But I have a new blog set up that is updated a lot more frequently than I ever updated this one. Also, I probably won't be updating this one anymore because of it. So if there's actually someone out there reading this, please go check out my new site, located at:
With the help of videocopilot.net (Andrew Kramer is a GENIUS) I learned how to do some Day-to-Night conversion. To learn this technique for yourself, watch his tutorial HERE.
I've provided some screen grabs of what I did to end up with the final result. I just used a still image for practice, but the real one I'm going to do will be video. I just need to FILM the video asset still *sheepish grin*.
1) Original photograph.
2. Crushed the brightness, made it kind of bluey.
3. Made the sky even more inky blue than the rest of the photo. Used a feathered mask to make it blend in with the road.
4. Added some spots on the ground where the street lamps will hit.
5. Added some glow to the street lamps as well as a the fall-off from the light. This wasn't necessary but I liked the look better with it than without.
6. Added some lights to the traffic lights and cross signal.
Actually, uh, it's up. Click the picture above to check it out or copy and paste the web address: http://www.lauranicole.ca/
It's full of bugs and and stuff and I haven't made the "Projects" page yet, but it's up. Also, it doesn't have a pre-loader right now so if you're on a slow internet connection I'M SORRY. You can either let it load or not bother and stay here instead because there's so much more content on my blog than there is on the website.
Anyway, leave a comment here if you do look at it and let me know if you encountered any problems or whatever. Feedback is appreciated especially since I suck at Flash and I want to know what I did wrong.
xoxo
Laura
And help me win an iPod shuffle. Plus, once you join, you can participate in Street Team activities too!
Sign up below!
If you haven't heard about Glee then you've been living under a rock.
I'm sorry to be harsh, but it's true.
Honestly, I can't believe that it has taken me this long to write about since I've probably watched the Sneak Peek Premiere episode about 10 times since it aired. Not kidding. And it's also currently sharing the throne with several other television series that are my favorites even though only one episode has aired thus far.
It aired on May 19th after the American Idol season finale and the rest of the season will continue on Fox "in the fall". The only reason I'm using quotes there is because I don't know the exact date in the fall it will be starting up. Personally, I hope that Fox's version of "in the fall" means "next monday" but I'm pretty sure that's what they call "wishful thinking".
Anyway, you've been reading this and you're probably thinking, "Laura, get to the point. Why should I watch this show? Why is it so apparently awesome?" Well, let me lay it out for you.
1) It's Not High School Musical
Whatever you think Glee might be, it's not. And I know lots of people who think it's going to be like High School Musical. But in those movies, characters have been known to break into song for absolutely no reason. With this show there's a reason for the music: the Glee Club. Also, the music in Glee is about 10 kajillion times better than HSM. In the premiere alone: 'Respect', 'Rehab' and 'Don't Stop Believing'. And believe me, I can't stop listening to the show's version of 'Don't Stop Believing'. It's incredible. Which brings me to my next point...
2) A Talented Cast
Most of the cast in HSM are marginally talented (kind of. Personally I think nails being scratched on a black board is preferable to Vanessa Hudgen's so-called singing) but the cast of Glee is WAY WAY talented. When you listen to the show's reditions of the songs mentioned above, that's the cast singing. There's no stand-ins or lipsynching to another singer's voice. Nope. That's their singing. Lea Michele, who plays Rachel Berry, has the most gorgeous voice of the cast (IMHO). She was in my favorite musical, Spring Awakening, as the lead Wendla and in the show she sings a song from Les Mis called 'On My Own' and it literally has given me chills every time I have watched the premiere episode.
3) Interesting Characters
OK, sure. You've got two of the high school standards: The Betchy Cheerleader and the Cool Quarterback. But they're with a twist. The Betchy Cheerleader is also the president of the Celibacy Club and the Cool Quarterback wants to sing and can play the drums. But there's also the cast of misfits that is the Glee club; Emma Pillsbury, the teacher who's a germiphobe but also has a huge crush on Will Schuester, (the lead adult) who's the spanish teacher but really wants to turn the Glee club around. The cheerleading coach, Sue, is coniving and enjoys the fame that the Cheerios (that's the name of the cheerleading team) have brought upon her. My personal favorite is Will's wife, Terry, who I am pretty sure is ligimately crazy.
