Saturday, August 30, 2014
Diving In The Red Sea, Egypt
Friday, August 22, 2014
How to Become a Graphic Designer!
Graphic design is a creative process that reaches into everything we do these days—from websites to application interfaces to product packaging, the talented hand of the graphic designer is seen everywhere. It can be a rewarding, challenging career. Here are some ideas to help set you on that path.
1. Choose an area of graphic design. Before you can call yourself a graphic designer, you have to make some decisions. For example, are you interested in advertising, web development, multimedia (ex. the TV industry), print design, or animation? These can all be considered different forms of graphic design. Narrow your focus on an area that appeals to you.While graphic design is fundamentally the same whether in print or online, there are also key differences in resolutions, color space, and other variables that are specific to the medium you want to focus on. Though you can certainly do both, it's best to focus on one to begin with.
2. Acquire the tools. The industry standard applications for graphic design are Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. (If you plan to go all-out, the full Adobe Creative Suite includes Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Premiere, Photoshop, InDesign and After Effects.) While both applications are designed to be easy to use from the start, they are very feature rich and will require a great deal of focused effort to master them.These programs aren’t cheap. To get started, play around with free alternatives like Gimp, Scribus, Inkscape, and Pixlr, all of which will help you learn the ropes until you’re willing and able to drop big bucks on the real thing.
3. Purchase textbooks. Focus on books that teach design fundamentals, then study as though you were taking a college course. Instead of working for a grade, however, your reward will be a career that you love.
4. Take a course in graphic design. It's not just to become an expert in programs like Photoshop and Illustrator, but to learn how to use these valuable tools in conjunction with developing a marketable design sense.
5. Get involved with the design community. Practicing at home is a great, safe way to learn the ropes, but eventually, you need to put yourself out there so you can get feedback. Though it may be painful at first, keep your ego in check and take the tips seriously; the payoff will be enormous. Additionally, it’s important to see what other people are doing so that you’re exposed to more than just one or two styles.As with any business, networking is important in graphic design, especially if you intend to freelance. Make friends, keep in touch, be willing to learn, and you might just get work out of it.
6. Further your education.Really interested in graphic design? Consider getting a degree. Academic settings can be inspiring and networking with others in your field is always a good thing. On top of that, many people won’t hire a graphic designer without seeing some proof that they’ve been properly trained. Consider these options:If you want a degree that will lend you credibility but don’t have much time or money, get an associate’s. This is typically a two-year degree and can be acquired at a community college or trade school. The emphasis will be more on computer skills than art theory, but it’s a good place to start.If you want a degree with some weight to it, get a bachelor’s. This is typically a four-year degree that can be acquired at a college or university. In addition to learning all the necessary computer skills, you will also be trained in art and design.Not 100% sure that graphic design will be your career path? Get a bachelor’s of arts degree, not a bachelor’s of finearts. Though both are great for this type of work, a B.A. is less focused than a B.F.A., covers more general education, and makes it easier for you to change to a wildly different major should you choose to pursue something else.If you already have a B.A. or B.S., do post-baccalaureate work in graphic design. These courses may even earn you a certificate, credential, or second bachelor’s degree.If you’re dead-set on being a graphic designer, get a graduate degree. If you haven’t done so already, you will first have to get a bachelor’s degree. Consider minoring or getting a second major in a business-related field if you’re also interested in freelancing.
Bye bye!
I'm Mohamed Abdel Nasser!
Friday, August 15, 2014
How to Be a Film Director!
Watching movies just isn't enough for you, is it? You wanna get your hands on creating them yourself. It's a tough industry and it can take years to break into, but the feeling of seeing your work on the big screen can't be matched. If you're ready and willing to put in the time, have creative vision and an impressive ability to make something out of nothing, you're in the right place. Are you ready?
Starting Your Career
- This may seem like a superfluous step, but it couldn't be more true. Imagine if Martha Stewart never baked before she started her TV show. If a firefighter never saw fire before he tried to put it out. And even if you're not using them to hone your craft, think of it as getting a leg up on the competition. This way you'll know what's been done before!
- Making short films will force you to start learning the technical aspects of directing. Directors are often seen sitting in chairs, wearing berets, furrowing their brows, and yelling at actors, but that's hardly accurate. You'll need to know how to edit, write, act, and do everything else, too. These initial steps will force you to do everything yourself. They'll force you to develop the skills necessary.
- Sounds pretty intimidating, huh? It doesn't have to be. If you write your own script, you can then direct, film, and act in it. It doesn't have to be 2 hours long! Even a few shorts will give you good experience. And you'll foster a newfound appreciation for those roles, to boot.
- NYU, USC, University of California at Los Angeles, AFI (Los Angeles), and California Institute of the Arts are 5 of your big'uns. They've spat out Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Ron Howard, George Lucas, John Singleton, Amy Heckerling, David Lynch, Terrence Malik, Francis Ford Coppola, and John Lasseter.[1]
- If you do go to film school, you'll still be working up the ladder -- but hey, at least you're scoring donuts for legitimate directors instead of stocking DVDs at Family Video. And instead of begging strangers on Craigslist for help, you get those six people in your "Communism in Hollywood" class to work your cameras. Phew.
