Working In Digital Media – Fiona Harte

This week we had our final guest lecturer. Fiona Harte came in to speak to us about sales and marketing online. Fiona Harte worked for Palm, which is a company working on smart phones.

Fiona Harte has spent over 15 years working within sales and marketing, and now focuses mainly on online sales and marketing. She spoke to us about laws regarding e-stores and how they work. Online marketing is extremely important to any company. It not just good enough to have a TV advert anymore. Today more and more people are online, and a lot of people probably spend more time online than they would watching the TV or listening to the radio. So it is vital that a company spreads their campaign online. A lot of companies would chose to online adverts, such as banner and island adverts you would find online. However, even now – that doesn’t seem to be good enough. Social networking is becoming more and more popular, with more and more people logging into and joining Facebook or Twitter daily. It is because of this that companies are starting there own social-networking pages in order to attract people to their product.

Online marketing is a lot cheaper and sometimes more effective than more common forms of advertising such as TV. This is because it can be easily uploaded and taken down, where as it takes time and money to create posters and flyers, and a TV advert can cost a lot of money to air – and if it contains errors, it can cost even more money to fix.

There are a lot of laws regarding online sales and marketing. These laws maily cover us, the public. It means that when we register with our e-mail online – we are not e-mailed every 2 mins with up-to-date offers from companies we don’t know for things with don’t require. Fiona’s lectuer was really intresting as online maketing is something that is of interest to me, and I’m definitly intrested in looking into it more.

Working In Digital Media – Maria Brown (Interview Skills)

Next week we’ll all be sitting mock interviews as part of our CA for Working In Digital Media. Some of us have sat many interviews, but some – like myself – have close of no experience of sitting an interview. To help us prepare, Maria Brown came in to talk to us this week about preparing for an interview. Maria is a Careers Development Manager and works within in the college, and will be one of the people doing the interviews next week.

she first spoke to us about our CV’s. It is vital to bring a copy of your CV with you to an interview. The employer should already have a copy, but just in case they don’t. A CV is all about you and your qualifications on a piece of paper, and so should be prefessional. It is also very important to dress appropriatly for the job interview.

It is also vitially important to prepare for an interview. Do your homework and research the company. It is very likely the empolyer will ask you what you know about the company, and it is very impressive if you have an answer prepared. You can research the company online, or you could contact the HR department for more information. It is also important to know your CV like the back of your hand. They will ask you questions from your CV, and if you dont know exactly what you wrote down – they wont be impressed.

Prepare answers for as many questions as possiable. You can look online for frequently asked questions. Some questions an interviewer may ask are;
Tell me about yourself?
What do you know about the company?
Tell us about your work experience to date.
Where do you hope to be in 5 years?
Can you give an example of when you have worked under pressure?

It is also important to prepare questions for the interviewer, and to know what kind of questions are suitale. For example “How many people work within the department?” would be a suitable question, while a question about the salary would not.

Working In Digital Media – Robbie Ward

This week Robbie Ward from BPM (Beats Per Minute) media company came in to speak to us. BPM is a company that specialises in advertising in pubs, clubs, shops, banks etc.

Robbie first showed some an example of some of the advertising BPM does. BPM create “in-house channels”, which are basically screen that air adverts and music videos directed towards the customer. Robbie showed us an example of the type of music-videos that they would display in a bar directed at younger people. The idea is simple – play modern music, complete with scrolling text and adverts (eg “2 for 1 now!”, “get 25% off within in the next 10 mins!”) in order to attract the customer. It’s a win for the client because the adverts appeal to the customer more than a poster/flyer and the system can also work as a DJ system, which in turns saves the company money from hiring a DJ.

Robbie told us that the saying “Content is King” is no longer relevant, and in fact “Relevance is King” is the new rule. The content is unimportant if the relevance is not there. For example, having a 25% discount on Jager Bombs is not going to help you if your target audience are men between the ages of 30-60. In order to get it right, you need to build up information on the client. You need to pick a fixed target audience, how often they visit and when they visit. Only then can will your adverts begin to shape and take effect. Robbie told us that they would normally spend one week observing and collecting information off a client before going ahead with the adverts.

