Personal Statement

Personal Statement

My Interest in media grew from living in a world surrounded by the subject, for along time i always considered myself as just being an audience member to media and a customer to it’s merchandise. I had always been fascinated by it’s influences and decided to be apart of the more construction side to the trade than just a spectator. This allowed me to learn various tricks of the trade, how visuals have huge affects on people ideas. Looking into the use of luminal, sub-luminal and super luminal techniques. Watching footage and thinking about camera shot angles and foreshadowing rather than just viewing the story. It’s an enjoyable challenge to learn a subject that is as fast evolving as media.

My works have always been focused on a more visual artistic style bases, but I’m recently understanding that it’s alright to have an image or graphic that’s pleasing but it’s more essential to create that, but keep it suitable to the subject’s matter and keep presentation in mind.

I started my media education with IT course learning basic HTML, databases and spreadsheets, and Art GCSE, painting on canvas and sketches, then gradually self taught myself how to use Photoshop into A-level works, where the process of my paintings took some explaining to more traditional style teachers. But i was also part of a team to help construct and publish a school magazine to be distributed .

After finishing A-level i began taking a Multimedia foundation degree course at Coleg Gwent city of Newport campus. There i was shown a wide range of media facilities new to me. As well as theory behind media structure. I was given the freedom to pursue my own designs and develop them from ideas to items. During this time on the course i tried to learn as much basic knowledge about programs in each area. From 3d software and rendering to director programs and action scripts. I learned recording techniques and film editing as well as sound recording. Also i briefly looked at motion tracking technology and green screens.

I try to lead an active lifestyle to take a break from viewing a screen. In high school i was a member of Newport harriers track and field team, where i participated in multiple events from 100m sprint to marathons, javelin to discuss to triple long and high jump, as well as pole vault and shot put. But it was mostly running and javelin.

Now a days i either spend time out with friends at cinemas or city centres or drawing in my sketch books.

I also enjoy photography and try to take my camera to as many places i can go.

Media is a large part of both my personal and academic life. I look forward to pursuing my skills further and developing them into a business.

Current projects

Current Projects

The latest project i am working on, is project Compu book. An interactive information kiosk, where the control interface is an ordinary page turning book. each turn of a page activates an on animation screen displaying visual information on Newport's history and events.

Information ranges from the Romans invasion of Britain to Norman rule, up to the mining industries of Britain and upcoming events such as the Ryder cup Golf tournament in 2010.

Images were hand drawn and created in Flash programming.

Research & Design

Research
I am currently working on a research portfolio including;

  • Newports history time line
  • Media invention time line
  • Flash guide book
  • animation styles and techniques
  • animation works by companies such as Walt Disney and Studio Ghibli
  • View Ghosts and Armour show at the Riverfront
  • Flash Websites
  • Roman mueseums in Newport and Caerleon
  • illistrations and art works
  • Stop motion works
Ghosts in Armour Research video
a research video i made while viewing display works at the event and asking about the piece information and it's local background and connections to Newport city.




Design
I also researched the design process of the project, looking into such technologies as Augmented reality and creating various visual appearances and blueprints.



Construction

Compu Book Construction
The construction of the interface involved purchasing a large photo album book and aquireing multiple components. Parts needed for construction included;

  • Photo Album
  • Tilt switches
  • copper wire
  • keyboard output box
  • input plugs
The process of construction involved soldering all the tilt switches to the wire and input plugs. then inputing the plugs to an asighned keyboard letter on the keyboard output box and assighning action script on the flash program to those letters. Then attatching each tilt switch and it's assighned keyboard letter to a page in the photoalbum and then tapeing the pages together.










Compu Book Screen Shots







Influences




Influences
Alot of my work revolves around artistic design and visual appearence. I studied art at A-level and paint as a hobbie, i use my works and incorporate my paintings into my project pieces. Insperations for my work are from artists such as yoshitaka amano who did work with the award winning Final fantasy series of video games Fable games from lionhead studios. Also works from the animation company Studio Ghibli who created such animated films like Spirited away and Howls moving castle.

Yoshitaka Amano


Studio Ghibli


Lionhead studios