Posts Tagged ‘Video’

is a graphic designer with experience in both printed media and digital multimedia graphics, including photography, animation and video. Maintains a distinctive style, often using unconventional and re-cycled materials. He is also a keen Musician regularly performing his mix of electronic and percussive instrumentation live in and around Liverpool. Over 10 years experience of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, MM Director and Flash, and has recently added to that 3D modelling and rendering using Alias Studio Maya. BA Hons Graphic Design Liverpool John Moore’s University (G. 1996).

Prior to working for Onteca:

client:Richard lloyd Jones – Design (London) On-screen Graphics and properties for BBC productions, (inc. “My Dad’s The P.M.” and “Chiller”) and for Sky TV Production, “Dream Team” (2004)

client: Clare Gabbot – Video Production (Liverpool) Filming of various live comedy productions (Rawhide Comedy Club) for archive and promotional video. Filming of annual performances by Anfield Detached Youth Project. (2003 – 04)

client: Maguffin Ltd. (London) Artwork, design and effects for filming of music video (“John Lennon – Working Class Hero” Music Video DVD, properties and runner.(2003)

client: GS Records – 2003 Music IT Course (Liverpool) Course Co-ordinator, audio engineer, tuition of digital (2003)

client: ADS UK – Web Development (London) Design, animations for web projects. (2001 – 02)

client: Hype Design (Liverpool) Multimedia, web design, (inc. promotional CD Rom for Luxor Lighting) (2001)

client: Moorfields Digital Printers & Finishers (Liverpool) Designer and print-technician, P.O.S. graphics, advertising and company literature, exhibition, large format, floor graphics and special media. (1998 – 2000)

client: Connect (Liverpool) Web designer for “Merseyworld” project, (sites inc. Liverpool Airport & Laver Publishing) (1997)

client: Hillsborough Survivors and Families for Justice Campaign (Liverpool) Design of Logotype to represent the JUSTICE group, used on all stationary and merchandise (1997)

client: Littlewoods Home Shopping (Liverpool) Catalogue design and marketing for menswear department, new-product marketing, stationary and publicity material.

Dan has been working at Onteca for the last two years, developing mobile Internet applications including a GPS based locatative tracking system, dynamic web based systems including video blogging systems, Geotagging systems, and rich media content management systems.

Dan also provides network administration skills, and hardware troubleshooting and maintenance. Before that he worked for the Merseyside Disability Federation developing an active web site system.

Dan also worked at LSCA developing a human resources organisation and scheduling database management system. Prior to that worked for Treefrog Software developing a TPM business management methodology based manufacturing plant equipment management and scheduling system.

Overall a total of 14 years software development and programming experience in many different programming languages and variants including several active web development systems such as PHP, Perl, MySQL, and many application and database languages, including C++, Object Pascal, COBOL, assembler and MS-SQL.

BSc Honours level for applied computer technology at Liverpool John Moores. Before that for A levels in Computer Science, and Maths, and AS levels in Psychology, Statistics, and Accounting at Carmel 6th Form College.

Current Research

We are committed to working with new and developing technologies. Through our research working with artists and commercial developers, we have been continually pushing the boundaries of possibility for the platforms we work on. Be it pioneering 3D Graphics on early PCs or innovations on the latest mobile phones – we are determined to be there first.

ITEM

We are developing cutting edge creative tools for artists through the ITEM project, hosted at FACT , the UK’s leading organisation for the development, support and exhibition of film, video and new and emerging media. This project is funded by NESTA and the Arts Council of England and is being co-produced in association with the FACT Centre. ONTECA is working together with artist Jen Southern to explore the use of dynamic multi-user GPS as collaborative drawing tool

blu_box

Working in partnership with artist Maria N Stukoff and the Manchester Metropolitan Universities Regeneration Office (MMU) – we are pioneering a new game experience for Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones: blu_box. Taking advantage of the emergent networked city, wireless communication tools are fast becoming the preferred personal entertainment devices. The mobile phone acting as a wireless beacon to receive and collect data. ONTECA is moving beyond basic Bluetooth audio visual exchange p protocols by developing and piloting new Bluetooth applications for social game-play. The blu_box project is creating new grounds for the reality of exciting street-based gaming environments by creatively enhancing and pushing the technology of mobile phones.