4) A Good Message
I'm going to get cheesy for a moment, so prepare yourself. The message that this show is sending (so far) seems to be a pretty good one. It's all about being true to who you are instead of what other people expect you to be. Like Rachel says to Finn (who's the Quarterback, by the way) "You need to stop caring what other people think of it. You're better than all of them." The show is about fighting and working for your dream and what you believe in. And when they sing 'Don't Stop Believing' at the end of the episode, it's a really frigging uplifting moment.
Is that still not enough to convince you? Watch this:
Have I got your attention now?
Now, hurry over to Hulu and give it a watch. Of course, if you're not in the States, you'll need to find some other means to do so. Please? I'll mean a lot to me. Thank you.
xoxo
Can I just take a moment to tell you how excited I am about Pixar's new release, Up? Thank you.
HOLY CROW I AM SO EXCITED!!1!
Currently, my desktop backgrounds are Up themed ones: the main desktop is Dug and the secondary is of Russel and Carl. My screensaver is the Meet Dug screensaver from the official Up website. Every time I see a TV spot for Up I get all giddy and start squealing. I get this happy swooping feeling whenever I read a review about it.
It's like I'm in love or something.
Isn't this something a crazy person would do if they were in love with someone? Put a picture of them as their desktop background, have a photo slideshow of him or her be the screensaver, get all happy and giddy whenever they see that person.
Oh my god.
This is totally why I don't have a boyfriend, isn't it?
It's because I'm already in love.
With a movie.
But seriously, I can't help it. I haven't seen it yet, but like all Pixar films, I am eagerly anticipating its release. What I'm not so pleased about is that I will be working when it opens on Friday. Of course, I am pleased that I am once again employed, so you know, I'll have to deal.
Anyway, I'll be writing my review of it after I see it on Friday. Because I finish at 9pm there's a show at 9:20pm and 9:50pm at my local theater I'll be seeing it after my shift. Now to coerce someone into seeing it with me...
xoxo
A song I wrote that was inspired by Maureen Johnson's novel Girl at Sea which is one of my favorite books ever. I think I've read it about 5 times despite having to read 50 different books this year.
Anyway, I sent the link to Maureen and then she Tweeted it:I am pleased when I go away for a few hours and return to find that someone has written me a SONG: http://tinyurl.com/qs4ujp
I like writing songs for people. Even if it's a person I don't know but still admire. I think that if someone did that for me, it'd be nice to know that your work is appreciated and that it inspired another person to do something creative. And that's why I like writing songs for other people.
Check out Maureen here: http://www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com/ I especially love her blog posts. She's absolutely hilarious and such a clever writer.
This is just an update on how I'm doing with the 50 Books in One Year Challenge I set myself at the beginning of the year.
I'm doing pretty well, I'm almost half-way, which is good because we're almost half-way done with the year. This short entry is going to be followed by a list of books that I have already completed, then another list of books that I have started and need to finish reading and then a third list of books I have not started reading, but would like to read (either for the first time or again)
Please feel free to leave a comment or two (or send me a message on Twitter: @lauranicole) with book suggestions. Someone suggested Paper Towns by John Green in my previous post about the 50 Book Challenge, which I have already read, but I'm going to be re-reading. This challenge isn't necessarily about reading new books. It's about reading my favorites again as well.
50 Book Challenge - Books that I have finished reading (Kind of in order)
1. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
2. Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson
3. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
4. Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
6. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
8. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
9. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
10. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E Lockhart
11. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
12. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
13. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
14. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
15. The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot
16. Every Boy's Got One by Meg Cabot
17. Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
18. The Pixar Touch by David A. Price
19. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
20. Sophomore Switch by Abby McDonald
50 Book Challenge - Books I Would Like to Finish Reading
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Devilish by Maureen Johnson
YouTube: An Insider's Guide to Climbing the Charts by Alan Lastufka and Michael W. Dean
Mariel of Redwall by Brian Jacques
My Point ... And I Do Have One by Ellen DeGeneris
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
Emma by Jane Austen
Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
50 Book Challenge - Books I Would Like to Read (For the First Time or Again)
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
The Perfect Spy by John Le Carre
When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin
The View From Castle Rock by Alice Munro
Paper Towns by John Green
One of my favorite things about the internet, is finding little pieces of treasure in the form of awesome blogs and websites purely by accident, chance and luck. Usually, I'll be reading something on a site that I frequent and then click a random link and wind up somewhere AMAZING.