- If you're in film school, look into internships. If you're not, check your local Craigslist, get in the know with the creative types in your area, and offer to be of service. If you're amicable and trustworthy, people will want to work with you again. And the gigs will get bigger and better each time.
- A production company is more likely to give a chance to someone with five years of Production Assistant experience over some kid fresh out of film school. So if you're not in school, despair not. There is hope.
- Because of this, it's important to be on your best behavior at all times. You can do the dictating when you're sitting in your villa in Italy. But for right now, play nice. You never know when you need to call up a favor.but just remember: believe in your self
Making the Cut
- That being said, it's important not to have a sturdy plan B. If you have one, you'll fall back on it. So whatever job you have to pay the bills, don't get too comfy. That cubicle may end up calling your name after all.
- Some of these gigs will pay well and the work may get addictive. National commercials are nothing to turn your nose up at! And don't think of it as selling out -- you gotta eat.
- Sure, Sundance is the dream (yes, anyone can submit their work; newbies and alums get similar treatment), but what with their 12,000 submissions per year, it may be a little hard to come by. Start smaller and work your way up -- there is literally a film festival going on somewhere every day of the year.[3] Just make sure you meet the deadline and formatting requirements![4]
- Ideally your film will get recognized, you'll get recognized, and it's all easy peasy and cake from here. Your script may get picked up, they'll want to buy it from you, and you say, "NO! Unless you let me direct it!" or you cave and take the money. Whichever.
- Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" was discovered at Sundance Film Festival. Steven Spielberg stumbled upon a then unheard of film called "Paranormal Activity" at a film festival. It does happen!
- Information on your educational experience
- An accompanying resume showing your experience to date
- Your contact information
- Clips that also show your skills in editing, writing, animation and cinematography
- A list of film festivals participated in and awards won
- Miscellaneous experience -- music videos, commercials, animated shorts, TV shows, etc.
- Stills and storyboards showing your process
- Imagine that your producer calls you and tells you he doesn't like the scene you filmed at 5 AM in the middle of Nowhere, Kansas to get the exact perfect shot at the golden hour. The actress changed a few of her lines to give her character more depth and the money's gone. But yes, you got this. You'll spend the entire night reworking the script to make room for something that can be filmed tomorrow at the studio. And would your producer like you to do a couple backwards cartwheels while you're at it? Because you can.
Hitting the Big Time
- A large part of their job will be to negotiate your "gross points." This is a fancy term for however much money the movie makes, you get X percent of it. When a movie makes $100, it's not that big of a deal. But imagine if your next movie rakes in $1 billion! Those gross points matter and they matter big time.
- Good. You want to have a clear vision. You want to be able to show others that you know exactly how to milk out the most potential out of your script. You can make the actors happy, the writing team happy, and everyone in between. You can just see it. And because of that, the process goes a lot more smoothly.
- Cheap. What are most producers concerned about? Money. So if you come in under budget and yet you've still churned out an impressive product, they'll remember. Hoo, boy, will they remember. You're the guy that saved them thousands (eventually millions) of dollars. Not exactly easy to forget!
- Maybe not for you, but for the average Joe on the street, directors aren't seen as the amazing film visionaries they are. It's the actors that make the movie. So when it comes to the public, you'll go unappreciated. And when it comes to your crew, it's no different. If your movie is bad, your producers will blame you. If the actor is upset about how their hair looks, they'll blame you. It's a cycle you'll, best case scenario, grow to tolerate.
- You're in the arts. By now you realize that this is not a field full of people with small egos and weak opinions. You'll be in the middle of metaphorically balancing plates on those spinny little sticks when your producer asks you to play the trombone and your lead actor decides to run away just so you can chase him. Directors have breakdowns for reasons. It's tough stuff. You can cut it, right?
- You're often working on your producer's dime. "Dime" here can be billions and billions of dollars, by the way. So while it may seem like you have free reign and this is your masterpiece, you'll often be let know that that is not the case. It sucks, but it won't last forever.
- Oh, and you'll also be at the whim of time, the weather, and location. The amount of control you'll feel you have over your entire life will be microscopic at the worst of times and minimal at the best. But then you...
- In most cases, you must be hired by a signatory company to be eligible. Or you make it big out of nowhere -- that's basically your two options.[5] The initial fee is a few thousand dollars and you pay minimal dues beyond that. It's completely worth it, especially if the projects aren't constant.
- In pre production, you're translating the script into a movie. Something visual. You're figuring out all the logistics, the casting, and the real nuts and bolts of it all. This is arguably the most important.[6]
- In production, you'll be doing what everyone pictures directors do, combined with a bit more tutelage. You'll let the actors know what you see for them and how you want the scene to play out. However, you'll also be on a massive timecrunch to virtually paint a masterpiece. It will be chaotic, but also thrilling.[6]
- In post production, you'll probably sit down with editing team and piece it all together. You gotta like your editor (and he's gotta like you), or they can make you look very, very bad. You'll also figure out the music and all the other finer points to draw it all together.[6] It'll be a great feeling!