Philip Howlett | NTU Multimedia Blog | First Year

MY BLOG HAS MOVED

2008-09-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

Anyone reading this site should have a look at my new blog

EVERYONE GO HERE
http://www.philiphowlett.com/blog2

Don't expect to see any updates here. It's been emotional! Goodbye blogger, hello wordpress!

Site Flipping #4 - Getting Traffic

2008-09-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

When it comes to selling my first flip I'm going to need a good sales pitch, but I can't put a good one together without first of all having the features in place. A desirable site is one that's getting hits and making money. So over the last couple of days I've been doing some Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). There are a ton of ways to go about this, but here are some easy tips.

1. http://www.orangesubmit.com/ - Get your site spidered quickly by Yahoo, Google etc. It's free, and you only have to fill out one form. I'm not sure of how successful it is, but the Google bot visited my site two days after purchase.

2. Wordpress plugins - If you're using wordpress then you absolutely need to install some plug-ins. I reccomend the all-in-one SEO pack and sociable.

3. Social networking sites - Submit your contents and articles to sites such as Digg and Stumble upon to increase traffic.

4. Entrecard - Another excellent free resource for bloggers to advertise their sites.

5. Google Adwords - This ones going to cost you, but it's worth it for the potential traffic it generates. I got a free $50.00 coupon through bluehost so look out for offers.

It's important to continue building links to the site. So far I've seen a slow increase in traffic, from 4 unique visits a day up to around 30. Give me two more weeks and this site will be saleable. Check out how the site is shaping up at www.moneysaverpro.com. Once again, a big thanks to Kane Pickerill for offering me some free advertising space on his image hosting site.

Web Flipping #3 - The Design

2008-09-17T05:54:00.000-07:00

The design is a really important factor in a successful flip. If you choose a poor design or an inappropriate one, then you're profits can suffer. Even worse you might not get a sale at all. I think I know a bit about good design, so I spent around half an hour searching for a wordpress template. There are loads of sites out there which offer them for free, but these ones have been seen a million times before. Still, if it's a good design you're still going to get interest. Luckily I found a premium theme which has recently become a freebie. Awesome, a $45 theme for free.

Installing wordpress and the template was a breeze. Customising the theme so that my logo could be incorporated was a little more difficult. I'd like to take the time now to thank Kane Pickerill (check out his portfolio and blog, they're awesome). He sorted out the CSS and PHP problems I was having. I didn't want to skimp on the design, so getting it right has been really important. To see the whole package in action check out http://www.moneysaverpro.com

I've been keeping track of how long this project has taken me, so upon sale I can see if was worth the time invested. So far, I've totted up roughly 4 hours of work. It's more if you include my constant research in to web flipping through forums and dedicated sites, but I like to think of that as background reading. The majority of that time spent was getting the logo right and finding an ebook. For anyone interested in how to implement ebooks, I'll write an article on that soon.

Useful links:
http://wordpress.org/
http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/
http://cssace.com/

Web Flipping #2 - Buying A Domain

2008-09-14T05:57:00.000-07:00

Maybe I'm jumping in to this too fast? Who knows? This is an experiment, if it fails miserably I don't care, because I can say I tried. After reading about the money to be made through these kind of ventures I figured that it's worth a shot. I've read about all kinds of money making, get rich schemes, but this one has many credited sources and lucky old me has knowledge with the web. So then, part 1 is upon us.

What domain name should I choose? I remember reading an article which explained that a good domain name is one you should be able to tell a friend over the phone, without them asking how it's spelt. I've been researching a fair bit in to which websites sell, so I think I've made a well informed decision here to buy the domain name www.moneysaverpro.com. Let me explain what influenced my decision.

