Building a Website

I am currently looking into different website-building sites for me to create my professional website. I am trying to decide between Wix and Moonfruit. 

Wix

• Easy. Fast. Beautiful
• No coding needed
• Just click to edit anything and create your own website in minutes!
• Advanced HTML5 Technology
• To create a site
• Wix is the only drag n' drop website editor that offers you HTML5 capabilities
• 100s of Stunning Designs
• Just for you
• Whether you need a business website or a personal portfolio
• Your Website
• Your way
• Change colours, text, background, pics & more to create your own unique site
• Top Grade Hosting
• 100% free
• Wix is dedicated to providing you with the best, most reliable hosting, 100% FREE
• Mobile. Facebook. Blog.
• Full web presence
• All you need in one place. Create websites, mobile sites, Facebook pages & blogs too

Domain names can be brought from wix for $14.95 for one year, and they offer .com and .co.uk

Moonfruit

• Publish Once. Be Everywhere.
• Web, mobile, social
• The internet just keeps getting bigger and your customers want to find you everywhere. You design your site the way you want it and we'll make sure we publish it correctly for web, mobile and social. Our software automatically creates a mobile optimised version of your site, and we'll even push your entire shop into Facebook with just a few clicks. Set your site free!
• As the online space continues to evolve it's our job to evolve with it and make sure your site is everywhere it needs to be without you having to worry!
• Total Design Control
• Own your own brand and online identity
• So what if you’re not a web designer ...you still have the power to craft and own your brand and identity. Moonfruit has an enormous library of backgrounds, images, templates and animations to choose from so you have complete control over the look and feel of your website.
• You can lay images on top of images, crop and animate them, make them transparent, choose from any number of fonts and colours – whatever you can imagine, you can make happen. Our premium packs now come with Getty Images too!
• Set-up Shop
• Start Selling in Ten Minutes
• The Moonfruit ShopBuilder automatically publishes your shop onto web, mobile and into Facebook. You only have to set-up your shop once. (Publish to eBay and other marketplaces coming soon too!).
• It offers a mobile optimised checkout for phone shoppers integrated with PayPal. It allows you to push your products into your Facebook and Twitter stream. It allows your customers to 'like' and 'tweet' their browsing and buying habits. It can be designed and published by you, like every other Moonfruit tool. It's even free.
• Get Blogging
• Good articles get shared. Sharing gets visitors. You get traffic. Blogging can create the kind of goodwill for your products that money can’t buy. It allows customers, friends and fans to share tips and experiences they collectively care about.
• It gives you the platform to share your expertise and passion about your business and you'll have a good excuse to regularly update your site and push articles into social media like Facebook and Twitter. Like every other part of Moonfruit, you can change the design and add your own content without any coding. It's addictive!
• Get Visitors
• Attract more people to your site
• Building and editing your website is only part of the fun. As you know, the most successful websites are the ones which attract the most people. Search engines like Google play a key part in this. All of our sites are search engine friendly and our tools automatically 'mark up' your content so that it is easy for search engines to read and understand.
• We've also added Google Analytics so you can track your visitors, and Google Webmaster Tools to help make your website a success.
• Premium Options
• More space, more products more stuff
• All Moonfruit sites are awesome, but if you want a little more awesomeness to beef up your website's capabilities, that's fine too. Multiple websites, more disk space, free domain names, bigger product catalogue, mobile checkout enabled, multiple site administrators – all these things and more are possible. You can even get a reseller pack if you want to start building websites for clients.

Moonfruit domain names cost £11.99 a year (and £11.99 for renewal) for .com, or £5.99 (and £5.99 for renewal) for .co.uk (minimum 2 year registry). 

CJ Clarke

CJ Clarke has been commissioned by Vanity Fair, The Guardian, and Christian Aid, as well as shooting documentary and portraiture. He has also won the BJP's Open Shutter Award, which is the first UK competition for HDSLR capture. 

What inspired you to begin using moving image and why?

Film, the moving image, has always been my primary interest. I took up for photography at the age of 15 or 16 as this was the closet I could get to film making. Digitally technologies were not widely available so it was not possible (and probably not even conceivable) to get my hands on the right equipment and start making films. 

