This may be the last weekly update for a while.
When I started this blog in December I tried to keep it updated weekly but recently I have lost motivation. I don't want to be the person who is unhappy with everything but I have been considering three things, why I am doing this blog, what I have to work with and my web traffic, I know how pathetic it sounds but I cannot find motivation for something when the truth truth be told, no one is interested. This blog like most blogs are only read when people are bored and have nothing else worth doing. I am not convinced this is worth doing week in week out when I should be giving the time to more important things.
For those who are interested the post with the most views is the one containing pictures of the work I did for my Fine Art course, the number of hits it got dwarfed anything else I have done but they weren't hard numbers to beat in the first place.
Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not saying I am shutting down this blog but it isn't worth doing a weekly update when I have nothing interesting to talk about, I sure a lot of people will skip what I have just written because it doesn't interest them.
As far as my projects are concerned I still want to have a shot at filming an episode of my video game web show and see how things go on from there so don't consider it dead and buried just yet.
This may be the last blog post you see in a while, as things stand I am not in the mood to write about stuff which isn't worth writing about, no more filming updates, no more weekly video game reviews, no more complaints about small problems, no more needless filler and no short film reviews.
Most of this blog has seen me go around in circles, “I am giving up games”, “I'm not giving up games”, “I will update every week”, “ I won't update every week” it makes it hard for people to take what I write seriously, worst of all though it makes it hard for me to take what I write seriously.
When I started this blog I wondered how long it would take for it to run out of steam, the answer, a dozen weeks.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Working is a Mission: Impossible
For those who are wondering why I went quiet last week I will have you know I was on holiday. It is bad enough trying to work at home, never mind working when I am trying to relax. Yes being on a break demands relaxation and I find it near impossible to dedicate myself to working when I in such a state. Sorry if you think I am being lazy but I had more important matters to attend to.
Many of you loyal readers (which there are few) are probably wondering how the video game show is coming along. Well...
1) The original concept has been reworked into something more original.
2) The budget is stricter than first planned meaning having to work on the cheap.
3) I will not be able to use expensive tools such as capture cards or DVD recorders, I have to resort to pointing a video camera at a screen which is looked down on and seen as bush league.
4) Using a camera in such a way causes poor visual quality.
5) My vocal skills on camera are currently below the standard I would like to achieve.
6) I have been able to acquire the games and systems I wanted.
The show isn't going to look like this.
There are other smaller issues I have to express. When it comes to internet gaming shows the target audience is very demanding and fickle with what they want. The likes of virtual console, emulation and steam ports of classic games are an alternative deemed unacceptable by many. This audience of hardcore fans always demand the use of the original hardware, I know this because I was once part of such an audience and have seen what does and does not work in the eyes of the viewer.
I'm hoping the visual issues can be fixed by changing the output from aerial to AV or SCART, only time will tell if this works. If it doesn't then the project may as well be dead on arrival unless I can find a filming method which can fix all these problems.
Enough about the project. While on holiday I sat down and watched some films as it isn't something I do very often so here are some mini reviews.
Mission: Impossible (PG)
Tom Cruise plays the role of Ethan Hunt, a secret agent who is wanted by his own government after being set up in a mission which sees all his squad members murdered. Hunt must retrieve a file known as the “NOC List” in order to clear his name and expose mole responsible for the murders of his team members.
Cruise puts on a decent performance in this film as do many of the supporting actors, the cinematography and editing are two of this films strong points with the writing and overall characterisation letting the team down. The special effects used in the films climax look outdated by today's standards and it makes the whole scenario look ridiculous.
In all Mission: Impossible is a fun blockbuster and not much else, the film peaks with the infamous Black Vault scene and then begins to lose steam towards the end.
***
The Transporter (15)
Jason Statham is cast as Frank Martin, a former marine turned transporter of illegal and dangerous goods..
The Transporter can be best described as a silly, explosive, dumb action movie. Like other films of its kind The Transporter relies on its non-stop action to keep the audience interested, very little time is given to plot or character development. The one man VS an army mentality of the film is nothing new and at times the film will break all suspension of disbelief by becoming incredibly cartoon like with the action, we are talking car crashes where the cars explode spectacularly on impact.
The Transporter isn't a bad film but it is a one trick pony, outside of the action the film offers very little.
**
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (12)
Desperate to defeat the Human Resistance the master computer Skynet sends a Terminator back in time to kill the leader of the Human Resistance, the human resistance also sends their own Terminator back in time to stop Skynet's Terminator from killing him.
