Nice portfolios and websites

There are so many nice portfolios on the internet but only few of them are really unique.

foxie.ru has been up since 2006 but to me it still looks better than majority of new ones. The main reason is the idea of a room with objects that represent different categories of author's work. Different objects work like buttons, you can click on them and get to next information. Some objects are animated, if you move the mouse on them they change or start moving. I believe that this kind of interactivity catches peoples' attention a lot more than just a nice design that is, however, non interactive.

www.nisgia.com very nice idea, I dont usually like music plaing on a website but it works on this one. Bits of paper represent different works oncluding websites, banners, newsletters and so on.

softpillow.cz is a website of a production house. Again you can interact with the sheep on the bottom of the screen.

ecoki.com/iphone/ another nice website that creates a sense of room or space. This website is amazing because it moves you in a split of a second from your room or office onto a terrace with relaxing atmosphere and a cup of tea.

Aerial filming companies in World and Czech Republic

There are many companies in the world and also in Czech Republic dealing with aerial filming. Some of them consist of just two people (pilot & camera operator) some are international companies.

Flying-Cam (flying-cam.com) is the leader in aerial filming industry. They have their own team that constatntly improves and developes thier flying platform. Recently they came with third generation flying platform. Sarah can carry up to 8kg of equipment and can stay airborn for up to 30 minutes.

Flying-cam has a long history and plenty of sucessful cooperations with holywood directors and world know companies, institutions and events.

There are many companies in Czech Republic but most of them are rather small businesses.

Foto-heli.com is a company of my friend who started quite some time ago. He provides several different services including shooting videos, still, panorama creation and so on. He started with helicopter platform but recently purchased hexacopter which offers new possibilities.

Some other companies are:

jamcam.cz
airshots.cz
hivision.cz
microdrones.cz
leteckafotografie.com
aero-data.cz
helicam.cz

revoflite.com
copter-films.com.ar


There is a wide variety of options regarding the equipment. Companies that manufacture and sell platforms and electronics for the specific use in this industry exist. Some companies heavily modify existing helicopter kits in order to to be able to install video equipment. Others build their platforms from scratch. Video equipment used also vary greatly. Some use digital cameras to both takes stills and record video, others use professional video cameras to capture video.


Even thought, there are big differences in the size, shape of the platforms as well as installed equipment, the way the final footage is taken is pretty much the same. There is a pilot who controlls the helicopter using remote controll and a camera operator who wears video googles in order to see real life footage from the helicopter. He can also move the camera along several axis.

 

Start of the last semester

Lets start!

Review and Reflection

 

This project initially started much bigger than it actually ended. Simplifying ideas is, however, a normal aspect of a creative process. Initial idea to create a printed strategy guide was reduced to the creation of six pamphlets. I realized the need to simplify the project shortly after the mid-term critique. There are many areas that can be covered in Death Rally game but as far as it is a racing arcade game, description of cars would create the most important section of the strategy guide. I, therefore, decided to take this path, stick with cars and create a pamphlet for each of the car.

These pamphlets contain plenty of information and details about every car from the Death Rally game. Plenty of game data have been collected throughout the time, which resulted in creation of nine, well thought, tables. It took a lot of time to gather the data and create the final tables. It was definitely worth the time because it helped me during the final stages of my work. Information from eight tables was directly used within the pamphlets. In the end, many different kinds of information can be found on the pamphlets. Technical information, strategy information and also recommendations are present in the final texts.  

Writing was the most difficult part of this project. It required a very good knowledge about the subject as well as good writing and interpretative skills. Even though, I have known the game for 15 years, I still had to start it several times during my writing sessions in order to check if the information, I was about to use, is correct. I split writing into three weeks in order to be able to read it again and correct mistakes. I have written more than 2000 words in total.

I have spent many days taking screenshots from the game in order to get some visuals. Thanks to that I became more familiar with the Fraps software, which allowed me to take as many screenshots as I wanted without the need to exist the game every time a screenshot was taken. I also broadened my Adobe Photoshop skills while adjusting, manipulating and combining images from the game. There are several images on each pamphlet. The one closest to the tile, the name of the car, is the best image that could be taken from the game. Image, containing four different views on the car, was created by combining four separate screenshots. Small images showing different levels of damage had to be taken right during the race, as far they indicate the damage status.

I have spent last three weeks putting all the pictures, articles and data together, using Photoshop, in order to create the final pamphlet design. I spent a lot of time searching for the most suitable font for each one of the cars. Titles, in combination with images of the cars, create six unique identities. I am quite happy about the final result. I believe I managed to find fonts that, in different ways, represent the characteristics of the car. I also spontaneously discovered some design elements I like to use more than others.

WEEK 10

WEEK 9