Presentation

This section will underline how I will present my work and who I will present it to - my audience. This will require audience research, specifically into demographic, social groups/fandoms and how best to reach them. Likewise I will need to explore several different social medias to see which one is more effective for my goal. Or maybe there is a different way to present my work outside social media. That is what this section is all about.

123, T. R., 2018. TOXIC RAVEN 123. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrV3fpc46-H4Cvq1cVBiTDQ
[Accessed 6 April 2022].

(123, 2018)

TOXIC RAVEN 123 - My First Platform (YOUTUBE + INSTAGRAM) - 6/4

Instagram is a social media I am fairly familiar with already. I have had a personal account since year 9 (2015) and an art account since 2021. Although I did attempt to get an art account off the ground in 2020. Around this time, I had a gaming YouTube channel called TOXIC RAVEN 123 (123, 2018). To keep the branding similar, I decided to name my art account the same thing. However I did not take into account audience. My old YouTube was a GAMING CHANNEL, edited clips of me messing around in Fortnite, Minecraft and Call of Duty.

That same audience won't be interested in the pictures I draw. They subscribed to my YouTube for gaming content. Around this time, I also attempted to upload art content to my gaming channel in an attempt to convert. I immediately lost half my viewers and growth began to slow down. It ended up with me ending my activity in November of 2020.

(123, 2018)

This did hurt considering I kept my YouTube running all through 2018 - 2020 (123, 2018), my A-levels at Appleton. So it was like letting go of one of the few fragments remaining from that era. If you look at my FMP year 1. It began with a video titled "The Origins of Toxic Artist (TOXIC RAVEN 123 - Animation video)".

123, T. R., 2020. The Origins of Toxic Artist (TOXIC RAVEN 123 - Animation video). [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8EDf5QWLpw&t=642s
[Accessed 6 April 2022].

That explained my journey from Jan 2020 to September 2020 and my decision to journey down the animation route.

It still blows me away how far everything has come, all that's happened to reach this point. The highs of learning photoshop for the first time, streaming Minecraft with friends, dressing up for Halloween in Basildon, messing around in class, see my work improve with every piece and finally getting an unconditional at my dream university. To the frustrations of several Maya crashes, learning rigging for the first time, animating in blender for the 1st time and the pressure that came with running multiple projects for the majority of year 2 whilst creating a portfolio.

The last 2 years have defined my art and for better or worse, created the person you see today. It is also funny to look back on my own character profile I made for myself back in my plague doctor project. I look at that now and see a different person. Back then I was so conflicted, so torn between my past and present. Almost fighting with 2 different version of myself. Now I would say I have settled. Came to peace with everything that happened before, eager for the next chapter of my life, whilst enjoy the moments of today. My core is less everywhere from the experiences of this course. And the people who helped me along the way I can't thank enough. I still see myself as work mode and social mode. But that distinction has definitely helped both aspects of my life.

toxic_raven_123, 2022. toxic_raven_123. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instagram.com/toxic_raven_123/
[Accessed 6 April 2019].

torrent_art, 2022. torrent_art. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instagram.com/torrent_art/
[Accessed 6 April 2022].

So in February 3rd 2021, I created my new art account and thereby my new internet identity. TOXIC RAVEN 123 was a name associated with me since 2013 on Xbox live 360. I wanted to target those with similar interests in art and animation. More associated with art than gaming, hence the name torrent art was born (illegal art). Art so good it shouldn't exist was the premise. Art obtained in ways not allowed, my idea at least.

I point this out because it was the first time I chose a name specifically for an audience. For professional purposes, my ArtStation of Callum Highfield exists. Although I would argue more industry professionals use Art Station or even Facebook over Instagram. However for causal art, sites like TikTok and Instagram and brimming with inspiring artists.

And over the space of a years and a few months, I created a name out of nothing to 66 followers. The techniques I am about to talk about were learnt through word of mouth, experience and a lot of trial and error. I will then back this up with research to see if it aligns with reality or luck.

torrent_art, 2021. torrent_art. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instagram.com/torrent_art/
[Accessed 6 April 2022].

torrent_art, 2022. torrent_art. [Online]Available at: https://www.instagram.com/torrent_art/[Accessed 6 April 2022].

From what I could tell, my art account began gaining traction when I established a style or look for my work. In the early days, my artwork was sporadic and constantly changing. From digital art and animation, to observational sketches and anatomy studies. Not only was my style in flux but my medium. Overtime and without intention, my art became more niche. My medium mostly stuck to traditional pen or pencil. My subject matter became more focused on realism and small improvements over each piece became the priority. This lead to my artwork looking similar in style and theme. This set up a constant image and benchmark for my artwork that people came back to. The expectation of what was to come (using what came before), seemed to be the main decision as to why people came or went.

It was also great to track my progress in a coherent fashion. Some artworks would get redrawn and re-posted. This would show a direct comparison of the same art at 2 different points. Likewise, the subject matter would translate into new artworks. The theme of portraits and hands are recurring subject matter in this case. This seemed to be great for slow growth.

I did notice that each piece had to re-capture my audiences attention. If I uploaded 2 artworks too similar to each other, people would loose interest.

For example the artwork on the left gained 33 likes, compared to the below artwork of 15 likes. 2 portraits of similar skill level posted a week apart. One post preformed double as well as the other.

Both posts used similar hashtags, so that was not the issue. Both posted at similar times of day and uploaded onto my story too.

Because of this, I began to attempt to introduce something new to each artwork, rather than treading on old ground.

torrent_art, 2021. Emotion: Laughter 1. [Online]Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTnbYE3swfC/[Accessed 6 April 2022].

An artist is only as good as their last artwork.

That philosophy is why I attempt to out do myself with each new project and artwork.

Then weeks later, after more experience and knowledge, I go back and improve/redo old pieces.

INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM - 7/4/22

torrent_art, 2021. What's your first reaction 😂. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUP9f3MsTem/
[Accessed 6 April 2022].

