-Building “Tollgates”: Structure format-diagrams/architect

-Discipline components of a website

• Project manager £300-350
• Designer £250-400
• Photographer £150-200
• Reporter +sub-editor +writer £100-150
• Coder £200-250
• Video producer £150
• Audio producer £150
• Marketing  £200

-Trace your work value by documenting the ongoing project.

The documentary should be the online reflection of “why the story is important?”

Forms: Image file/ paper trail internet/newspaper

-How to go beyond? Don’t assume your work is original. (To be different)

Image on the front page-important! E.g. guardian

Suggestions for myself:

? What quality of the information makes you a better reporter?

My story is …

? What front page image embodies the story?/ sell to refine pitch (about)

(Iconic image or magazine image that invites audience in but not awing people off; The abstract is more powerful than images.)

? Suggestions to develop the framework of thinking:

Gather statistics

See “Roots” news page

Get first hand information

Write a story – basis of the approach

Prove practices and talk to specialists

Always remember: News study is based on number of people it affects.

Next for all

1. Bash the story-Write a story-start writing from scratch- “the intro”
2. Physical images done for the front page-Conceive front page on paper
3. Frame and structure—diagram

Next session: Tuesday, 25 May Morning

Deadlines:

Web project in 2^nd-3^rd week of July

Essay on 24^th August-balance essay by collecting information

(Enter notes according to Harvard reference)

The first 3 weeks: production

Week 4-5 start to build shell of the web

Week 6-7 to wrap up

Reason: There isn’t a story, whilst doing final project, a PR site should be avoided.

New title: (Unsure)

Story: British university students face big increase in tuition fees.

Student fee could rise up to £14,000 (science undergraduates) due to the call of Lord Bowne, the former chief executive of BP.

Angle:

Hear the students voice on this issue—the impacts on people (Considering 5 minutes video on the intro page)

Audience:

Analyze who are going to universities? How many of them?

Who are suffering?

E.g. Voices from graduates from Julia Prague, who has challenged Tony Blair on Tuition fee in 2004.

Other contents:

Interview loaners like banks

Talk to public organizations and government

Get solutions (students themselves, the government)

Other tuition fee problems outside of universities

Compare the fee situation in other countries-

And look on the bright side—French students choose UK education as an alternative

…

FAQs:

What is the story?

The site is to focus on the rising tuition fee in British universities.

Who are the audiences?

British university students

Students who are (preparing) coming to UK to study

Why should anyone care?

Students can’t afford it and it’s not fair. Burdens for the society and families. Global issue because lots are coming.

Challenges:

Presentation of the website—how to be visually attractive with special effects?

Picture source

Avoid cliché/story overdone or dry

What’s next?

Similar site

Build the canvis of the site and write the brief

Define “Final project supervision”

-Guidance:

Methods – the ways of doing the project

Methodology – the process of planning what, who, where, when, how to achieve

also called “grazers and bingers”(suggestion: to draw a mind map to systemise.)

-Ideas

-Body of work

-Feedbacks

-Release forms (ethical issues)

-Creation (at least after 2 to 3 weeks)

-…

Tasks for the next session:

1. What is the story?

2. How do you do website stories? (Framework/treatment/strong execution-story themed with parts of the stories)

3. Angle/lead

4. Blueprint of the website*

Suggestions:

To get the story, gather more facts and stories from publications.

Post processing programs: “Magic bullet” and “After-effects”

Flash sites are for the good performance. Html sites could be for iPad.

Examples:

Vintage Londoner

Multimedia shooter

*Next session: 12:15 am, May 11, 2010

Event: London Festival of Architecture 2010. http://www.lfa2010.org/

The pitch: Architectures are all around us and deserve our attention. This project aims to present professional architectures from an armature’s eye and to explore the architecture area with the audience. The site tends to arouse more attention on buildings no matter on the aesthetics or on usability.

Angle: Exhibit and elaborate.

Exhibit—-the site is a page-turner with strong images of designed architectures.

Elaborate is to bring in basic and practical factors about them.  In action, the website brings in listings like “Tips for spotting a good location for constructions”, “Qualities that designed buildings share”.

Event reports ask designers questions for the readers to explore more, or show videos of the building process.

Plus, as an agency driven site, Archifactor attempts to bring attention on many earthquake ruins these years to meet human-interest.

FAQs:

What is the story?

Designed architectures – simplified.

Who are the audiences?

Everyone can be an audience. But the majority of the viewers should be aged from 10 to 60.

Why should anyone care?

Because of the site’s simple conception and presentation. Once viewers click on the homepage, the site (the simple and attractive presentation) will do all the magic. It’s the same why people are buying Apple when they already have PC.

Now that there is an official site for LFA, what Archifactor has to offer?

If you browse the official site, it only focuses on the festival itself with some listings of architectures and event dates. “Archifactor” will do the picks and pack the eye candies for you, accompanied with feature stories behind the masterpieces.

