Author Archives: Patrick Turnbull

The Changing World and Crowdfunding

Posted on by under Life, Networked Media

Someone’s got a passion for fashion. Photo: Rick Chung

Here’s another smart idea that’s made it to the world level. Meet Byco, the new network of sorts for fashion design. An interesting and completely relevant subject that has certainly become more prevalent in the past year or two. It’s also playing a big role in what we’ve already discussed as a changing industry and world. So what does Byco do? Well, if you were too lazy to click the link and find that out for yourself, it pretty much facilitates the process of the fashion industry post design. Aspiring designers are faced with a lot of challenges once they have a design. A lot of the time, they don’t know what to do with it, because their education teaches them a specific set of skills. Byco steps in to take care of the production of the garment, funding and marketing. Letting designers sit back and roll in the profit. There’s still a profit, but you’re only going to get 20-30%, which is fair value considering that you don’t have to pay for any of the materials or production process.

When you submit your design, you can choose to fund the initial sample, or crowd-fund it. If you do it yourself, the 30% profit is yours. If you crowd-fund it, then 10% of the profit goes to the investors. Regardless, this is the kind of thing that people are doing with the internet and communications. The changing technology and industries of the world have evolved into systems like this, where people with skills contribute what they can do to a project. Everybody works together to achieve the goal, this sort of organisation facilitates this process and makes it incredibly easy and organised.

It’s not without its pitfalls. Of course in some cases, you’d be better off to do it yourself. If you’ve got the skills, know-how and adaptability you’d be better off eliminating the middle man. In the end, it’s the one with the most innovation that takes home the largest portion of bacon. We know this, because Byco’s creator is going to end up with the millions. But it certainly does help facilitate the production process for new designers entering the business. It’s a starting point, a springboard and a platform of sorts.

Truly an interesting idea, one that has been explored by a number of different industries. Crowdfunding has been big in the film industry lately. It’s a good way to find people who want to help make your ideas happen. It lets you find people who like your work. Applications like Byco, however, are less common. It will be interesting to see the future of this kind of networking and how it shapes up.

Conceptual thinking and Alan Turing

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Turing’s persona captured in stone. Photo: Duane Wessels

Alan Turing is someone that you might not know of directly, but chances are you’ve used a computer at some point. You’re more than likely using one to read this. One of the great conceptual thinkers of the 20th century, Turing was responsible for designing the concepts for some of the worlds first electronic stored-program computers, as well as being one of the world forerunners in concepts regarding artificial intelligence and emotional intelligence of computers. While he didn’t physically invent such devices and technologies, his thought processes and methods of thinking and design were what have brought a lot of the technology we utilise today into life. Mind you, this was all happening in the 1940’s. Someone was good at speculation and creative thinking.

Not only known internationally for his concepts and designs, Turing was also integral in the deciphering the German codes used in WWII and enabling the Allies to intercept messages and read them. Asa Briggs, a historian and wartime codebreaker has some nice things to say about him.

You needed exceptional talent, you needed genius at Bletchley and Turing’s was that genius.

His main three accomplishments were his input into the fields of codebreaking, computing and AI.

What makes this tragic is that he was lost at a relatively early age. Whether it be accidental or suicide, the case was never resolved. But Turing’s life was impeded by a number of social issues that still affect us in ways some 60 years down the track. Turing was a homosexual, at the time, this was considered illegal. When his relationship with another male became known he was officially charged. To escape going to prison, he elected to be chemically castrated. That pretty much means they pumped him with oestrogen to try and suppress his sexual tendencies.  While the effects of this were tragic on Turing’s life and self, the fields he worked in suffered even greater losses.

He was imprisoned at the height of his work, he worked for the government breaking codes and had access to government data that was confidential. Because homosexuals were considered a “security threat” – something to do with being subject to blackmail – he was forced to leave his position. Without access to such a high level of resources, there’s no doubt his work was hindered. He continued to work with the Universities he was attached to during his life, but his death marked a tragic end to his work. Perhaps if he had lived another 20 years we could have seen his concepts come to be much faster? Who knows what sort of unlimited knowledge was present in such a mind. His ability to think creatively, conceptually and utilise elements of what we know today as “design fiction” perhaps would have yielded some incredible technological advances much earlier in the 20th century.