Never was this going to top its predecessor Terminator 2: Judgement Day and never did this film need to be made thanks to Terminator 2's closed ending. Schwarzenegger once again plays the T-800, a cybernetic organism who is sent back in time to protect John Connor (Nick Stahl) from being killed by the T-X (Kristanna Loken), a newer, more powerful Terminator. The film completely recycles the plot of the previous film with some differences. In the previous film Judgement Day (the day where mankind was nearly wiped out) was thought to have been prevented, now we learn Judgement Day has only been postponed and is inevitable.
Compared to the previous film almost everything is a step below previous efforts, the casting, script, plot, story, acting and characters are no where near as strong and the film is overall less memorable.
If you look at the film alone though you will find it to be a great action movie with a tonne of incredible action set pieces which work around the basic run and chase plot.
Terminator 3 wasn't the sequel people wanted but it still does enough to satisfy fans of the series and newcomers alike.
***
Many of you loyal readers (which there are few) are probably wondering how the video game show is coming along. Well...
1) The original concept has been reworked into something more original.
2) The budget is stricter than first planned meaning having to work on the cheap.
3) I will not be able to use expensive tools such as capture cards or DVD recorders, I have to resort to pointing a video camera at a screen which is looked down on and seen as bush league.
4) Using a camera in such a way causes poor visual quality.
5) My vocal skills on camera are currently below the standard I would like to achieve.
6) I have been able to acquire the games and systems I wanted.
The show isn't going to look like this.I'm hoping the visual issues can be fixed by changing the output from aerial to AV or SCART, only time will tell if this works. If it doesn't then the project may as well be dead on arrival unless I can find a filming method which can fix all these problems.
Enough about the project. While on holiday I sat down and watched some films as it isn't something I do very often so here are some mini reviews.
Mission: Impossible (PG)Tom Cruise plays the role of Ethan Hunt, a secret agent who is wanted by his own government after being set up in a mission which sees all his squad members murdered. Hunt must retrieve a file known as the “NOC List” in order to clear his name and expose mole responsible for the murders of his team members.
Cruise puts on a decent performance in this film as do many of the supporting actors, the cinematography and editing are two of this films strong points with the writing and overall characterisation letting the team down. The special effects used in the films climax look outdated by today's standards and it makes the whole scenario look ridiculous.
In all Mission: Impossible is a fun blockbuster and not much else, the film peaks with the infamous Black Vault scene and then begins to lose steam towards the end.
***
The Transporter (15)Jason Statham is cast as Frank Martin, a former marine turned transporter of illegal and dangerous goods..
The Transporter can be best described as a silly, explosive, dumb action movie. Like other films of its kind The Transporter relies on its non-stop action to keep the audience interested, very little time is given to plot or character development. The one man VS an army mentality of the film is nothing new and at times the film will break all suspension of disbelief by becoming incredibly cartoon like with the action, we are talking car crashes where the cars explode spectacularly on impact.
The Transporter isn't a bad film but it is a one trick pony, outside of the action the film offers very little.
**
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (12)Desperate to defeat the Human Resistance the master computer Skynet sends a Terminator back in time to kill the leader of the Human Resistance, the human resistance also sends their own Terminator back in time to stop Skynet's Terminator from killing him.
Never was this going to top its predecessor Terminator 2: Judgement Day and never did this film need to be made thanks to Terminator 2's closed ending. Schwarzenegger once again plays the T-800, a cybernetic organism who is sent back in time to protect John Connor (Nick Stahl) from being killed by the T-X (Kristanna Loken), a newer, more powerful Terminator. The film completely recycles the plot of the previous film with some differences. In the previous film Judgement Day (the day where mankind was nearly wiped out) was thought to have been prevented, now we learn Judgement Day has only been postponed and is inevitable.
Compared to the previous film almost everything is a step below previous efforts, the casting, script, plot, story, acting and characters are no where near as strong and the film is overall less memorable.
If you look at the film alone though you will find it to be a great action movie with a tonne of incredible action set pieces which work around the basic run and chase plot.
Terminator 3 wasn't the sequel people wanted but it still does enough to satisfy fans of the series and newcomers alike.
***
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Never Assume
Remember when I said I was going to start a challenge where I had to complete 50 video games and then quit playing video games for a year?
Well I've pretty much stopped caring about it, I know I broke my own promise and I am certainly not a man of my word but I think the person who came up with the phrase “Everything in moderation” was onto something.
When I started the challenge everything was about games, nothing else mattered, all I could think about was completing 50 video games as quickly as possible, I gave all my time to these games. I found myself in a worse position than before by going from went to one extreme in order to reach another, a foolish thing to do. I must have spent 20-30 hours a week playing games, you'd think 20-30 hours a week would get me through a lot of games, nope. Many of the games I played were known for their length, Deus Ex, Final Fantasy VI, Tales of Vesperia, Breath of Fire 3 and Pokemon Soul Silver, I could not keep up such a pace and be happy with what I was doing.
