#industryplacement

Date: April 25, 2024  

Time: 12:00 PM - 6:30 PM  

Location: Studio at 5 Kimber Street, Paddington, New South Wales 2021  

Participants: Francis, Zinnia, Sida  

Overview:  

The main tasks for today involved compiling data from last week's exhibition, editing bilingual promotional and interview videos, exporting them in various formats for different platforms, and creating a studio editing template accordingly.  

Chronological Record:  

- 12:00 PM - 12:10 PM: Review of New Photo Books  

  - Francis and I went through newly bought art books, learned about layout and cover design, and brainstormed ideas for the next project theme.

- 12:10 PM - 2:30 PM: Editing Promotional Video  

  - Exported and sorted videos from last week's exhibition the Daylight Moon.

  - Outlined the editing themes and content, searched for suitable royalty-free music.

  - Modified and exported the short video editing for ongoing exhibition promotion.

- 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM: Break  

- 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM: Editing Interview Videos  

  - Decided the interview theme as "Introduction to Creation Concepts," with a duration of no more than one minute to align with current short video trends.

- 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM: Recorded English voiceover  

  - Recorded an English version of the artwork introduction using my mobile phone for Francis.

Skills Learned and Application:

Today's work primarily focused on video editing. Unlike previous narrative films or video essays, the purpose of these videos is to attract visitors to the exhibition physically. Therefore, I employed a fast-paced, fragmented editing style to convey a lot of information clearly in a short time. Francis specifically requested frontal shots of certain key individuals in the promotion clips, so I selectively interspersed these with footage of visitors engaging with the exhibits for diversity. Due to time constraints, I skimmed over the details of each artwork, leaving some gaps, as this video is not primarily about introducing each exhibit. The ending design echoes the font and layout of the posters for better audience retention. Delaying the logo disappearance directs attention to our studio's branding, serving both as attribution and promotion. While editing the interview videos, I kept them under 1 minute to maintain audience engagement. Each artwork's introduction in the video includes FRanci's visual descriptions and conceptual insights to stimulate viewers' imagination. I showcased each artwork from multiple angles and selectively used Francis's voiceover to increase the artist's exposure. However, in the English version, I replaced Francis's speaking clips to avoid mismatched lip-sync issues. The ending of the interview video was directly copied from the promotional video to maintain continuity since they are part of the same series.

Analysis of Interviews and Events:

During the break, Francis and I discussed funding for the independent studio. Curating exhibitions is more complex than anticipated, and gaining government funding is essential. Additionally, artists, like Zinnia being a GP, often have secondary sources of income to support their art endeavors. Spending years to secure startup funds is common and not something to be ashamed of. A mistaken belief is that if you studied film in undergrad or grad school, you must pursue a full-time filmmaking career, which is totally incorrect. Your artistic aspirations don't need to correlate with employment; they can be entirely separate. I also don't believe that we can work on our own style all the time at work; most of the time, we're serving clients' need. Therefore, as long as we maintain a passion for creation, we can still pursue art.

Reflections on Experiences:

Before starting the editing process, I organized and archived all materials. A clear asset library and storage hierarchy undoubtedly improve my editing efficiency. I plan to maintain clear naming conventions and hierarchies for each project from now on, especially for my final project, which involves thousands of assets. Editing is a balance of artistry and accessibility. When communicating with clients about innovative and experimental ideas, it's crucial to explain the reasons clearly with the finished project and seek their approval. After all, this isn't about showcasing personal style but meeting clients' needs. Some details can be discussed later, but discussions must happen before exporting, such as sponsor logos at the end, or credit lists.

Date: April 11, 2024

Time: 12:00 PM - 5:30 PM  

Location: 5 Kimber Street Studio, Paddington, New South Wales 2021  

Participants: Francis, Zinnia, Sida  

Overview:

Today's primary focus was on preparing promotional materials for next week's exhibition——Daylight Moon in Canberra, including the design and print of posters and room sheets, which led to the creation of a studio working template and workflow.

Chronological Record:

- 12:00 PM - 12:20 PM: Introduction to Funding

  - Francis introduced me and shared tips to websites for obtaining funding, such as NSW Government Small Projects Grants, Screen NSW, Verge Gallery, Creative Australia. 

- 12:20 PM - 2:30 PM: Indesign AVALON series Layout Design

  - Refined and modified the layout designs for two photo collections.

- 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM: Break  

- 2:45 PM - 5:30 PM: Poster Design

  - Designed a poster for Francis's exhibition "Daylight Moon" next week and printed it.

  - Designed posters for Francis and Zinnia's exhibitions next year, "Avalon" and "On the Loose."