Digital Effects and Contemporary Cinema

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The beauty that Weta creates. Photo: Chuck Cook

For anyone interested in digital effects and cinema who hasn’t already seen this website, visit it. It’s an unbelievably brilliant showcase of some of the technologies that are being used by film makers around the world today to produce some of the biggest blockbusters. Here’s an article from the 13th of August on the new Neil Blomkamp film, Elysium. Getting to see some of the best digital effects of the contemporary world unfolded in front of you with excerpts from the experts themselves and the creators behind the fiction (Such as Weta’s Richard Taylor, a favourite of mine). While the articles on fxguide certainly aren’t going to give you a ticket to a job in a film studio, they can provide a great insight into the basic workings of a digital effects company.

While I am often sceptical of Blockbuster films (I have been impressed recently but I have certainly witnessed some big let downs), I think that digital effects is an important part of contemporary cinema and something that it would be silly to close your mind to. We’ve heard all the arguments regarding the over-reliance on technology and the fact that it is more important in some films (seemingly) than the actors, costumes and sets themselves.

As we entered the digital age, effects like this became more prominent, sometimes not for the better. It often seems like filmmakers get carried away with the FX and forget about the substance in films. For me, a big Tolkien fan, when I saw the first shots released to the public from the Hobbit I was a little spectacle. They took a bit of warming up to. But by the time the trailer was released I was already in love. This is a good example of how rapidly the film industry has changed. Just nine years earlier I was on the edge of my seat watching the final instalment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy on Boxing Day 2003. To jump from these films into the Hobbit was like stepping into a different world. What set the Lord of the Rings films apart was the extensive and thorough detail and grit that was compounded into the films. It made the distant lands of middle-earth and fantastical creatures such as the orcs and elves seem real without second guessing (a lot of what makes those films work is New Zealand itself).

So we go from one end of the spectrum, then suddenly we’re in a fantasy world that’s beautiful, vivid and dream like in the Hobbit. It’s made by the same team, yet there’s a whole lot of fantastic new digital technology (For example, goblins are now digitally created, rather than created using actors in prosthetics), but there’s also new technology involved (Hello HFR cinema). There’s a huge gap between 2003 and 2012 in terms of cinema. This is what we can create now with the technology that we have. What’s even better is that the gorgeous and visually splendid world Jackson was able to create using the new technologies suits perfectly the mould of Middle Earth that Tolkien first imprinted with the Hobbit. The possibilities are endless, to an extent.

For anyone who, like me, has an interest in contemporary digital effects and what the future holds dig your nose into the some of the extensive research that digital FX forerunner Weta has purveyed. Once again we see the competitive edge boosting our progression and advancement. There’s a reason Weta are so well respected and regarded in the world of cinema props and FX.

I love cinema. Almost as much as I love Tolkien. I’m sure you’ve noticed that, and I hope that a little of my passion might teach you something new.

Innovation, Progression and Invention

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Sleek, innovative and successful. Photo: firemen.cn

 

After taking a break from my blog while I sorted out some unattended assignment business, I’m back. Here’s something interesting which helps yield a little bit of information into how we progress and what drives our innovation and creativity. It’s long been noted that innovation can stem from conflict and competition. While I’m not going to go on record and promote warfare to drive the creative forces of the world, I am adamant that competitive sports and competitions assist us in achieving our best in the world of technology and new ideas. Audi agree with me too. (Here’s the original press release from Audi for anyone interested in some further reading).

Audi have attributed their gains in the auto market (Gains indeed, they have certainly been impressive in the past year or two) to the new and innovative technologies that they are incorporating into their products. Where does this drive for the creative edge originate? Their racing work. Long associated with performance vehicles and motor racing, Audi have had dominance in this area of sports for years. They are constantly vying for ways that they can improve their cars and give their drivers an edge over their competition. Fame, fortune, renown, trophies. Sure you could pin it to that. But this competitive nature of the auto sports has some seriously positive real world implications. The technology that Audi comes up with for its racing vehicles? That ends up on the high end cars consumers get their hands on. Improved efficiency, safety, handling, stability. Comfort, even. They are all technologies that were made to win races. Now they’re giving me and you better cars, safer cars and more comfortable cars.

While sport is great for entertainment and keeping society engaged and content, it also seems to drive real world technologies to the next level. You can apply the same logic to other sports. Those complex fabrics and materials that the better clothes and equipment on the market are made from? Chances are that they were originally developed for professional athletes, or the military. Microwave, internet, GPS, Jeeps and the fan favourite; cargo pants. All military. LED lights on cars? Racing. Breathable fabrics that sporting and outdoor clothes are made of? Professional sports.

Competition and conflict help to drive humanity. We creative and innovate in order to stay ahead. In times of peace and perfection, the only motivator is money and fame. But they’re not as powerful as the competitive drive we experience when facing opposition or conflict.