For example, today I was reading a recap of an episode of The Office on Television Without Pity and I found this fantastic blog called Cakewrecks which features professional cakes gone horribly and hilariously wrong.
Then there's this LINK which you might not want to press, actually, because it's pretty annoying.
And there's really cool ones like this guy, Mike Matas, who is a photographer. I don't remember how I came across his stuff, but I always go to it when I'm looking to a) find inspiration or b) feel artistically insignificant.
What sites have you found in your treasure hunt across the interwebs? Leave a comment and let me know!
...the new Star Trek movie was really freaking good. It was one of those movies that I had been anticipating for a really long time because of the trailer and I was not disappointed by its awesomeness. I kind of can't wait to go watch it again.
There were several reasons why I liked this movie, but I'm just going to mention the two that everyone seems to be talking about (with good reason) before moving on to why I, personally, loved this movie.
The awesome young crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
However, the real reason I loved this movie so much is not because of the cast or the writing. It was the effects. This movie reminded me why I want to be a special effects artist.
See, told you it was really fucking cool.
1) Website = not going so well. Because it's for ME, I keep changing my mind. I think I'll just have to settle on something and then change it by season. That's what I plan on doing with my branding colors. Since I also cannot settle on them.
2) I need to post something on my YouTube channel. I've been neglecting it. But the song I want to do I don't know how to play, exactly. I might just end up doing an a capella self-harmonization version of it instead of trying to learn it on guitar (I can't find the tablature and cannot play a song just by listening to it).
3) I'm back in drawing cycle again. Kind of. Usually it's either music OR drawing. Right now it's both. Because I kind of have time for both. So that's fun. I drew outside today until all the bees, wasps, and other forms of NATURE made me withdraw back into my cave (my room).
4) I'm back in crappy teen romantic dramedy mood again with my movies. How do I know? I just finished watching "A Cinderella Story". That movie with Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray? Yeah. That one. I have a love/hate relationship with this particular mood of mine. I love it because it means I'm happy (because these shitty movies make me happy somehow) and I get to indulge in my oft-neglected super-duper-girly side. I hate it because it's embarassing. Also I feel ashamed to be watching such superficial films instead of artsy smart ones (like my film buff-self would) or wicked-cool actions or sci-fictions (like my visual effects geeky-self would).
HOWEVER. All will be returned on Friday when...
5) STAR TREK COMES OUT!!! I honestly can't wait. I'm not even a Star Trek fan. I don't think I've even watched a single episode. But Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are in it, so that's a draw right there. But I won't pretend that they're the only reason. I was watching the trailer one day and there's this part where THE WORLD IMPLODES and as it did MY MIND EXPLODED. The effects are so beautiful I want to cry. And that's why I want to see this movie. The boy eye-candy for the girly-girl and the effects eye-candy for the visual effects geek.
Ok that's it for now.
DFTBA!
For a few months, I had the address lauranicole.ca redirect to this blog, in lieu of putting up a real website. However, since graduation, it's occurred to me that I'll be needing to have an actual website upon which to host my portfolio and stuff. So I finally cracked and bought a hosting package and now if you go to lauranicole.ca you'll be directed to a page with a "coming soon" flash video on it and several links (one of them leading here).
If you visit that page you'll also notice that I've given myself a deadline to finish the thing: two weeks. And I'm really going to try to stick to that deadline and have the website all worked out in two weeks for its final launch onto the interwebs. It might also co-incide with the launch of my new live webcast show. I'm not sure.
On this blog I'm going to be posting some of my progress, including images, and links to resources that I have found to help me. So here's the first bit.
I used www.videocopilot.net to help me with the coming soon page. It's in a tutorial called "Disintegration" that's really super helpful. Though the lighting was my idea. I liked the way it looked like it was a light shining through water and the words were floating off into the murky depths...
Here's some stills of the "coming soon" animation:
In the corner of my Children's Literature exam paper, I decided to write a haiku about one of the novels we read in that class called "Bridge to Terabithia". You've probably heard of it. If you plan on reading it, however, DO NOT READ THIS NEXT PART BECAUSE IT WILL SPOIL THE ENDING.
It went something like this:
Terabithia
An imaginary place
But the girl snuffs it
This is the email I received from my Children's Lit professor today. I guess he saw it when he was marking it (as I had planned):
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the haiku. Especially "snuffs it." Laughed out loud. Nice to have you in my class again.
