flower Tea - Lovely.

This was such a lovely task... filming tea inside my fish bowl.  There I was sitting in the driveway in the sun, fish bowl, tea, camera, black card... brilliant.

UPDATE: One bad thing - the reflections are really bad.  :(  Might still be useful though.  Riley suggests trying a bigger bowl... I know which one to use. :)

[insert sample footage]

Wk11 - Frame Substractor - Awesome find.

While I was searching for a multi-screen video player/synch system for my major, I came across Frame Substractor by the same developer (http://www.zachpoff.com/software/frame-subtractor/)  This thing is brilliant.  I really like the effect it makes... it seems to almost create water-colour paintings of my day-time driving footage.  I like a lot.  Gotta think of something good to use it for though. Hmm...

On a side note, I used it on some steps I shot earlier and my feed were essentially erased... I'm thinking the same thing could be achieved if I were to shoot footage of Northbourne of of Garema... More food for thought.

Wk11 - Gold Creek Lights. Pfft.

So I was reading on the RiotACT (http://the-riotact.com/aliens-in-gold-creek/57134) about some coloured building up in Gold Creek... so I decided to go up and take a look.  Not quite as exciting as they were describing but I did get some nice footage...  Unfortunately, it was short lived... I was there for only 4 minutes and all the lights were turned off.  And I'd travelled from Wanniassa too... what a bitch!

[insert sample light footage]

Wk11 - GoPro on Bonet = Brilliance.

So, I finally got around to attaching the GoPro to the car and going for a drive with it attached to the bonet.  I did some day-time footage a couple days ago and I did the same thing tonight.  Clearly the GoPro is made for day time but still...  I'm thinking that maybe that perspective idea I had might work well as a car instead.  Hmmm...

Wk11 - Portfolio Site

I was attempting to avoid doing actual coding on this portfolio site.  Thus, I threw together this version of my site.

After the comments from critiquing sites and finding out that this site i worth a significant percentage of my major mark, I decided to bite the bullet and code a new site.  I came up with the following template in Photoshop:

Wk11 - Monitor/Plinth Placement

This is how I envisage the plinths being placed:

Still deciding on whether it will be on a cut-out table or 5 plinths.

Wk11 - Status update for Chris.

Chris requested a status update of our work, I provided the following:

===

As you know, my work kinda evolves over the course of a semester so it's far from what I had in mind when I started but the work now involves two components:

1) A fly-thru of a customised Mandelbox, presented on five monitors at head height, so that the person standing in the shape can experience the complexity inside one.

Current Status: Base renders are complete... Just rendering out the various final movies which will play on the screens.  Should be done by cob tomorrow.  The rest is logistics of getting 5 plinths and 5 imacs but that's in the process of being sorted through JP and hopefully James (Holland).  I want to do a test-run next week with JP's help.

2) The development of a physical interpretation of a Mandelbox, the one that is shown in the fly-thru... I currently have one physical representation in plastic and by next week I should have one in sandstone... both will be presented alongside the fly-thru sitting on a plinth.  Both are 5cm cubes.  

Current status: I have made the reflective base they'll sit on... made one metal stand and yet to make the other, should be done this weekend.

What's left to do: - Documentation to reflect complexity of bringing the Mandelbox into physical world. - Flesh out missing parts of my blog - Two supporting renders will be presented as well... one involving the HD fly-thru I did earlier in the semester and one involving the possible ambient occlusion render of a particle-based fly-thru.  The later will only be completed and shown if everything else has come together.

===

Wk11 - Cry. Memory card and reader lost! :(

Looked everywhere... My only explanation is that someone has picked it up from the lab and stolen it.  Even checked with JP and ANU security.  Can't use my GoPro or my normal camera without a memory card.  Jeez.  Argh.

Wk10 - Public Holiday x3 = badness!

2, 9, 16/10 without comp class... this isn't a good thing.  Too much of everything else happening for me to get back to my experimentation. :(

Wk10 - Assessment AV Requirements

JP asked for assessment AV requirements.

I sent the following response:
===

I'm displaying for assessment in the Green Room on the 22nd of November.

5 plinths AND monitors/computers (must be networked to allow for synchronised video playback - I have a program for this) - ideally monitors at standard head height.  I'll need audio for one of these computers... fed through the green room stereo.

1 plinth for display of physical object(s)

1 additional computer for display of alternate animation.

1 computer for scrollable website content.

One of those could use the projector but I'd prefer monitors.

Is that doable?  Please advise.

===

Wk10 - Met with Kit... Agreement

I met with Kit today.  Brilliant.  She agreed that part 3 should be put on hold unless I have complete the other parts and have time to work on it.

It's a bit of a relief to be honest with all the upcoming tasks.  Phew.

As a result, I consider this just a natural progression, another evolution of the concept of my major work.

Wk10 - Met with Lucien

I met with Lucien today to discuss the status of my work.  He was quite positive and supportive.

His advice was to put part 3 on the back-burner... concentrate on the essay then back to the major but treat the 3rd component as additional and only work on it after the other two are complete.  Good advice... but I agree with him when he said to also check with Kit to confirm...  If she agrees, I know I'm on the right path...

Wk10 - 'Accidentally' ordered Sandstone Mandelbox.

Tonight I decided to order another 3D print of my Mandelbox.

I decided to use the solid version this time and to have it in the Sandstone material.

In addition, I ordered the sample pack and a gyro toy too.

On the bright side, prices have gone down, my Mandelbox only cost $87.

Wk10 - Catalogue Image & Naming

We found out on Friday afternoon that the Gallery needed a picture and the title for our works.  Some of us haven't got a title or even finished renders of our work.  It is very late notice.  On the bright side, they gave us until Monday to submit the picture and title.  I've changed it a number of times but I've decided on the title 'Tglad's Formula'.

This is the picture for the catalogue:

Wk9 - Part 3, drop it or not?

My main area of concern is whether the 3rd part I was originally going to do as well, the Mandelbox-inspired Maya model, should be continued... I'm concerned that I won't have enough time if I do all three parts, especially when the physical and the fly-thu are so close to being ready.

I'm gonna meet with Lucien to discuss my concerns and my status.

Wk9 - More rendering... Jeez.

I don't know what happened but there are 9,000 frames that are wrong!

For some reason between two keyframes, the camera swerves to the left over the course of 3000 frames for the centre, 45 and 90 degree passess.  Very annoying.

I re-rendered and it still diverts, despite the keyframes being correct.  I've had to recreate the keyframes from scratch and render.  It looks good now.

41 hours of rendering and I have my replacement 9000 frames.

Total base rendering: 12 days, 1 hour.

Wk9 - Website Info from Marcus Bohr

We had a bit of an information session about portfolio websites with Marcus Bohr.

One thing I particularly liked was the realism when it comes to moving toward blogs and mico-blogs rather than static websites - as they have better saturation on the internet.

Another realisation I've been bucking is the idea that you must get every kind of account to increase audience saturation... ie, you need Tumblr, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc...

It was a good session.

Wk9 - Prototype stand for physical display

I spent the weekend trying out designs for a stand for the physical model.

It started as a design using sticky-tape and some paper clips...  I converted the idea to using wire, bent bent and twisted...  It's looking good.

Also, this is the first picture of the 3D printed model.