Media Product - Vanilla Twilight - Image Reel

"When Violet Eyes Get Brighter,

And Heavy Wings Grow Lighter,
I'll taste the sky and feel alive again."

Image and Lyric Breakdown:

• When - Clock / Time representation
• Violet - The plant, Violet
• Eyes - My dog, Bailey's eye
• Get - Online Adobe download message
• Brighter - Two versions of the same lightbulb in my room, with altered brightness of lens flare

• And - '&' key from my iPod Touch (took a photograph)
• Heavy - 'Heavy Load' sign
• Wings - Bird in Flight
• Grow - Plant Growing
• Lighter - Feather - as in 'light as a feather'

• I'll - Photo of me
• Taste - Two angles of a mouth tasting a lollipop
• The - 'Highlighted the T, H and E keys on a standard laptop keyboard in red
• Sky - Sky shot and edge of Victoria Mills, Saltaire
• And - '&' key from my iPod Touch (took a photograph)
• Feel - Hand feeling fabric
• Alive - Heart-monitor to represent life
• Again - Cover of the DVD '17 Again'
  

Below is the background image, so you can see what it would look like without the image reel over the top - although, again, I have kept it in the same comic-book style as the rest of the images. It is supposed to represent the song - by depicting a 'Vanilla Twilight'.

Vanilla Twilight - 'Oh, Darling, I wish you were here'.

Images Within An Image

Copyright © 2011 Stefan Van den Bergh

Not exactly related to my media product, but I saw this image and absolutely fell in love with it.

The thought of creating multiple images all hidden within one larger, core image is remarkable. Taking this one as my example, it is a beautiful landscape setting showing mountains, rivers, waterfalls, fields and sky as the core image. But hidden in and amongst the scene are a number of animal faces representing another feature of that core image.

The human face is a predominant land feature in the foreground - you can recognise it from the eye, nose and mouth features proportionately arranged along its length. Cliff-faces are made up of monkey / baboon / gorilla heads - again, made clear by the distinct eyes / nose / mouth features of those animals carved into the mountain walls.

I also see an area of land at the bottom shaped like a bird's head, a rock in the water shaped like a frog, and even clouds in the sky shaped like fish and - I think - a wolf. There even seems to be a section of forest / greenland shaped like a teddy-bear, as well as crocodile features and even something carved into a rock that looks like a dragon's head...

I was toying with the idea of making another version and highlighting all the sections of animals I could make out. But when I started, I realised every section represents an animal, and so it would have resulted in the whole image being highlighted making it less obvious to see the details of each animal. Therefore, I shall leave you to explore it at your own leisure, and consider the characters you can make out. You can see a slightly larger version here.

For me, this is visual communication at it's best. The image is communicating so much about our planet through a very unusual medium; by integrating the animal kingdom into the geographical features of the landscape.

Ways of Seeing - Manipulation of Meaning Through Reproduction

Reference to:

Berger, J. (1972) Ways of Seeing. London. British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books.

"... as soon as the meaning of a painting becomes transmittable, this meaning is liable to become manipulated and transformed. It is no longer a constant; It's changed by the camera that moves, by the words put around it, by the music played over it." - John Berger, Episode One, Ways of Seeing.


I'm playing here, so bear with me. This is a section of an image. Little to see, really - it's a covered roadway and walkway; looks to be evening time, if we consider the lighting, and the fact the buildings in the background have lights on.


Then the screen pans across slightly to reveal a little more....

By highlighting the section in red, the eye is automatically drawn to the section of interest. I am also trying to - both physically and metaphorically - highlight the fact that there is an image inside another image. The use of colour is the same - it is the same time of day as the rest of the image, same location, same everything. But by adding in that little bit more, the meaning of the image changes, and the main focus of the image is altered.

The image has gone form being a boring scene of a road, a barrier, a few distant buildings and a pathway, to show something far more interesting; ghostly figures walking toward the camera.