What I liked about BPM form of advertising is that it is interactive. Adverts can change depending on the day, and even the time of day. For example, in a café – the screen could advertise a breakfast deal in the morning, and then change to a lunch deal later that day. The content of the advert is of course important as well. The customer only looks at the screen for approx 7 seconds. So, you have a 7 second time frame in order to get the message across. The advert must be clear but effective.

Robbie spoke to us about the use of music in their adverts. In-store music can be used to either keep the customer in the store for as long as possible, or in some cases for them to leave once they have what they want. For example, in a store like Tesco – modern, catchy songs are played. By doing this, the customer may sing-along or hum-along as they shop, making the time go by faster and leaving them thinking they haven’t been in the shop as long as they may think. By keeping the customer in the store longer, the more likely it is that the customer will buy more as 70% of the stuff we buy is unplanned.

However, in a café or restaurant – like McDonald’s – they use faster, louder and heavier music. They play this kind of music because after a while it can become a pain to listen to. They do this because they want customers to eat and leave so that they have room for more customers. Restaurants like McDonald’s may also use uncomfortable seating so that the customer leaves and doesn’t stick around after they have finished eating.

I found Robbie Ward’s lecture really intresting, and I found the use of psycology in the way BPM advertise to be really intresting and something I would like to learn more about.

Working In Digital Media – Trip to Dáil/Science Gallery

This Tuesday, 23rd March, we went on a trip to visit the Dáil and then onto the Science Gallery in Trinity College.

We started the day by meeting outside the Dáil at 10:45am before being greeted by Ronan Mullen, a CDM lectuer at ITB but who is also a senator in the Seanad. 

As we waited to be given a tour, we went to get a cup of tea or coffee (which was made a lot more complicated than it should have been – which people moving from one side of the room to another ), as Ronan spoke to us briefly about his role as a senator, about how the Dáil works and how the Irish polictal system works.

During the tour, out tour guide brought us around the bulding filling us in on the history of the building and giving us more information on how the system works.

Sadly, we didn’t bump into Mary or Brian on our way around the building, but the tour was intresting and our tourt guide was very helpfull and answered, sometimes pretty odd, questions.

After the Dáil we all boke off for lunch, before meeting up again at the Science Gallery in Trinity College. Here we were given a tour of the current exhibition – Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef. We were shown some amazing exhibits on display, all created by a knitting technique which created a Coral Reef effect.

Below is a video which shows Margaret Wertheim, the woman who – with her sister – began the project, explaing the exhibition and the science behind it in greater detail.

Below is just a small selection of some of the work on display (images taken form online gallery).

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

 You can get more information on Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef @ http://crochetcoralreef.org/
Or visit the Science Gallery exhibitions page @ http://www.sciencegallery.com/crochetcoralreef

I don’t really see where a viisit to the Dáil or the Science Gallery really fit in with doing Creative Digital Media, but it beats a lecture anyday! I think the exhibition was intresting, but the science behind it didn’t really intrest me.

 

We have a few exciting assignments coming up, which includes the stop-motion story which I can’t wait to get started on. The group that I am working on have some great ideas and I already cannot wait to see the finished movie!  A lot of work ahead – it’s going to be a busy Easter break!

Working In Digital Media- Ron Crabb

This week we didn’t have a guest lecturer, so instead we were all instructed to watch a video on Creative Inspirations, I chose a talk given by Ron Crabb. Ron Crabb is an American motion graphic/visual effect artist and matte-painter who works on big film productions.

Ron got his first taste of working with graphics when he moved to California and started working printing sports t-shirts. Designing the t-shirts lead into logo design. He managed to get an interview, and a job, doing graphics for newspapers. However, when computers arrived in 1985, Ron lost his job as a primary graphic designer for the newspaper – but he did get a freelance job at night. Ron was allowed work on the computer all by himself during the night, creating 1-2 graphics for the newspaper and then learning and creating on the computer. Ron admits that his career path has been unplanned, and that he has been lucky to have been given the opportunity to work and create and to learn new skills.

Ron says he is a man of faith and wants to be an artist and wants to create because “there was somebody who created me, created us”. Ron says that is his inspiration and that art is something that connects people, brings people together and something everyone has in common. He says that being good at what he does makes for a “pretty good life” and although it can be tedious at times, he knows he is lucky to have a job that he can create in order to out food on the table for his family.

