Instagram

Follow me on Instagram yeah? - anythingreally =]

Obviously some of the most amazing photography you will ever see.

http://instagr.am/p/HpARvJxZsp/

A fantastic day shooting our factual short film!

Today was the best day yet, we filmed our factual short in the Cavern Club, Liverpool made famous by The Beatles.
Our aim in the film was to capture the heart of Liverpool and see why is it that so many people from all corners of the world come to visit it.
This was a long and tiring day, we filmed for 8 hours none stop therefore apologies if there are spelling errors within this blog as I am writing it from my bed! I've just flopped down onto it as we speak!
Anyway, we went in rather apprehensive today wondering what it was we were really going to capture. We allocated roles; myself on camera, Emma on sound and James was the interviewer/camera operator.

The great thing about The Cavern is there are bands playing all day 2pm till 1am therefore we are cable to capture some really great footage of different bands/solo artists. Everyone was so helpful in letting us film and interview them today so it worked out really really well!
We were able to interview the manager of The Cavern who has owned it now for 20 years so this was extremely interesting! We also interviewed members of the public inside The Cavern of older and younger generations to get a feel from both. We were also able to interview the marketer for The Cavern who just so happens to be a brilliant performer too so we got quite a few of his songs in!
After being in The Cavern for 8 hours today, I must admit I really feel like I've learnt a lot! Not just about The Beatles of course, but the culture of Liverpool and I can now see just why it is that people flock here constantly. I just hope this comes across in our film...

As we were just about to leave we went over to thank the manager for being so kind and helpful with us today. He had a few by this time but none the less was very nice to us and even insisted we stay for a drink before leaving. This was a bonus as the drinks were on him!
A brilliant day today.

We are editing Monday for the final film to finished and in for 2pm, I cant wait to see it! It will be up on here next week so keep checking back!

Below is some photos i took throughout the shoot. Enjoy!

RADIO SHOWWW

Today after university I was asked to be a guest on my friends Becca and James' radio show Stay Fresh, Liverpool!
This is the third time I've been asked to go on as a guest and I must admit, I love it! It's great experience even though I am only an extra voice in the background, but its brilliant to be a part of it. I have my own little section called 'Webster's Weather' where I read out the weather for the next week. It's funny as I actually have a great interest in the weather therefore I enjoy voicing my opinion.

Keep listening Wednesdays 4 - 6 pm

http://looprevilradio.co.uk/

Finalised Comedy short

Below is a link to our finished film we made that gained us a 1st!
I don't need to say anymore as I have previously told you all about, but it is around three and a half minutes long, following a comedian from Newport before his first gig in Liverpool. In it he explains his nerves and how he feels by the retain he gets fro the audience. give it a watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXJtUE8-Hx8&feature=g-upl&context=G289a35fAUAAAAAAAAAA

Google Maps

For an assignment, we had to create our own google map and in order to do this, we had to get into groups and come up with a story to tell to basically get someone from A to B in a creative way. We did this by creating a few characters and basically making it into a murder mystery. We used photographs, fake profiles online and fake blogs for the people that would all be linked into the google map so that you could read up on each character and really get a feel to the story.
We got a 1st for this, and I thought the ideas for it were great. fresh and really interesting.
Below is a link for you to see it yourself, check it out!

'Mersey Murder Mystery'

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=202656957739726737902.0004b6cac2be16db7eab8&msa=0&iwloc=A

Museum Exhibiton

Today I created a presentation for our museum exhibition on photography. We decided to create this using Powerpoint.

Within this, we explained what are exhibition will be like, are target audience and a compete ion that we have created to attract a younger generation as museum exhibitions can be occasionally very boring. 

We decided to create a competition that would be based on Liverpool and the aim is to capture three top images of Liverpool's main attractions using a lomography camera. We then created a Facebook profile that the images will be uploaded to once taken, and the closing date is May 1st 2012. We have also created a fLickr account where people can upload their photos (if they so wish to) for people to them comment and like. Using social media helps to network. 

We also cerated posters and flyers that will be set up around Liverpool and will advertise the competition and museum exhibition. There will be the three top winners chosen on the 1st May 2012 at the museum exhibition and the public will then choose the ultimate winner who will go on to have their work show cased for 6 months. 

