Skills

Web Design

Designed and produced various websites for personal and educational purposes. Very fluent in HTML, CSS and some knowledge in PHP, and also JSP (though that was some time ago now). All the websites I produce, I use simple text editors, as I feel it gives me more control over the end product, rather than relying on third-party software. I enjoy web design as it mixes creativity with technical skills, and presents many challenges to succeed in navigational layout as well as interoperability. I am also the webmaster of a few sites, including the main Panuccio Productions site, and the Australian Hwa Rang Do Academy website (which I am currently overhauling).

DVD Authoring

Using Adobe Encore DVD I have produced two full-fledged DVDs. One, the DVD for Dark Blood, and the other, the Australian Hwa Rang Do Championships 2005 DVD. Both projects included designing the overall layout for the DVD, designing and creating the menus, preparing timelines for video, creating and testing all navigational links, and also producing the DVDs themselves. Ever since I first started DVD Authoring, I felt myself really drawn to it. I find it very similar to web design. There is creativity, and also technical skills involved, and also the integration of video (another passion of mine) makes DVD Authoring a thing I really enjoy doing.

Graphics

I have been using Adobe Photoshop since version 6 and am by no means a professional artist, but I know my way around the program very well, and can always find a way to complete what I set out to achieve. I also have considerable knowledge in Adobe After Effects to create various visual effects and multimedia video. I also have some experience in 3D software packages, being most experienced with Side Effect's Houdini, though I have briefly tried 3D Studio Max and Maya.

Programming

I first started programming in BASIC on the Commodore 64 in the early 90s, and then during high school I created a simple screensaver in Visual Basic. Throughout university, I learned a variety of languages, and also was introduced to object oriented programming. I initially learnt Java, which at first I found difficult, but then after learning C, and later C++ (both of which I know find simple enough to understand), I am sure I would understand Java a lot more now. I find programming exceedingly challenging, and quite often frustrating, but there is quite the sense of satisfaction gained when solving a problem and completing a program.

Video Editing

For all my video editing, I use Adobe Premiere Pro, although I also have knowledge in Sony Vegas. The biggest video project I have ever undertaken was of course Dark Blood, which was 52 minutes worth of video, edited down from roughly 8 hours or so of raw footage. Since there was not much footage from each part of the scene to work with, I had to decide whether consistency between shots or the acting of the scene was more important. I find editing scenes enjoyable and look forward to doing it again in the future.

General Computing Skills

I have been using computers since I can remember. The first computer I ever used was the Commodore 64 and immediately fell in love with it and its games, especially when I started to learn how to program on it. Then when IBM-compatible machines came out and became popular, I learnt DOS and subsequently whatever version of Microsoft Windows is the most used. I have experience with all the products of the Microsoft Office Suite, and also some Unix knowledge. I also have been trained in the first four stages of the CCNA, although I never took the certification test.