An artistic project that allowed Onteca to work for three years on cutting edge applications involving GPS through mobile phones, geographically sensitive upload of data from mobile phones, and the combination of all of this with map systems on the Internet.

Landlines is a multi-user drawing tool for mobile phone and Bluetooth GPS, that allows users to draw by moving in real space. As you walk through the city with Landlines your latitude and longitude is periodically sent via mobile phone to a database. A website then displays your live tracks.

Landlines was designed for use in exhibitions, websites and artists projects.

As new routes are drawn, old ones decay and fade and thus the city is written and rewritten daily in the actions of its population.

Developed initially through the ITEM programme, which was designed to create and maintain collaborations between artists and technologists. ITEM as a programme was formulated and facilitated by FACT, the UK’s leading organisation for the development, support and exhibition of film, video and new and emerging media. ITEM was funded by NESTA and the Arts Council of England and was being co-produced in association with the FACT Centre. ONTECA worked together with artist Jen Southern to create this dynamic multi-user GPS as collaborative drawing tool application.

Technologists working on this project on behalf of Onteca included Jon Wetherall, Dan Davies and Chris Orton. Jen Southern’s artistic collaborator was Jen Hamilton. Work on the initial ITEM element of the project occurred between 2004 and 2006.

Landlines went on to receive further support from the Arts Council, be an integral part of several exhibitions and interventions and is now live as a separate project with its own site. Its history as a means of constructing aesthetic experiences is elaborated in more detail there.

Onteca has continued to develop the range of technologies created for this project and adapt them to new purposes and platforms. Initially, the application required a separate GPS unit which then linked with mobile phones through a Bluetooth. With the new generation of phones, such as the Nokia N95, having GPS installed as standard, this IP currently has a more universal appeal.

Further Details of ITEM.
Research ? The Itemisation of creative knowledge. Ed: Clive Gillman. 2006. FACT and Liverpool University Press. ISBN 1-84631-038-5
http://www.fact.co.uk/main/services/artistdevelopment/item

I Am Here is a project created by the International Centre for Digital Content (ICDC), part of Liverpool John Moores University.

The project is part of the Liverpool Culture Company’s ‘4 Corners of the City’ programme, through which cultural organisations are working creatively with Liverpool neighbourhoods which are experiencing rapid change, upheaval, and high rates of residential turnover.

Through collaboration and creative partnership, ‘4 Corners of the City’ encourages Liverpool residents to be active in cultural regeneration at a time when a sense of community is disappearing and memories and aspirations are fading.
Through the creative process, the programme seeks to answer the question ‘What makes a neighbourhood?’

ICDC is working in partnership with East Liverpool Neighbourhood to create an interactive map of the community. Members of the community will participate in the project by using their mobile phones to document their heritage, hopes and experiences.
The project will use an application created by Onteca Ltd, which uses mobile and GPS technology, and Google Maps, to upload multimedia content to an interactive map. ICDC will train residents to use digital technologies such as video cameras and mobile phones to capture and create content and upload it to the map.

The project is open to all community members and workshops will begin in January 2007. Click here for more details on how to be involved.

‘4 Corners of the City 2007’ will culminate in a two week exhibition featuring all the participating projects, beginning on 29th May 2007, to celebrate European Neighbours Day on 30th May 2007. The project is also available online at http://iamhere4corners.blogspot.com/

I Am Here is a project running from January to May 2007. It’s open to all residents of the East Liverpool Neighbourhood Area. We would like people from all over the community to get involved with the project so that the map represents as much of the Neighbourhood as possible.

How does I Am Here work?

