For our tutorial task today we have to find 3 different short films and embed them into our blog.


This first film I found on YouTube and is an animation from Pixar.



This is a great film about a man who make an unsuspecting discovery at a job he hates.



This is part two-

Week 5 Lecture

Today we had the pleasure of Jason Nelson's presence.
Although slightly odd, he is a intriguing man.

His lecture was great, yet I'm not entirely sure what his point was. I'm almost certain that he was leaning towards the fact that many internet sites such as social networking experience dramatic rise and falls of popularity.

All in all, I really enjoyed this lecture and am looking forward to Jason's next lecture in a few weeks.

Week 4 Lecture

"Big Screen to the Small Screen"

This was the title of our lecture in week 4. Although I have mostly covered all of this content in another course I'm doing this semester, Screen History and Research, it was still interesting.

The lecture started in 1895 with the birth of the cinema, and ended with the present day.

Scavenger hunt!!!

Today's Tutorial task is to answer the following question's using the internet, without using Google!

1. What is the height of the world's biggest tree? How long did it take to grow?
The tallest tree in the world is a coast redwood. He is no less 115.55 m (379.1 feet) tall. This enormous tree was discovered only in August 2006 in a remote part of the Redwood National Park, California by naturalists Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor.
http://users.telenet.be/sequoiadendron/en/sequoiasempervirens.html
Server used: Yahoo
Accessed on: 20/08/09
2. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Madonna?
Twitter!!
http://twitter.com/M_A_D_O_N_N_A
Sever used: Yahoo to direct to twitter.
Accessed on: 20/08/09
3. What is the age of the oldest ever captive elephant? Is this older than the average wild age?
Oldest Captive Elephant: was recorded to have reached 82 years old. His name was 'Raja' and he lived in captivity in Sri Lanka.
Wild Elephants: On average, an elephant lives between 50 and 70 years
Sever used: Bing
Accessed on: 20/08/09
http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/wildlife/elephants/elephant_about.html
4. How would you define the word 'glycomics'? In your own words, what does it really mean ? What does the term 'seagull manager' refer to?
Glycomics: involves the study of the glycans and glycan-binding proteins in various biological systems, and the design of novel drugs and vaccines.
In other words: the study of sugars within any given thing (food, object or organism).
Server used: Bing
Date Accessed: 20/08/09
http://www.griffith.edu.au/science/institute-glycomics
Seagull Manager: A manager who only interacts with employees to criticize their work or when a problem arises.
Server used: Bing
Date Accessed: 20/08/09
http://www.wordspy.com/words/seagullmanager.asp
5. What was David Cronenberg's most recent feature film? Which of his films Had 'Blondie' in it?
Films with Blondie: Videodrome (1983)
Date Accessed: 20/08/09
Server used: Bing
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086541/
Most Recent Feature Film: Eastern Promises (2007)
Server used: Bing
Date Accessed: 20/08/09
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cronenberg
6. When was the original 'Hacker's' released?
Released in 1995
Server used: Bing
Accessed on: 20/08/09
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113243/
7. Why do phone numbers in Hollywood films start with '555'?
It seems it is purely an act of etiquette to avoid inadvertently giving out someone’s phone number. For example, in Bruce Almighty God gives out his number (an actual valid number int he US) in the film and many users got calls asking for God.In fact, only 555-0100 through 555-0199 are now specifically reserved for fictional use, with the other numbers having been released for actual assignment.
Date Accessed: 20/08/09
Server used: Bing
http://www.themovieblog.com/2008/06/movie-blog-history-lesson-555
8. What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Cairns?
Hitchhiking.
9. What song was top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1970?
Simon and Garfunkel/ El Condor Pasa
Server used: Bing
Date Accessed: 20/08/09
http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1970/19700822.html
10. Which Brisbane band includes Stephen Stockwell on keyboards and vocals?
Black Assassins
Date Accessed: 20/08/09
Sever used: Bing
http://live-wirez.gu.edu.au/Staff/Stephen/default.html

Week 3 Lecture

As previously mentioned in the last blog during this weeks lecture we discussed screen shot processes. As well as this we looked at certain techniques when filming, such as:

Shot's as words:

• Who? The close up answers the question of 'who' by showing our character in detail.
• What? The mid shot answers the 'what' question by showing your subject performing an action.
• Where? The long shot is our answer to the 'where' question, at the beginning of a scene it is also known as the Establishing Shot.
• When? Both the wide shot and the close up can help us answer the 'when' question. Time can be a difficult thing to capture on the screen.
• Why? The Big Close Up can help us answer the 'why' question, usually by revealing more about a character and their actions.
• How? A single Medium Close Up or a series of Close Ups can explain an event and answer the 'how' question.