Richmond

Posted on by under Entertainment, Life

An old photo, but contextually perfect. Photo: Rachel Hofton

I’ve been a member of the Richmond football club since 2002. I would’ve been seven. I’m now eighteen. Since then, I’ve gone to -on average- eighteen games of AFL each season. Out of a possible 261 wins across that period of time, Richmond have won 95 games. For all you who shade away at the sign of maths (I don’t blame you), that’s roughly 36%. It’s fair to say I am experienced in taking a loss on the chin. I’ve been through enough. But I’m still here, week in week out supporting my team. We’ve been through a lot, me and Richmond. I still love it. Through that period, Richmond has managed to boast strong membership numbers and attendance records almost every week. There’s a lot of love for Richmond, it takes a bit to really get it out though. This article from the Herald Sun (#1 Credible news source in the world) sums it up perfectly.

THERE’S a “frequently asked questions” page on Richmond’s website about how to access finals tickets.

It looks fresh – which isn’t surprising given the last time the Tigers were in the finals, just 42 per cent of Australians had internet access.

If I had to sum up the article, these two lines do it well. This highlights two key issues.

  1. The world is an entirely different place since 2001 when Richmond last made the finals. So much has changed. The fact that only 42% of Australian’s had internet then is frightening, I’m pretty sure it’s about 70% now. 30% more of the population are now connected to the rest of the world and can communicate with anyone, anywhere with a few clicks and taps. This ties in beautifully with the idea of speculating the future and why design fiction is a credible practice. How many people would’ve foreseen the need to have a FAQ on how to book finals tickets online in 2001?
  2. The experience. Getting sick of me reeling this one off in every blog post? Has it hit home how important experience is yet? I took a friend (Carlton follower) to see Richmond play earlier in the year. He said to me after the game that he was legitimately considering becoming a Richmond member because of what he experienced at the game. The atmosphere. The crowd. The extra things that the football club endorse and exercise. For example, when the team runs out they’ve been lining the causeway with war drums (my simple man’s term for some giant oriental drum) and beating them to increase the adrenaline of the players and the crowd. The sheer ferocity of the crowd and cheer squad when the team plays well is incredible. It’s a beautiful experience. Coming home from a win makes my weekend so much better.

I’m going to the MCG today to watch Richmond vs. Carlton. There’s only two more games after this one, but if things wall to plan – maybe – just maybe, there might be a chance of even a top four berth for Richmond. Let’s not get carried away though. I’m trying to keep the lid down for as long as possible. But who am I kidding, I think it’s about time to open it. The haters in the AFL facebook page comments can bugger off. I’m excited, I’m proud. Let’s win some football.

The Cinema

Posted on by under Entertainment, Life

Beauty, atmosphere and experience. Photo: Andrew Tseng

After being a recluse (a cinema-recluse at least) for most of 2012, the last 10 months have seen more cinema action for me then I have experienced in a long time. Why? Well firstly, my girlfriend’s family bought a new TV with a bonus offer of free movie tickets each fortnight, so I don’t have to pay. But more so I think it is because of a reinvigorated love of cinema. The atmosphere in a cinema can’t be replicated, except for in the best home cinemas (I know of one in particular, which may be discussed in greater detail at a later date), there’s just something special about the gargantuan screen – I love a good dose of Vmax – and the engulfing wall of sound that exists in a movie theatre.

I can’t even remember all the films I’ve watched in the last 12 months, but I’ll do my best to recount some of the more memorable ones for you:

Don’t know about any others. Those were the ones that popped to mind. Interestingly enough, I’d be willing to go on record and say they were pretty much all outstanding films (with the exception of the start of The Wolverine being a little arduous). What’s great is the fact that I have been able to really resonate and think on a much deeper level with a lot of these films then I have previously, thanks to a little bit of enthusiasm and interest. I’ve always loved cinema, but recently I’ve really found its my passion – something that I can understand and relate to.

Red One. The future of cinema. Photo: Neilson Eney

I saw Elysium tonight, and while I agree to an extent that District 9 director Neill Blomkamp might be flogging a dead horse in terms of the conceptual thinking (well some critics seem to say so, personally I really like the thinking, you could call it design fiction), Elysium still stands as a film in its own right and shouldn’t be compared to the more creative and alternatively created District 9. The movie had the right level of emotional depth, politics and story to balance off against the high impact and fast paced violence. I didn’t feel like the fighting and action overshadowed the plot or values the movie projected – like a lot of films do tend to do in our highly fantastic and computer orientated industry.