Skills Learned and Application:

While my previous work primarily involved digital media, today's internship allowed me to experiment with different paper types, printing techniques, and printers. The tactile quality of printed materials surpasses even high-quality electronic screens, and the differences in printing techniques' effects are significant. Sometimes, printed results may not be as vibrant as digital versions, possibly due to printer and settings issues. For important prints such as large-size artworks, specific color requirements, or special paper textures, seeking assistance from professional printing services is advisable. Even for seemingly minor items like flyers in physical exhibitions, printing plays a crucial role, not an area to cut costs. However, the harsh reality is that printing is also a part of studio cost control. Through our experiments, we found that copying instead of direct printing can speed up the printing process, especially for bulk printing, and make it easier to control color density.

Analysis of Interviews and Events:

I discussed with Francis strategies for obtaining funding from government and unions. Government grants for purchasing safety equipment are often overlooked by many studios. Another useful tip is to utilize online consultation sessions before submitting applications, where you can present your work ides to officials to gather feedback and establish connections, increasing your chances of success. While there are grants available for international applicants, many projects focus on Australian citizens only. Collaborating with citizen artists or excluding non-citizen artists' names from applications can be useful. Francis focuses more on fine arts applications, while I lean towards screen-related ones, both of which have lengthy application timelines, requiring early preparation. Overall, understanding each application's requirements and timelines is crucial for success.

Reflections on Experiences:

In summary, the studio's project efficiency significantly improved today due to our established workflow among the three of us. Francis and Zinnia handle textual content and find reference styles, which I then layout, integrate, print, and revise. An interesting observation was made by Francis regarding last week's layout design, where the lack of renaming or numbering photos wasted time during image searches. This week, he thoughtfully added simple numbering to the photos. Going forward, especially as our material accumulates, a comprehensive, standardized, and clear naming system is essential. This not only helps me quickly access the necessary files but also facilitates file handoffs among the three of us and collaboration with other departments such as printing companies, news departments, gallery managers, and so on.

Date: April 4, 2024  

Time: 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM  

Location: Coomber Street Studios, 5 Coomber Street, Paddington, New South Wales 2021  

Participants: Francis, Zinnia, Sida  

Overview:

Today was primarily focused on learning Adobe Aero and designing the layout for a new photobook, laying the groundwork for broader artistic endeavors in the future.

Chronological Record:

- 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM: News Release Editing

  - Revised the exhibition news release drafted by Zinnia, including image formatting, detailed revisions, and final review.

  - Researched advertising platforms and methods, such as USYD alumni groups, Little Red Book, etc.

- 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM: Adobe Aero Exploration

  - Explored Adobe Aero to create interactive AR projects based on existing images.

- 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM: Break

  - Discussed recent experiences with mid-journey ai generation.

- 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM: Indesign AVALON Layout Design Version 3

  - Finalized spine, page numbers, and colophon for print version, and exported printable versions.

- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Indesign LAND OF AMBITION Layout Design

  - Preliminary layout design for Francis' new photo collection based on the previous template.

Skills Learned and Application:

During today's internship, I mainly explored using Adobe Aero to create AR experiences. Through practice, I learned the distinctions between using horizontal, vertical, and image anchors to trigger AR objects. Despite initial challenges with behavior setup, such as objects not popping up as intended, collaboration with Zinnia led to a successful resolution. Additionally, the given pop-up object is a 2D image, and the spheres in Adobe Aero assets cannot have their colors altered, I attempted to convert the pop-up object to 3D. I experimented with converting 2D to 3D in both Photoshop and Blender. Eventually, in Blender, I created the desired black sphere by the customizing sphere texture. Self-learning via Google searches and YouTube tutorials proved effective. I reinforced the idea that effective storytelling and motion convey surpassed technical proficiency.

Analysis of Interviews and Events:

Talking with Francis about mid-journey image generation was inspiring. I was amazed by the vast collection of AI-generated artworks Francis has accumulated. It made me realize that I don't need to be a perfect photographer or a Photoshop expert, nor do I require expensive equipment. The most important factors are having the courage to innovate, a broad knowledge base, and a good sense of aesthetics. Francis' new portfolio also inspired me; seemingly unrelated images, devoid of text, can convey a complete narrative solely through careful arrangement.

Reflections on Experiences:

Overall, today highlighted enhanced efficiency through familiarity. Especially when working on the second photobook, everything from determining image dimensions to establishing master page formats, font selection, and adding a copyright declaration on the final page was accomplished swiftly within a short period. This efficiency stemmed from familiarity with the initial format and two rounds of collaboration. For instance, when Francis was considering the narrative logic, I would scroll up and down the page to help establish connections between images quickly. When Francis was searching for images, I promptly opened the import page, and followed his actions to locate the images together, reducing the time spent searching. Similarly, Francis ensured that instructions were clear and double-checked each time, rather than simply urging me to catch up on progress. I believe that every collaboration involves a period of adjustment, and it's not just about one side compromising; it requires mutual effort. This is particularly crucial in situations where one party is responsible for providing ideas while the other handles operations. Clear and precise instructions are essential for improving efficiency. 