Head Room: Give your subject enough head room within any given shot. Keep them within the frame. Keep the headroom consistent from shot to shot.

http://www.klru.org/docubloggers/images/HeadRoomRight.jpg
(Accessed on 13/08/09)

Talking Room: Keep the subject close to the right side of the middle of the shot. You don't want your subject to look like he's talking to a wall.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/files/images/2009/02/27/slumdog.jpg
(Accessed on 13/08/09)

Rule of thirds: Position your subject on one of the intersecting cross points.

http://strongphotography.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/200605022117.jpg
(Accessed on 13/08/09)

The 180 Rule: Keep your subjects within the line of sight (eye line).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/180_degree_rule.svg/678px-180_degree_rule.svg.png
(Accessed on 13/08/09)

The Inverted Pyramid: Defines the importance of using WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY AND HOW.http://www.iraqtimeline.com/screenshots/invertedp.gif
(Accessed on 13/08/09)

Week 3 Lecture.

'Learning the Language of the Screen' This week we discovered all the techniques involved with the film production process. Today Josh explained to us how to use certain screen shots in order to achieve different effects.
These are the following 'screen shot' terms:

• VLS/WS: Very Long Shot/Wide Shot - A panoramic view (http://apcen.edfac.usyd.edu.au/staff/reidd/EDTECH/video/camera_language.htm)

http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sawtooth/snra/photos/Boulder%20Basin%20wide%20shot.JPG (Accessed on 13/08/09)

• LS: Long Shot - Related to the presence of a human object. LS would show the full body with some room above the head and below the feet. (http://apcen.edfac.usyd.edu.au/staff/reidd/EDTECH/video/camera_language.htm)

http://chestofbooks.com/sports/golf/Practical-Golf/images/Fig-13-Playing-A-Hanging-Lie-The-Long-Game.jpg
(Accessed on 13/08/09)

• MLS: Medium Long Shot - shows a person from just below the knees. (http://apcen.edfac.usyd.edu.au/staff/reidd/EDTECH/video/camera_language.htm)

http://www.releasing.net/filmmaker/images/forrest_gump.jpg (Accessed on 13/08/09)

• MS: Mid Shot - Generally related to the presence of a human object. MS from the waist up. (http://apcen.edfac.usyd.edu.au/staff/reidd/EDTECH/video/camera_language.htm)

http://robinjames.com/db3/00239/robinjames.com/_uimages/RobinMidShotCanyon.JPG (Accessed on 13/08/09)

• MCU: Medium Close Up - shows a person from the mid chest line up. It is most frequently used for newsreaders. (http://apcen.edfac.usyd.edu.au/staff/reidd/EDTECH/video/camera_language.htm)
  

http://cineprism.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/frankenstein-3d.jpeg (Accessed on 13/08/09)

• CU: Close Up - Generally related to the presence of a human object. CU would show from the neck up. (http://apcen.edfac.usyd.edu.au/staff/reidd/EDTECH/video/camera_language.htm)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/54/174143413_f73ff396fc.jpg (Accessed on 13/08/09)

• BCU: Big Close Up - A Big Close Up (BCU) or Extreme Close Up would show fine detail of part of a body (an eye, a hand holding a gun) or an object (the face of a watch). (http://apcen.edfac.usyd.edu.au/staff/reidd/EDTECH/video/camera_language.htm)

http://unit.bjork.com/specials/pics/bw/B&W%20big%20closeup.jpg (Accessed on 13/08/09)

• ECU: Extreme Close Up - Generally Relating to the presence of a human object. Shows something extremely close in view. (http://apcen.edfac.usyd.edu.au/staff/reidd/EDTECH/video/camera_language.htm)

http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1569/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1569R-75014.jpg (Accessed on: 13/08/09)


ME AND SAM!

Week 2 Lecture.

