All my worries are gone. I found this foolproof model for my site. Feel free to use it, it'll probably save you loads of time and you'll definately get an A+.

Quote of the day:
"If at first you don't succeed; call it version 1.0"
- T-Shirt

Here's the sketch I promised. Just took a snap of it with my webcam. This is what I started out with for my latest layout. Check out Tuesday's post to see how it progressed from this (the last two images). Sorry if the order of my image uploads is a bit messed up. This is what happens when you're working from two different counties!

I've been trying to upload an animated GIF but have been having difficulty with it for some reason. I'll try get it working soon. It basically portrays an idea have for a rollover state on the TV screens. When you hover the curser over the telly, the image on screen distorts and the background flickers (Kind of like static on a TV).

I still kind of feel like my design is missing something but can't figure out what. I don't want to spoil the simplicity of it with too many extra graphics, but I feel like it's a bit lifeless and doesn't really indicate thet the site is for Music Videos. Maybe it needs some guitars and turntables, etc. I'll play around with it when I get a chance, but there's a a great big wall of JAVA between now and my next design session.

Oh ya, I've also been thinking of adding sound effects to the site to make it a bit more dynamic. I'll check it out and see if it's feasible.

Quote of the day:
Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.
- John Lennon

The Creative Phase

So, its been a while but I've been busy doing up some designs.



This was my first concept. It was inspired by some tutorials I was doing over the summer from the website http://www.psdtuts.com/. The image seen in the logo here was not my own. It was borrowed from an image I found while searching for inspiration for the purpose of getting an initial concept.



Having run out of ideas to get my first concept the way I wanted it I decided to move on rather than run it into the ground. I was quite happy with my second layout, but my supervisor encouraged me to opt for something a bit more challenging and innovative.



This was my first attempt at coming up with something slightly different to the normal website layout. I wasn't exactly delighted with it but felt that it was a step in the right direction.



Having taken a break from designing for a few days this concept popped into my head. I immediately grabbed a pen and paper and sketched it down. This was the first draft I made up from my sketch (which I'll post as soon as I scan it in).



I developed my original "TV's Interface" concept and am finally at the stage where I'm quite happy with it. I intend to develop it a little more but I am currently ok with using this concept for my project (unless I change my mind again in the next few weeks). My intention is to have it as a dynamic flash interface. When you click on a TV it will expand to fill the screen and display the contents of the page. I was kind of banking on using my current HTML and CSS knowledge, but this route will mean I'll have to use flash and actionscript heavily.

Quote of the day:
Maybe, just once, someone will call me 'Sir' without adding, 'You're making a scene.'
---Homer Simpson.

Beginning to realise that it's going to be tough!

I've been having second thoughts about my project idea as I think its gonna be really hard. But as I've been told, what's the point in doing it if it isn't going to be a challenge. So I'm still going to go ahead and do the research for it because it is something I'd like to do. Hopefully I'll pull it off. What I've done so far is narrowed down the open source software I want to use. Its called onyx, feel free to check it out at http://www.onyx-vj.com/ . This is a VJ tool that Im going to try and modify and incorporate into my website. I have just e-mailed the developer with a few questions so hopefully he'll get back to me soon. Next thing on the to do list is check out some more design ideas and any other functionality I want to add to the site.

Quote of the day:
There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.
---Aldous Huxley

So I put Forward my initial, proposal and it has been accepted. My aim is to create an online facility for musicians to create their own music videos using personal video clips and photos (e.g. from a camera phone). They can take this footage upload it to my site and then mix it with some video loops created by me. The user will be able to alter the transparency of each layer and add different effects and loops in order to create a unique piece. Once finished the user can download the video their desktop and then go on to put it on the profile of their social networking homepages, or distribute it any way they like.

Inspiration for my site comes from my new found interest in VJing. A VJ is a performance artist who creates moving visual art (often video) on large displays or screens, often at events such as concerts, nightclubs and music festivals, and usually in conjunction with other performance art. This results in a live, multimedia performance that can include music, actors or dancers as well as live and pre-recorded video.

I intend to use the styles of some of the VJ's I have seen when creating video clips for musicians to mix with their own media.

I have encountered a number of open source video editing programs which may come in handy but I am unsure if I am going to take this route. I still don't know how complex the code will be and I'm slightly clueless about how I'm going to put it together. So if anybody has any suggestions, drop me a line.

Quote of the Day:
We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.
---Marshall Mcluhan.

Welcome to the FYB blog of Jonathan Mullins.

Watch this space for updates on my final year project.

Quote of the day:
Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible. I think it's in my basement... let me go upstairs and check. --- M.C. Escher