A quick search asking how Instagram worked led me to a site called "Hootsuite". It was here I discovered A LOT of information regarding how the site works. The image to the left goes through a handful of key facts that Instagram takes into consideration of what posts to show.

This is subject but not limited to

"–Your relationship with your followers: Do you follow each other? Did they search for you by name? Do you message each other, or leave comments? Do you tag each other in your posts?

–The relevance of the content: Instagram tracks user affinity and deduces what is in a given photo or video to serve up the content people want (astrology memes, duh).

–The timeliness of your post. Newer posts do take priority over older ones." (McLachlan, 2022)

This was taken directly off their website. An it seems the more I look into it, the more complex the answer becomes. Although posting regularly is definitely a factor, much more goes into it. However, the core idea seems to be engagement and interactivity. The more viewers interact with your content, the more it will be pushed. Post often, interact as much as possible, put time into our app.

The image on the left lists factors for the users of Instagram. This is the way it filters content for viewers. Although I'm personally more interested in the creation of content. Still, this is an important factor and therefore deserves a spot in my research.

Following trends seems to generate much more viewers on the algorithm, rather than creating completely original or independent work. If there is a trend, for example a piece of music clip. And everyone started creating content around it. Your post will be associated and shown along with these pieces. That is the underlying point of the "interest" section of this image. Now the best way to track a posts interest is through likes and saves and comments.

Trends draw in more viewers, which exposes your content to more new people which increases the odds of others interacting with your channel.

Take my hand reel for an example. It uses audio from a recent trend, of how steady is your hand. I simply recorded my hand on a moving train and uploaded with the audio. As of writing this, it has gained 31 likes (one of my top liked posts) and received over 4000 views. Even to the fact I only have around 65 followers. That is the power of following a recent trend.

This should be taken into account if I was to use Instagram as a platform to present my work. While a post and story can get a small audience to view it. It seems reels, especially with the right audio, can generate much more attention. If I can pull a similar number with my created artwork, then I will have achieved my presentation.

McLachlan, S., 2022. 2022 Instagram Algorithm Explained: How to Get Your Content Seen. [Online]
Available at: https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-algorithm/#:~:text=The%20Instagram%20algorithm%20tries%20to,about%20the%20person%20who%20posted
[Accessed 7 April 2022].

INSTAGRAM PROFESSIONAL DASHBOARD - 7/4/22

Through the exploration of my art account, I realised it was set to a "professional" account. This allowed me to view my pages insights. The insights act as analytics for my account and individual posts. I can calculate how many people saw my page to who interacted with it and how it impacted my followers.

This is amazing if you know what to do with them. For example, if you see a post do well, you can use that to judge your future content. See what works and capitalise on it. Likewise content that don't translate well can be adapted for new ideas.

According to this, my reel created a massive amount of engagement.

INSTAGRAM REELS - 7/4/22

torrent_art, 2022. On a Moving Train 😂. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CbScRHjAqwW/
[Accessed 7 April 2022].

The reel in question can be seen in the screenshot above. As of uploading it to Wix, it has 34 Likes. That was the 7th of April. As of the 23rd of April, the reel has now just over 50 likes.

So while my posts stop getting recommended after a few days of being uploaded, the reels seem to the the entire month! The analytics for my posts and stories can be seen below as well. The reel created is my most liked and most viewed post.

My guess is that it has to do with the audio. People create reels using the same audio. So my work will be recommended with theirs. This sparks trends of certain audios doing extremely well, and so is much more recommended to others.

Posts appear on the main timeline on the front page of Instagram. Reels can also go here. This refreshes everyday and every time you load up the app. Because of this, posts are in a constant state of flux. Therefore only lasting a few days of screen time.

Add that to the nature of Instagram, how content is in small chunks in huge quantities, and you have a constantly changing landscape. Compare that to YouTube. Where if you watch a video of a channel for a long time, you will automatically be recommended their content again. YouTube can easily work with weekly uploads, although Instagram is almost built to incentivise daily uploads.

This directly leads into the consistency part of the research above. the more you engage with the app, the more rewarded you are.

Social media has turned into a competition to see which one holds your attention the longest. And with the attention span of the general audience shrinking, easy to digest content becomes the priority. That is likely why TikTok became so popular. Although without research this paragraph is merely speculation. If this is to become a prominent piece of research on my site, more has to be looked into.

INSTAGRAM STORIES - 7/4/22

Instagram stories is a great way to bridge the gap between posts. This is where I post artwork in progress, quick sketches and rough ideas. It also keeps my account active and followers engaged. Although personally I do find the constant use tiring. Making sure you upload something everyday feels more like a commitment, slowly draining it of fun.

That is why I stopped uploading on YouTube. Because the effort it took to make a video every week became more and more stressful and tiring. Instagram content is much easier to create in a shorter space of time. You keep peoples attention for 10 seconds, not 10 minutes.

Although stories are really only seen by your followers. Reels are shown off to those who like the audio, which is many! You account is almost irrelevant, just the fact you used a popular piece of audio. Your audience essentially changes. While your posts and stories are primarily for those who follow your content. At least posts attract new people. Stories are seen by those who follow you or click directly on your account. That why it's not viable for growing a new audience. To keep the one you've got, that's a different matter.

WEEK 9 - INSTAGRAM POSTS - 20/4/22

Instagram posts was my main source of uploaded content for the past year. When it comes to artwork, my main form of reaching an audience has been through Instagram posts. The reel is only something new I'm still learning how to do. Stories are not viable to build your account. Posts however are completely different. Regardless of artistic talent, a post relies on visual appeal. As long as it looks good and directs your audiences attention, then your good. I would personally say a site like Artstation prioritises quality over quantity.

The analytics of my posts can bee seen surrounding this text. I can track who has engaged with my account and if they follow me or not. I can see how my account has done overall in a set timeframe. As well as how successful each individual post has done. Below, you can see the top 15 posts out of likes, saves and overall reach. So while some posts are seen more than others (like the oil lamp chalk and charcoal), it don't mean people will like it. Reach is how much Instagram pushes the post for the viewing of others. If the hashtags are not efficient on the post, it won't reach the desired audience.