I Am Here is an interactive mapping toolkit which enables you to upload content to a map of your community – content such as text, a picture, a film or an audio recording. The content could be based around a theme and a location that is of importance to you or the wider community.

The project will use GPS (Global Positioning Systems) so that you can take us on your favourite walks and record what you see along the way. The map contains ‘hotspots’ to geographical locations specified by you, which, when triggered, will present digital media content which has been created by you and other community members.

What can I do?

If you have a story about your community, for example, telling us about your favourite place, a ‘hidden history’ that not many people know about, or just what you would like to see happen in your area then we’d like to work with you!

How can I tell my story?

The mapping toolkit is very easy to use.  You can find out how to use it at one of our workshops, which will be taking place at community venues and at ICDC between January and May 2007.  We will show you how to use mobile phones, cameras and computers to help you create and publish your story.

If you or your community group are interested in taking part please contact us:

iamhere.me.uk/

HeaL8, a charity working in public health in the Toxteth area of Liverpool, approached Onteca about the possibility of the creation of an educational animation. They wanted an innovative animated film that warned about the dangers of excessive marijuana use, especially the risk of cannabis psychosis.

As Onteca’s lead video games illustrator, Pauline Wong, had experience in animation, we agreed the project. It was an interesting experiment in constructing an entertaining narrative with the purpose of involving and influencing young people. Abi Atkinson directed the piece, as well as editing it and contributing towards the script. Initially, the script was written by Michelle Richards based on the life story of Cathy Cuthbertson. This script was used to create the short film, Blowing Our Minds.

Later, a re-edit of the film introduced a new voice-over, written and voiced by Cathy Cuthbertson, the woman whose personal experience had inspired the film

Blowing Our Minds is now used by HeaL8 as part of its work in Schools throughout Merseyside.

A design for a virtual world which combined elements of cinema, video game and art installation, created through a collaboration between a group of disabled artists and Onteca, involving an extensive training element.

Occuring between 2002 and 2004, this project originated as a training programme and period of development meetings involving a group of Disabled artists and Onteca. One element was the provision of training in new media production techniques for some of the disabled artists involved. This training was in basic skills such as image manipulation and video editing, more advanced skills such as 3D modelling and video compositing.

The eventual project, as conceived by the group, was a virtual game world where insects that incarnated certain personality types (such as aggression, or calmly hardworking, or carefree) would clash in a virtual environment. This environment would be projected on the wall of a space and the game would be controlled by the audience positioning themselves within that space. Advice would be delivered by three ‘Fates’, pieces of video designed to sync with the action of the game and projected on the ceiling.

Games are about having fun. They are about history, maths, art and IT, as well.

This Key Stage 4 engagement project is being delivered by Onteca, a professional Video Games Design and New Media Company, so it will be about skills that are useful in industry. This is not an academic course, it is very much practical. Written skills aren’t important. Student reports can be given in the form of Video Diary.

Stage One of the course involves playing a lot of video games. Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games, that teach all sorts of interpersonal communication skills and good IT basics. Supervised and facilitated by Onteca.

Stage Two is to get the young people thinking about what makes a good video game. To learn some design skills used by industry professionals, in a fun and easy way, with lots of in-game examples. By the end of this stage a Bronze Arts Award will be achieved by all those participating.

Stage Three involves the young people actually making a game environment. Putting their own designs, idea and artwork inside a computer game. This will be accredited at NVQ Level 1 or with a Silver Arts Award.

This project would consist two days a week – Mondays and Tuesdays, at Discovery Community Learning Center. Onteca has experience of working with young people from challenging backgrounds.

Register interested young people with Lynn Struve on 0151 346 6734. Contact Max Zadow from Onteca on 0151 709 0028 or see www.onteca.com for details.

An exciting new course is being launched in the Wirral that provides training in the very latest techniques in website and New Media production.

During 2004 media commentators started talking about something called ‘Web 2.0′: a new, different Internet that is already here, already evolving in front of our eyes. Taking advantage of the fact that Broadband Internet connections allow video, images and built in games as standard for websites, a whole new generation of exciting web-sites have conquered the online world. This course gives Wirral residents the skills to take advantage of this new wave of Internet expansion.

