Evaluation

After having a group final crit for this project there are quite a few things I can reflect on, overall I enjoyed the process of making both a video and a website as I hadn't really done either of these previously. Both of these can be quite laborious tasks but definitely get easier as you continue through a project and you get a feel for the appropriate programs. Initially dreamweaver was a complete mystery to me but now I think I can safely say that I could produce quite basic yet visually pleasing layouts in a much shorter scale of time. I also think that picking a subject that I was already knowledgeable on helped as it meant I could focus more of my time on actually making the website and getting it to appear how I wanted it as opposed to learning the ins and outs of something completely new to me. Although I wouldn't rush to make another website It is definitely something I would consider in the future, especially if I were in a position to have a personal portfolio website.
The first comment that many others made upon seeing my home page was that I had used the same image on both my homepage and the cover of my book from the previous Visual Exploration Project, however this was an intentional choice as the subject matter for both of these projects has been linked to instant photography and it seemed relevant. I was also told that my website was both very simple and plain in appearance, this had been my intention from the offset in order to create a clean and easy to navigate website. However after the final crit I have found that some people thought that the simplicity of it was more of a criticism and what some may see as simple others will see as empty.
After looking at all of the other websites I noticed mine was one of the few with the links to other pages alongside the content as opposed to across the top, this was also intentional as I feel that with a list of links that reads vertically there is more of a sense of hierarchy and suggestion to the order you would expect a reader to look at the pages. However it was also bought to my attention that the way my site is laid out lends itself to the design of a lot of websites built with indexhibit software, obviously I did not use this to create my website and stuck to using Dreamweaver as we had been inducted. Although after looking at various websites made with indexhibit I can see why this comparison has been made and think that they too serve as proof that a vertical list of links adds a definite hierarchy to them.
In terms of video I would say that mine was fairly limited as I didn't use any of my own footage in my final videos and produced only very basic interview style videos. Although this fits with simple style of my website I do wish that I had spent more time on the videos to bring them to a higher standard.
Overall I would call the project a success in terms of a learning journey as I had various inductions to new skills and programs but can also safely say that I know how to make a fully functioning, though basic, website and that it is definitely a process that I would consider undertaking again in the future.

Coding - Dreamweaver

This is the first time I have used Dreamweaver and can say it's complicated to say the least. As previously mentioned I designed my pages in illustrator so I already had measurements for all the necessary tables, despite this it still isn't the easiest program to use.
Once you've made a template the rest of the process is a lot less daunting, but still quite time consuming.
However certain aspects such as setting up links between pages, shown below, are extremely straightforward.

Design - Illustrator

The easiest way I found to design my website was through Illustrator as it gives you the freedom that Dreamweaver doesn't while attempting to make layouts and place things. Illustrator allows you to work on a web profile and so by working in pixels you can get accurate measurements for tables, text and images that you may want to use on your actual site.

The Impossible Project - Future

The obvious future is in perfecting the chemistry of their new integral films, however it seems they have various other plans on the way. These include film editions, collectible darkslides, the collection, a new camera, and both 8X10 and 20X24 projects.

Although the above are in terms of products, there are various discussions and speculations about the future of the company itself and the users of its products. Essentially the Impossible Project wants to keep instant analogue photography alive and avoid an estimated 1 billion Polaroid cameras becoming defunct.

The Impossible Project - Present

At current The Impossible Project are attempting to perfect the technology of their experimental films, you read more about these here.

The Impossible Project - Past

A detailed timeline of The Impossible Project can be seen here.