Saves seem to be the most scares of the metrics. Instagram prioritises them over any other interaction. It means the viewer archives the post for a later viewing. The nature of Instagram is built for people to endlessly scroll down the feed. So for someone to like it enough to view it again is a real achievement.

Likes is what I used to gage the success of my artwork. The more likes, the more people who enjoy my work. Regardless of how many people it's shown to (reach), if they don't like the work your not reaching your audience.

Although it should be noted that just because a post isn't as liked as others, it don't mean the artwork is bad. When it comes down to it. Posting artwork online is usually done to get attention. Weather its for feedback, praise, criticism, showing it off to other is for some form of attention. And just because an artwork doesn't attract as much attention as others, it don't necessarily mean it's bad.

WEEK 9 BLOG - PRESENTATION AND PRODUCTION

123, T. R., 2022. fmp2 - week 9. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK1RZ7yIfME
[Accessed 5 May 2022].

WEEK 9
ANIMATION SCHOOL TRIP - THE BACKSTAGE CENTER
21/4/22

The week after half term provided some amazing opportunities for my project and my own personal development. For starters, I made arrangements with one of my teachers to tag along on a school trip. Me and Darren had a chat, and after discussions with Mitch, I was allowed to go. I also spoke with the head organiser of the backstage centre through email and later in person.

We began the day with a tour of all their facilities. We were shown the dressing room, recording rooms, the theatre (with it's several layers) and other areas. They explained how the equipment worked and when it was used. He was very eager to tell us the history of the site, who's used it and where it was heading.

After we were sent on a treasure hunt to discover 2 given areas. Once there, we needed to photograph and note down qualities about it and how we would improve it. They were looking for new ideas and ways to renovate the space. We then had to pitch our ideas. That meant we needed to take into account public audience views, recourses, branding, long term benefit... We were the control group of feedback to higher up professionals in the creative industry.

Although looking through the perspective of a control group in a psychological study, our views would have been influenced. The entire point of why we were there was to act as another perspective. We had no prior influence/knowledge of the site. That's incredibly powerful in studies.

Although the tour and the massive overload of information would impact our view. It was being sold to us, although subtly. So I have a suspicion we were steered partially into the opinions they wanted. With the exception of that, I have very little critique of the day.

I learnt a lot about the business side of the creative industry. How important the logo is to a brand and how certain aspects can completely change the implied aspects. It took shape and colour theory into account, as well as constantly thinking how your audiences view it.

It opened up a completely different way of thinking for me. And the experience gained on this trip was invaluable. It was personally very fun too!

I intend to apply what I learned to my project. The way of thinking needed to re-purpose the 2 areas is the exact thinking I need for my presentation to my audience.

I also took photographs of rocks and steel beams for visual references. Although that aspect of the evaluation is shown on the production section of the project. This means I now have 2 uses for the same experience. Photographic evidence is primary research that I greatly needed. In addition to the days worth of experience talking to professionals.

Overall, this experience will greatly benefit my project. I was able to visit a location and gain first hand experience. Not only that, but I was able to talk to industry professionals and see the 'behind the scenes' production of much media. It taught me a lot in terms of the through process needed when marketing for audience. It made me aware of how important the context of your work really is for an audience as well as key factors to keep in mind.

I will definitely use the lessons learnt here to boost the presentation part of my project.

WEEK 10
INSTAGRAM POSTS - HASHTAGS - (23-25)/4/22

One method I use to expand my audience and draw in new people is through hashtags. This is simply a search term that's commonly associated with other similar posts. That means the people who get recommended similar posts may stumble across my artwork.

This is a direct way to draw in new viewers of a specific audience. So a common tag I use is artistofinstagram and artdaily. Artdaily is a collection of artwork people post 'everyday'. This makes my post more likely to be discovered by other artists/art lovers. Likewise, I can be more specific, by putting 'backgroundartist' or 'envorinmentart', I narrow down the niche more.

torrent_art, 2022. Background "Mineshaft" PART 1.. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbfa9uKgkYa/
[Accessed 24 April 2022].

With a quick search on google, you can find recommended hashtags to associate with your post. So on top of the usual ones, I can use the web to hone my target audience in further. stating the medium is the hashtag is always useful.

I investigated a site called Displate Magazine. This provided me with a huge array of recommended hashtags depending on my artwork. Acrylic pieces have their own entire section. Although the "sketches" section would be more appropriate for my traditional drawing. Likewise digital art could work well for my 3D environment. While this is useful, I personally find looking at other artwork on Instagram manually the more accurate way to go.

I admit, this is only a small part of what makes a post on Instagram. But with my primary source of audience on this app. I may have little choice to use it. Building up a new audience on another platform (even with the research) will be near-impossible with only weeks left. That is why I am focusing my efforts on Instagram specifically. Although I will be investigating alternatives to balance out my justification. They may offer an alternative I have not yet seen. Instagram was just the easiest one to start off with giving my prior history with the app. That is also why the presentation open up with my YouTube experience, as it was the 1st social media I used to market my online prescience to strangers.

torrent_art, 2022. 3 Layers of Tracing Paper to complete Traditional Environment Art!!. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb-_rXnscWa/
[Accessed 24 April 2022].

Ciszewska, Z., 2021. 400+ Instagram Art Hashtags To Get You Discovered In 2022!. [Online]
Available at: https://blog.displate.com/500-art-hashtags-for-instagram/
[Accessed 25 April 2022].

25/4/22

ACADEMIC AUDIENCE RESEARCH - HOW TO CONNECT TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION - 26/4/22

The audience I am attempting to present my work to are others with artistic interest. My social medias are targeted for those around the 16-25 market. I don't make it a habit to show violent or explicit content. Likewise someone younger will find my sort of work boring. Up until this point, I base my artwork around my understanding of visual appeal and what appeals to me. Or I explore a technical route and create work exploring a new skill, for example ink and bleach artworks.