Onteca, a professional New Media Company based in Liverpool, has been given some European Social Fund support to deliver top-of-the-range training for people in areas of the Wirral. This training is for the Pathways Areas of Wirral, which includes a large proportion of the Wirral’s residents. Check with Onteca to confirm you are eligible. Onteca are interested in all sorts of people for the course. Obviously this would suit people with an interest in computers, New Media and games, but those with an ability in art, photography or writing will also be provided with a practical outlet for their talent.

The course is free, doesn’t effect benefits and there will be a solid qualification at the end. Even those who have to leave early (for instance, for work reasons) will get credits for elements of the course taken. Some financial support for travel and childcare is also available. It will be two days a week at venues across the area and Discovery Community Learning Centre, a state-of-the-art facility on the Wirral.

As well as teaching people how to make their own websites, this course will give a condensed guide to the new ‘Rich Media’ sites, and how to achieve the same results. Elements of the course will outfit people on how to make basic video games, animations and films for the Internet, with room for further specialisation later. Onteca has a breadth of knowledge of the local media and New Media scene and can guide people towards appropriate career choices based on what they have most enjoyed in the Web Learning 2.0 course.

At time of writing (June 2007), the first intake are just approaching the end of their course. It seems likely all will get a level 3 NVQ, and some already have been offered paid work in a relevant area. We are proud of what they have achieved, and look forward to following their careers as they go from strength to stength. We are recruiting now for the next run, to be delivered both in Noctorum and Birkenhead. Contact max@onteca.com for more details.

Hello everyone, i thought i would insert some information about the Devlop event this Thursday which i will be attending along with some other members of the Onteca family. See blog for full event programme.

This Thursday sees the popular Develop conference make its debut appearance in Liverpool.

Set to bring together the best and brightest game developers from across the UK for a day of learning, sharing ideas and networking, Develop in Liverpool boasts an impressive range of sessions and panels. Below are details of the currently confirmed panels.

Highlights include the keynote by Michael Denny, senior vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, Europe, and speakers from Bizarre Creations, Natural Motion, Team 17 and Jolt.

Those interested can still register here; tickets currently cost £265 plus VAT. The event takes place at Liverpool’s Arena and Convention Centre, and offers a unique opportunity in a city many consider the cultural capital of the north.

The sessions:

OPENING KEYNOTE: Quality, Relevance, Innovation
The talk will provide a visionary insight into what Sony Computer Entertainment First Party studios are looking for now and in the future when commissioning Original IPs from Independent developers.
Speaker: Michael Denny, senior vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, Europe

EVOLVE: Turning Browsers into Gamers for Fun and Profit
The biggest platform with the most potential isn’t owned by a manufacturer or run out of Redmond. Web browsers and social networks host tens of millions of games a day, bring gameplay to new audiences, allow innovative new gameplay ideas, come with a diversity of business models, and are wide open to new entrants. But what can traditional games companies bring to the party, and where should you focus your efforts for maximum impact and reward?
Speaker: Dylan Collins, Jolt Online Gaming

CODING & PRODUCTION: PlayStation: Cutting Edge Techniques
The talk will provide an overview of the current state of the PlayStation platforms and games from a technical perspective. There will be a coverage of several real-world examples of cutting techniques as used in recent and soon to be released PlayStation3 and PSP titles developed by Sony Computer Entertainment worldwide studios.
Speaker: Neil Brown, senior engineer, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe

ART & DESIGN: Blocking to Rocking! The art of LEGO Rock Band
Travellers’ Tales has won endless plaudits for the distinctive and humorous characters in its LEGO games. But having mastered a plastic fantastic take on much-loved cinematic heroes, how would its artists tackle real life musical legends for LEGO Rock Band? Matt Palmer, Head of Animation at TT Fusion, gives us a unique insight into capturing the essence of Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and the game’s other rock gods in LEGO guise while operating within the constraints of the Rock Band format.
Speaker: Matt Palmer, head of animation, TT Fusion