As Berger suggested, by manipulating a reproduction of the original image, I have adjusted the meaning of the image to show one thing, and then altered it again to reveal something else; the first image shows only a small section of the true image, despite being the larger section. By taking away the ghostly figures, the meaning was changed. But cleverly, by putting it back together, the eye is now automatically drawn to the most interesting section in the full image above: now that I have isolated the ghostly figures by highlighting the area in red first, I am instantly drawn to that same area on the original version because I know that the figures are there.

This can be altered even further. I am thinking thrillers and horror movies, where the camera pans painstakingly slowly across the scene - in this case, from left to right to build suspense, as the ghostly figures are on the right. Adding in a low, chilling score to heighten the anxiety and tension would improve it, as well.

Of course, you could then completely spoof the supposed 'spooky' feel of the image by adding in a hilarious score and zooming the camera all over the place. The meaning would be altered, and the genre of the image would change from horror to comedy. Thus, Berger is quite right in suggesting reproduction of imagery is leaving room for manipulation and alteration of the originally intended meanings.

Advertising Tricks and Techniques

I've been looking into how visual communication works in advertising a little more since last analysing the Cadbury's advert. It is an area of the media that is of significant interest to me. I'm baffled by how easy it is to sell an item to the public so simply. They need not even leave the comfort of their own homes - it is all done over the radiowaves or through television boxes.

The fact that people are so susceptable to influence is astonishing. Though, of course, when producing adverts, the creators have a few tricks and techniques which will serve ultimately to improve chances of selling their product; even if these tools mean altering how the audience will receive the advert.

These include :-

Hidden Messages – where producers include a hidden message inside the advertisement, making the advert a little less obvious than most, meaning viewers have to actually think about the ad to fully understand the message. This helps viewers to remember the ad at a later date, giving the potential for the company (and the advert) to spread via word of mouth, as people will talk about how unusual the ad is with regards to getting the message across.

Emotional Response – where producers work with the audience’s emotions to produce a reaction. This can either be through shock, humour, surprise, horror, or another form of emotion. Producers use this to work on the ‘Want / Need’ factors which plague the average human being. Viewers see the ads and immediately feel like they ‘need’ to go out an buy the products. This happens a lot with beauty products, where producers depict the main actresses or actors as being beautiful because of the product, even though it is simply because the producers have picked generally attractive actors / actresses to advertise them. This is self-perception, but ads also use the emotional response technique to advertise health services and life insurance by playing on audience fears of death and illness.

Celebrity Endorsement – where producers have celebrities who appeal to the specific target audience to promote the product. This is clever, because the audience would like to be like the celebrities in the advert, and would therefore be more inclined to buy a product if they believe it appeals to their favourite celebrity. Having a Celebrity as the face of a product also gives that product its own personality (matching the one of the celebrity).


Cultural Iconography

Cultural Iconography refers to creating a character that suits a specific culture and placing them as main characters in an advertisement. These characters become recognisable (icons of adverts). The more adverts they star in, the more they become associated with the product which they are advertising.

As an example, the ‘Honey Monster’ is the iconic character for ‘Sugar Puffs’, and has been present in most (if not all) adverts surrounding this product. Therefore, if anyone were to see the character’s face, they would immediately be able to recognise where the character is from and will associate him with ‘Sugar Puffs’.

Similarly, Tony the Tiger is an iconic figure recognised for his inclusion in the ‘Frosties’ cereal advertising campaign. Nowadays, most children in Britain could probably identify a picture of him if they saw one, and would be able to associate his character with the cereal he advertises. When using icons to promote a brand, producers also like to have a memorable slogan which that character says at some point during the advert. Sticking with ‘Frosties’, Tony the Tiger’s slogan for the cereal is; ‘They’re Grrreat!’. Therefore, if anyone were to hear this, they could most likely trace it back to the advert for ‘Frosties’, because this is where it originated from.

However, it cannot be forgotten that these are culturally affected. A person in Britain could easily identify these characters because they are British characters for British products. Should an image of Tony be shown to an Egyptian or an American, for example, they would not be able to recognise the character as an iconic figure, because their culture doesn’t have access to the product he is advertising. Therefore, he would not affect them the same way he affects British people.