What got me thinking today however was the relation between how we think of cinema and how we think of the essay. Adrian obviously chose to provide Graham’s article on the essay as one of the week 4 readings for a reason. To me after my deep thinking and speculation for the evening, I really feel that effectively this sort of ideology stands true for the film as well. You’d be hard pressed to find a cinema class at a university that focuses on the future of film – or even current film. We’re stuck in this trend of studying the classics. Learning how the classics work, when really, the cinema is heading in a completely different direction. Sure, the classics are the foundations of cinema and they let you understand how the Classic Hollywood, the French New Wave or the  Soviet Realist works (etc, etc). But what about learning how to understand cinema as it stands today, or how its progressing? The technologies behind it, a greater understanding of effects and digital effects. Are we afraid to admit how great an influence special effects has had on the cinema?

Our good friend Peter Jackson once again has a great idea on this. 48fps is the future. Advancing and progressing the art of cinema through contemporary and future technologies is high on Jackson’s important things to do list. Embrace new technology, respect the past – understand its workings – but most of all keep an open mind and embrace the future. It is obvious that cinema studies is intended to be what it is, to understand the classics and film history. But my question is, why isn’t there ever a course on offer that studies cinema as it is today and into the future?

 

The Past-Age of the Essay

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Essay time. Photo: Serdar Kilic

For an interesting look into the history of the essay and how it went so wrong in public education. Perhaps if more people thought like this, the essay would not have such a negative stigma surrounding it? As Courtney points out, highlighting a new method of thought, or set of beliefs regarding a subject is much more exciting than rehashing information about Charles Dickens or Hamlet. Equally important, she also acknowledges that certain subjects require facts and evidence (such as history) for points to be made. This is also perfectly true, however as Adrian pointed out, there are plenty of great essays that use evidence and facts. I think it is more to do with the fact that essays don’t need evidence to be good. We have been brought up to be very wary of information (eg; Don’t use wikipedia as a source, it can’t be trusted– While some of these are marginally valid points, this article in general screams insecure rubbish), everything must have a source, surely we can’t actually come up with our own ideas or thought patterns – or more importantly – trust them?

I also think that the quote she pulled out from Graham’s article really hones in on a sound and integral point.

In a real essay, you don’t take a position and defend it. You notice a door that’s ajar, and you open it and walk in to see what’s inside.

Perhaps if schools taught writing using this stance, we would have generations of much more confident and creative individuals? I’m serious, if we were taught this in school, the world would be so revolutionarily different I can’t even explain it. For instance: How many kids out there are there who fail at english and fall apart because they simply can’t get their head around the rigid and unobliging structure that is forced down our throats in Secondary school? People would be more open to learning, they’d be more confident at it, not only that but they would be more creative about it. This sort of standpoint encourages people to express their own unique thoughts and ideas; but not to persuade through bullying. The idea is to present and speculate, pose new questions and answer it.  It encourages you to show what you know and think, to speculate, to explore and ponder the universe. Wouldn’t that be much more beneficial then learning the art of rehashing, re-mixing and defending yourself?

Your view point is not right, you can’t even give someone else’s statement to back it up. You should be able to back up your ideas with other people’s previous developed thoughts. Oh, but you’re not allowed to use other people’s ideas anyway. That’s stealing. Sound familiar? The best part about abiding by the methodology that Graham suggests, as Georgina points out:

you can start out with nothing- just a pencil, a piece of paper and your thoughts- and result in an answer to something neither you nor the reader had previously known. That’s the way to progress, to evolve.

Creativty. Speculation. Exploration. Recurring themes. They’re all the outcomes of “Model II” style activities and behaviour. The form of “essay” that we learn in school is definitely a “Model I” sort of action. Its all about insecurity, being defensive and not allowing speculation and creativity.

 

Setting Goals: Basic Tasks and Assignments

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Map those goals. Photo: Angie Torres

I am someone who can struggle with honing in on something, I tend to be like that in all areas of life. Whether it be an essay (What’s a word limit?), or trying to complete study tasks, or even getting something done on the job. I can’t work without tangible outcomes and goals. I need some sort of direction to perform my best work. Yet so often – in fact most of the time – I fail to set goals for myself, no matter how big or small. I’m also a big thinker. Often I’ll think a lot about things and never put them to paper (or .doc for that matter), and I spend a lot more time thinking than I actually do, doing. What’s more, when I face busy and stressful times I am better at getting work done. But I don’t often get it done how I’d like to, or too my potential.