Date: March 28, 2024  

Time: 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM  

Location: Kimber Street Studios, 5 Kimber Street, Paddington, New South Wales 2021  

Participants: Francis, Zinnia, Sida  

Overview:

Today's work focused on deeper collaboration following initial familiarization. The emphasis of the day was on content generation, aimed at preparation for upcoming exhibitions.

Chronological Entries:

- 12:00 PM - 1:40 PM: Mid Journey Practical Sessions  

  - Francis instructed on setting up a personal server on Discord and adding bots for private creation.

  - Learned to create prompt keywords, further filtering and saving images.

  - Utilized community browsing to gather prompts and creative inspiration.

- 1:40 PM - 2:00 PM: Indesign Roomsheet Layout Design  

  - Utilized templates established last week to format English and Traditional Chinese manuscripts provided by Zinnia into complete exhibition invitations for print and email distribution.

- 2:00 PM - 2:20 PM: Break  

  - Francis shared experiences from non-film festival competitions he participated in, including insights into the Sydney Biennale.

- 2:15 PM - 3:30 PM: Indesign AVALON Layout Design  

  - Enhanced previous week's design, adding more photos and adjusting photo presentation sizes.

- 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM: ZEN Sound Design  

  - Communicated sound design ideas for Francis's upcoming exhibition and desired concepts.

  - Preliminary screening of sound effect libraries and finding reference sounds.

  - Produced a 1-minute 30-second sound design based on reference sounds, achieving seamless loop transitions.

Skills Learned and Application:

During today's internship, I learned to utilize AI tools to enhance work efficiency, particularly in communication. Starting with Mid Journey to quickly generate several concepts, which were then presented to the client for direction selection, followed by detailed design and modification. Additionally, through trial and error, I resolved the issue of errors displaying when exporting PDFs from InDesign, caused by Chinese fonts. Henceforth, especially in bilingual environments, efforts should be made to avoid mixing Chinese and English in the same document. This not only addresses workflow issues but also significant differences in Chinese font formatting. Furthermore, given the studio's frequent need for both Simplified and Traditional Chinese formats, I should familiarize myself with commercially usable fonts supporting PDF export in both forms to expedite future workflows.

（Mid-Journey Generated Photo）

Analysis of Interviews and Events:

Francis shared experiences from film festivals and competitions he participated in. Particularly interesting was EQUS's art creation on quantum science held at M2 Gallery last year, which excitedly combines art with physics. Moreover, this serves as a good means to connect with local artists through the numerous galleries and their regular events. This aspect, which I seldom considered during my student career, involves broadening my social circle beyond school, yet it's precisely what I need once detached from school's protection. Additionally, Francis mentioned that due to technological limitations, XR and VR are still relatively niche fields with high chances of winning awards at film festivals. Therefore, considering VR film production when I can still borrow XR equipment from school.

Reflections on Experiences:

Overall, today involved deeper collaboration and my first independent sound design within a limited time frame. This made me feel pressure stemming from insufficient skills and preparation. Hence, I will continue to refine my sound design techniques, especially in synthesizers. This being my first opportunity to participate in exhibition sound design, I shouldn't easily let go of this hard-earned opportunity.

Date: March 21, 2024  

Time: 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM  

Location: 5 Comber St, Paddington NSW 2021  

Participants: Francis, Zinnia, Sida  

Overview:

Today marks the beginning of my internship at Studio 13 Sydney under the guidance of Francis Cai. The focus of the day is on familiarizing myself with the studio, actively engaging in activities, networking with studio peers, and applying newfound insights to personal growth.

Chronological Entries:

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM: Introduction

  - Francis provided an overview of studio operations, and safety protocols.

  - Discussed current studio progress, future projects, and my potential involvement.

  - Set up the day's agenda, including printer operations, layout design, and photography tasks.

12:30 PM - 1:00 PM: Printer Operations

  - Downloaded and installed Canon Professional Printer & Layout software.

  - Learned various format settings for color and black-and-white printing, manual paper loading, and ink cartridge replacement.

1:00 PM - 1:20 PM: Profile Photo Shooting

  - Learned to use the Hasselblad x2D, focusing on manual focus and aperture selection.

1:20 PM - 5:30 PM: Indesign AVALON Layout

  - Determined page dimensions, bleeding, and margins.

  - Under Francis's guidance, organized static images into a cohesive layout using InDesign, covering aspects like cover pages, font selection, image arrangement, and acknowledgment page design.

  - Set up parent pages, paragraph styles, and text styles to facilitate uniform modifications.

  - Packaged project files according to industry standards for backup and final revisions next week.

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM: Break

  - Engaged in discussions with Francis about creative philosophies and specialized areas.