Firstly, it's a '.com' address, which from what I've read will sell for £10-£20 more than the alternatives (e.g. co.uk or .org). It makes sense to me, after all it's the most commonly used suffix and therefore the most desirable. It's also pretty catchy, suits a niche audience and it's short enough to remember. Maybe even more importantly it contains keywords! I began to think about what kind of things are hot in the media right now, what's on everyones minds and what are the attractive niche markets. You can't get away from the fact that we're heading in to a recession, and the credit crunch is upon us. This applies in the U.S as well, where a lot of the buyers of domains are located (thanks to sites such as sitepoint). We'll all be cutting back on costs, and I've noticed a trend in people looking online for advice on saving money. In comes money saver pro!

I won't be money saver pro of course, I'll just lay down the foundations for a budding young business person to create their money saving blog. Wish me luck! Back to the day job for now though.

Useful links:
http://www.bluehost.com - A cheap domain name seller
http://www.123-reg.co.uk - Has a brilliant way of suggesting domain names
http://www.dnscoop.com - Can approximate the value of a domain name

Web Flipping #1 The Basics

2008-09-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

I read a really interesting article in The Guardian recently, about a relatively new web phenomenon. The idea is similar to buying real estate, improving it, and selling it at a profit. The difference here is you're working with domain names. So how does it work?

1. Buy a domain name (find a good one, that's expired recently). Minimal cost.
2. Get some webspace and install WordPress (with a professional looking theme) and get it all up and running.
3. Create a logo for the blog and get the whole site set up so it's desirable for people to buy.
4. Add articles to the blog (5-15), features and selling points. Maybe even offer free hosting to the buyer.
5. Get your site set up to work with google adsense, and get it tracked by the googlebot.
6. Sell the site.

Sounds far too easy doesn't it? That's what I thought, but then I saw how much money people are making. A domain name costs as little as £10, you spend a couple of hours improving the site, then sell it on ebay for £50 upwards. Imagine how many you could buy and sell a day! Big bucks to be made...I feel an experiment forming!

Useful links:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/11/netrich.internet
http://siteflipu.com/
http://www.thenetfool.com/making-money-online-by-flipping-websites/

3D Modeling

2008-09-04T10:05:00.001-07:00

I used a tutorial to put this little scene together. How else am I going to learn? The results are really impressive considering how easy the shapes were to create. The texturing however is not good. From a distance, in these shots they're passable. I really need to learn more about texturing.

The Key To Reserva

2008-09-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

Imagine if Martin Scorsese came across an old, unmade Hitchcock script. Then imagine if Scorsese actually made that script in to a film, and stayed truer than you could imagine to Hitchcock's filming style. Well...there's no need to imagine. It's been done, and it's brilliant. This will only take ten minutes of your time so pay attention and marvel.

http://www.scorsesefilmfreixenet.com/video_eng.htm

A Short Love Story In Stop Motion

2008-08-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

This is simply beautiful. Before I say anymore, just watch the video.

A SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

Created by Carlos Lascano, using various animation techniques this is a brilliant piece of work. Please have a look at his website to see how it was done. It's a work in progress and I can't wait to see the final thing.

Generation Kill Project #3

2008-08-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Nearly finished...

Generation Kill Project #2

2008-08-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

I've blown up a couple of my stencils, just thought I'd post a photo for people who might be interested. It's coming together very slowly, mainly when I get a day off work! Here's a mock up...

I've got some cool ideas for the background canvas, which right now looks rather bland. My intention is to find online and newspaper articles related to the invasion of Iraq, along with some maps of the country. These will be cut out, stuck across the entire background, then faded out slightly with a white wash.

The entire background will be covered in PVA to give it a shine, then I can spray my stencils over the top and scratch away at the whole thing. If it looks a little empty I've got some smaller stencils to fill the space.

The logo will have some work done to it too. Firstly I'll use red ink to paint around the 'O' so it looks similar to the real logo. I'll scratch away at the lettering to give it a similar eroded look.

Maybe some drops/sprays of red and black paint here and there, maybe some sand mixed in to my PVA white wash. Ideas anyone?

