Ideas for Final Project!

So we have finally been set the brief for our final project: to develop any of the techniques from the mini briefs into a short project.

  I decided to develop on what we had learnt about QR codes because I enjoyed the mini brief using these and I like how you can use a range of different media elements in innovative ways to tell a story. I felt that by using a range of media, it would make the project more interesting as people wouldn’t get bored by just looking at lots of different photos or just watching one film. I also loved the fact that the viewer has to get involved with the artefact by scanning the code, making it a more interactive experience for everyone. I wanted to explore the notion of QR codes being used in a useful way, not just in the sense of linear storytelling because I thought that within this area I could create an innovative and novel idea.

I decided to research some existing QR projects to get some inspiration of what direction I wanted to go in with my project.
The first project I looked into was the Radisson Edwardian Hotel chain, who have recently added QR codes to their menus, so that customers could scan certain dishes and watch them being prepared. I liked how this enhanced the customer experience of something that is normally a standard and boring procedure, like choosing what to eat. It inspired me to do incorporate this into my project, applying a more innovative spin on a tradition process.
  I then looked at Tesco in Korea, who have created QR supermarkets in train stations. This enables mobile users to scan various items that they wanted to buy, using their phone’s QR reader and complete their shopping whilst waiting for the train. Again, I liked how they turned a normal, mundane task, into something innovative and more exciting.
I also looked at Spotify’s mixtape QR project. Users were able to make a playlist, then send this to someone via a greeting card which had a QR code inside. I liked the idea of sending a message to someone you love, via a QR code and this was definitely something I wanted to include in my project.

From the research that I did I knew that I wanted my project to be an innovative spin on a traditional concept, but also have a personal touch in which someone can send a message to a loved one through it.
My original idea was a 12 Days of Christmas QR Advent calendar where the person would be able to see a different piece of related media each day, culminating in a personal Christmas message off someone. However I realised that due to the time of the year, it was unrealistic to be able to film so many Christmassy scenes and I didn’t want to just get a load of media off the internet.
So I changed my idea to a QR calendar where there would be a different QR code for each month, relating to that month.
I decided that I would use a range of media including films, photos, soundscapes so that I would be able to practice a range of skills that I have learnt in the past 3 years on various software such as Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere Pro.
However to make the project more interesting, I decided to use it as a prototype for a new type of personalised calendar, in which people would be able to go online and create their own personalised memory calendar for someone special where they can leave letters, photos and video messages for them in the form of QR codes. For each month, the QR code will contain memories from that month in the past year, showing the story of how their year went.
There will also be the option to add in personalised reminders for birthdays of mutual friends.
I chose this idea because I thought it was an innovative spin on a traditional concept that everyone has become used to, and perhaps, bored of.
  On each month’s page there will be a main QR code for the whole month which would focus on memories of that month from the previous year, then on various days there will be birthday reminders, personalised messages to the person and other reminders about novelty days throughout.

YouTube Annotations!

Our final mini brief was to create a short YouTube Annotation video. These are videos in which the audience can decide what way the story goes, by choosing out of a range of options. These can be used for storytelling, or to spread awareness of important issues. I enjoy these type of videos because it makes the viewing experience more interactive and I find it much more engaging and exciting as I have an impact on how the story will end. I was very excited to make my own because of this.

One of my favourite existing YouTube Annotation videos is 'Take The Knife'. I like how there is a fully thought out storyline, and how the characters in it interact with the viewer, making them feel like they really are the character. I also like the danger element within all the decisions you have to make as it adds more pressure to what choice you can make, making it feel more real. This made me like idea that it can be used to spread an important message as people can make virtual mistakes and see the errors of that so they don’t make same bad decisions in life.

We came up with the idea of a party. We would shoot it all POV so that the viewer would feel like it was actually them in the situation. They would be offered drugs, offered the chance to steal a random drink and offered the chance to go home alone, with their decisions maybe having a catostrophic effect on their lives. We felt this was an important topic as it is very relevant to students today. Due to time constraints we weren't able to film the final part about going home alone and this is something we would definitely fit in if we were do develop it more.