Many times, the characters in adverts are actually stereotyped. This is probably because producers only have a matter of 15-30 seconds to get their message across, and using stereotyped characters would make it easier for viewers to understand the meaning of the ad within the time limit it has to broadcast.


Structure and Form

When it comes to designing an Advert that is to be displayed on Television, there are a number of different structures and forms that the producer can use to get the advert across to its target audience. These include :-

• Narrative – where a producer has created an advert with the intent of it telling a story whilst advertising.

• Series – where a producer has created a series of adverts for the same company with the intent of creating an ongoing saga – examples of this would be the BT Adverts, the Nescafe Coffee adverts and the Daz ‘soap’ series.

• Stand Alone – where a producer has created an advert not with the intent of creating a series, but which tells its own story within the ad itself – almost like a mini-film. An example of this would be the Guinness Advert.

• Animation – where a producer has created an animated advert, rather than using filmed footage. As an example, the new N-Power advert includes a mini clip created by ‘Wallace and Gromit’ creator, Nick Park.

Photograph Analysis

Purpose

The purpose of the image was.... well, honestly?? Not a clue. I saw an opportunity and I took it. Inspiration for another blog post was scarce, but here I was, sat in front of a Mac at the University and suddenly I noticed just how obvious my reflection was in the monitor.

Production

The only piece of equipment available to me at this particular moment in time was my Samsung smartphone. This will, therefore, serve to provide demonstration to the belief that you don't need state-of-the-art photography equipment to create an attractive image. Though I suppose having a state-of-the-art Mac suite would be immensely beneficial in this instance.

Framing

The image is as close to centrally aligned as I could manage, bearing in mind certain factors; the desktop of the Mac I was using had a number of icons available along the right side and along the bottom. These reduced the space I could use if I wanted to ensure no icons made it onto the image.

Lighting

There are three sources of light within this image:

• The Window - Natural Light Source
• The Phone's Flash - Artificial Light Source
• The Mac Screen - Artificial Light Source

In short, the image contains a combination of both natural and artificial light sources.

Much to my disbelief, the only source of light I would say is most affecting the image directly is the natural light coming in through the window behind me. It helps to provide contrast to the rest of the image, making my figure stand out against the background. The Mac screen provides a much subtler source of light - most predominantly on the right-hand side of the image, whilst the flash of the phone served to create a (deliberate) lens flare. In reality, I was slightly out with regards to framing: I had hoped that the lens flare would have completely covered the mouth area. However, I am still happy with the location - rather than leaving out a body-part, there is the subtlest hint that it exists, and so viewers are aware that behind the camera is the mouth that would normally be there. It almost feels like a sneak-peak.

Signifiers & Signifieds

• The figure (aka ME!)
• The phone
• The glasses
• The stars

The figure is the main part of the image (and this isn't me being egotistic, so just work with me). In terms of photography, it should represent a memory that is to be saved, else there is no point of taking the photograph. In this case, because I'm the one who took the image, I will always associate the image with writing this blog entry. It was created specifically for a piece of work, and thus has little to no other significance in my life (although I really like the image, so might choose to make it my Facebook picture). But to someone who doesn't know me, it could signify something completely different.

From a subjective point of view, if I was looking at this as an outsider, I would see the figure and think; 'Student'. Mainly because of age. Also, the fact that the figure appears to be sitting at a desk (though this is not made obvious - you can partially see the chair but not the actual desk) helps to narrow down options to one of two - either a student, or somebody who has a desk-job. Thus, age and location make me think of a student.

Typically, glasses are associated with intelligence. I have no idea why this is, it could be a stereotype that just happens to have lasted world-wide. Nerds and geeks are often seen wearing them, and these types of people are stereotypically fairly smart in certain areas. It is widely assumed that those who wear glasses are generally 'smarter', or at least are trying to make themselves look more intelligent by wearing them. In my case, I wear glasses because I have to, not because I want to. Without them, I'm blind. But as an outsider thinking stereotypically, I would see the glasses and think the person in the image was intelligent; now, of course, I know myself and how untrue that statement is. So here is an example of 'inaccurate' stereotyping in action.

