Video elective evaluation.

Setting.
The action takes place in Leeds on a journey from Leeds College of Art to a home that the main character lives in. Due to the fact its outdoors it creates quite a cold, wintery atmosphere and it contains a lot of suspense. It generates an 'alert' mood because the journey keeps you wondering constantly. The setting influences the understanding of the film in the sense that you can see Emily walking through university grounds and because its dark you can certainly hazard a guess to where she's going. The general lack of colour or type creates a sinister feel and a negative atmosphere. 


Costume and make-up.
What people wear effects our understanding because it can define characters or create an impression of the style of story. Stories such as little red riding hood are generally linked to the little red hooded cape, so what people wear can be embedded in our minds too. In our film the red coat is significant because this is how the character is recognised. Costume, hair and make-up tell the audience that the character is well groomed so maybe this is one of the things the stalker likes about her. There are no significant changes to her look throughout the film. 


Performance. 
Throughout most of the film the characters face can't be seen, apart from once when she turns around near the beginning. This tells us that she is almost certainly unaware that anyone is following her, apart from the split second where it looks like the stalker has been caught. She moved at a normal rate, possibly speeding up slightly due to falling darkness. The stalker moves as though creeping. Emily has quite a distant attitude and the stalker is persistent. The only time there is interaction is when she turns around. She acted as though she wasn't being watched at all which is exactly what we wanted. 


Lighting. 
Lighting and shadows create a cold and mysterious atmosphere due to how they fall in the darkness. The lighting in the film is quite hard and this keeps the audience on edge because it creates the idea that the stalker could be easily caught. The light is coming from both a high and low angle through car headlights and also streetlights. The colour of the light has no real significance. The light changes in the sense that theres more or less depending on what part of the journey Emily is on. 


Camera position. 
The camera is both close and further away from the action depending on the type of shot we were looking for. The significance of close ups was to show how close the stalker sometimes was throughout the film. The angle was generally low because it was as though the stalker was hiding. It effects the understanding so the audience can see it from the stalkers perspective. The camera was quite often tilted which just made each frame more interesting and also impacted upon framing positively. 


Camera movement. 
The camera both panned and zoomed during certain frames. Both of these things show the audience that the stalker is keeping a close eye on Emily and just generally makes it more interesting to watch.


Shutter speeds and exposure. 
The footage was slightly underexposed but this had a positive effect on the film because it added to the atmosphere. This was due to certain areas of the locations being quite dark. 


Editing and post production.
The editing has effected the film in quite a positive way overall. It has picked the pace up generally but the storyline still makes sense and isn't too repetitive to watch. We've used a range of both front and back shots to tell the story, this is so that the film has a mixture of elements and keeps the audience interested throughout. These shots also include main sections of the journey so that the story runs smoothly. The pictures relate to the music because it looks as though Emily is walking in time to it and the whole atmosphere links to the quirky tune. We have included end titles just for a little bit of professionalism and also a faded boarder around the whole of the film because it then gives off the impression that the stalker could be watching through some sort of binoculars, adding to the whole idea of being followed. This narrows the image slightly but the main elements can still be seen. 

What if self evaluation.

What problem did you identify?

We identified that graffiti is quite a big problem in Leeds so 'how can we make this more socially acceptable?' 

What evidence did you find to support your decisions?

We questioned members of the public and friends to gather opinions and we also looked at the media to see what has to be said about graffiti. From this we discovered that most opinions on the subject are negative.

What methods did you use to gather your evidence and what forms did it take?

We created a questionnaire as part of primary research which we then put into question and answer form and also pie charts so our results could be looked at in a quantitative way. We used to internet as a form of secondary research and printed out articles that we each found and brought this together for our ideas sheets. A further thing that we did for primary research was actually take photos of the evidence/graffiti around leeds so that it could further prove there is a problem. 

What methods of research did you find useful and why? 

I found actually going out there and collecting primary research was most useful because not only did things like photographs fully back up the problem we were trying to answer but you can guarantee that what you find with primary research has not been made up, where as this is not the case with secondary. 

How did these inform your response to your problem? 

Due to the nature of our problem we needed primary research because we were trying to persuade the public that graffiti isn't so bad and is actually a form of art. It was important we had general views from people to start with so we knew at least someone thought that graffiti was negative, therefor there was a mind to change. 

What methods did you encounter as problematic?