I have not done formal research for this project regarding the nature of my audience. Specifically how to target them and how to enhance my work specifically for them. Much of it has been based off prior experience and my own taste. I always had this idea of marketing my art towards 16-25 year olds from the beginning. That is why much of my feedback has been me asking people of similar ages. Currently, the above work begins exploring what platform to present my work on. Although this also needs to be researched further. It largely contains small experiments and trial and error methodology. However, creating work for an audience will require further audience research before the final presentation.

With a foundation on Instagram already set up, not much research will be needed to successfully present my work. The whole point of the blogs and livestreams during my project was to boost my YouTube channel, giving me the option to reach an audience on another platform. However as already explained, the format would not be beneficial for this particular art piece. A still frame don't work in a 15minute format. Even with animated elements, the video would only last around 10 seconds. YouTube works on watch time. While Instagram is built for fast, consistent and daily content. These lasting a single still or a 30-1min reel.

So I began to look at articles to explore aspects to consider when reach this audience. Forbes narrowed it down to 7 key aspects. "seven entrepreneurs from Forbes Business Development Council share their best advertising and marketing methods for gaining traction with millennials and Generation Z, as well as why they are so effective." (forbes,2022)

So this information is coming from industry professionals with experience. That will immediately improve the validation of what's said.

FORBES 7 WAYS TO REACH A YOUNGER AUDIENCE:

"1. Create Fresh, Relatable Content

2. Implement A Modern Brand

3. Know Their Celebrities

4. Build A Genuine Brand

5. Go Social

6. Seek Out The Right Demographic For Insight

7. Meet Them Where They Are"

26/4/22 - (forbes,2019)

Each point is explained by a different professional in a short amount of detail. So I will take pieces and form my own interpretation and how it may be useful for my project. No 1 explains how they want to create content that connects with their audience. What do they want?

No 2 talks about how "Millennials and Gen Z especially will often only engage with brands they trust, so have a trustworthy brand that reflects the values of the company to increase sales opportunities." (forbes,2019).

I can see this occur personally. The amount of times I have been out with mates and they automatically go to the McDonalds, just cause it's the same everywhere. People like consistency. Even if there is a better restaurant, if they ain't heard of it, they will pick the McDonalds.

No 3 explains how knowing what influences "millennials and Generation Z" (forbes,2019) is great for making connection. Different celebrities appeal to different generations of people. "as a YouTuber or an Instagrammer could have more sway than an actor or an athlete." (forbes,2019)

No 4 says how "Millennials and Gen Z are often extremely sensitive to marketing window dressing. You should be an authentic brand if you expect to resonate with them." (forbes,2019) This I can confirm form my experience with social media. The slightest mis-alignment in beliefs or any action considered will immediately damage the companies reputation. This is even more so on social media. because many accounts belong to individuals without the same scale or protection as huge companies. This could lead to vulnerabilities that could destroy everything you've worked for. I present you Twitter for further evidence.

No 5 literately emphasises the importance of social media. When articles from professionals recommend social media to reach younger audiences, my presentation is definitely following the right direction. It goes on to recommend that "social media (Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter) is part of your digital marketing strategy." (forbes,2019)

They directly namedrop several social medias, 2 of which I have already begun investigating. I can use this to jumpstart further research in social media.

No 6 talks about the importance of interaction amongst your desired demographic. I found Instagram and Discord especially useful for this. Discord is built like several layers of chat rooms. It is built for interacting with small communities/groups of strangers.

"My best advice is to go to people in that age range, learn from them, and see what they do, how they interact and the kinds of apps they use on a daily basis. Go and talk to real people in that demographic and you could find all the answers you need. The better you understand them, the more effectively you can market and sell to them. - Clinton Senkow, Influencive" (forbes,2019)"

No 7 goes on to say how "Social media platforms continue to provide fast, versatile and cost-effective ways to reach young audiences, who generally use their mobile devices often." (forbes,2019) From what I can tell from this article, considering I am appealing to a younger audience, social media is a strong way to do it.

If anything it only adds further evidence to the idea of using social media as a presentation platform. My 1 gripe with all this is that I began uploading and exploring social media in experiments, before any research began. I could sue this to justify my response. However, the initial start was very much out of a place of convivence than smart decision making.

Forbes, 2019. Seven Marketing Strategies For Reaching Younger Customers. [Online]
Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2019/01/23/seven-marketing-strategies-for-reaching-younger-customers/
[Accessed 26 April 2022].

SOCIAL MEDIA - WHICH ONE IS BEST? - 2/5/22

Social media is one of many ways to present my artwork. However, I have already explained why I picked social media in my previous research and blog. The younger generation is easiest to contact and connect with on social media. But which one is best? which one is best at reaching my target audience.

While browsing the web, I came across a website called "Staylisted". On this site I discovered some useful information when marketing to younger audiences and a brief breakdown of each social media.

The image to the left summarises their pros and cons of each social media.

CARTWRIGHT, H., 2018. Marketing to Young Adults: What Factors to Consider. [Online]
Available at: http://blog.staylisted.com/marketing-to-young-adults
[Accessed 2 May 2022].

According to the diagram, Pinterest and Instagram are both build for "Art Business" among other types. While the other social media are apparently best for other areas. Out of Pinterest and Instagram, I will still pick Instagram as my primary app to present my work. Instagram has 200 million user compared to Pinterest's 70 million. It also has a much broader audience to reach.

According to Staylisted, "Today’s young adults love to watch videos on mobile devices, and they also love to share interesting or funny videos with friends and family members. If you intend to market your products or services to young adults, creating short videos is a smart idea."(CARTWRIGHT, H., 2018. It directly name drops my target audience and immediately recommends videos. This falls in line with why my Instagram reel done much better than my still posts. If I am posting on Instagram, uploading in the form of a reel may help significantly.