Photography or more specifically, photojournalism, side-tracked me and it was on the medium that I exclusively focused for three or fours years. It was however, always my intention to make films and I began making small films (perhaps film is the wrong term, multimedia pieces using moving image, stills and audio) and gradually this led to my film 'Mother & Daughter' which was my first fully fledged film: it was the right opportunity at the right time. Rather than make a film for the sake of making a film I wanted to wait until the right opportunity presented itself to ensure it would be seen and not just vanity. 

In this sense, I wasn't swayed my new developments in camera technology; it was always an intension to make films the invention of HDSLR's made the leap from stills to film much easier and more accessible. 

My preference for film over stills is down to the greater control you have, as director, over the whole piece; the greater ability to control an audiences perceptions, to control the narrative in order to tell the story that you want to tell. As a working photographer, you are, in the main always producing work to fit into somebody else's design, be that a magazine or newspaper etc. As a film director you have control over every element - the visuals, the script, the sound, the lighting, the costumes. It is an exhilarating experience. 

What equipment do you use to capture your moving image work?

I have predominantly used HDSLR cameras to make my films so far. These cameras though, are used in the context to full processional film shoots, working with cinematographers, using lighting ... professional sound recording etc. It is never just a matter of turning up with my camera kit and trying to film something ad-hoc. 

How much of your moving image work has been commissioned?

All of my moving image work has been commissioned ... it is important that work is produced for a reason or has an outlet otherwise, otherwise the project can end up just being vanity; it can have no focus and no checks and balances to ensure you are making a refine product. 

You have covered campaigns and trailers in your work, will you expand into any other genres or areas?

I will of course expand into other areas - fiction and longer form documentary maybe. 

Has your moving image work influenced your still photography?

I was originally inspired by cinema and, as such, my stills photography as probably always been more influenced by film than other photograph; or indeed, I have been drawn to and influenced to photography that had a cinematic style or narrative such as Gilles Peress photography. 

Do you think it is important for photographers to expand into moving image?

It is clear that stills photography has changed; developments in digital technology and means of production have had a profound effect on the way we take and consume media. Stills photography does not exist in a vacuum. It has to respond to new developments and this may mean that photographers should expand into this area but only if they have the required skills and passion. Stills photography as we know it is probably dead; at lest on a downward curve that will see it become a more marginalised art. How photographers respond is up to them

. 

Stan Guigui

Stan Guigui's work is inspired by classic literature, including the works of Charles Dickens, which has fueled his work that delves into the darker side of society. His main body of work, The Kingdom of Thieves, is about Bogota, Columbia, and the people who live there whose lives have been changed for the worse by government abandonment. He has also worked as a crew member on several moving image projects. 

What inspired you to begin using moving image and why?

Just wanted to make a movie. Something different that stills. Another way to tell a story.

What equipment do you use to capture your moving image work?

Anything, Sony HD, Canon 5D, Camera does not really makes difference. I loved the HI8, it was the closest to film...

How much of your moving image work has been commissioned?

None, they where produced by Ciné Producers.

You have worked as a crew member on several films, did you find your photography skills translated easily to a new medium of work? If so, how?

No it's totally different. In a movie, frames and lights are changing in the same scene so it is another work. You need other people to help. When I am doing pictures;, I don't want any assistant, I don't like to talk... For me, movie is less intuitive than stills. It is a work. No pleasure !!!

Has your moving image work influenced your still photography?

No, it is the total opposite. My work in photography, helps me to do a movie. It is much more difficult to make a good picture than a good scene. In movie, you follow the action. In still you have to catch an action or an expression and sometimes it is really fast !

Do you think it is important for photographers to expand into moving image?

In term of business I would say yes, because TV pay more than magazines and they are thousand millions of pictures. So it is maybe easier and bankable to sell a short documentary or tv reportage. Also with the new consumption of media (I Pad, internet...) It is easy to put moving images. 

Cover Letter

Speculative vs Standard Letter

• Speculative
• something that covers the CV
• used for an opening or position that you don't know exists - e.g., something you haven't seen advertised
• Standard
• something that covers the CV
• used for an opening or position that you have seen advertised

In some cases, an email can be a cover letter, in which case the CV can be attached to the email. Each cover letter should be targeted and tailored to the organisation and role.