The stars are symbolic of space and the worlds beyond the one we know. I can see stars in the image, and I think of how life at University can be like living on a whole new planet. It really is an out-of-this-world experience; something that will only ever happen once and should be treasured: the tiny smile on my face and my neutral expression should represent my contentment, as well - another signifier!

The phone signifies communication. Or lack, thereof. On a way deeper level, it can represent the module I am working on - how images can communicate with viewers without words. But at the time, I was happy to settle for the idea of mobile communication overwriting physical human-interaction (which is why I deliberately tried to place the phone over the mouth area). After all, who needs a voice when you can email, text, Facebook and Tweet from your phone?

Funny. All those little representations. I'd never have thought so deeply into the image, were I not required to do so for my coursework. But it is interesting what you can come up with, even with the vaguest of images...

Composition (Sort of)

Right. So, this is me trying to be intellectual. Forgive me if it doesn't quite go to plan.

The image on the left is one I asked my friend to take a couple of months ago, but it has stuck with me for a very specific reason: that reason being, I was very explicit about just how I wanted the camera to be positioned when the shot was taken.

At the time, I wasn't completely certain about why I had to have it the way I described it. It just seemed important, though not for any reason I could fully comprehend.

However, after many takes, I was finally satisfied with the positioning and framing of the image - much to my friend's relief.

Up until recently, I have admired the image for its content, mostly; they are my favourite pair of boots in the whole history of boot-shopping. But after a few discussions about Composition in imagery, I began to wonder if perhaps my nagging for the perfectly angled shot may have meant a little more to me subconsciously than I'd ever realised.

I suppose, in all honesty, it is true. It is virtually impossible to take a photograph - or at least, an effective one at that, one which fully depicts the content you want to display - without first considering the framing and composition of that image. By this, I mean everyone who takes a photograph looks through the viewfinder and carefully aligns the perfect shot. It's natural; a force of habit, for many people. In fact, we are so used to the concept of aiming the camera to the correct spot and snapping that memory up to save for millenia to come, that we do it without even thinking about it. There need be little more than a split-second decision- if that - to agree upon the best angle to hold the camera at, the best lines to follow to make sure the main area of interest is correctly placed into the image, and to ensure that nothing unwanted makes it on-screen as well.

Professionals and amateurs alike, whether it's a multi-thousand pound camera set for taking Wedding photographs or even a cheap disposable camera for a Friday night out, the prospect of taking pictures to treasure happy memories is the same universally. We want to get the most important part of the scene we are witnessing into the frame before we take the shot. This is why composition is so important. Without it, the image could miss a vital piece of informaton which helps the viewer to solve a little more of the mystery that is that specific image.

Take a look at the image above; I have deliberately thought about composition to ensure the key item in the image is centrally-aligned: the boots. Everything else around it is of less importance, hence why I requested that the boots be centrally located in the image. To further enhance this, I have edited the image using post-production techniques to reduce the clarity of the background; including the floor, the table, and the chairs down the left side. I wanted to make sure the boots were slightly more in focus, suggesting to the readers that they are the key element in the image.

Kumi Yamashita - Shadow Art

I was looking for inspiration for another blog entry and recalled a seminar session during which the use of light and shadow was discussed.

The artist 'Caravaggio was given as the main subject of discussion', but to be honest, old painters and such artists (as remarkable as they were) are a little too.... traditional for my personal tastes.

And so, my thought process immediately turned towards a more modern and unusual style of art: Shadow Art.

To the left, and below, are a piece from an artist called Kumi Yamashita, who is well-known for creating artwork by placing unusual objects into a precise order and adding a light-source.

This light-source creates a shadow of the objects used, to in turn create a whole new image.

In terms of visual communication, it's a crazy notion.

To use one visual cue to create an entirely new and original graphic through which expression and discussion can be manifested is quite a remarkable feat.

There are two differing sources of discussion in Yamashita's artwork; the first being the unusual objects used to cast the shadows, and the second being the shadow itself. It is almost as though there are two conflicting images combined onto one canvas, and in a sense, they are fighting for attention: the mind wants to consider how the image has been created (by looking at the objects) but at the same time, the main focus of the image is the shadow (without which, the image would not be impressive enough to warrant such apt attention).