Generation Kill Project

2008-08-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Since I love the show so much, and I can't find a poster for it anywhere, I've taken matters in to my own hands. I'm going to make my own poster, using stencils and spray paint. There's an A1 canvas that's been sitting in my wardrobe for months now that I made during my foundation year. I've been doing some tests today with making stencils from the images I've found. If you're interested in the process please read on.

First of all I had to find some suitable images from the show, and preferably in high resolution. I found some on the HBO site located here. I then went about converting the image to something resembling a stencil. So I fired up Photoshop and desaturated the image, then fiddled around with the threshold until I got what I wanted. I then printed the image out, and cut it out the black areas with a craft knife.

The result

I sprayed this experiment on to unprimed MDF which explains some of the soaking up of the paint and the slight bleeding. I need to somehow create a larger version of this stencil (most likely by sticking sheets of A4 together). I've found the font they used for the logo of the show as well located here, for anyone interested. I'll more than likely have a couple of the characters on the final poster, with the logo located at the bottom. Not sure what details I'll add yet.

Carphone Warehouse Advert

2008-08-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

I remember this video from right back at the start of University. It was pretty cool to see it today on a Carphone Warehouse advert. I couldn't find that version, but I'm sure someone will upload it soon enough. In the mean time, here's the original.

Generation Kill

2008-08-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I'm a huge fan of The Wire. I was doing a bit of reading on the net about Ed Burns (creator of The Wire) and was pleased to find out he's got a new project. Generation Kill is a 7 part series, each episode an hour long. Based on the American invasion of Iraq it makes for some absolutely unmissable viewing. Unfortunately it's not being aired in the U.K from what I gather, so you're going to have to be a bit imaginative about how you get to see it. At the time of writing, 4 episodes have been shown in the states. If you enjoyed Band of Brothers or war films in general then watch it!

Lastly, I can't stress to people just how good The Wire is. There's 5 seasons of that beauty for you all to check out.

HBO Generation Kill Website (it's actually a pretty cool flash site to check out)

3D Building Model

2008-07-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't touched 3D Studio Max in a few weeks, and felt I should get back in to it. I'm still sticking to tutorials to learn the interface, so I had a go at making a fairly simple building. It was a pretty useful exercise. Now I need to learn how to texture stuff, and get a hold of Vray.

Making some changes

2008-07-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

I'm changing the colour scheme of my blog so it's more consistent with my portfolio. I'll be doing bits here and there, so over the next few days it might look messy. Let me know what you think of new cleaner, more inviting look.

Portfolio Nearly Complete

2008-07-16T04:06:00.000-07:00

I'm really happy with how my portfolio has come along. At some point tomorrow I'll be setting it all up so that philiphowlett.com links straight to the new site rather than my blog. Please leave some comments and let me know what you think of it in it's current state.

http://www.philiphowlett.com/tests/Portfolio.html

Update
The finished version is now online at http://www.philiphowlett.com

Pixeloo

2008-07-04T04:59:00.000-07:00

Imagine what Homer or Mario might look like in real life...

This guy can actually show you what they'd look like. With some immense Photoshop skills, a lot of time and a lot of photos to work with he 'Untoons' cartoon characters. Have a look at his blog. Some of them are pretty creepy.

Look at how bad ass Niko looks.

Something everyone should install

2008-06-28T03:29:00.000-07:00

I discovered PicLens a couple of weeks ago, and without a doubt its the coolest way of viewing photos. You install it on your browser, and it integrates itself very subtly to the interface. You then have the possibility to browse photos on facebook, picasa, google images etc at full screen and in 3D. It works with video too, and even better, it's free.

Portfolio Underway

2008-06-28T03:08:00.000-07:00

A week or so ago I began working on my online Portfolio. I've been using carbonmade for a while to showcase my work, but I really wanted to make my own from scratch. Seeing as I've got the webspace, the domain name and a bit of flash knowledge I thought now is a good time to start.