I was so impressed and amazed by Ron work as a matte-painter. A matte-painter is somebody who creates backgrounds for movies. Ron first work as a matte-painter was on the X-Men films, working on the dramatic film scenes of the films. He has since worked on other big Hollywood films such as Speedracer and The Bucket List.. Ron says the work can be challenging, as computer technology grows he finding clients are requesting and expecting close to photo quality scenes, and he says that crossing the fine line between artistic and real can be very difficult to close – especially coming from a fine artistic background.

Ron showed off some just some of the work he has done, creating matte-painting for scenes in Speedracer and The Bucket List. Ron has to put every little detail on a separate layer, and make his paintings work depending on how the camera will move in the film’s scene. The paintings must also be very high resolution, sometimes over 12,000px.

Ron says working in the digital world allows for more “what if .. “. It allows for errors, and it allows for change a lot easier than phyical work, such as oil-paintings.

http://www.crabbdigital.com/

Working In Digital Media – Fiona Kelly

Today, Fiona Kelly came in to talk to us about “Seeking Inspiration”.

Fiona Kelly was a freelance web designer. She started working in print, before applying for a Interactive Design FÁS course. She was one of 15 to be accepted out of over 500 applicants. After the course she began her own company, Glimmer, and specialises in designing web pages, flash banner adverts and logos. She has been working in the area for 15 years.

Fiona Kelly started the lecture by quoting Jim Jamush – “Nothing is original.” Everyone steals from each other, and steals little bits from everyone else’s ideas or creations.

Fioan Kelly went on to talk to us about some previous jobs she had worked on. Her previous jobs included;

ScootlerIsland
Fiona Kelly created a web page for the company “Scooter Island” Her brief was to make it “lightweight” and ”easy to update”. Fiona told us how she used websites like iStockPhoto (www. istockphoto.com) to find images to fit with the websites theme. She told us that she could spend up to two weeks researching photos and designs before starting the project. She may take small parts of loads of different designs to create her banner for the website. The design may go through 5-10 different outcomes before a final one is selected.

Fat Kitty Films
Fiona created a logo for the film company, Fat Kitty Films. She told us how she would again spend weeks researching images for the logo, before creating many different variations before sending a select few off to the client. The client would then select the final design.

MyHome
Fiona also showed us of an example of a flash banner she created for MyHomes.ie. She told us about her “inspiration folder” where she keeps images and designs that she has loved but never got around to using before. In the case of MyHomes.ie, she finally had a job where she could use a design from her “inspiration folder”. The result was a flash design using straight lines that curve, with text passing through and images borrowed from other designs.

Fiona also told us of some difficult clients she had:

Dublin Gay Theatre Festival
Fiona said it as difficult working on a web design for the client because they didn’t want to change that much of their original design.

Puca
And it was difficult working with the above client because they had unclear guidelines.

Fiona recommended that as first year students we take on as much experience as we can because it can all go towards a portfolio. Even the wort clients can lead to good portfolio material.

“Talent is the desire to practise”

Fiona’s Website
http://www.glimmer.ie/

Working In Digital Media – Emma Wade

This weeks guest speaker was Emma Wade. Emma Wade is a visual arist working in the field of Digital Meida.

Emma Wade spoke to us about how she became a professional at what she does. She attended National College of Art & Design in Dublin where she recieved an MA. She told about how she worked in New York as an intern during the summer of 2008 before returning to work in dublin, where she is now based.

Emma said how her work was mostly “playful” and how she tends to focus on audience interaction.

Some of Emma’s work includes “Rexotrek”.  An art project which aims to allow the user see the world through a dogs perspective. The user is required to get down on their hands and knees in order to experience the work, which is made up of video and audio to mimic th dogs world.

Below is just a short example of the “Rexotrek“.

Rexotrek from Emma Wade on Vimeo.
Another project Emma Wade worked on was titled “The Cheer Up“. The aim of the project was to cheer-up members of the pubic by applauding the user with various levels of enthusiasm each time it is activated.

It worked by using a sensor matt. Eeverytime a person stood on the matt, applause would sound and the persons photo was taken. Below is a photo of the peice being used by a member of the public.

Cheer Up

 

The entire peiece was designed and created by Emma Wade.

Emma’s most recent project is titled “H.U.G.S” and it is based on the need for human affection and the relationship between humans and machines. The peice is made up of a machine that the user puts on. the machine then applies a certain amount of pressure onto the body which mimics that of a hug, leading a posative effect.