Our video:

I got to do a lot of the filming which I found beneficial as it allowed me to develop filming skills and gave me the confidence in that I can do it in the future on my own - a skill which is vital in the media industry.

Due to me having a 2 day placement at Lime Pictures I was unfortunately absent when our group put together the Youtube annotation video but I made sure I researched how to do it for future reference.

To improve I would format the annotations so that, instead of jumping to separate videos, it would just move to different points on that video’s timeline as I feel that this is smoother and the viewer wouldn’t have to wait for the new video to load. However we weren’t able to do it because of the way our video was formatted.

Isadora

Isadora is a media presentation software, created by media – artist Mark Coniglio to achieve interactive performances for his dance company, Troika Ranch. Using this software, you can do anything form simply play a video to creating an interactive system that responds to live performers. It’s often used in nightclubs and music festivals, connecting the visual elements such as lighting and effects with the music being played. One element that I love about Isadora is the way the user can get really involved in the installation whilst viewing it on a computer, such as interacting through the webcam or by moving their mouse in a certain direction. I also love how it makes something into more of an art installation than just a film.

 

 

Our idea was to create an interactive game based on a young girl who had to try and find her way home, avoiding all the dangerous obstacles we put in place. We initially planned to film it all ourselves, using a range of POV shots so that the audience would feel like they were actually there, and it was their life that was hanging in the balance. The story we had decisions to make such as flagging down a taxi or calling her mum, walking down a well lit street or down a dark alleyway. As we went on with the planning, we came up with plenty more options of what people could choose to do. However it was starting to become too complex to do within our limited timeframe so we had to simplify it.

 

  Unfortunately, even though we had planned it well, due to people’s conflicting schedules we were unable to actually film anything, This was disappointing as I felt that we could have really created something of high standards but it couldn’t be helped at all.

Instead we found some images online and made a little interactive story out of them. It was very basic but we all managed to get a feel of what the software was like.  

Overall I did not enjoy working with Isadora at all as I found it very confusing to understand, and the purpose it was built for didn’t appeal to me at all. I definitely won't be using this in my final project. However I think the fact that there is almost a limitless amount of things you can do with it is amazing, and I would definitely be interested in watching some more Isadora installations even if I wouldn’t use it myself.

Qr Codes!

This week we learnt all about QR codes. QR codes are symbols created that, when scanned, link to a media source, such as a Youtube video, a website, a voice note, a google maps location, or even a link to a song on Spotify. They can be used to tell a story, sometimes spread across numerous locations so people can go on an adventure to find out the story. They also can be used as a novel marketing technique - people become intrigued by the mysterious code and scan it to see what it is. I find this fascinating as I would definitely be someone who would scan a code I find on the street. This website has numerous examples of creative uses of QR codes: http://www.boredpanda.org/26-creative-ways-to-use-qr-codes/ My personal favourite is the pizza QR as not only do I find it amusing, but also captivating how they have turned a piece of food into a piece of technology!

Our task was to create a story of some sort using at least 5 QR codes. Our idea was originally to do a QR code family tree with the codes representing each family member in a different way however we felt like this was going to be too much of a complex idea in terms of creating and sourcing all the media content in the short time that we had to do this project. So we changed our idea to doing a QR Life Story. I liked the way that we could portray major life events in an innovative way, linking memories together using technology. Instead of photos in this album, we would use QR codes, bringing these memories to life.

Firstly we chose the major life events that we wanted to cover. They were: birth, first kiss, marriage, first baby and then retirement and old age. I’m happy we ended on a happy memory and not someone dying as I wanted the end product to be heartwarming and not morbid.

For birth, we did a QR that showed a Google Maps location of where our character, called Lizzy Parker, was born.

For first kiss, we used a link to a photo of their first kiss and also another code linking the audience to a Spotify link to a song that reminded them of their kiss

For the wedding, we used a different website that created a voice QR code reading out the wedding vows.

For the first baby we linked the QR with a calendar event of the baby’s due date

And for retirement, we linked to an adorable video of an old couple playing piano together on Youtube.