How does the site intend to feel the story?

The site mainly explores with the audience.  As it wows the founder of “Archifactor”, it would surprise you as well.

Is the site trying to be popular?

No. The editor will pick unique designs and artists for each of their individuality. “Archifactor” doesn’t attempt to please the mass and lose creativity.

Timetable: Deadline: 24^th August (or before)

• Period 1- idea stage – Four weeks (First two weeks is to research and the angle of the idea.)

• Period 2- process – Four weeks

• Period 3– final stage- Four weeks

Administration:

Weekly feedback

Take work-note:

Log in details and count the cost of your site

3000 words essay on a creative subject (e.g. ipad)

Research for another classmate

• Always think:

——–What is the story? (The pitch)

——–Who are the audiences?

——–Why should anyone care?

• The content should be agency driven
• Theme story housed in a collective website

• Intriguing information

——–Be unique to stand out.

——–Research to take the lead and do the creative fight.

——–Refine it, refine it and refine it.

——–Counter point-the unknown, the uniqueness

• The title/vehicle-how do you intend to feel the story? (To show or to explore?)

• Do not attempt to be populist.

*Good examples:

Yixiang Zeng’s “Pianism”

Anthropology documentary on blood diamonds by CNN

Apple movie trailers

*Classmates’ topics:

Denisa Morariu: Victims of Romanian poor medical system

People become more ill because of bad conditions and doctors’ negligence.

Patricia Floric: African culture and religion

In Djougou (north Benin), people are looking for anthropologists to study their culture and note their patrimony. They want to protect, remember, and transmit their culture. (Oral transmission, voodoo, other belief, arts…)

Randa El Tahawy: Sexual harassment in Egypt

Albert Gashiri: Constitution in Kenya

Murielle Gonzalez:

*4 p.m. Monday 10^th May – Video master class

The exhibition of quilts 1700-2010 gives you a thorough insight into British quilting materials, techniques and history, broadens your understanding towards this art form. It is divided into five sections: the domestic landscape, private thoughts/political debates, virtue and virtuosity, making a living and meeting the past, it shows trends and stories through timeline, impresses the audience by its relevance towards different aspects of life.

By looking closer at the details, sophisticated layers, varied materials and sometimes thoughtful words are sewed on the quilts. Next to the quilt, the gallery quotes the maker or gives background history of the time when the piece was made. Along with the quilts, there are paintings which inspired the quilters or drawn to imitate the quilts, as well as beautifully crafted needle boxes and kit bags .

Besides the function of covering beds, quilts are made by many artists to express personal thoughts and political views. Susan Stockwell’s “A Chinese Dream” makes a connection with China’s rising economy by sewing Chinese money into the shape of world map, whist “Right to life” by Grayson Perry, design pattern of the bleeding infants makes his statement of objecting abortion in an intense way.

The show changes the stereotypes on quilts that they are only made by women. Men’s stitching and patching works are skillful as evidenced by some 19^th century quilts made in the military. Quilting was seen as a means to resist alcohol in Victorian times. Today in Wandsworth prison, male prisoners are serving their time by making quilts with pieces showing their life in the cell.

In terms of presentation, the quilts are either laid on bedlike mounts or hanged on walls to alter the angles, to appreciate the beauties of individual pieces. Holes were made through the walls, creating a sense of intimate spaces, and they also help visitors to compare quits of different periods. To complete the experience, there is a tv screen playing videos of needles piling up artistically.

The show takes place in V&A museum, it will last two and a half months till 4 July. It is accompanied with more activities in the museum like design courses, conference and other social events.

©Photo by Junjie Dou

 “None of the galleries could be more approachable,” said Alexandra Magnuson, the PR of the London exhibition. She explained the experimental show of the street art duo, “This is the first time they exhibit in an arcade and they covered every corner of the house by hand.”

 Two foosball tables are placed in the basement. Small players and graphics on the wall are coated in luminescence, creating a 24-hour nightlife illusion. However, photography works out effectively, even without a flash.

Meanwhile, a charge free traditional gallery takes place on Rathbone Place, rewinds 10 years of Faile’s retrospective work.

Date: 12 Febuary- 27 March 2010

©Photo by Junjie Dou

Arcade:

Lazarides, 8 Greek Street, London, W1D 4DG

Monday-Saturday, 12pm-7pm

Gallelry:

Lazarides Rathbone, 11 Rathbone Place, WIT 1HR

Tuesday-Friday 11am-7am and Saturday 12 am-5pm, admission free

+44 (0)207 636 5443

Food Inc. (2009) directed by Robert Kenner

To reveal the shenanigans of the food companies,  the narrator lays out the products from the supermarket and sounds mysteriously like the dead housewife knowing all the secrets in Wisteria Lane. No one wants to know certain details of their favourite meals, but still, we couldn’t help watching this movie.