Secondary areas were problematic because sometimes you weren't sure if what you were reading was in fact true and sometimes you didn't know where the information was talking about eg. the united kingdom. Some of the information was also quite dated so wasn't always relevant for now. 

How did you overcome this? 

We searched for articles from genuine trusted sources such as the BBC website and had a greater collection of primary research to fall back on. 

What research could you have carried out that would have proved more useful? 

We could have gathered more primary research from actual graffiti artists discussing the problems they have faced and stating their own opinions.

Five things I have learnt about the design process:

- A range of quantitative and qualitative research are important so that we are aware that we are answering a problem to its full potential. 

- Its important to have a sufficient amount of research before the design process can begin. 

- Research takes place throughout the whole of a project because theres constantly new things to be learnt that can impact upon the subject.

- Sometimes we create problems that aren't actually there so researching thoroughly pays off.

- The design process creates a successful outcome when followed correctly. 

Five things I would do different next time:

- Take a greater part in the documentation of the evidence through photography. 

- Research into websites more (if appropriate for the project) so I have a greater understanding)

- Be aware if we have a sufficient amount or not of quantitative and qualitative research nearer the beginning of the project. 

- Spend more time gathering information in general as there is no end to the information that can be found. 

- Revisit the research more often throughout the project. 

What if...

Website.

Blog.

Twitter. 

Postcards (designed by myself). 

Design boards. 

Poster.

End of module self-evaluation.

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them? 

I have developed greater knowledge of typography by creating my own font. I've also picked up on the relationship between text and imagery and how sometimes it so easy to get this wrong. My main skill i have developed is Illustrator because i'd never used this before and its going to play a big part in the rest of my design work. I think i've applied all these skills quite effectively but theres also always room for improvement. 


What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process? 
I've gone out and collected physical evidence such as newspapers. I've also used work from previous projects to aid another if i feel the two things link. My main source tends to be the internet. All these things give me ideas for my own design work and sometimes form the basis for a project im doing. 


What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
My imagery tends to be hand drawn which i then manipulate using photoshop. In the future I can look at using illustrator to develop my skills on that programme. The design process i use is also a strength because this helps me come up with positive final solutions. 


What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully? 
I could look at doing more research on project topics im not too familiar with. My work is also very independent and i need to begin getting regular feedback from other people, such as tutors. 


Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these? 
- More research on certain topics; this will give me greater understanding and possibly better final resolutions. 
- Have more conversation with tutors; this will give me reassurance when it comes to my work and could improve it with regular feedback.
- Use illustrator more; this will build my skills. 
- Spend more time re-working final pieces; it will give me more resolved outcomes.
- Look at my blogs on a regular basis so that keeping on top of them does not become a problem. 

No news is good news; message and delivery.

Illustrator.

26 variations of the letter 'R'. Final piece. 

No news is good news; message and delivery.

Interim crit: 

- the imagery used is too literal and could be thought about more cleverly. 

- there should only be six to eight letters on a line of text.

- the text is harder to read when in capitals. 

- the fact could be changed because its not so reliable with being a child's opinion. 

- the font could also link more to television (pixelated) 

action to be taken; 

- address all above issues raised. 

- re work until a satisfactory idea is reached in time for final crit. 

This is the final idea i created after taking all the above things into account that were said about my initial ideas. I feel the idea has benefitted really well overall from the interim crit. 

No news is good news final crit.

For this particular crit one DP group marked the other DP groups work. These are the comments I got back and from this I can re-visit my work to improve it. 

No news is good news.

Initial final piece.

Re-worked final piece. 

Alphabet soup two final crit.

Final Piece. 

Issues raised: 

From a distance the letters look as though they have a wood grain effect.

The counters don't really needed to be coloured in. 

It almost looks a bit cartoony although this was not purposely.

How would it look in lower case? 

Action to be taken: 

Try the font in upper and lower case. 

Actually break it up to get rid of this 'wooden' effect. 

Make the outlines less bold. 

Try using a ruler to make the overall outcome look less cartoony. 

Name badge. 

Refined final piece after taking crit comments into consideration. 

Alphabet soup two evaluation.

Which personality traits did you choose to respond to and apply to the type face?
Insecure and loud. 


What are the reasons behind the design decisions you have made for the typeface? 
I gave it a bold outline to represent the 'loud' personality trait and hide the insecurity. I made the inside of the letters 'broken' so that this could represent the insecurity in the correct way. I also made my whole type face capital so it looked bold and also represented the 'loud' side of my partners personality and showed he's quite a bold character. 