It also says to "grab the audience’s attention quickly and must get right to the point." (CARTWRIGHT, H., 2018). It seems that younger audiences have extremely short attention spans. At face value, I can confirm this. While looking back at other students from my secondary school, 6-form and college course, almost every student had little attention spans.

Still, while I will me focusing on 1 main social media, I can still post on multiple platforms. I know YouTube has a huge audience. Likewise, much of my feedback and interactions also came from Discord. Although the formats of both are very different to Instagram, I can adapt my artwork to fit the conditions of both.

HOW WILL POSTING ON INSTAGRAM AFFECT MY ARTWORK? - 3/5

I am no stranger to uploading artwork on Instagram. Although I have made many mistakes in the process.

One such issue is the aspect ration of my artwork. I designed and rendered my 3D piece in 1920 by 1080 (16:9). That is great if I was uploading it to YouTube, where videos are commonly shot in this view.

However Instagram has a square ratio, much smaller than 1920 by 1080. That means my artwork is to big for the view.

If you look on the right, I have screenshotted what my artwork looks like on phone. The PC version allows for my 1920 by 1080 aspect ratio to show through. However on phone, the artwork is much smaller to accommodate the size. You can see this affect in both 3D background posts. One of these was an early render of my 3D final artwork!

To solve this, I also uploaded a portrait I drew. The change in artwork size mean it fit nicely in the Instagram square. So I can either change my render settings to match the aspect ratio of Instagram. Or I crop down the actual post to better fit the viewing. Instagram is primarily used on mobile phones. So I need to take that into account when uploading the final presentation.

torrent_art, 2022. Background "Mineshaft" PART 1.. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbfa9uKgkYa/
[Accessed 24 April 2022].

torrent_art, 2021. Improvements of old art and some new pieces 😄. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CXj24amMiiZ/
[Accessed 3 May 2022].

torrent_art, 2022. 3D Pyramid Environment Complete. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca-neqhAdDI/
[Accessed 3 May 2022].

HOW WILL POSTING ON YOUTUBE AFFECT MY ARTWORK? - 4/5

YouTube uploading is a completely different ball game to Instagram. As mentioned before, YouTube aspect ratio is completely different to Instagram's. Although the 1920 by 1080 is definitely advantageous to my artwork, as that is the original format.

However that are also many differences. YouTube is primarily for videos, not still images. Still artwork thrives on sites like Facebook and Instagram.

Videos are commonly at 10-15 minute lengths. My artwork, including animations is only 4 seconds long.

The video length is much more suited for quick scroll video formats such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Although I currently have no knowledge how to upload a YouTube Short.

YouTube also presents yet another huge issue.

Now I have been running a YouTube channel alongside the art Instagram. Although I have not been uploading consistently. YouTube has a much bigger audience and MUCH more content in terms of quantity. This makes it difficult to stand out from the competition. Even search terms are difficult. Torrent Art was the name I originally picked. Torrent reminded me of a flowing river. However, it was later I learnt that the act of "Torrenting" was already a thing. Which means that my name is incredibly hard to find unless directly searched on YouTube. "Torrenting" is when you illegally obtain a software through various methods. For ethical reasons, I will not be going into detail how to on this website.

It puts a good spin on the name thematically, essentially now meaning "illegal art".

However it does not do my channel any good on recommended search.

Because of the format, videos are almost always expected to have sound.

Art, T., 2022. Torrent Art | 3D Environment Design - Render Shot 1 - No Audio | 1/5/2022. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QQ1Xvbe5KY
[Accessed 4 April 2022].

torrent_art, 2022. 3D Pyramid Environment Complete. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca-neqhAdDI/
[Accessed 3 May 2022].

None of my video on Torrent Art include sound. I primarily used this channel to upload videos for Artstation. Once added to YouTube, I could simply link them to Artstation and play them there. It means that I never took my channel as a valid form of content. My other channel was built with audience in mind and therefore grew significantly better. Issue there it is advertised for gaming content, not art content. That is a conversation I debated at the start of the presentation section.

You can see the effect of a non-optimised post by looking at my most recent post. I uploaded my background as a test to see what would happen on my old channel. it got 11 views in 2 days. That is significantly much lower than my art Instagram, where video formats have reached 60-100 views and reel 900-6000 views. Even posts have averaged around 20-30likes. Without optimisation, my upload won't be recommended to my audience and completely overlooked.

So if I am to present my work on YouTube too, my art post will need to be changed accordingly. it will have to have a catchy title and thumbnail to draw in viewers attention. It will need the right tags to appear in recommended searches (similar to hashtags). It will also need audio! So it is time to start experimenting and researching into that.

PROJECT 2, YEAR 1, INTERACTIVE PROJECT - FIRE SOUNDS - 4/5

One way I can fix the lack of sound issue is to use old work.

During my interactive project, I began a deep dive into Foley sound effects.

This meant research into professionals in that filed as well as creating my own sound effects. My interactive project consisted of 2D animated fire, leading me to create sound effects for flame.

So I recorded myself setting various materials on fire on my desk and later outside. I then loaded it up into audacity and created several variations, 6 of them shown on the right.

What I am suggesting is to re-purpose them for the 3D fire in my background shot.

I do have to be careful about plagiarising myself. The uploaded video is a re-upload. I technically own both copies. Although it means that this upload was not used on my previous project and is therefore a new reference. The sound however, is taken directly from my previous project. So I intend to reference them directly from my old Wix site. This will be the same procedure I use for the 2 photographs below.

I will load up my video editing software, Sony Vegas, and merge the audio with the image. This will then be compared with other sounds. Finally, one of these attempts will be used in the final upload.

fire 1c, 1a and 1b combineArtist Name

00:00 / 00:34

fire 1b part 2, filter curve, reverbArtist Name

00:00 / 00:34

fire 1a, normalise, reverb, highpassArtist Name

00:00 / 00:34

fire 1a, distortionArtist Name

00:00 / 00:34

edit 1Artist Name

00:00 / 00:34

edit 2Artist Name

00:00 / 00:34

[Accessed 5 May 2022].