Personally, I feel this is great way to get all audience involved in a museum exhibition and to get the views of industry professional photographers across to younger and older generations as they too will be there on the 1st may 2012. 

major set back

Today in production practice I came in to capture the footage myself and group members filmed the past week for our factual short however, once we had captured myself and james were going through it and realised that we we have really isn't good enough for a film.
So after panicking most of the day as we only have a week till deadline, we thought we should go to plan B and think of a new simple idea for a film. We came to the conclusion of shooting a film in The Cavern club in Liverpool, renowned for where The Beatles once played many years ago. There is a lot of Beatles memorabilia in there and it is a club where people come from around the world to see who have a love for The Beatles.
This is a shame as the film we were previously going to create based on drinking was a great, fresh idea and had a good spin. However after being let down by numerous interviewees, we thought there was no other way unless we wanted to accept failure. We therefore have emailed and called the cavern where we spoke to a women who gave us a lot of detail and information however we will only know tomorrow if we can go ahead with the shoot.
If not, we intend on carrying on as best we can with our previous idea of drinking.
I hope the Cavern let us film, that way we can have a finished film that will hopefully be interesting. I feel so annoyed. And stressed.

DreamWeaver.

It has been my day off uni today therefore I thought it would be a great chance to really try to get to grips with the dreaded Dreamweaver.

Now as you may have previously read, anything like this that covers html really scares me and I always shy away form it, but having left it for a while and now only having 2 weeks to get it finished I thought now was a perfect time to give it a thorough go.

So off I went, I opened Dreamweaver up on my mac, got scared at the fact it was a blank page with html behind it and shied away for 5 minutes. I came back to it, and decided the only way I am to get to grips with it is to search for tutorials on Youtube. I did this and found some really good ones that helped me so much and after following the first 5 minutes, I began to feel a lot calmer. 

I went carried on going through about 4 videos of tutorials and as I was following, I was without realising, creating a very basic (but not so bad) website! I didn't take ICT as a GCSE neither have I much an interest in it therefore I did find this challenging. 

By the end of the 4th tutorial, I found that I had not only designed a basic layout, but I had created buttons and previewed it in Safari.

I aim to carry on with this over the next 2 weeks, but for now, heres a little look at how I'm getting on...

Not the best but I'm proud so far. I also need to change the colouring. It won't look this crazy once I have finished:

FINISHED PERSONAL PROFILE FILM!

Below is a link to my film I made a few weeks back about a personal profile.
We wanted to capture the life of a comedian and followed him before during and after his set asking his how he feels, what inspired him and does he feel differently when performing in font of so many strangers.
We got a 1st for this film and I am really proud of it, give it a watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXJtUE8-Hx8&feature=g-upl&context=G289a35fAUAAAAAAAAAA

Blogger wouldn't let my upload the link as a video, so above is the link which will take you to YouTube.

Website designing

Today I have been using photoshop to create a mock up version of my website before using Dreamweaver to actually create it.

I feel like this is the module a struggle in the most and I rEally do find it very challenging! 

I suppose I should have asked for more help from the start but a part of me is just scared and I guess a little embarrassed as it seems as though literally everyone other than me has used photoshop before...

Anyway, I have slowly been getting to grips with it and today finally made a finished mock up front page. This is what I will base my actual website on, however they way it is laid out may have to change as I have my text going across the screen meaning if someone was to click on lets say 'blog', they would then have to go right back to the front page for 'home' to get off blog rather than being redirected. It sounds confusing but I will change this when it comes to Dreamweaver next week.

It does scare me, it seem like another language sometimes. Things like content, HTML and pixels ect confuse me, but hopefully I will get a good grade. 

I have to just keep on trying.

Below is a screenshot of how my mock up front page is looking so far:

Imagine That Productions

Myself and some of the girls who are on the course with me have decided to create a production team. We have named ourselves Imagine That Productions.
We aim to create films through the next 2 years of university as a side project so that we can add this to out port folio once we have finished. We have only just started this so are getting some ideas together, hopefully we aim to begin filming over the summer. We all live pretty close to each other, most of them in Liverpool and only myself outside of Liverpool in Chester. This means we are able to all get together over summer to discuss ideas and really get to grips with filming.

Here is just a small mock up of a logo for us:

Watch this space.