Emma Wade hopes that with her work to investigate ”the physiological effects of deep pressure and cellular memory in a fine art context”.

You can get more information on Emma Wade and her work on her website: http://emmawade.com/CV.html

You can also get more information on “Rexotrex” and “The Cheer Up!” below:
http://www.rexotrek.com/
http://www.thecheerup.com/

Working In Digital Media – Ian Cudmore

This week Ian Cudmore came into talk to us about his time working in digital media, and about his career was as a freelance editor.

Ian Cudmore worked for Chutney Films Ireland, and worked as a freelance editor and worked on a large number of projects. He spoke to us about working with RTÉ on projects such as “The School” and a number of shows with Meave Higgins. Ian described working as a freelance editor as both rewarding but difficult. He compared it to college life, with him choosing to work when he wants, doing as much or as little as he wants at anytime – so long as he got the finished project done on time. He also said it was difficult as he could go weeks without getting any work, and then times when he would get 2-3 projects at once.

Ian showed us some of the work he has done, including stills from editing software he used when editing “The School” for RTÉ, which looked very complicated. He also showed us a clip from his current project “We Own The Streets” (http://weownthestreets.ie/)  which is part of RTÉ’s Storyland Competition.

I think everyone enjoyed Ian’s guest lecture this week. Ian gave us a great iinsight into working freelance. Ian’s lecture also made me consider doing editing after the course. I think it looks more and more iinteresting and rewarding.

Extra: Working In Digital Media – Book Cover Assignment

For this week’s assignment we all had to create a book cover. I decided to do my book cover on myself (vain!), and on things I like and enjoy.

I did my book cover in Photoshop and Illustrator. I got a photo of myself and cropped myself out until just my outline remained. I filled my outline with images of music, movies, people and places I enjoy. Some of the things I included are; Music: David Bowie, Frankmuik, Queen, Joni Mitchell. TV: Queer As Folk, Gavin & Stacey, Family Guy. Movies: The Breakfast Club, Slumdog Millionaire, Toy Story, Sweeny Todd. People: Stephen Fry, Bo Burnham, Simon Amstell, My secondary school year group. Places: Brighton.

We have to present our book cover’s (along with our CV’s) to lecturers next week which I am ready to do. If there is one thing I love, it’s talking about myself

Working In Digital Media – Edward Melvin

This week Edward Melvin was unable to come and speak to us about his experience working in the field of Digital Media. Fortunately, he did speak to the first years last year, and they recorded his lecture. So, this week week we watched his guest lecture.

Edward Melvin talked about that he worked as a project manager in an advertising and communications agency company, ICAN. Edward Melvin also talked about his role as a project manager, and what his roles are. Edward described the main role of a project manager was to “deliver profitable for the agency on time, in budget and to the clients expectations”.

Edward also listed what it took to ensure a good successful project:
- Realistic expectations.
- Communication.
- Involving the client.
- Good, detailed planning.
- And being able to identify risks and assumptions.

Edward Melvin told us about the company he works with, ICAN, what they provide, the people that work there and how they develop a project.

ICAN help clients make decisions online, and they provide services including web design, online PR, multimedia design and advertising campaigns. ICAN focus on converting people. A “convert” can change depending on the objectives of the project. It can mean a direct sale, a download, a visit, an open or even a click.

There are 12 stages in how ICAN produce a campaign. The 12 stages are;
- Meeting
- Strategy
- Brief
- Brainstorm
- Proposal
- Concept
At this stage, a main concept would be decided on and ICAN will then go on to produce this concept. The following 6 stages follow:
- Planning
- Creative
- Approval
- Production
- Testing
- Release

Edward Melvin also told us what we could expect from life at an agency, and at ICAN. ICAN is made up of 27 core members of staff. These include 1 managing director, 1 accountant, 2 search managers, 3 working in media, 5 client services, and 14 staff members working in production and creative.

He described life at an agency as “fast-paced”, “hectic” and “pressurised” but also “creative”, “rewarding” and “fun”. Whcih appeals to me.

Edward Melvin ended his lecture with the advice to “Write. Design. Craft. Develop”. A piece of advice i plan on taking up. I thought Edward Melvin’s guest lecture was brilliant and full of uslfull tips and gave a good insight into what to expect from the digital media environment.