HIGHFIELD, C., 2021. CALLUM HIGHFIELD FMP. [Online]
Available at: https://50543926.wixsite.com/fmpyear1
[Accessed 4 May 2022].

All of the above sounds were recorded and edited by me during a previous project. I am the sole owner of every one, I still want to highlight they were not made during this project.

It is important to show you where I got the sound and some of the pitfalls in obtaining it. I first started setting paper on fire in my room. This almost set my floor on fire and I had to stamp it out (the images). I then proceeded to do it outside with wind in the background. That is what the video shows. They were then converted to mp3 files and brought into audacity where several versions of edits were made. These can be seen above.

There was definitely huge health and safety risks when recording the noise. Main example setting material on fire indoors and almost catching my carpet alight. So These new methods will rectify those risks.

Art, T., 2022. fire burning outside - interactive project reupload. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so2n5kGS1WQ
[Accessed 4 May 2022].

[Accessed 5 May 2022].

HIGHFIELD, C., 2021. CALLUM HIGHFIELD FMP. [Online]
Available at: https://50543926.wixsite.com/fmpyear1
[Accessed 4 May 2022].

AUDIO AND THE ISSUE WITH COPYRIGHT - 5/5

When it comes to YouTube, copyright is an important matter to know about. While other social media (like Instagram and TikTok) allow you to use copyrighted material, YouTube don't.

According to their official site, "Creators should only upload videos that they have made or that they're authorised to use. That means that they should not upload videos that they didn't make, or use content in their videos that someone else owns the copyright to, such as music tracks, snippets of copyrighted programmes or videos made by other users, without necessary authorisations."

https://www.youtube.com/intl/ALL_uk/howyoutubeworks/policies/copyright/#enforcing-copyright

BurghRecords, 2020. Fireplace Sound Effect | Royalty free Sound Effects. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG64aIasFiw
[Accessed 5 May 2022].

FireArtist Name

00:00 / 03:10

Daytime Forrest BonfireArtist Name

00:00 / 03:14

Daytime Forrest Bonfire (1)Artist Name

00:00 / 03:04

Splitting Fire WoodArtist Name

00:00 / 01:42

123, T. R., 2022. Audio library. [Online]Available at: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCrV3fpc46-H4Cvq1cVBiTDQ/music[Accessed 5 May 2022].

YouTube clearly has a strict policy when it comes to using other peoples material. Although they do have a section called "fair use". This lets people use copyrighted content under certain conditions. For example "In the UK, uses for purposes such as criticism, review, quotation, parody, caricature and pastiche might be considered fair dealing, but it can depend on the situation." It is definitely seen on a case by case basis. With conquences ranging from lack on monitisation to channel strikes. 3 strikes and the channel is terminated. It also runs the risk of the video being taken down.

While the lack of money making don't affect my presentation, running the risk of getting my video taken down or channel terminated is not worth the risk. So I will either use my own content or copyright free content.

So I went to a place called YouTube Library. This gives me access to YouTube approved non-copyright material. So it eliminates the danger of copyrighted material.

I intend to compare the audio used from YouTube Library with my one. Once I have finished the experiment, I will pick one to use in my final presentation.

123, T. R., 2022. Audio library. [Online]
Available at: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCrV3fpc46-H4Cvq1cVBiTDQ/music
[Accessed 5 May 2022].

WEEK 10/11 BLOG - PRESENTATION AND PRODUCTION

123, T. R., 2022. fmp2 - week 10 and 11 BLOG. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZWjUGGWBFs
[Accessed 5 May 2022].

AUDIO + ASPECT RATIO EXPERIMENTATION - 6/5, 8/5

Art, T., 2022. 1080 by 1920 - phone and sound - fire 1c,1a,1b.... [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZG8YPLLom4
[Accessed 8 May 2022].

Art, T., 2022. 1024by768 edit2 mysound. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5tqxlt1jR8
[Accessed 8 May 2022].

Art, T., 2022. 1920by1080 daytimeforrestbonfire ytlibary. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V495QhPZ_9k
[Accessed 8 May 2022].

Art, T., 2022. 2000by1000 firesound ytlibary slowdown. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTY2Qknvc-4
[Accessed 8 May 2022].

ASPECT RATIO

This is arguably the most important experimentation during my presentation. Depending on the device, purpose and platform, the aspect ratio of my artwork changes. For example, a site like YouTube primarily uses 16:9 (1920 by 1080). So framing my video in a 1:1 aspect ratio would be a really bad idea. Although a site like YouTube can be accessed on phone and PC. The aspect ratio for phones are flipped to 1080 by 1920 (9:16). So depending on the site and device, the formatting needs of my presentation change.

So to combat this and to allow for greater versatility, I exported several different aspect ratios. I rendered 6 image sequences from blender. Then I dragged them one at a time into after effects and exported to adobe encoder. This allows me to keep the original aspect ratio and combines it into an mp4 video. I then dragged these into Sony Vegas and applied the sound. I will talk about this more in the below sections.

This method let me combine audio with several different versions of video. I mix and matched to see what effect it would have. 2000 by 1000 2:1, created a cinematic feel. It upped the tension of the scene, more dramatic!

While the 9:16 "phone view" fully encompassed the phone screen, creating much deeper emersion than if I was to use 1920 by 1080. You can directly see this when comparing my Instagram videos together. 1:1 reduced the drawback of wide screens on phones but also dampened the effect of using the full screen. It created a middle ground.

Chandel, A., n.d. The Only Instagram Aspect Ratio Guide You Need In 2021. [Online]
Available at: https://socinator.com/instagram-aspect-ratio/?msclkid=e269deebcd3111ec93c40177066b3ccb
[Accessed 6 May 2022].

Zoe, 2020. The Best Video Aspect Ratio for YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. [Online]
Available at: https://moviemaker.minitool.com/moviemaker/video-aspect-ratio.html
[Accessed 6 May 2022].