Focus is something I need to think hard about, and notice when I’m slipping off the wagon. One of the best ways I can combat this is by setting goals. Why don’t I do this more often? I don’t know. Probably, almost certainly, it is to do with will-power and motivation. Something that can be very hard to moderate and control, especially if you don’t pay attention to your behaviours and habits. I guess this is where it all ties in, once again, to what we’ve been learning.

For me, this is as much a self-directed journey of personal development as it is a class to be educated in – or rather, to learn in.

So what do I do to make things easier for myself?

  • Make goals.
  • Break tasks down into bigger tasks.
  • Attempt to complete tasks before procrastination hits; ie try and use my free time to tackle tasks straight away, rather than doing something fun and then trying to complete the task.
  • Wake up earlier and go to bed earlier. Make good use of my morning will power while it’s still at its fullest.
  • Don’t be afraid of being wrong – nothing is going to be perfect off the bat. It’s all about taking small steps to craft your product or creation.
  • Think of tasks as on-going. Improvements can be made. Modifications can occur. Not everything has to be instantaneous. (This is another big problem I have that I will address at a later date.)
A big list of things to do, to pay attention to. But it can be done, it’s an ongoing process that can be worked on. As for having a bit of direction in my life. I think I am finally finding what I want to do. I am noticing where my interests and passions are directed and what is attracting them. Time to do a bit of life planning. The best things you can take away from planning and direction are: confidence, organisation and success. That’s exactly what I want in life.

 

Book Worming

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A good place for a worm like me. Photo: Raul Lieberwirth

I love books. I also love hearing things like this: Robinsons Bookshop in Frankston voted Victoria’s most popular seller. It’s great to see books still doing there thing and keeping alive in this e-dominated world. This bookshop is the closest traditional bookstore to me, so this is fantastic news that touches and warms my heart – what’s even better is it is completely relevant to what Adrian and Brian touched on in the Symposium.

One only has to keep up with the news to see that book stores aren’t doing to well out there. As a matter of fact – the big ones are all shutting down in Australia. Here’s some articles from the ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald and one from the Age about book giants Angus and Robertson and Borders closing up shop and moving conveniently online to bookworld.com.au to make a living. So why are independent bookstores still alive? How are they weathering the storm? Well according to Ms Horman who owns Robinson’s, they’re not shrinking their physical and retail presence; They’re expanding.

We want to grow. We are not following the trend of some bookshops because we feel confident in what we are doing and feel that the public still want books and they want bookshops

Instead of shutting down stores, they’re opening more stores? So what makes this possible. Well, from what I can gather, Robinsons and other independents out there are offering something that online stores such as Amazon can’t: a satisfying customer service experience and an exceptionally personal in-store experience. Buying books from a retail outlet is always going to cost more than Amazon or any online service. That’s where Borders and co. went wrong. Their prices were just as steep as any small book outlet, but their service was rubbish, there was no experience. Why would anyone pay more to put up with horrible waiting times and poor customer service, especially when they can order with ease and security with a few mouse clicks – even less if you’re automatically signed into Amazon.

So that’s what we want. That’s what we have to do in order to satisfy a public and society who’s expectations are on the rise and who can’t get no satisfaction. Let’s follow the example of Robinsons. Exceptional customer service. Personal customer service. Taking care of your customers. Providing a friendly and warm cafe and coffee shop in store. The stores aren’t busy, they’re intimate, you get one on one customer service and all the help you need. It’s warm, cosy, just like home. It’s a place to meet fellow book lovers. These are the kind of examples we should live by. This a great case study into what makes something successful.

We can all learn something from Robinsons. Sometimes doing things the old-fashioned way is better. And I think that with our generation, the world will become more experience based, to make up for all the experiences we’ve missed out on during our childhood.

 

Rise of the Gravewalkers

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Zombies are scary. Photo: Peter Taylor

Here’s some quality entertainment for you all. Last year I completed VCE, part of which was VCE Media. I happened to make a hilarious and entertaining (Well I like to think so) mess of a zombie horror film. All authentic post-production black and white, film-grain, the lot. It’s a special treat for you guys. The inspiration for posting this goes to Arthur, who posted some of his student-short-films that I happened to stumble across while navigating the network.

So here it is, in all its glory. It was fun, we all had fun. Now we can look back on it and chuckle. The acting’s not great, neither is the cinematography. Although I like to think the set was alright – and the costumes – well, at least for my limited budget of $0. So enjoy:

Disclaimer | Background image: Emma Gawen
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