Production for factual short

The production for our factual short is underway however we have come across minor floors involving the interviewee's:

We have sent out numerous emails to get in contact with the council to have a 5 minute short interview asking them questions relating to anti social behaviour and also we have contacted the hospital asking if an NHS worker is available for us to interview, the only thing is a couple of members of the council have emailed back saying to ring them and arrange an interview which we have done but one won't answer the calls, and the other has said she isn't sure whether she is able to be on camera. We said we can work around this and she has said she will let us know but so far, nothing. this is becoming a bit of a pain as the interviews play a major role in our factual documentary based around drinking and its dangers/effects. we will keep trying.

My mother's boyfriend is a policeman who has agreed to do an interview for our film as he is of authority. However we are not allowed to put the film onto Youtube.
We have agreed to begin filming this week on thursday. I think this will be an exiting day as myself and James are going to head into town around 6am to get the after effects of a night out, being the night before. We are going to head down and try to capture the effects and how the city gets trashed after people have their night out, not knowing what they cause. We are also going to head to a couple of bars on this Thursday evening as it is student night and therefore most drinks are lowered causing most students to get very, very drunk. We aim to get footage of students, the bars drinks offers and if possible, interview a member of the bar asking them a couple of questions on how they see people under the influence from a sober mind.

Filming will carry on for the next 2 weeks.

Avatars

I have gotten so into my Avatar that I have even created a Twitter account for him.
Am I mad? Or just secretly conveying part of myself via the internet?

Anyway, check it out and follow me:

@SheldonTaylor3

https://twitter.com/#!/SheldonTaylor3

Avatars!!

We have been asked to create an Avatar online for a module in Contemporary Media Issues.
I am in a group with 7 others and we have decided it would be a great idea to say that we have all met in liverpool but obviously are all from different backgrounds. Some Avatars in my group are a Frenchman, a Hippy and a glamour girl.
My Avatar is a geeky guy. I personally have a love for space, well, an obsession I guess, so therefore my group thought it fitting that this would be an ideal profile for me. I agreed because I guess now my own 'geeky' side can come out!
So far I am really enjoying this module, and its crazy to see how they evolve being a fictional character. It also shows that you really could be talking to anyone via the internet and just how easy it is to create a fake online profile. We have decided to do this via Facebook as we can all chat and comment to each other, and it also states that we have met through coming to Liverpool and all attend Liverpool University.

I wanted my Avatar to be a geeky lecturer at a University in California however, as I had to live in Liverpool I decided to make this a lot more interesting and say I was once an astronaut and NASA in Texas USA (which is where I originate from) however, an accident occurred whilst on a training programme and a gas can hit the side of my head causing me to loose all memory, therefore I have had to go back to Liverpool where I once was and enrol onto an Astrophysics course to re gain my memory!

I thought this was hilarious when I was writing it as its fictional but you do really begin to get into it! Especially when your peers and the other fictional characters begin to comment on your links and photographs.

I will keep on building my Avatar over the coming weeks!

Here's a link for it, defiantly worth a look trust me!
His name is Sheldon 'Galactic' Taylor.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003615036754

Wiki Assingment

For an assignment we had to create another Wiki based on social networking and the way in which this new media form is being employed to engage audiences. we were each put into groups and were given an area to base the wiki around. Mine was Welfare Reform. As I was ill on the day of an apparent presentation, I therefore was given a fail gaining a low mark, which is very annoying as I put a lot of work into it.
Disheartened.

Anyway below is the link to my wiki.

http://contemporarymediaissues.wetpaint.com/page/Welfare+Reform

GRADES AND PRODUCTION TEAMS!

Recently my grades have been coming increasingly better!
I grabbed two 2.1's on the essay and ScreenR we had to produce over christmas, a 1st on a google maps assignment and more recently a 1st on the personal profile film.

My personal profile film was based on a comedian and there was a lot of work and effort that was put into this so I am very pleased with my feedback and grades, the tutors loved it!

Myself and a few of the girls from my course who I really get along with have also decided to make a production team. We are named 'Imagine That? Productions'. I think once we all get together and plan what we are going to do, this will really take off! We will create short films/documentaries. And, the best part is we all live relatively close to Liverpool (I think I am the furthest away in Chester) therefore meaning we can shoot through this coming summer too.
Its great that we are getting involved with things out side of university to eventually build up our portfolio for our future employment. So what this space.

Once I have linked my films to youtube this week, I will link them through here so you can have a little look.

So far, I'm really happy.