You should:

• explain why you are writing and what you can offer
• explain interest in employer
• display understanding of job and enthusiasm
• emphasize your key selling points
• illustrate with examples, then direct them to your CV
• keep the length to one side of A4 maximum 

Artist Statement

An artist statement is a brief statement created by the artist about their work. Its purpose is to justify, explain, or contextualize a body of work.

The statement should:

• use clear, simple language that is easily understood
• entice the reader to view the work

The context included in the statement should cover:

• what is the background of the piece?
• why did you create it?
• what influenced your ideas?

When talking about the meaning of the work, this should be included:

• what are the key themes of your work?
• what does it represent?
• does it reflect a philosophy or vision?

CV Development

How can you present yourself?

• CV
• Cover letters and emails
• Artist statement
• Application form
• Personal website/blog
• Portfolio
• Showreel
• Business cards
• Social media

The purpose of a CV

• It's a marketing tool
• It can be used to get an interview or work experience
• Don't tell your life story - only include achievements and highlights
• On average, employers spend 30 seconds reading a CV

What should a CV include?

• Contact information
• Links to online portfolio
• Education and qualifications
• Experience, work history, volunteering
• Achievements, awards, competitions
• Hobbies, interests, societies
• References
• Maybe a personal profile

CV Styles

There are three styles

• Chronological
• Skills based/functional
• Creative

Get the content right before focusing on the design

Tips

• Make it no longer than two pages (one page double-sided)
• Format it in reverse chronological order
• Make the layout consistent and attractive
• Double check it for errors and spelling/grammar mistakes
• A CV needs to be tailored for each role you are applying for
• Find the right balance between too much and not enough information

What is in a successful CV?

• Provide evidence of most relevant skills, knowledge, and experience
• Use examples from a range of contexts, e.g., uni, work, hobbies, volunteering
• Be specific - what did you do? What skills did you use? What did you learn/achieve?
• Write clearly and consistently - no waffle
• Use strong action words to describe yourself, but "passion" is overused 

Laurence Dutton

Laurence Dutton has been a photographer all his life and is enthusiastic about moving image. He specializes in advertising and commercial photography. 

Dutton was one of the photographers listed for me to contact about photography and moving image. I sent the emails out on Tuesday 6th November and received a reply on the same evening, asking if I could ring him on Thursday. The responses given to the questions will be based upon the notes I made during the conversation, as I did not record the phone call. 

What inspired you to begin using moving image and why?

Dutton says he is forward-thinking and in the past has worked with graphic designers. He said that moving image is taking over from ink and that print has numbered days. 

What equipment do you use to capture your moving image work?

Dutton has previously used the Canon 5D Mark II, but has just bought a Sony video camera. The other equipment he uses is a dolly slider, a small crane (for swinging, up, and down shots), a focus puller, and a monitor to view his work on.

How much of your moving image work has been commissioned?

Dutton told me at the beginning of his career a lot of his work was commissioned. Production companies used him as a cameraman, however, he has had little commissioned work (he estimated around 10%)  in the last six months. He is currently working by himself creating stock footage.

Have you found that your photography skills have translated easily to a different medium of work? If so, how?

He told me it was very easily to translate his skills, especially lighting.

Has your moving image work influenced your still photography?

Dutton believes that his moving image work has not directly affected his stills photography. He feels that in fashion, moving image has pushed still photography in a different direction.

Do you think it is important for photographers to expand into moving image?

Dutton told me he believes it to be essential for photographers to get involved with moving image as there is less work for photographers. He also noted that photography work is less well paid, saying that a job that would pay £2000 a few years ago now would pay £300. 

Dutton also told me he believes that making a decent living from photography alone will be harder, and that stills that have movement (.gifs/cinemagraphs) have a certain elegance about them.

Contacting Photographers

Following a previous post about contacting photographers, here is the standard template for the emails that I sent on Tuesday. Some questions have been tailored to that artist's work if applicable.