EVOLVE: Five App Stores Under the Microscope:
iPhone, Blackberry, Android, DSiWare, PSP Minis
There’s plenty of excitement around digital distribution of mobile and handheld games, but it’s early days – the various stores are finding their feet, while developers figure out how best to approach them. This session will look at five key digital stores: iPhone’s App Store, BlackBerry App World and Android Market, as well as DSiWare and PSP Minis. What are the trends in terms of pricing and categorisation? Which games are doing well and why? And how are developers increasingly looking to release games across several or all of these stores?
Speaker: Stuart Dredge, online editor, Mobile Entertainment

CODING & PRODUCTION: Role of the Production House in Game Development and Marketing
Created during the early development stages of a video game, concept movies can often lay the foundation in the creation of new games. They can be used as an influential selling tool by developers to gain universal buy in from international publishers whilst also giving the development team a vision of what they’re working towards, helping lock down important factors such as the overall look, style and feel of the game. Some of these movies never see the light of day once the game is complete but others serve a multifaceted purpose and are used as a powerful internal and external marketing tool. Tony Prosser, Managing Director of Lancashire based CG Production House RealtimeUK, will be speaking about the role of concept movies in games development. He will also discuss how they created some of their most well known concept movies and marketing trailers including Motorstorm for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Split/Second for Disney Interactive Studios and Napoleon: Total War for Sega.
Speaker: Tony Prosser, managing director, RealtimeUK

EVOLVE: What the Music Industry Can Tell Us about Digital Distribution
The last few years have been turbulent for the music industry as it grapples with the transition from physical goods to digital distribution. What can the games industry learn from the music industry as the sales and delivery of interactive entertainment increasingly move online? Simon Watt of Universal Music reprises his very popular Brighton talk with an updated explanation of what the music industry has got right – and wrong – and what it means for games.
Speaker: Simon Watt, vice president technology, Universal Music Group

CODING & PRODUCTION: How to Get More From your Music and Audio Team (panel)
Harry Potter, Project Gotham Racing, Heavenly Sword, The Getaway, and Geoff Crammond’s Grand Prix series are just a few of the titles covered by the careers of an illustrious panel of leaders in their field. Whilst managing hundreds of thousands of game audio production dollars, procuring music, dialogue and sound design services from both in-house and external game and movie sound resources, these senior players fully recognise the commercial imperative and inextricable link of what they do in audio provision with corporate goals, gameplay objectives and console technology. Drawing on their years of experience seeing the good, bad and downright ugly of audio in games, they will distil critical insights for producers, programmers, artists and designers about how to get the most from their audio team and thereby realise the maximum potential for sound, music and dialogue to rock their game production.
Chair: John Broomhall, independent audio director
Panelists: Dan Bardino, SCEE; Adele Cutting, EA; Nick Wiswell, Bizarre Creations

ART & DESIGN: Resurrecting the Alien Breed franchise
If you’re lucky enough to have a much-loved retro game to work with, how do you bring it up-to-date without damaging its DNA? Team 17′s design manager John Dennis outlines some of the challenges and opportunities the studio has faced in bringing its classic Amiga game Alien Breed back to life in the form of Alien Breed Evolution, which it is set to self-publish for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Speaker: John Dennis, Team 17

EVOLVE: Keeping Northern games development on the map (panel)
Game making has a long history in the North of England and much to be proud of, but there’s no denying recent years have been tough, with key studios closing and others fading from prominence. What can be done to ensure the region remains a hub of game development excellence, and what help is already available? Could local studios do more to support each other, or is it better every studio fights for itself? A panel of leading insiders debates the issues.
Chair: Toby Barnes, MD, Pixel Lab

