Lights, Camera (Inter)action Reflection

This project has been a huge learning curve for me. I fell so fast into developing one of my first ideas that it actually became detrimental to the creative process. When I had the idea of using Surfing videos to create a sustained interactive video, I shot myself in the foot. I immediately told Louis that I needed to film him surfing on the weekend and we jumped in the car, it all happened so fast and before I knew it, the footage was loaded on my laptop and I was left with a bunch of unorganised and some unusable content. It was my fault as the only instructions I provided Louis with was that he needed to surf all three boards (finless, single fin and longboard) and he needed to try a variety of tricks on all three. When I got home, the longboard footage was so dark and grainy as it was formatted differently using a different lens. This meant I needed to go back down the coast, costing me another full tank of fuel and precious time towards the end of the semester. This taught me something so beneficial about the planning stage. Although I had visualised and written out the clips I needed to film, I forgot some of my most important skills about quality when filming.

I learnt the importance of writing a checklist even in pre-production stages so that I don’t forget anything when I’m in the act. Other skills were tested when the USB gamer console was placed in front of me, luckily the lesson where Camille taught us about the ‘HI’ object covered all aspects of the technical skills needed for this project and I was able to rely on early patchers where we were taught how to find out what key = output through numbers.

Something that I have enjoyed throughout this process is seeing how this type of sustained interaction can be formed through video, it seems as though it is relevant in my day to day life as YouTube has become so popular due to its engaging video content. This made me realise the power of video and how much easier it is to sustain someone’s attention through video rather than speaking. There is no way I would listen to a 2.5hr podcast with no distractions but I can happily binge watch cult documentaries. I think this has got to do with the engaging nature of screen media, definitely something that has influenced my decision to use visuals in this project as I have reflected on my own habits.

Vincenzo Lucini suggested “One of the biggest challenges for e-learning developers is to be able to hold the attention of learners. A video can do this exceptionally well. What makes videos so engaging and immersive? In my opinion, it is the story. Although not all, a large number of videos are built on stories and nothing can be more emotionally engaging than a story! Add interactivity to it, and you are sure to hook your learners on to it!” which reinforces similar ideas about video experience I’ve learnt during this creative process.

Another important technique of interactive art making I’ve learnt is the ability to present a ‘world’ or an escape for the user. I was really inspired by the idea of “imagining yourself” somewhere; by having that context and introduction on the patcher, users can get a feel for the type of environment or topic that the creator is trying to transport you to. For my project, I have tried to pose a question of “have you ever wondered how different surfboards affect a surfer’s performance on the wave?” which allows users to get a brief introduction into the essence of the concept. I think this is an important skill to acquire as it’s value transcends this studio, I can put these techniques into practice throughout other areas of interactive art making and perhaps on a greater scale.

With the group project, I learnt to not be afraid of using other programs to assist with the design of the Max project. I spent a while trying to work out how to make playing cards on Max, however, when we thought about the design we realised Photoshop was the only program that could quickly and accurately do what we had planned. Sometimes outsourcing from Max makes the project run smoothly if you know what format to export your files in (to agree with Max software).

I loved going back to tactile interaction as it allowed more options for hands-on triggers. When Camille showed us the small and simple gaming consoles he had, I thought it’d be a great idea to play with these buttons to trigger certain manoeuvres. I really loved categorizing each surfboard according to a certain button. For example, all single fin videos are triggered by the select button + a colour, the longboard videos are triggered by the top left button and the start button triggers the finless set of videos. By categorizing the boards, it emulates a more familiar gaming experience as users can understand the difference in sets of videos.

Something that I think works well for my solo project is its use of symbols and no words in order to communicate with the user. There is a level of expectation when I designed this interface as I guess not all users would be able to differentiate the select and start button (like me) but by showing them the actual controller they will be using, it allows them to locate that button without having to spell it out for them, literally. I like this type of design as it is clean and direct. I think the surfing videos also work well with the fade in and fade out, I like how it correlates with the game controller icon it belongs to.

I also think that the game allows you to analyse the difference in the movement that each surfboard controls. When you watch the videos over and over, you start to learn how with a finless surfboard, the surfer has less control on the wave, causing him to slide around a lot (360s, half spins and ‘Lala’s’). Longboards are great for stable movements, easy to catch a wave, harder to manoeuvre and single fins are incredible for cutbacks! I loved how I managed to integrate some form of learning into this project through the array of categories that allows the user to question the difference in movement.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO DEMONSTRATION 🙂

I like how our group project really relies on deeper interactivity, this type of interactive content (i.e the memory cards) relies on connectivity and hopefully creates a memorable experience for the user. The simplicity of the card structure is inclusive for all ages which became a strength of the group project! It’s unique as instead of the user taking in the visual content passively, they are pushed to interact with it in order to see an outcome. This interaction sustains the user’s attention as they will try and get through all the cards by remembering the words. I think this aspect of our project is great.

For my solo project, my biggest downfall was not getting enough Go-Pro POV footage which would have allowed me to create a more game centred project where the user could have controlled the direction of the surfer. This is something I would have loved to create and although it would require a lot more variety in the footage, I think it would be doable!

Also, another improvement that would make the project stronger would be the use of better sound, I recorded this ocean audio at the beach with my phone which makes it a little inconsistent, next time I need to use a proper microphone to record.

Perhaps for next time, I could provide some captions that informed the user of what trick the surfer performed, this would share some surfing terminology with the user and further provide them with a reference point to google or further research etc.

For the group project, there are many ways we could have improved the memory cards. For example, a nice animation of the flip would have made it much more enjoyable for the user, providing them with visual stimulation to sustain the interaction for longer. To make the project more complex and desirable, we could have integrated many languages, that enhances the user experience. Often, with French, Italian, English etc. the words are linked by many themes, this would have offered a greater range of learning outcomes and definitely enhanced the quality.

Overall this semester has been challenging but satisfying!