SOUND

The sounds used are saved on my wix site in audio players. So whoever sees my work can experience the sound without bias and interference of the videos. What I found was that my selection was far to similar. The intention was to gather fire sound effects to match the animated flame. This fits with the theming of my setting and makes sense in the world I created. I also didn't want the sound to distract from the visuals. Although in doing so, the sounds nearly fades entirely. With only 3 to 4 second video lengths, you don't have time to comprehend both. The visuals grab your attention and the show is already over. If the video length was around 10 seconds long, the audience could give more attention to the sound.

The sound serves the purpose I gave it, although it doesn't do much else. In thinking about how to keep it from distracting the viewer, it became near non-existent. Add that to the fact that my selection is extremely similar.

Daytime forest and spitting fire added small variations. While one roars much louder, the other adds irregular bang sounds as wood hits ground/flame. The bumps don't work with the scene. As there is nothing to cause such a noise within the animation. Likewise there are no visual queues to indicate it is happening off screen. So my main decision for what to use came down to the copyright side of things. I noticed my audio had a LOT of interference from wind and other external factors. YouTube library directly solves the copyright issues by using audio provided by the platform.

So in the end that is what I used.

FINAL PRESENTATION!!! - WEEK 11

DISCORD - 6/5

This is the final section of my presentation. Brief 7.2 directly states how we need to actually send the presentation away to our audience. So that section takes all the research and experiments from previous to inform the final posts.

I sent my final render onto Discord as well as the platforms I planned for. Any sort of exposure to boost the main 2 posts is good. So I directly posted my YouTube video into discord forums and onto Artstation. This essentially boosted the advertising for my video and it in turn expands my potential audience. Add that to the fact this screenshotted section is where I got much of my feedback during my production.

I got 2 positive responses in return. That is 2 people that may not of seen it otherwise. I did only upload it into 1 message section of discord. So before the project is over, it is within my interest to advertise it in other sections. Whether someone clicks on the video out of curiosity or leave a comment, any interaction is useful at this stage.

So lets get to the main post.

Highfield, C., 2022. Torrent Art | 3D Environment Design - Render Shot 1 - No Audio | 1/5/2022. [Online]
Available at: n/a
[Accessed 6 May 2022].

Instagram - 6/5, 7/5

The screenshots document the process I was describing earlier. How I exported from blender to after effects, media encoder and finally Sony Vegas. While this process did work, it was incredibly un-optimised. For starters, there was likely no need for Sony Vegas. it is the software I am most familiar with in terms of editing. However, I am aware that audio editing is possible in after effects. With a bit more research, I could edit and overlay my audio there and shorten the overall process. This would save much more time in the long run, especially with multiple renders.

Likewise, Sony Vegas had some exporting issues. While I could adapt my aspect ratio project settings for my videos. I found it difficult to adapt the renderer. The videos format rendered in 1920 by 1080. While the visuals were still of the original Blender edit. This lead to some issues with smaller aspect ratios like the 1:1. It could of caused massive issues with the flipped 1080 by 1920 view.

This time I was saved by Instagram's built in editing features. Very recently, Instagram allows users to upload their videos and images from PC, not just phone. And within the upload process, it allows me to crop my video to 3 different views. 1:1, 16:9 and lastly and most importantly 9:16. I then adjusted the images to create as much visual appeal as possible. It was only simple adjustments to the brightness, contrast... Although because of this, I was able to adapt each to the phone screen. To take this further, I could of used photoshop and apply filters. This would build off and directly use the photoshop experimentation from before in my final post. The stronger link would justify the inclusion of the experimentation further and applies yet another medium into my experimentation.

torrent_art, 2022. Background "Mineshaft" PART 2.. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CdOup_jApiD/
[Accessed 7 may 2022].

torrent_art, 2022. Mining Shot - Still Render. [Online]
Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CdOyTZQq-fm/
[Accessed 7 May 2022].

I posted a story before and on the day of release. The hashtags were copied and pasted for the posts. Considering how well the render 4 early post did, I attempted to use the same hashtags. I also added new ones in, discovered from the research of the hashtag experimentation in the presentation tab.

I created 2 posts at once. The first consisted of a video including the sound and animations. While the 2nd showed the still images of 9 renders. Then lastly, a few days later, I screenshotted the analytics of each to see how well they preformed.

The video achieved 20 likes with the still renders 17 likes. This drop in likes is largely down to a smaller reach than before. Maybe adding more hashtags means the posts are more spread out? What is likely the issue is the ones I used were either to specific or far to general. It could also be down to the time I posted both, 9:30/10 in the evening. Even the day posted could affect this.

There is simply to many factor and not enough information to discover exactly why this specific post did not reach as many people. But because of this, the likes were lower than usual.

That is not to say this was a failure. Between the post and video, my work reached 80 account. Including the stories we reached 116 accounts. This don't take into account any overlaps - accounts viewing multiple media. I plan to release a reel closer to the end of the project to boost the views even more. A theory of mine is by posting 2 at once, interest would be divided upon them. This in contrast to a singular post taking all the attention. Video formats have not reached as much interaction on the history of my Instagram, which is why I also sent a post of images. Although even this was disproven with my video reaching 12 comments, one of the most commented media on my channel. What I have noticed is that with more time, the followers I do have interact more with my content. More and more of the long time viewers comment and come back more regularly. So although my reach was down, it still similar likes to the last 3 posts.

To land the slam dunk, It is a good idea to create a new reel. This will fill the vacuum of reach I currently have. It may even boost the existing post with new casual viewers of my channel. I will leave it a few more days before this. It will give the current presentation time to breath on other platforms and Instagram first.

overall Instagram uploading was a success, although it will need support from other social media to reach my expectations.

YouTube - 8/5

Art, T., 2022. Mine Tunnel - 3D BLENDER Environment Part 2 - 2/2 Progress. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZiXC6p8zpM
[Accessed 8 May 2022].