It leads me on to consider how the mind can be tricked with the addition or removal of a light source. For instance, it is stereotypically believed that to best experience a horror film, you should watch it in the dark. This is presumably because the film itself has dark overtones which compliment the viewer's surroundings to heighten the experience. The viewer becomes fully intergrated into the film, because in a sense, they are experiencing similar key elements themselves via the removal of a light source.

A further point brought up in the same seminar was how possible it is to still experience such feelings when in an industry that demands such depth of analysis. By looking so deeply into the image, it is sometimes the case that the 'magic' is lost, and you become so involved with how the image was produced, that you forget to take a step back and simply enjoy it. I, personally, find it quite an exhilarating thought to know I can deduce how something has happened and yet still marvel at the content of the image. In a way, it's almost as though I know something the rest of the world doesn't - even if that is through my own self-evaluation of the image. I can see the image from two different angles - as both a viewer, and also as a producer.

Two points of view through one pair of eyes. Which leads me neatly back to Shadow Art, with their two different images combined onto one canvas to create a whole product. Clever stuff.

Analysis of 'Independence Day' Trailer

Courtesy of THX1968 at YouTube

Independence Day is a 20th Century Fox broadcast released on July 3rd 1996, starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum. A science-fiction and action film, it was a turning point for CGI-aided moving pictures and proved to be widely accepted in many countries, becoming a big hit in the United States of America and Great Britain. The trailer broadcasted before its release played a significant part in promoting the film and helping in its world-wide fame.

The film’s primary target audience is fans of science-fiction films of any age between early teens to late forties, proven by its futuristic, alien-inspired plotline and exciting CGI sequences. For people of this vast age group, it would be fairly easy to understand the film and its plotline, while to anyone younger it could be a little difficult to grasp. I also personally believe it is aimed more at males, rather than females, judging by its inclusion of fast-paced action sequences, the alien storyline, and the CGI-created explosions and their related special effects.

The film’s secondary target audience is fans of the actors who star in the film, like Will Smith or Bill Pullman. The fact that such widely acknowledged actors have managed to grab a role in the film encourages their fan-base to watch the film, if only to see them.

CGI plays a big part in the overall acceptance of the film by its audience, but it is incredibly difficult and extremely expensive to make a CGI-aided sequence. Because of this, 20th Century Fox had amazingly high production costs, both due to the CGI but also because of the use of such well-known actors. Famous actors expect a higher wage.

However, due to the fact that 20th Century Fox is such a vast media company, they have managed to gain themselves a reputation of excellence. So just showing their logo and the company’s personal sequence at the start of the trailer helps to promote the film before it even begins; viewers know that, while it is not guaranteed that they will enjoy the film, they can be certain that they’re viewing something of extremely high quality. The purpose of any trailer is to promote the film, to advertise it, which will, hopefully, encourage more people to watch it and pull in more money, which is any film’s ultimate goal. So the fact that viewers straight-off know that the film is of a high standard gives the film an even greater chance of being accepted by the audience.

Another way Independence Day wins over its intended audience is its constant use of enigma. Even the trailer, lasting about a minute and a half, is full of mystery and hails a large number of questions that need answers. The text that helps to push the trailer along uses ellipses, and example being the opening shot of the phrase, ‘On July 2nd …’. This ellipse signifies that there is more to come, so the audience has to continue watching to find out what will happen on July 2nd.

Another enigma is shown through the graphics themselves: showing the people staring up, shocked at the sky makes viewers want to know what has shocked or amazed them. A second example of an enigma within the footage itself is when the opening sequence shows shots of famous American landmarks being overshadowed. Right from the beginning, people want to know what this shadow is, what is making it and why.

While the ‘shadow’ sequence serves to provide mystery, however, it also has a second function. The shadows are representational images imported into the film. The fact that they cover the Manhattan Skyline in one scene serves to represent the threat, which is, as of yet, undiscovered by the audience due to the fact that the trailer has yet to reveal what it is, to America’s economy. This shadow also covers a statue of Abraham Lincoln, who was responsible for the abolition of slavery, signifying the freedom of the American people being quenched, and the fact that it also covers the Statue of Liberty reiterates this point.