So far I have the structure of the interface layed out and animated, and quite a nice preloader added in there. It's a really simple UI, but that's why I think it works. The idea for it came from a portfolio website I found on the FWA for Joshua Stearns. The technique used places blocks of contrasting colour behing text. This helps to keep everything structured, clear and aligned. Pretty good use of CRAP huh? I've seen the technique used a lot, especially on posters, but also on a lot of other websites. If anyone could point out to me where the technique stems from please let me know.

I need to tinker around with the finer details of this interface, but I want to get the rest of the site working first. My intention is to create a slick gallery showcasing images of my work at fullscreen resolution, and also to have somewhere to display videos of my work. It's still early days, but have a look at what I've done so far. TEST IT.

Some worrying news for games developers

2008-06-21T04:59:00.000-07:00

The BBC have a story in their technology section discussing the current lack of well skilled graduates leaving university, who are looking to work in the gaming industry. I feel what I've learned so far has me on the right path to where I want to go, but without a doubt I have a very long way to go. I'm not looking to become a games engineer or programmer, and instead I want to concentrate on the artistic aspects of games. If you want to read the article it's here.

There's a nice video here too http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7460359.stm

Client Project #1

2008-06-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

My client project is well underway, and I could not be happier with how it's progressing. The overall look and feel of the site fell in to place nicely, and it suits the services being advertised. If you'd like to see what has been done so far click here. It's still a work in progress, with lots to be done. I've got plenty of free time though so keep checking that link to see updated versions.

I'm not really sure what to do with the white background of the html file yet. Any suggestions/feedback would be brilliant!

Pre-loaders

2008-06-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

Pre-loaders were once a nemesis of mine. I detested them, mainly because I didn't understand them. For my summer project I'll be putting a flash website together for a client who runs a golf coaching company. I want the pre-loader to look professional, so I've been getting to grips with putting them together in CS3. Here's one I just did using a 3D model of a golf ball spinning. I'll likely change it for the final website however. Let me know what you think of it.

TEST IT

Real Fakes

2008-05-23T03:39:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article in the Guardian today, which was discussing the growth of CGI. I'm personally a big fan, but it seems many directors aren't too pleased with current trends in movies. I'll admit CGI has pro's and con's, and the con's are becoming more evident. Films like Beowulf, in my opinion are completely unnecessary and only work as a technical showcase. On the other hand you have the mind boggling effects of Transformers. So why do some of the big names in cinema (Speilberg, Abrams, Nolan) have it in for the increasing use of CGI? They see it being used, just for the sake of using it. I agree, having impressive special effects doesn't make a good film. Using it effectively is more important. There are clearly good and bad examples of computer effects, but it's an interesting read still.

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2281466,00.html

P.S Someone should tell the Guardian to take a look at the BBC website, that's how a news website should be done.

Reflection on Identities Projects

2008-05-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

I’m extremely proud of the resulting work of both projects. Project 2 in particular has helped me gain confidence with Flash, and I’m now excited about using the software. I think my work for that project was professional, and well polished. Making use of sound elements, a good deal of actionscript, video elements, 3D modeling and traditional 2D content I feel it’s the best piece of multimedia work I have created. The 3D elements wouldn’t have been possible without the work created in project 1. Again, I was very impressed with what I managed to create. Reflecting on that project now, I do see some room for improvement but I look forward to improving my 3D skills, so much so I’m considering taking the Virtual Environments pathway next year. If I was to do that project again I’d maybe dedicate more time to creating the work in 3D and less time in the research phase. While it’s good to research, I believe I’m still at a stage where I need to understand 3D Studio Max much more.

Project 2 became a little rushed towards the end, and this is reflected in the quality of the final interactive object. The coca cola object was my least favourite, and with better time management I could have created it entirely in 3D. I may have also made a smaller version of the site, to allow more people to view it as intended. I’m still very pleased with the outcome, but as always there are possible areas for improvement.

Graffiti Stop Motion

2008-05-17T05:03:00.000-07:00

I won't say much about this, because I don't know much about it. What I will say is that it's awesome.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.