Risking generalizing, Kenner creates a magical formula that almost applies to everything, proves it with many convincing points. As a result, by the end of the movie, “you might not want to eat it”.

The movie involves the victims, villains and third parties, meets investigative documentary standards. It also exposes all the big brands and brings out issues like industrialisation and global warming. 

Food Tech (2010) hosted by Bobby Bognar

What’s so genius about Food Tech is that it captures the American’s most popular food genres–fast food. However, in contrast to Spurlock and Kenner, the TV host embraces all the giant workshops, wowed by them like seeing miracles.

In the episodes, Bobby Bognar acts like the optimistic Hurley (the grumpy chubby character from the American TV show Lost, who believes himself as a curse), so happy to hop into pickle vats, quake like a duck and even to sample unprocessed soy sauce. You wish you had his appetite and attitude.

And they are right about the factories’ bright sides, such as speedy process, massive production, precise quantity and flavor. While on the other hand, filming to publicise, the video camera easily goes through to share us a sneak-peak of the duck farm which Kenner didn’t manage to get in.

 Out of many food programs, it’s interesting to compare these two: both are made in American food farms and factories, but lead to different views. Plus, they create a fine balance for us to clear thoughts before any meal.

See also in UK:

Jamie Oliver’s Eat to save your life (2008) on Channel 4-4oDFOOD

Julia Bradbury’s  Kill it, cook it, eat it (2010) on BBC3

This is the official decade for indie music, when it can be easily spotted by band’s wardrobe collections, lyrics and behaviors. Muse and Kings of Leon got famous, surrendered to the mainstream, left youngsters behind, carefully walking on the thin ice between.

 The poster of the girl opening curious big eyes filled your city streets and platforms, alerted you on the second album of Vampire Weekend in a galleried scale. Diligent tours acknowledged everyone  the fantastic four from big apple. Small band grew big, without much controversy. Active performing has always filled with inspiration yet low key attitude mask them with mystery. The four quietly played from their own heart, hardly aggressive. If they lived in the neighborhood, you probably wouldn’t find out. Even when asked about politics, serene smiles showed up to go with their personal support for Obama, clued no harm, let alone hatred feelings. Glad they are still on the indie side of the world.

 It’s been almost 3 years since they were firstly blogged on Stereogum, where the Columbia University boys aroused attention. Their first album “Vampire Weekend” named straightly after the band, quickly became famous for its creative mix of Afro-pop beats and high pitched vocal. The ambiguous lyrics hinted about love, girls and sex in a happy tone. Each song could sound fresh and new again after weeks, even months.

 If it takes time to get rid of their debut album, Contra is quite the opposite. You have to be patient to realize the beauty within. Ezra takes you to VW’s wonderland with his still quirky voice perfectly toned to the lush beats. Only this time, he put in more sensation, like if you were Barbie, he’d be your Ben. Tracks like Taxi Cab, Diplomat’s Son and I think Ur a Contra mixed some patience, revealed a bit of sadness. Some criticized this album overrated. Well, that’s because they haven’t listened enough.

©Photo by Junjie Dou

1. Horchata
2. White Sky
3. Holiday
4. California English
5. Taxi Cab
6. Run
7. Cousins
8. Giving Up The Gun
9. Diplomat’s Son
10. I Think Ur A Contra

American heroism brimmed, compressed old day bosses and thieves into the “bromance” of two. Media fussed about his twist of the two men’s friendship. Actor Robert Downey (stares Sherlock Holmes) referred the characters as “two men who happen to be room-mates, wrestle a lot and share a bed”, most likely for the purpose of publicizing. They argued like married couple and set obstacles for each other’s dates. Another inevitable factor is that even though Jude Law changing his pink shirt into Victorian costume does not take his pretty face away. So we need to understand it is Sherlock Holmes, a character 100 years ago, whom Richie tried very best to modernize, while keeping on track of the original story.

 Not Quite Guy Richie

The director features three in film-making: editing, black humor and fights, which all unfortunately ended up weak this time—-rather than switching scenes between multiple perspectives, all the clips flashed through one man’s mind, over tightly edited. Violin strings picking and scratching paced along, left the audience little space to reason. Holmes’ sarcasm like “no girl wants to marry a doctor who can’t tell whether a man is dead or not” appeared old-fashionly dry. And he barely surpassed the one punch machinegun Mickey (starring Brad Pit, Snatch) with his pre-designed left hook.

 Rachael McAdams’ performance in movies like Red Eye and State of Play proved her strong capability of acting in crime scene. The girl full of guts took the role of Sherlock Holmes’ ex-woman—Irene Adler, screen image transferred from a girl next door to this aggressive figure. At Conan O Brien’s The Tonight Show, she admitted to be asked by Richie to bar her teeth.