There are other points of representation within the trailer, though. The alien threat itself is represented through the spaceship and its shadow, as well as the use of lasers, which are almost always highly associated with aliens and their technology.

War is also represented within the trailer, shown through the CGI explosions and the fighting scenes and also in scenes of destruction and devastation (post-invasion scenes).

The trailer includes various pieces of ideology, ranging from the classic ‘good versus evil’ morale which is featured in many films – in this case, the aliens are evil, symbolised by the dark shadows shrouding the ship and the fact that they are attacking the humans -, to ideologies specific to America (demographics are key, here, as the film is produced and filmed in America, with American actors and an American setting), which can include Democracy signified through the shot of the White House, to the idea that a country should work together, shown through the shots of the American citizens working in unison to bring down the alien threat.

There is also a value with the fact that the shadow covers the Statue of Liberty. It gives the sense that this unknown threat is more important, and much more significant than America, which is highlighted further by the fact that the camera angle has the viewers looking up to the Statue of Liberty, rather than down upon it or straight at it.

As well as this shot, there are various types of Camera shots included within the trailer, ranging from low-angled shots of landscapes or people or action shots, to high-angled shots of locations like the White House. The fact that we are looking down upon the White House signifies diminished power, and that the shadow proves that the threat is supposedly far more powerful than the United States, (which in turn is represented by the White House as it is the seat of ultimate power in America).

Throughout the entire trailer, all camera shots are sharp and completely focussed. Certain scenes are fast-paced and follow action-packed sequences, pulling a lot of shots into a few seconds to get the maximum effect, advertising as much as possible to persuade the audience to come and see the film without spoiling the plot.

One of the best uses of camera, in my opinion, coincides with an impressive piece of CGI, about a minute into the trailer, when a fireball is reflected in a car window. I believe this is a strong demonstration of the skill that the special effects and CGI teams had during the film’s production.

Another piece of Media Language demonstrated within the trailer is its use of colour. There’s a strong use of contrast between darks and bold and bright colours; darks shown through the shadows, to eerie colours that represent the aliens, to bright, colourful explosions. This wide variety of colour serves to keep the audience interested, as it continuously jumps from one to the other, from dark to bright, often coinciding with the content on screen and how characters are deliberately portrayed – classic dark tones for bad guys, and lighter tones for good guys (stereotypical of modern film and TV characterisation).

I personally believe that the trailer for Independence Day is incredibly effective. It promotes the film perfectly, keeping a strong balance between action and mystery, showing just enough to make people want to see it without giving away the whole plot. Which is, in a sense, all you can ask of a film trailer.

Analysis of the Cadbury Gorilla Advert

courtesy of macegrove at YouTube.

This is, quite possibly, one of my favourite adverts of all time, just because it is so unusual. At first glance, there is very little in the way of content to associate the ad with the product being advertised. I see no bars of chocolate in sight until the outro. Only people who recognise the subtle hints as to who the producers are prior to the end of the ad would have any idea that this is, in fact, a tremendously massive company.

The purple colouring refers to the packaging. The 'Glass and a Half Full Productions' slogan was created and plugged as being the official slogan for the company's forthcoming series of chocolate adverts (including this one). The silver of the drumkit symbolises the inside wrapping of the packaging. But... I see no actual chocolate bars to demonstrate they are, in fact, still a chocolate production company. For all the advert suggests, they could be promoting Phil Collins, a Drum-kit company, a famous Gorilla... who knows?

But that is the point. The advert is lacking anchorage until the outro kicks in. This is a deliberate marketing technique. It's so unusual, it will stick in your head. Viewers remember the ad, will remember who made it because it is so bizarre, and are subsequently more likely to purchase a product because the advert made them smile.

The gorilla is a signifier for happiness. The happiness that customers will experience if they purchase this particular brand of chocolate. I can deduce this from the happiness and freedom expressed by the gorilla when he begins his drum-solo. It is almost as though the majority of the ad is in place to build up to this one moment. The suspense. Which, in turn, could signify the suspense consumers will experience as they're waiting to take that first bite.

