Sound Track used

This is the sound track I want to use:



Sourced from: http://soundcloud.com/derek-cornett/uncle-lou

Because it is a nice gentle guitar piece like one of my precedents for this project. It creates a nice, calming and happy atmosphere which makes the app seem revolutionary and very simple and enjoyable to use. I decided to choose the music before I make the finished film so I can make the timing of the film will fit to the music. I think it's really important to know what kind of theme, mood and atmosphere you're wanting to create in your film and to represent your product.

The finished code

The blue successfully represents the water and the green for the tadpoles. The movement in the tadpoles is beautiful and smooth, the mouse interaction represents feeding them and allows you to play with them and freeze their motion. The long screen size makes the mouse interaction easier to focus on and more enjoyable for the user.

After much careful consideration into the colours and size I'm very happy with it. This code was very difficult to write from scratch but I'm glad the tadpoles movements are so smooth and life like. That's the thing I'm most happy with in this project.

Developing the colour and size

I then developed the perfect screen size. This allows a still nice square shape, but enough room to interact with the tadpoles and allow them so split up. By making the screen wider rather than longer it is easier for the user to move the mouse horizontally as opposed to vertically.

This light green background is too bright and 'apple' coloured. It needs to represent a swamp. 

Still too bright.

Finally got the tadpoles to a good, deep green colour which correctly represents their true colour. 

This green makes it easier to see the tadpoles but isn't a pleasant shade to look at.

The green is too dark here.

This is more of a sky blue than an ocean blue which is what I'm more wanting to represent the water correctly. 

The blue is too bright.

The blue is too dark.

Experiments with size and colour

I began experimenting with background colour, back ground size, tadpole size, tadpole amount and tadpole colour to find what works best.

Tadpoles with a slight green tinge

Lighter blue background. I was having trouble getting the tadpoles a deep green transparent colour.

Light blue background and tadpoles.

Now experimenting with size

Larger quantity of tadpoles. I felt they were more like particles and less like tadpoles at this size.

More of the tadpoles and size 20.

Fewer tadpoles and size 20

And even fewer tadpoles.

Experimented with a deep green background which looked horrible.

Experiments with the size and colour

I have begun to experiment with the size of the screen and the colour of the background. 

For the size of the screen I really need to find what works best as an interaction. If they screen is too large the tadpoles flocking may not look as good and with the screen too small the interaction isn't as effective. I need to balance these two factors successfully. I also need to figure out what looks best as a screen size. Whether it be a perfect square or long horizontally or long vertically. 

Size

I feel that this screen looks aesthetically pleasing. The mouse interaction as a good horizontal movement going but I feel the interaction would be more interesting if the movement were vertical also.

This screen is far too long down the eyes don't like it as it's not as easy to follow the interaction.

I experimented with making the screen smaller to see if the interaction was more effective this way. I found the tadpoles couldn't flock as far and their character therefore wasn't as apparent. The interaction was a lot more boring as you couldn't make 

Colour

I have began testing the colour of the background only. I will narrow down the best colours and then try them with the coloured tadpoles. For the background test I will keep the tadpoles while transparent for now.

This is the colour I have been currently working with. A very nice blue but perhaps too dark? So I tried a lighter one....

Far too light and makes the code seem too cartoon like. A deeper blue is perhaps more sophisticated.

This blue seems to have a tint of purple and is very cool toned. Not sure how well it would work with the perhaps green tadpoles (unsure of tadpole colour yet)

This deep blue seems nice but still a little purple toned. Really need to test this with the green tadpoles.

The swimming and flocking is working!

I'm very happy as the tadpoles are finally swimming in a nice fluid movement and they change direction on their own. They spawn from the middle of the code and swim outwards. They don't touch the edges of the screen as if trapped in a fish tank.

Also now when I press the mouse down the tadpoles swim to the mouse and then slowly depart. However when the mouse is held down the tadpoles freeze which is something I would like to attempt to fix.

If I can work out how, I would also like to move my mouse through the code and interrupt the tadpoles movement, forcing them to depart and swim away.

I also now need to focus on colour. Working on a good colour palette will help my code to be much more stronger and effective. I'm thinking of trying a photograph background to see if it portrays tadpoles better.

I also need to experiment with different screen sizes to see which is more effective for this code.

progress - the tadpoles are fluttering

I had just one dot moving extremely fast from the x and y position. It appeared that it was fluttering and not swimming.

I then made an array with many dots doing this movement. It wasn't the swimming motion that I wanted but it was a start as it wasn't just moving horizontally or vertically anymore.

Figuring out which photographs work best together

Am trying to figure out which photograph of Rachel to use. The second one will work better when merging the faces I think but the first one looks better with the other two. I think I may use the first one when just showing her face but when merging, use this second one.

Irving Penn - artist model

Irving Penn is an American photographer and best known for his fashion photography. However, I really like his black and white portrait style.

The photos are lit in a very interesting way. They're very high in contrast and create very interesting shadow on the subjects faces. I would love to emulate this in my own work for this project.

Adriadne Photography

I am especially inspired by Adriadne's studio photography. her models appear to be very well lit and although using just plain backgrounds, I find the composition, colours and expressions on the models faces to be very successful. I would love to emulate this style by having very crisp photographs with correct white balance as hers appear to have.

Simon Woolf

Simon Woolf is a well known photographer in Wellington New Zealand. He does some great commercial and portrait photography. I especially love his studio style and how well lit his photographs are.

His black and white style is especially beautiful. He tries to catch people looking happy.

Second Shoot images (2 new models)