YouTube was my 2nd strategy to uploading my artwork. I have explored the issues with audio and video length already. And while these can be account for/fixed. There was still many to overcome. For instance, creating a good title and thumbnail. YouTube works by people taking the time to click on your post out of their own interest. That means capturing their attention immediately. They won't just stumble upon it like an Instagram post. They need to click the thumbnail. So a quick trick to grab their attention was to show bright text on a dark background. My scene is very dark, so bright white text stands out incredibly well. The irregular lighting also adds touches of lighter areas to break up the space. Although it is not advised to use lot of writing in your thumbnails, it was simply the quickest solution to improving the base scene image.

Much research can be done with YouTube thumbnails and titles alone. Given the time I would of explored this further. However with the stage I am at, that will not be possible.

That leads me into the title. Like thumbnails, there is no set way to go about creating a catchy title. You can optimise search results with keywords. You can jump on recent trends or attempt to evoke strong emotions in your audience.

So I turned to an app extension called "TubeBuddy". This extension is built for creators to optimise their videos. By using their keyword explorer, I can gather information on how much competition it has, search result and their top 20. Weighted and unweighted, how it targets for my overall channel. And finally, and most importantly, what tags other similar posts are using. This lets me see what other creators are tagging their post with. Tag act similar to hashtags. It dictates where my work will be recommended and associated with.

I looked at what other people have done before, seen in the screenshot of the search result. I do not own any of their work and use the search criteria alone to inform my own post.

It seems that Blender content on YouTube seems to come in the from of tutorials. Other forms include time lapses of work being created and montages of an artist work (or show reels).

Showing off small pieces of work individually in short video format is a method better for YouTube Shorts, not full videos. Issue being, my video is to short to upload as a short.

The title was based off my previous uploads of similar topics. 3D, blender and short form videos. I took the titles from the video that gained views and used it to format my own. It may not be the most efficient way, but it saved time whilst introducing methodology to my actions. I need to give a reason for why I decided to act like I did.

I also decided to keep the original video up. Having 2 chances for people to see my work is better than 1 was my logic, similar to the 2 Instagram posts. I also noticed that the previous upload views started going up again with the new presentation release. I personally like the contrast of the 2. You can clearly see what affect the final polishes have on the background. Something only a direct comparison could achieve. Combined, both YouTube posts collect 30 views between each other. Adding to the 116 of Instagram leads to a 146 views/reach overall. Both site work a bit differently. Instagram counts reach as scrolling past my post. Although YouTube would could a reach as my post simply arriving in someone's recommended box. So using views for YouTube instead is more accurate.

So I uploaded it as a video and began to advertise it in other places. The other social media spoken about were used to promote the YouTube video. Discord was used to introduced new audiences with similar interests to my artwork. Discord is designed like a chat room. So I have much higher chance of comments than any other platform I have looked into.

ARTSTATION - 8/5

Using Discord to boost my YouTube video reminded me of another platform. I used ArtStation primarily to display my artwork for university interviews. When posting on ArtStation, the easiest way to show video footage is to link it to YouTube.

So I indirectly end up boosting the YouTube video the same way Discord boosted it.

I have prior experience creating post on ArtStation as stated a few line back. Although I do worry. This method of presenting my work has had no prior research or build up in my project. For all I know, there could be several issues because of this. How do I do it well? Is deviant art a better alternative? How do I reach my audience? What is the most eye-pleasing way to show my work on this platform?

This is being used to boost one of my primary forms of presentation, granted. However, the lack of research concerns me. If I was to do this again, I would develop it to the point it could be the 3rd form of presentation. Artstation is built for artists to show their work. Instagram and YouTube especially are much more general in terms of what is uploaded. While Artstation and Deviant Art are built to upload artwork. This holds HUGE POTENTIAL. If I had 1 more week, I would expand upon this to maximise my reach.

Highfield, C., 2022. 3D MineTunnel Environment - Blender. [Online]
Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/B3z8m8
[Accessed 8 May 2022].

The thumbnails are also 1:1 format, an aspect ratio I have also experimented with. If I did my research, I could of created a custom thumbnail to improve results following this ratio. Likewise it also uses tags, another route of research. Although the post I did create still worked. I was liked by 3 artists within the first 10 minutes, all 3 with more experience than myself. I also got spam mail immediately after posting, it must of realised my account was still active.

Because of Artstation, I noticed my new YouTube post went from 6 to 12 views almost immediately. So it easily achieved the purpose of supporting my other social media.

Looking back upon my entire presentation, I would say it was a huge success. We successfully explored multiple methods of presenting my work and presented it to a specific audience. I have solve many issues that have occurred throughout the experience. From the lack of sound uploading YouTube clips to the aspect ratio of my Instagram post. We have solved several issues throughout the presentation. My favourite part was attending the college trip to the backstage studio. Meeting industry professionals and taking the experience to pitch new ideas to them was invaluable.

So what would I do differently? If I was to do this again, how would I tackle my presentation section? For starters, Art Station research is incredibly undeveloped. While it achieves the purpose of what I was aiming for, to back up YouTube, I know there is so much more potential. The format of the posts allow for much more versatility than Instagram and YouTube. It supports multiple formats and adapts the presentation of each accordingly. While you can upload a 1920 by 1080 to Instagram, it looks very out of place. Art Station is most used personally on PC. The bigger screen (more than a phone screen), allows room for much more formats. Likewise, I can upload a combination of videos, photos and other uploaded material in the same post.

Highfield, C., 2022. 3D MineTunnel Environment - Blender. [Online]
Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/B3z8m8
[Accessed 8 May 2022].

WEEK 11/12
FINAL BLOG - ENTIRE YEAR 2 FMP + WEEK 11/12: 1/5 - ?/5

123, T. R., 2022. FMP YEAR 2 - FINAL EVALUATION. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEubw0Z2VBQ
[Accessed 12 May 2022].

BIBLIOGRAPHY - PRESENTATION