The Impossible Project - Video

After changing the focus of my project I had to set about making different videos, I decided to make one for Polaroid and one for The Impossible Project using archive footage of interviews on youtube. I spliced in my own questions and took relevant parts from each video to make it seem like they had answered my questions specifically. My Impossible Project video can be seen below

My Impossible Project Video

The original video I acquired this content from can be seen below

The Impossible Project Interview from PhotoPlus Expo 2009

The Impossible Project

Due to the discontinuation of film a group of people including some from the Save Polaroid website, avid fans, collectors and previous Polaroid employees banded together and created The Impossible Project.
They bought the last working machinery with the intention to produce new film, however Polaroid would not release the secret's to the chemistry of the film so The Impossible Project had to start right at the beginning.
They have since produced black and white film for SX-70 cameras, 600 cameras and even spectra cameras, these are known as the Impossible Silver shade films. (PX 100, PX 600, PZ600) They have also released an Impossible Colour shade film for SX-70 cameras (PX-70) with plans to create a 600 equivalent in time for summer.
They currently sell these films, along with original expired film and various other accessories in their online shop.

Polaroid - Future

Polaroid has since acquired a new Creative Director in the form of pop sensation Lady Gaga. There are a series of new products to follow known as the Grey Label series including a digital (pogo) printer for printing photos from your digital camera/phone, a new camera with a built in digital printer and a set of sunglasses that take photos and present them on the lens.

These items were officially released to the public eye at the start of the year at the Consumer Electronics Show. The printers are nothing but portable digital printers and are far from the original film that users wanted and the glasses seem absurd.
Looking at this and any other discussions in relation to these projects it can be quickly seen that these products are not likely to be welcomed with open arms. As far as instant analogue film users are concerned Polaroid is a shell of its former self and the future lies with The Impossible Project.

Polaroid - Present

The limited range of instant photographic products Polaroid currently has to offer can be seen here. However upon close inspection it can be clearly seen that the Polaroid 300 is in fact a rebranded Fujifilm Instax Mini. Other current products are the Polaroid Pogo range that can be seen here.

Polaroid - Past

A detailed timeline of the history of the Polaroid company can be found here at Save Polaroid.
Although my project is in relation to instant integral film and thus anything before 1972 is irrelevant this is still quite a helpful history as it dates back to 1929 and Edwin Land's first success in "polarizing light without needing a large crystal of an esoteric mineral. He creates the first synthetic sheet polarizer in 1929 and later files his first patent. Problem solved."

Polaroid - Discontinuation of film

In 2008 Polaroid officially discontinued the production of instant film, a timeline on the save polaroid website shows its activity until then.

As soon as this was announced various groups started on flickr and various websites started to attempt to save the film.

Avid users also started stocking up on their favourite films.
Image courtesy of Option.8

Image courtesy of Enriquevw

Polaroid - SX-70 Advert

This is the original SX-70 advert.


This video features the above advert but also and in depth explanation into how the camera works.

Polaroid - Edwin Land & the SX-70

Edwin Land was the co-founder of Polaroid and the inventor of the Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera, you can read more about him here.


This is the SX-70, the worlds first folding SLR and also the first instant camera to produce tangible prints in 60 seconds with no parts to peel or discard. You can read more about it here.

Polaroid - Video

After changing the focus of my project I had to set about making different videos, I decided to make one for Polaroid and one for The Impossible Project using archive footage of interviews on youtube. I spliced in my own questions and took relevant parts from each video to make it seem like they had answered my questions specifically. My Polaroid video can be seen below.

My Polaroid Video

The original video I acquired this content from can be seen below.

Polaroid CES 2011

Polaroid

A basic history of the Polaroid Corporation can be found here.
There are also articles on Instant Cameras and Instant Film.

Video Induction

At the start of the project we had video camera inductions, below is my original footage based on Self Publishing. They are not cropped greatly as not long after filming I changed my mind and based my project around instant photography. The videos for that can be seen further below.

Question 1


Answer 1


Question 2


Answer 2


Question 3


Answer 3


Additional Information


After changing the focus of my project I had to set about making different videos, I decided to make one for Polaroid and one for The Impossible Project using archive footage of interviews on youtube. I spliced in my own questions and took relevant parts from each video to make it seem like they had answered my questions specifically. These videos can be seen in their own specific blog posts.