In conclusion, I believe that the advert for Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, while being controversial due to a possible lack of understanding for some people, is a great example of advertising. It grabs viewers’ attention, mixes audience’s likes of music and chocolate with an unusual main character and, above all, advertises the product enough to increase profit, which is, essentially, any business’s underlying goal.

Graphics Tablet Suzuki Bike - Flash Drawing

So. I started with this....

A photo of the 'Rio Grande' road in Western Texas (apparently one of the most scenic roads in the world!).

With a little photomanip and a whole lotta love, I ended up with a scene that would better suit the 'Flash drawing' design of my own artwork (you will see later!) to use as a backdrop. Gladly, I would have taken this photo in person to use for this particular piece of artwork, but alas, flying to Texas just to take a photograph would have been a bit too great a stretch for a student budget.

Next, now that I had a lovely comic-style background (and I've just realised a lovely 3 on 3 pattern happening with regards to the 'Rule of Thirds' but more on that in a second), I used a Graphics Tablet to draw a Suzuki Bike in Adobe Flash CS3 (see below).










Aannnnddd, finally! The moment of truth...



Combine Flash-drawn bike with Comical background....


And happy days.

The bike actually fits in with the image. See, as I was drawing it freestyle in Adobe Flash, the background was plain and boring and grey. Which was great while I was drawing, but as a finished image, it lacked a little... shall we say, pizazz? When I combined the flash-style super-bike with the original Rio Grande photograph, it looked dramatically out of place. As an image, if I were going for making a statement, it could have worked, I suppose. 'Expressive meets Tradition', and all that. But at the end of the day, due to my fascination with comic-books and the wonderfully simple and bold style of drawing in Flash, it just made sense to combine the two elements together for the finished piece.

Rule of Thirds - twice! One second...

Okay, so it's not exactly perfect, but considering it's a manipulated photograph, it's pretty damn close. Almost as though Mother Nature herself understood the concept of the Rule of Thirds when creating the landscape (or insert religious idol of choice, if it isn't Mother Nature according to your beliefs).

Upper section = sky.
Middle section = mountain range.
Lower sections = road, bike, ground.

Each section draws the viewer's attention to a certain aspect of the image. It's quite amazing that the correct positioning of a camera can create an image with clear proportion, enough to purposefully segregate elements of that image according to this rule.

(As a footnote, yes, I am British. And my superbike wants to drive through Western Texas into oncoming traffic for the laughs, just because we do that at home. Seriously, are we the only people to have 'left-hand-traffic' laws? Call the bike's positioning a culturally-inclined alteration to the norm of drive-time in southern America. Just because I'm British.)

Owl City - Fireflies Single Cover - Analysis

While my previous post demonstrated how the colour 'blue' can represent sadness, my next image shows the colour in a much more positive light. The purpose of doing this is to demonstrate that not all colours are symbolic of a single meaning. Colours can represent a number of different emotions depending on the content and context of the image, and indeed the cultures of those who are viewing that image at any particular time.


I am uncertain if my prior knowledge of the band has swayed my feelings towards this image, or not. For people who have not heard their musical style - for those who do not know how... refreshing and uplifting their music really is - it may provoke a slightly different reaction.

But, whenever I see this single-cover, I smile.
Perhaps it isn't the same for everyone. As with most artistic endeavours, personal opinion is key; if somebody doesn't like something, they don't like it. Simple. In this case, people who are not interested in cityscapes, or who do not find them appealing to look at, would probably feel differently about the image. Similarly, those who do not like the band may not like the image for that reason, because it represents something they have little interest in.

But for me, personally, I think it is a beautiful image.

I absolutely love the cityscape backdrop. The rule-of-thirds has been executed artistically - with the band name and song title in the bottom third, the cityscape in the middle third and the 'spacey' skyline in the upper third. Though, in this case, the thirds are not all identical in size - the bottom one being much larger than the top, rather than equally spacing all 3 sections.