Stereophonics
and the Jonas Brothers
Taylor Kitsch shirtless
and How I Met Your Mother
Wall-E and Harry
and Zac when he sings
These are few of my favorite things!
though I'm not entirely sure I'm going to keep the title or if I'm going to give myself a band name or not (probably not, but maybe) but I am rather fond of the cover photography (it still needs tweaking).
but i did it again anyway.
To do this:
1. Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
- The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.
2. Go to "Random Quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
- The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.
3. Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
- Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.
4. Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.
as you may know by now, I really like any sort of site that lets you socialize and (essentially) pimp yourself out to other people (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube. Et cetera). Recently, I really like dailybooth.com. The homepage of the site explains it best: "Your picture, your face, every day for years. Beautiful, right? Not only that, get your own gorgeous widgets and fleet of social features - free." So you take a picture of yourself every day (or, since I usually forget, ALMOST everyday) for a year and then you can see your evolution. Cool, right? And then you can follow your favorite people (for me, YouTubers).
Here's my widget. I suggest that you check out this social site. It's pretty cool.
Going to a school where there's a really good arts program means that you often run into a lot of weirdly creative things while on campus. Here are two that I ran into yesterday.
1) This thing, in one of the University buildings, was made out of toilet paper, and were hanging in the hallway. It was weird, and people had ripped part of it down (thanks, jerks) because when I had passed it earlier, it wasn't drooping quite as much, but it still looks kind of cool. I don't know why it was there.
2) This is weird and creepy and could have been done by someone at my college or the university where my college is because it was in the one building that both schools share. I'd like to think this was the doing of my school since it was in the building where the animation school is located. Anyway, this was in a stairwell, and I thought it was strangely creative.
If I do say so myself, this is one of my cleverer ideas. A gift for one of my friends from the theater where I used to work, the wrapping paper is made of a left-over roll of ticket paper that I nicked a while ago and used a name tag as the gift tag.
If you are on YouTube, you probably get a couple of these either as a PM or a Channel Comment and they're pretty freaking annoying or just plain weird.
What I'm talking about is Channel Pimping and weird comments. Channel Pimping (that's what I like to call it) is when someone sends you a message on YouTube saying, "Hey, I subscribed to you, subscribe to me back or I'll unsubscribe to you!" except that the message probably looks something more like,
"i subed u sub me back or i'l unsub u!"
Because if there's one thing I know about YouTube, it's that most comments like that are pretty grammatically incorrect.
I've received a few of these, but I have the unfortunate habit of deleting these, so I can't share any with you, but here are a few of the weird PMs that I have recieved on The Sisterhood of Awesome and my personal channel, Lauar21. Though I suppose they're not so "Private" now, eh?
1.
This one was on the Sisterhood of Awesome, so I don't know who they are asking about glasses, but I'm guessing me because I often switch from wearing no glasses in one video to wearing glasses in the next. The answer to this question, though, is yes, I wear glasses. No, they are not a particularly strong prescription, and no, I don't wear contacts. I just can't see very well in the videos where I don't wear my glasses.
2.
What, you're not even going to sub me back, man? No way am I watching your videos. I don't even know who you are!
3.
Same deal. Go away. I could care less about Michael Phelps.
4.
No, I will not create content for you without being paid, no matter how much free swag and burritos is currently tempting me.
5.
Hello, Justin who ran for State House in South Carolina who cannot spell the words "tomorrow" and "someone". You give me lots of faith in the governmental system of America. But thank you for saying that my sense of humor plays well to the camera. That was nice of you, even if you are a "politician" who can't spell.
Share your weird comments! I want to know what other people have been getting on their channels!
Yeah. It was featured on nerdfighters.com on the front page and I am KIND OF really super proud of it. Considering that it's the first time I've made a kinetic typography video, it's not half bad. I used After Effects and a lot of time and creativity to create this.
EDIT:
Found this on John Green's Website.
Has my day been made? Absolutely. I mean, the guy is pretty much one of my favorite people ever and he posted it on his blog, and said it was amazing.
I feel awesome right about now, thanks.
The following occurred to me while watching "Return of the Jedi" just now.
I'm just sayin'.
Insert your name where mine is and Google the phrase (with the quotation marks) to see what Google comes up with (ie: "[Your Name] needs")
"Laura needs"
Laura needs £3000 more for new legs.