We then stuck all the codes into a printed out photo album to make it more authentic. Unfortunately I haven't got a photo of it, and some of the QR codes.

To improve our QR project, we would create all our own content however due to the fact we were only given a few hours to create this, this was not possible.

I enjoyed using QR codes because I like the fact that the user has to get involved to find out what is behind it, like they are trying to crack a mini mystery. I feel that this is more interesting than someone just sitting there watching a short film as you can use a variety of elements to keep people interested. Since learning about them in this lecture, I have been seeing QR codes everywhere! In my opinion, QR codes are going to become increasingly common in today’s world as almost everyone now has smartphones so companies will start to think of new ones in which they could incorporate this technology. This excites me greatly because I am fascinated in how they will develop and be used in our everyday lives. I am definitely interested in using QR codes for my final project so plan to do some research into existing QR projects for inspiration.

Triptych!

Yesterday we were set our first mini brief - to produce a short triptych film about anything that we wanted. A triptych is a split screen film - when there are 2 or more different shots shown on screen at the same time. It allows the audience to view all different aspects of a situation, and gives them the choice of focusing on one particular element, if they want to. it is a much more creative way of film making than I have ever done before. I was very interested in producing this as I had never done it before. As with everything I have learnt on this course, I always feel impressed with myself after learning how to do something which I always see on the TV!

An example of a triptych painting

An example of a particular triptych is this:
Memory Sixteen
I like how there is a wide variety of different clips that the audience can watch, allowing them to create their own viewing experience. I also love how the simple clips actually create a fascinating film of city life.

After getting in a group with Elicia and Gemma, we started to brainstorm ideas and what we wanted to achieve with this project. We wanted to create something that was visually pleasing rather than focusing on telling a story. We set out with the aim to use a range of creative camera angles to ensure that the audience’s attention would be kept throughout it all. This interested me as I had never focused on this before as, by my own admission, I don't have a creative eye when it comes to deciding what looks good on camera so I was excited to delve into this a bit more.

We chose to do our film about the season of Autumn as we felt like we would be able to go out and film a lot of relevant footage. It was important to us to use our own material so that we could get the effect we wanted to. After filming a range of shots such as the fallen leaves, cold days and warm fires we set to work with editing it together into a triptych. It was quite a simple process for us however we found that due to rendering and export times, we had to cut some of our desired shots out as we didn't have time before the deadline but I still feel that we produced a hgih standard of film.

Here is our film:
Autumn Leaves

I felt that our triptych was very aesthetically pleasing and some of the shots that we got were visually strong. I definitely would like to develop it to a longer film about all 4 seasons because I feel this would be a great film to watch. However if I were to do another one, I would focus more on sound as we just used a backing track and I feel that if we used a selection of sounds, it would help the viewer’s attention get drawn to different shots as I don’t think we had any poignant shots to attract attention. I quite like the idea of all different shots trying to ‘fight’ for the viewer’s attention with clashing shots and sounds.

One of they key things I liked about using and watching triptychs is the ability for the audience to select whatever piece of film they want to watch, allowing it to be a more user focused and personal viewing experience.

Creative Media Introduction

We recently had our first 'Creative Media Practice' lecture and I have to say, I'm looking forward to the rest of this module! It is focused on a range of different creative technologies that we can use to tell a story in an interesting way. It is like the follow up to last year's module of 'Beyond the Camera'. This ahs always been the area that I have got the lowest marks in so I know that this year I have to step up my game and try my best to get a higher mark this year.

For the first few weeks we will be given 4 mini briefs so that we can explore the new software and techniques that we are presented with. I think that the fact that it is unmarked is good as it allows to be as inventive as we can, without worrying about losing marks if it goes wrong. We will then have to develop one of these areas that we have learnt about to go and create our own individual project. We also have to blog about our experiences which I am happy about as I enjoy this element of the course and was going to continue with it anyway.

I am very excited to start experiement and exploring these new media areas. Wish me luck!

Maybe this will be me at the end of this module!