This weeks lecture was all about the history of computing. Steven Stockwell conducted the lecture and took us through the basics of computing history. He talked u through the early inventors of computer technology, the founders of Apple and Microsoft, and discussed the differences between the Internet and the Web.

This is a brief time line of the History of computers:

1981 - "The IBM PC - Home Computer" from an 'Acorn' grows a personal computer revolution.
1981 - "MS DOS Computer Operating System" from 'quick & dirty' comes the operating system of the century.
1983 - "Apple Lisa Computer" the first home computer with a GUI (Graphical User Interface).
1984 - "Apple Machintosh Computer" the more affordable home computer with a GUI.
1985 - "Microsoft Windows" Microsoft and Apple start competing with each other.Basically after this the computer's functions improved, adding more feature, revamping it's aesthetics and of course, continually becoming more user-friendly.
1966 - "ARPANet" was launched - a project the government requested which when successful would have two computers talking to each other. This was the first steps towards the internet.
1989 - "ARPANet" 10,000 hosts on the internet.
1990 - "World Wide Web (Web)" ARPANet ended and Tim Berners-Lee created Web.
1993 - "World Wide Web" Web grows by 341,000 percent in a year.2000 - "Wireless Internet" fixed wireless, high-speed internet is now seen as a viable alternative to copper and fibre optic lines placed in the ground.
2003 - "File Transfer Protocol" had become alot more known with 261 individuals being sued for illegally distributing copyrighted music. This is also known as peer-to-peer.
2005 - "Youtube" is launched.
2009 - "PRESENT" where most of society is smart enough to use social networking websites like myspace, facebook, and twitter without caring about the history of computers of the internet.

Date Accessed: 06/08/09
http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/timeline.asp

This is a brief timeline of the History of the Internet:

1957:The United States Department of Defense formed a small agency called ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) to develop military science and technology.
1961-1965:The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) started to research sharing information in small, phone-linked networks. ARPA is one of their main sponsors.
1966: The first ARPANET plan is unveiled by Larry Roberts of MIT. Packet switching technology is getting off the ground, and small university networks are beginning to be developed.
1969:The Department of Defense commissions the fledgling ARPAnet for network research. The first official network nodes were UCLA, Standford Research Institute,UCSB, and the University of Utah. The first node to node message was sent from UCLA to SRI.
1971: more nodes join the network, bringing the total to 15. These new nodes include Harvard and NASA.
1973: ARPAnet goes global when the the University College of London and Norway's Royal Radar Establishment join up.
1974: Network intercommunication is becoming more sophisticated; data is now transmitted more quickly and efficiently with the design of TCP (Transmission Control Program).
1976: Unix is developed at AT and T; Queen Elizabeth sends out her first email message.
1979: USENET, the mother of all networked discussion groups, is developed.
1982: Internet technology protocols are developed, commonly known as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol). This leads to one of the first definitions of an "internet" being a connected set of networks.
1984: Number of hosts is now up to 1000, with more being added every day.
1985: The first registered domain is Symbolics.com.
1987: Number of hosts breaks the 10,000 mark.
1988: First large-scale Internet worm affects thousands of Internet hosts.
1991: Tim Berners-Lee develops the World Wide Web.
1993: The World Wide Web's annual growth is now at a staggering 341,634%.
1994: ARPAnet celebrates 25th anniversary.
1995-1997: RealAudio introduces Internet streaming technology, dial-up systems emerge (America Online, Compuserve), the Internet backbone continues to be strengthened with the addition of MCI, Microsoft and Netscape fight for WWW browser supremacy, and there are now more than 70,000 mailing lists.
1998-present:The Internet continues to experience staggering growth. More people use the Internet to get connected to others, find information, conduct business, and share information than ever before in history.

Date Accessed: 21/08/09
http://websearch.about.com/od/whatistheinternet/a/historyinternet.htm

Here's a great video of an example of converge technologies that I found from youtube!

Convergence within technology

Convergence technologies are different means of technology capable of performing similar tasks. Four examples of convergence technologies:

• Mobile Phones or 'Smart phones' - which have the ability to access all forms of technology from emails, internet, photo's, video's, install programs, and play games.
• Data - meaning productivity applications such as Google and Wikipedia.
• Video - Which makes it possible for people to share resources and interacting with each other, such as YouTube.
• Game Consoles - Which now have the capabilities of accessing the internet.