Some people think I'm bonkers

...but I just think I'm free! :p

I love this song, I also love the effects used in the 'mini planet' video used as the background. Mini planets aren't new, but in video I would say they are. I have made my own my own Mini Planet before in the past, and it would seem the effect is just as easy in Photoshop as it is in video, sans rendering. A couple of weeks back I found a link to a blog by the company of whom made said video. The company is Digital Immersion who are a French company who specialise in immersive video. (You know when there's a 360º flash object on a holiday website or a landmarks website? That kinda stuff.) But this they then made into a video. The basics of it is you take a panoramic image (in this case a video) and then make it into a square size. (so if it's 2000 x 500, it will become 500 x 500) You then rotate it round a polar point (I think...) and it comes out as a mini world. The only problem being the middle as it's where everything from the bottom of the clips merge into one point, but this is not seen in Dizzees video as he is dancing in that spot. :)

I'd love to do this kinda thing, but a 360 camera is very expensive, unless I can get access to a Google Street View car. :)

Simple visual effects are sometimes the most effective

This video really inspires me when it comes to simple, yet effective visual effects. The only real effects used are the large heads of the band members, but for weeks now I have been wondering how they have done it.

At first I thought it might of simply been enlarging the heads of the characters, but then I noticed things like shadows and lighting don't 100% match their surroundings, although it is well done. Also, there is no masking that would make the edge of their faces bleed out and show some background (Also, that would be a monster of a job frame-by-fram masking them.) So my other thought into it was they green screened the actors and simply keyed it out. They then might of tracked onto the eyes or had the band members wearing a tracking hat and then plonked the faces on. Either way, it's something I would love to try and do in the future. I have a thing for large headed images, but in video it's not something I have seen too much before. I shall try this at some point I hope! :)

Website.

I've kinda gone round the houses with this. I do like my current one but felt it needed replacing for the PPD project. I tried something (see below) which I wasn't best fond off, then I tried another more basic idea which I went off really quickly and went back to my 2nd idea. NOW, I think all I need to do is fix my current website, update a few design features and add all my content.

Talk about long winded!

But, the trip has made me realize that what I currently have is the best website design and layout I have made to date. It's all built on Wordpress, which for me is a reet feet in my skills as I am a Wordpress newb. I have Sam on hand for any WP problems I have and usually she is able to point out/sort the problem really quickly which is better than me running around for days trying to find a solution.

So yeah, website wise I am sticking with what I got once it's fixed and update. :) I like it, it's pretty and it's also nice to navigate with some hidden funny parts. :)