Dear __________,

I am a BA (Hons) student currently working towards my Photography degree at the University of the West of England. As part of a project, I am looking into the photography industry and in particular, how and why photographers are using moving image and including it in their portfolios. I came across your name during my research into photographers who are embracing film making. 

I would be very grateful if you could answer questions on this topic and anything else you feel is necessary. 

• What inspired you to begin using moving image and why?
• What equipment do you use to capture your moving image work?
• How much of your moving image work has been commissioned?
• Have you found that your photography skills have translated easily to a different medium of work? If so, how?
• Has your moving image work influenced your still photography?
• Do you think it is important for photographers to expand into moving image?

I look forward to hearing your response and your opinions on moving image.

Thank you for your time.

Kind regards,

Lorna Rollings

Karni + Saul Talk

"Karni and Saul are a couple and a creative team who have just joined Aardman Animations as Commercials Directors.  Saul is originally an animator/director, and Karni a photographer/director.  They started working together in 2004 after the video department at Virgin Records saw potential in some 10” films they made for showstudio.com. The films were based round the idea of flip book animation and were a natural evolution from their individual occupation bringing photography to movement or the other way around. They developed these into the three minute music video/film and then have gone onto make longer shorts, including the BAFTA nominated Turning, and Flytopia. Karni and Saul see their films like little stories, short cuts around a certain narrative where, influenced by their photography background, framing, beauty, crops, lighting are all very important. They like to call their work “breathing stills”."

On Wednesday, I received an email inviting me to a practitioner talk by filmmaking couple Karni and Saul. Both born in Israel, they met in college and wanted to become art teachers. Saul ended up becoming a self-taught animator, while Karni changed schools to study photography. They both ended up in England and met up again while working for Nick Knight's ShowStudio. This came about after Karni, who was struggling for money, was influenced by Nick Knight's interactive shop window installation. The finished product was uploaded to Showreel, and from there Knight commissioned a short. 

In terms of equipment, the couple use DSLR to film moving image for their stop-motion work as they found with the flexibility of lenses, the work was better quality than if they filmed with a camcorder. Camcorders are too low-resolution to make stop motion from due to the file format. Saul animates the films himself and tries to make any CG (computer generated) work look as photo-real as possible. However, due to Karni's photography background, she sees it as more important than animation in terms of filmmaking. 

Karni and Saul like to shoot on film as it has a good result, however it limits the filmmaker experimenting due to the cost. Karni believes playing is underrated as it is where you "find the magic". The couple read biographies of directors to inspire them to be playful. 

The couple think that a written script is not as important as you may think it is when pitching an idea. For their first pitch, they submitted a storyboard as they didn't know how to write a script. The idea that they were pitching included little dialogue so it was also beneficial to submit a storyboard instead of a script. 

It took a long time for the couple to get into films from commercial videos and music videos. They believe that critiques are essential to improving your work, and to not submit work that is similar or includes similar styles and techniques to what is popular, as it makes you stand out and is favourable. They said that film isn't about being like, but it's about being brave as it gains respect. 

Saul encourages filmmakers to challenge narrative and storytelling. He says it is easy when watching films to tell who has been to film school, as they are taught how to make films. Saul tells film students to disregard what they have been taught in film school and to find and keep their original style and look.  

The couple have made two short films. The first, Turning, is ten minutes long and was commissioned by the BBC.  The synopsis from the BBC website reads:

"On his sixth birthday, Robert receives three beautiful old ladies in his mother's sitting room. Through his eyes, we visit the memory of this afternoon, visualised with the free spirited imagination of childhood, naive yet wonderfully dark. Ladies appear like birds, a gift scuttles across the floor, blue icing is nibbled from a magical cake, tea is sipped, lacy slips shifted, and between knobbly knees strange visions appear. The ladies weave an extraordinary tale of an emperor with no skin, and the boy himself, older and wiser, adds the finale... with a tail."

They call Turning a "naive, soft fairytale with a dark side". At that point, they had read the Will Self short-story Flytopia, but felt that it was too raw for a first film. Turning was nominated for a BAFTA.

"We stumbled across the fantastic short story by  Lynda Sexson  in a murakami-edited collection called "Birthday Stories". 