The blue overtone makes the image sparkle, almost. It definitely has a futuristic feel, I believe. The skyscrapers and buildings are symbolic of man's desires to reach for the stars - to one day be out there amongst them, reaching up like infant hands groping for their mothers, their protectors, the angels (or 'stars', as depicted in the upper third, which could in turn represent the fireflies referenced in the song, itself) watching over them from above. I'm unsure of the image's true intentions (aside from promoting the single, of course - profit is everything in business), but I see man-made glass and steel creations reaching out to the stratosphere: I see Man's unquenchable thirst to reach out and become a part of the Universe. And it makes me smile.

The 'out-of-this-world' feeling I depict from the image can in turn represent a significant part of the style which makes up the music created. A lot of Owl City's songs seem science-fiction-inspired, with soft, twinkling melodies and whooshy, gliding undertones. When I see this image, I think of a modern-to-futuristic style of music. They certainly deliver, in that respect: see fan-made music video, below...

-- The video was created by blackiebrens (as seen on YouTube) and the lyrics and song belong to Owl City. The Doctor Who clips belong to the BBC (Stephen Moffat, etc). No copyright infringement intended and no money is being made, here. Use of video and content is purely for educational purpose. --

Sherlock Wallpaper - Analysis

Here is a wallpaper I created using Serif PhotoPlus X3, with the purpose of promoting the BBC television show "Sherlock" to friends in online forums. The wallpaper was created at the request of an associate who was eager to see a wallpaper that featured the two main characters only - and their only aesthetic request was that I also incorporate the colour 'blue' as heavily as possible (as it was the client's favourite colour).


Taking into consideration this restriction, I have heavily influenced the mood of the image by using filters and specific blue-toned shades. Blue generally gives the impression of coldness - possibly from the association of water / ice / sky being cold and blue - and also sadness. Therefore, by using blue as the predominant colour for the image, I was aiming to get across the idea that the protagonist (Sherlock Holmes) is, in fact, a rather cold, sad, almost lonely character. The character of Sherlock Holmes, in all representations - books, films and now this television series - has always been seen as a solitary figure: that is to say, it's almost as if he is the only man alive who has such an extraordinary talent. And as is hinted at commonly across the realms of heroes / super-heroes, being a paragon protagonist even with friends / family providing support is incredibly difficult to face without feeling like an outcast from society. Characters like Superman / Batman / the Doctor (Doctor Who) and Merlin (from the BBC show of the same name) are all incredibly powerful and incredibly unusual, and more often than not are forced to hide their true identities for fear of persecution or betrayal. Each character hides a great deal of themselves from the majority of the world, thus demonstrating just how easy it is possible to become cold and lonely when in a position of great importance. This is also true for Sherlock.

As the original character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle existed in a much older time-period, I decided to immitate the intentions of the show's producer, Steven Moffat - who wanted to place the same old-style characters into a modern-day setting - by combining new and old elements together within the image. The outfits both characters are wearing are modern - leather jackets / long trench coats and a stylish scarf and hairstyle. These represent the modern day setting of the show. The old-style streetlamp, clockface and brass door knocker for 221B Baker Street, however, are more authentic-looking and were included to represent the original era of the characters. This was my way of achieving the same old/new combination as the show's creator intended.

By splitting the image in two - using the 'wall' of the image on the right one side which seems to cut through the centre of the image - I have managed to draw the viewer's focus to the protagonist almost straight away. This is because he is shown having a much bolder, darker tone and is also much more heavily detailed, as well as being positioned in the foreground of the image. By adding in filters to harden the edges of the 'Sherlock' on the right, it demonstrates that he is the main character of the story. So for people who have never seen the show, it should be easy to spot who is the protagonist. By including the title of the show - and the character's name - I am also able to reinforce the importance of this character. The final trick to show that this is the first part of the image I wanted viewers to see, I added a strongly contrasting colour to this side of the image - the Yellow of the streetlamp. Due to its intense contrast with the blue of the rest of the image, the eye is easily drawn across to it, and thus their attention will then be drawn to the main character, who is positioned directly below the item of contrast.