On the upside such extremes allowed me to finish some of these games and I can now sell them without regret. Good thing I sold them I needed the extra cash.
So here I am sat down in front of a screen talking about how I no longer have much to show in terms of personal possessions but I'm happy and besides it is true what they say, less stuff means more room for activities.
I thought quitting video games would give me a better social life and help me make new friends, I now know I was completely wrong in thinking this. Never make assumptions about anything.
Anyway no game reviews or artistic pictures this week , I want to talk about something else instead.
I have a dream, well not really a dream but an idea I have had been pondering on for sometime. Reading this blog means you probably play video games, if you play video games then chances are you have watched shows about video games on TV or on the internet. Many people have had a stab at making it big online with their web shows and ideas, I'm going to foolishly attempt the same thing even though like this blog it probably won't go anywhere for a long time if at all.
I'm sure some of you readers have seen or heard of a Japanese TV show called Game Center CX, the show is about Japanese comedian Shinya Arino as he tires to conquer some of the hardest games ever made. The show is loved by many due to its mixture of comedy and drama, two elements known for complimenting each other. The concept of watching someone play videos games doesn't sound like much but trust me the execution of the idea is killer with some of the greatest video game related programming ever seen.
My project will be based on this concept, I believe with the right care and attention an English language adaptation could very well work. I probably won't even start production until the Summer or at the earliest Easter. I also have a few more film related projects in the planning stages.
I wonder if I can make better progress with this than I did with the Game Break Challenge?
Watch this spot.
Well I've pretty much stopped caring about it, I know I broke my own promise and I am certainly not a man of my word but I think the person who came up with the phrase “Everything in moderation” was onto something.
When I started the challenge everything was about games, nothing else mattered, all I could think about was completing 50 video games as quickly as possible, I gave all my time to these games. I found myself in a worse position than before by going from went to one extreme in order to reach another, a foolish thing to do. I must have spent 20-30 hours a week playing games, you'd think 20-30 hours a week would get me through a lot of games, nope. Many of the games I played were known for their length, Deus Ex, Final Fantasy VI, Tales of Vesperia, Breath of Fire 3 and Pokemon Soul Silver, I could not keep up such a pace and be happy with what I was doing.
On the upside such extremes allowed me to finish some of these games and I can now sell them without regret. Good thing I sold them I needed the extra cash.
Money, Money, Yeah, Yeah!
So here I am sat down in front of a screen talking about how I no longer have much to show in terms of personal possessions but I'm happy and besides it is true what they say, less stuff means more room for activities.
I thought quitting video games would give me a better social life and help me make new friends, I now know I was completely wrong in thinking this. Never make assumptions about anything.
Anyway no game reviews or artistic pictures this week , I want to talk about something else instead.
I have a dream, well not really a dream but an idea I have had been pondering on for sometime. Reading this blog means you probably play video games, if you play video games then chances are you have watched shows about video games on TV or on the internet. Many people have had a stab at making it big online with their web shows and ideas, I'm going to foolishly attempt the same thing even though like this blog it probably won't go anywhere for a long time if at all.
I'm sure some of you readers have seen or heard of a Japanese TV show called Game Center CX, the show is about Japanese comedian Shinya Arino as he tires to conquer some of the hardest games ever made. The show is loved by many due to its mixture of comedy and drama, two elements known for complimenting each other. The concept of watching someone play videos games doesn't sound like much but trust me the execution of the idea is killer with some of the greatest video game related programming ever seen.
My project will be based on this concept, I believe with the right care and attention an English language adaptation could very well work. I probably won't even start production until the Summer or at the earliest Easter. I also have a few more film related projects in the planning stages.
I wonder if I can make better progress with this than I did with the Game Break Challenge?
Watch this spot.
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
The Art of Pro Wrestling.
I recently finished one of my college art units so instead of writing I though I'd share something different this week. These are what I consider to be the best of the lot. You can enlarge the pictures by clicking on them.
Nine may not be a lot but I only wanted to post the pieces I thought were the best and the pieces I put the most time, care and effort into.
Sketches:
Pencil, A5 paper.
pencil, A5 paper
Medium sized work:
Charcoal, A4 paper
Charcoal, A4 paper
Acrylic Paint, A4 paper
Chalk & Charcoal, A4 Black paper
Black Ink, A4 Paper
Supporting pieces:
Charcoal, A2 Paper
Final Piece:
Chalk, Charcoal and Soft Pastles, A1 Paper
Nine may not be a lot but I only wanted to post the pieces I thought were the best and the pieces I put the most time, care and effort into.
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