And we immediately fell in love with the mix of wild imagination, crazy narrative structure and the magic of its world.. dealings with age/skin/beauty/sexuality and childhood.

It was shot over a week in Bristol with a fantastic crew cast and team!! great fun!!! the rest is history. we are very proud of our very first short. its now toured more than 12 film festivals around the world and is still going.... and the BAFTA nomination was fantastic,  we actually had to buy Saul his first suit .  p.s. got to kiss Tim Burton hooray!!..."

Flytopia was the couple's second short film, based upon the Will Self short-story featured in his book Tough, Tough Toys For Tough, Tough Boys. It is 20 minutes long and was commissioned by Film4. 

"A dark fantastical tale in which a man enters into a pact  with all the insect inhabitants of his rural cottage. 

dripping with honey, sex, flies, meat... 

and a very sticky end"

They shot on location in Hungary and used the location and Hungarian crew to push themselves. The short was shot over the space of a week, but Karni and Saul commented that they could have possibly done with an extra week. Their Director of Photography had worked previously on feature films. The majority of the insects were computer generated - Saul estimated 95% - and post-production lasted for 12 months. One component of the film was making madness to be a "good place".

Flytopia was shown at the Encounters Festival in Bristol, however it is not a premiere as it cannot be a premiere in your home city. Will Self was nor involved in the making of the film, however, he gave the film good feedback, calling it a "mistresspiece". Karni and Saul are now collaborating on writing a feature film with Will Self. 

The couple have filmed music videos for Flogging Molly, and also Joanna Newsom. The Newsom video for her song "Good Intentions Paving Company" was banned due to her being "too sexualised", although she had asked for a Rihanna-style music video. 

Karni and Saul say that they are still developing their style, but believe a crossover of mediums is crucial to bringing something to life. Karni said:

"If anyone feels anything while watching something I've made, I'll be happy."

Why are photographers expected to include moving image?

This is the question for our group project.

I have briefly researched some photographers who also use moving image in different ways. I will contact them with tailor-made questions relating to their practice and experience.

Those who I will contact are:

• Zed Nelson
• CJ Clarke
• Stan Guigui
• Jessica Dimmock
• Greg Funnell
• Sam Desantis
• Laurence Dutton
• Jasper Clarke
• Jason Larkin

I will make individual posts about them and the questions I sent them.

I have also looked at other photographers who have expanded into moving image:

• Sam Taylor-Wood
• Tim Walker
• Anton Corbijn

I don't know if I will contact them or not as I don't expect a reply from them as they are quite high-profile and I expect, very busy, however I will research them more in depth.

Professional Practice Group

I have been sorted into a group with Amber and Emily to do a group project on our joint interest: the film industry.

A fortnight ago, I met with Amber to discuss a possible title that our project could be about that linked photography and film.We dismissed the idea of "Women in the Industry" as it has been covered too many times and might appear to be "done". We discussed things like applying techniques and skills from film to photography, the more obvious photography within the film industry such as film stills photographer, and photographers adding moving image to their portfolio. We decided to come up with two ideas before the class on the Professional Practise module the next day.

My two questions were:

• What roles within the film/tv industry are applicable to photography?
• Look into stills and promo, then crew roles - cinematographer, location scout etc
• How can photographers transition into moving image?
• Either into the film industry, or incorporating moving image into a portfolio

The next day, we were split into our groups and left to plan and discuss the project before presenting it in front of the rest of the class. We looked into my two questions, and with help from Jim, were encouraged to contact the BBC in Bristol and Picture This, as well as look at the BJP and cinema journals. We decided upon our project being on the topic "What is the relationship between photography and moving image?"

Our feedback:

• Direct question into a specific area
• Are photographers expected to use moving image?
• Is it mostly narrative work?
• Look at people who have used moving image outside of narrative work, e.g., ads, music videos, etc.
• Is there an expectation to go into moving image?

We agreed to stay in touch with each other using an iPhone app called "WhatsApp", an app that allows users to form groups and keep in contact by having all messages sent able to be viewed by all the people in the group. We thought this would be better than keeping in touch via text or email as we cannot see the replies unless they are sent individually to all members of the group.