  - Inquired about specific shooting techniques, post-processing workflows, and commonly used tools.

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM: Indesign Roomsheet Layout

  - Compiled Zinnia's provided text into a complete exhibition invitation, exported for printing and email distribution.

Skills Learned and Application:

During today's internship, I strengthened my skills in InDesign layout. However, encountering an error while exporting the Roomsheet as a PDF caused a delay for everyone. Consequently, I discovered that InDesign may not be as convenient and efficient as PowerPoint and Word for producing timely, easily editable, and shareable documents such as posters, notices, and roomsheets. Instead of spending extensive time on fine-tuning each text format, it might be more effective to quickly arrange content in PowerPoint to achieve the goal of disseminating information. This is a mistake I need to avoid in future work, as the purpose of tools should be to serve production rather than proving one's proficiency in the field.

Analysis of Interviews:

In conversation with Francis, he raised an important point about student works often lacking depth and continuity. This resonates with me as I possess a broad but undistinguished skill set. Over the past few years, my focus on completing assignments has led to a scattered portfolio with insufficient depth of research, making it challenging to develop my own complete "series" or "exhibitions", not to mention a distinctive personal style. This serves as a reminder that while it's beneficial to explore various fields in the early stages of learning, it's essential to gradually narrow down and specialize in one or two modules where I excel, forming my standout strengths. Moreover, completion of a work does not signify its end; it can be the beginning of a series or the foundation for a new series' development.

Reflections on Experiences:

Overall, today's internship was busy yet fulfilling. It provided me with my first insight into the operational dynamics of an independent artist's shared workspace, strengthening my determination to establish my studio. Working with Francis was a delightful experience as we approached tasks as equals, aiming for collaborative problem-solving and enhanced task management. I'm also excited to be credited for graphic design in Francis's upcoming AVALON collection, marking a significant step into the industry.

This week, I've tried some stunning AR works that seamlessly blend the digital and physical worlds on the MR online platform, Styly. As part of my extracurricular learning, I delved into Adobe Aero, exploring the feasibility and limitations of AR for my final assignment. I chose Adobe Aero primarily for its free accessibility and ease of sharing (via links or QR codes), and its cloud service between online software modeling and mobile app testing undoubtedly facilitated the creation process.

First and foremost, it's crucial to recognize that half of the AR experience stems from reality, making real-world reflection pivotal for interaction. One simple form involves utilizing real-life images (such as graffiti, paintings, or frames) as triggers and building upon them to enhance the depth of the artwork. Another approach capitalizes on human perception of distance, size, and volume in the real world, leveraging proximity and size in the virtual world to create visually captivating and immersive spectacles. Unlike VR, another significant AR feature lies in the utilization of GPS technology, offering ample room for development in location-based games and education or trigger-based tours during travel.

Similar to VR, in the initial design phase, it's essential to consider how to guide the audience:

1. Design for safety: Given that participant need to move around for full experience, avoid unnecessarily obstructing their vision on screen to mitigate potential hazards, particularly preventing them from moving backward.

2. Onboarding is crucial: Assuming the audience may be unfamiliar with AR, providing expectations about the required space beforehand through text or other means can enhance the experience. However, avoid overwhelming them with information all at once; provide instructions when and where needed, making it easier for the audience to understand and navigate.

3. Keep overall file size small: Large files are not conducive to sharing or opening on mobile devices. Generally, a file size below 50 MB is ideal.

4. Keep it short & sweet: People may easily tire of, so strive for brevity and warmth, or segment it into different sections.

5. Don't attempt to replicate VR in AR.

In summary, the interactivity and accessibility of AR make it more relatable to people's lives and offer a wide range of applications compared to VR and 360 videos. Moreover, the user-friendly nature of Adobe Aero simplifies the process of creating AR content.

Reference：

Personally, I'd put Inner West as my first option, and Francis as my second. Interning at specialized post-production/commercial/television companies can be a valuable experience, offering unique learning opportunities and professional exposure. However, expectations are often high. And my English might be a barrier when it comes with the industry's demands, which can be stressful.

Rights & Responsibilities

As interns, we not only need to contribute to the placement organizations but also learn how to protect our legal rights. Based on the placement manual provided by the faculty, in addition to recommendations on appropriate attire, proper behavior, professional rigor, privacy, and security, I have extracted the following key information:

Unpaid internships are allowed in Australia.

As interns, we should not only respect the company's assets but also protect our intellectual property.

The school has also purchased insurance for us, so in case of any claims from third parties, we should inform the placement organizations and contact the school simultaneously.

Accidents and injuries that occur on the way to and from work are also within the coverage of the insurance.

In summary, in the event of any unforeseen situations or emergencies at the workplace that do not involve life safety, we should first contact our supervisor and inform the school. The school is always and continuously supporting us.