In what ways are the results effective? 
They represent my partner successfully and show his personality traits that I chose in a simplistic and understandable manner. He also understood how it represented him as soon as it was shown to him. 

Alphabet soup two; progress crit.

Issues raised: 
The serif fonts I have been looking at don't work with all of the words I have chosen for my partner. 
The favourite idea looks too plain alone with a thick black outline. 
I need to use this white space on my favourite idea to my advantage. 
I also need to test the font with 10 different letters of the alphabet so I can be sure it works for all letters. 


Action to be taken: 
Take into consideration all the things listed above and apply this to my work to then be able to finalise my ideas. 

How to; problem analysis.

Group members: 
Kirsty F, Kirsty H, Kirsty A, James and Frankie. 


The problem: 
new students need things to be able to cope with Leeds weather but on a student budget. 


The edvidence: 
so far most students have had problems coping with the weather in Leeds. 


We aim to: 
create posters to inform and instruct Leeds students how to tolerate the weather. Posters are easy information, simple, cost effective and easy to distribute. 

Alphabet soup two; problem analysis.

Brief: (What is the problem you intend to solve?) 
Design an alphabet to visually represent my partner. 


Who needs to know? (Who is your audience?) 
Simon Cherry 


What do they need to know? 
That the typeface represents them and how it does. 


Why do they need to know? 
so I know that I have answered the brief.


What will they respond to? (How will they understand the outcome?) 
The final alphabet I create and they will understand it through a clear and simplistic idea. 


What primary research is required? 
Questionnaire about my partner, artist research, looking back at my own summer brief. 


What secondary research is required? 
typography (internet) and word meanings. 

Alphabet soup.

What is being communicated and how? 
Vanish is being communicated by taking sections of the letter away gradually over ten frames. 


How well does this answer the brief? 
This answers the brief well because I have represented the word successfully and produced the amount of work the brief asked for. 


How well has the idea been visually explored? 
I could have considered looking at more research for this project. My sketchbook work however has helped a lot because I explored a range of ideas before deciding on a final one. 


What are the strengths of the resolution? 
The strengths of my resolution include not just going with the first idea I chose and the whole idea has been kept simplistic throughout the design process. 


How could it be improved? 
One way it could be improved is by drawing one 'R' and photocopying this then erasing sections via photoshop. This would be more successful because the hand rendered final piece has slight differences with each 'R' in the series. 


General comments...
I have enjoyed this project because experimenting with typography is something I find interesting. 

Alphabet soup.

This is my final idea for the brief. I chose the letter 'R' because this was one of the most decorative of the particular font so it gave me more to work with. I feel overall the idea was quite successful because I kept it simplistic. 

10 things to achieve this year.

1. Gain more confidence when it comes to doing crits
2. Make friends with as many new people as possible
3. Learn a new skill 
4. Keep blog up to date 
5. Become more confident when contributing to class discussions
6. Dont be afraid to ask questions 
7. Learn something new from a class mate
8. Produce a piece of work that i'm really proud of
9. Learn how to create video
10. Have fun with everything I do!

How to...

What roles did you take on in the group? 
I designed one of the four posters and also presented this poster to the rest of the class when we did our group presentation. 


How well do you think you preformed in the roles? 
Pretty well because the work was produced within the time frame and I shared my ideas. 


How well do you think you worked as a group? 
Really well because we all shared ideas and communicated throughout the whole design process. 


What were the positives of working in a group? 
There was a range of styles and ideas. I also spoke to new people which created friendships. 


What were the negatives of working in a group? 
sometimes ideas clashed slightly but there was never any major disagreements. 


What will you do differently next time? 
I'll have more confidence when contributing to group discussions. 


Where could you have improved your resolution? 
We could have asked for ideas from a variety of other students.


What were the strengths of your presentation? 
It wasn't too serious which made it more interesting. We had an example of a product. We all said something as part of the presentation. 

How to...

This is the final piece that i designed for the group brief 'HOW TO...'

Our four final ideas included, yoghurt aftersun, pac-a-mac, ice lollies and mansize kleenex. The basic information found on the poster is the steps in which to use the product or make it and a little bit about the product. 

These are the four final ideas. They work really well together because of things like the similarity in colours and the simplicity. We made them easy to read and to look at because they are aimed at a student audience. Overall i think this is a good solution to our problem we began with.