Those are some EXPENSIVE legs.
"Laura looks like"
Laura looks like she’s about to breastfeed those pups.
I never have and never will breastfeed puppies.
"Laura says"
What Laura Says are utterly infectious, full of quirky vocals
Apparently "Laura Says" is a band.
"Laura wants"
Laura wants to be adored and worshipped like the royalty she feels she is
This is true.
"Laura does"
Laura does Celine Dion.
Uhhh...
"Laura hates"
Laura hates Donovan as a person
I do. I really do. Not. Know. A Donovan.
"Laura asks"
Laura asks for privacy while son is probed over lurid MySpace page.
First: I don't have a son. Second: He doesn't have a lurid MySpace page. Third: Anymore.
"Laura likes "
Laura likes to be admired and she has a tendency to force admiration by fishing for compliments.
This is also true.
"Laura eats "
Laura eats Matt.
I normally don't eat meat. Unless it's human flesh. It's delicious.
"Laura wears "
Laura wears a sassy and soft style here.
Ooooh SASSSS-AY!
"Laura was arrested for"
Laura was arrested for murder, but acquitted, and eventually gave birth...
Well, thank God Laura was acquitted. I knew she didn't really do it.
"Laura loves"
Laura Loves It When I Get This Close on Flickr ...
NO! I don't! BACK OFF!
This year - and I totally stole this idea from other people so this isn't an original idea - I am going to read 50 books. It's kind of like my "New Years Resolution".
However, unlike most people who make up New Years Resolutions - which, just so we're clear, I've always thought were kind of stupid and I have never made one unless I have to come up with SOMETHING for religion class in elementary and/or high school - I actually intend to do it. And not give up within a month.
This is my list of books so far - and YES, I'm counting the ones I need to read for my Children's Literature class this semester and the ones that I've started but never finished.
1) Bridge to Terabithia (Completed)
2) 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Completed)
3) Inkheart (In Progess)
4) The Seventh Tide (In Progress)
5) YouTube: An Insider's Guide to Climbing the Charts (In Progress)
6) The Pixar Touch (In Progress)
7) My Point...And I Do Have One (In Progress)
8) Brisingr (In Progress)
9) Emma (In Progress)
10) Catcher in the Rye (In Progress)
11) The Breadwinner
12) Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
EDIT:
13) Suite Scarlett
14) Girl at Sea (EDIT: Completed)
15) The Host
If you can suggest books - fiction or non-fiction, adult, young adult, WHATEVER - please feel free. That would actually be super awesome and helpful.
Something that I really enjoy about the internet is the various ways in which you can connect with a wide range of people and the different social networking platforms you can use.
Personally, I use several of these. Among them: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube.
Facebook, some say, is a waste of time. And I'll admit that most of my time spent on Facebook is time spent procrastinating on something else. However, I have found this to be a handy way of keeping in touch with family in other parts of the world as well as friends that I knew in high school and don't see anymore. It's fun to just see what people that I when I was 5 are up to. Social networking with other people-wise, it's not so great. I don't want strangers seeing my personal photos, particularly, or having complete access to my contact information, but it's a good way to keep in touch with people you know. Or knew.
Twitter is my ultimate waste of time, but it's sometimes useful. Lots of people have asked me what the point is of updating what you're doing every minute of day. And I tell them that it's just a fun exercise in consciseness and also - if you're following other people in the same industry as you - what's happening/new in the industry. I've gained followers by mentioning what I'm doing on motion graphics work and progress that I'm making, for example.
(My Twitter feed)
I am relatively new to MySpace. I had one when I was a teenager and the internet was still relatively new to me. I deleted the account a while ago. I signed up for it again today as a MySpace Musician so that I can get some more of my music out in the world because that seems to be working for people. I'll have to update this later when I find that there's a point to having a MySpace.
(My MySpace)
Finally, YouTube. It's no secret that this is my favorite networking site of all. And you wouldn't think that a site with videos of laughing babies with gas and skateboarding dogs would have much to offer except a fun way to procrastinate. But I've met several fantastic people through YouTube who I consider friends and it's a really fun - and rewarding way of sharing yourself and what you do with the world. I love getting comments on my videos - good or bad (preferrably good) and I love making comments on other people's videos and getting responses that stem a conversation.
(My personal channel)
(My collaboration channel)
Anyway, those are my thoughts on my biggest "time wasters". What are yours?