CODING & PRODUCTION: A Bizarre Way to do Real-Time Lighting
The talk focuses on the techniques used in the real-time lighting implementation for Blur, but with a particular bias for how things were done for the Playstation3. Beginning with a high-level discussion of the problems at hand the swiftly talk moves into how these were initially solved in a cross-platform way, but then later optimised for Playstation3. Along the way the speakers share their thoughts on light pre-pass rendering and SPU programming techniques, and offer a helpful ten-step guide to migrating your lighting to the SPUs.
Speakers: Stephen McAuley and Steven Tovey, Bizarre Creations

ART & DESIGN: Why is Playing Games Fun?
Recent research in neurobiology reveals multiple ways in which the “pleasure centre” of the brain can be tripped, and thus multiple ways that players enjoy games. This research also dovetails with the latest player satisfaction models, which show that different players enjoy very different aspects of play. This session explores seven different ways in which the brain responds to play, each corresponding to a different play style, and thus different kinds of videogame. By understanding the variety of ways that a game can provide enjoyment, developers can learn why their games are fun – and how to make them more fun for a greater number of players.
Speaker: Chris Bateman, MD, Hobo International

EVOLVE: Digital Distribution: From Blue Sky to the Bottom Line (panel)
Signing a deal with Steam is no longer enough. From branding to social media marketing; from price discounts to community management, this panel will address what developers need to do to maximise revenue from their digital distribution strategy.
Chair: Nicholas Lovell, GAMESbrief
Panelists: Mark Morris, MD, Introversion Software; Tero Virtala, CEO, RedLynx; Oliver Birch, account director, PlayReplay

CODING & PRODUCTION: 6 Ways to Get More Bang for Your Buck
The bad news: budgets are tight and time is short, yet everyone still wants quality. The good news: there is no shortage of talent! Outsourcing, offshoring, contractors and freelancers – thousands of externals are ready to help you stay under budget and make better games, or, if handled badly, to wreck your project. From formal outsourcing to co-development and remote teams, Beriah’s Kevin Hassall reveals six tricks to get the very best from this wide world of talent.
Speaker: Kevin Hassall, Beriah

ART & DESIGN: Open Mic – Voice Control in SingStar the Method and the Madness
Applying cutting edge technology to casual games in a way that enriches the end user experience in a non disruptive way. Voice recognition technology is notoriously unreliable and most user experiences with existing technology have been poor. The voice recognition technology in SingStar was designed to allow users to select songs and navigate menu options. This presented its own set of unique challenges from both technological and usability standpoints. This presentation will cover the challenges and pitfalls of using voice recognition technology in SingStar.
Speaker: Charlie Hasdell, designer, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe

EVOLVE: We’re All Indies in This Together
Digital distribution, downloadable content, and casual and social games are fast re-writing our ideas about what a game can be. Leading this charge are a new wave of small, innovative and entrepreneurial developers with very different business models – and often different aspirations – to the conventional games industry. Enter indievision, a new trade body for a new breed of studio. For the first time in public, founder Robert Swan outlines why the new indie sector needs to work together, and what joining indievision can do for you.
Speaker: Robert Swan, co-founder, indievision

CLOSING ADDRESS: The Ups and Downs of Backing 60 Start-Ups
Richard Farleigh, High Tech Entrepreneur and Dragon (from Dragon’s Den)

Networking Party!
After the conference, you will have the opportunity to network with delegates from an event running alongside Develop – Software City – designed to showcase the region’s dynamic technology sector. Now running in its third year Software City attracts an international audience and is an opportunity for businesses and investors to make valuable connections, share ideas and hear from world-class entrepreneurs.

Develop in Liverpool and Software City have teamed up to host a joint post-conference networking party for all their delegates. The party will be held in PanAm on the Albert Dock.

Your Develop pass will allow you free access to the party where you will have the chance to meet attendees and speakers from both events, including Software City’s star speakers Richard Farleigh of Dragon’s Den fame and Julie Meyer co-founder of First Tuesday, CEO of Ariadne Capital and one of the recently announced ‘online dragons’.

Information supplied by Develop.com event article