Final Reflection
There are 4 characteristics of online spaces that our project fits in, which are interactivity, modularity, nonlinearity, and variability.
First of all, interactivity. There are four industries focused and explored in our project, including, photography, film & documentary, music and journalism. In order to achieve fair selection and avoid content hierachy like Balloons of Bhutan as mentioned in development post. In our project, those 4 industries/sections are equally displayed at the centre of the screen. Based on that, the audience is able to choose their interested industry/field and decide the viewing order.
After that, the audience can also choose the person that they want to know and the format of the interview, such as video and written text.
Hence, our proejct responds to the interactive possibility offered by online spaces.
Second, modularity. Media elements are assembled into larger-scale objects but continue to maintain their separate identities. The objects themselves can be combined into even larger objects, again without losing their independence (Manovich, 2001). Our project has the characteristic of modularity as every industry is a separate section, which can be understood independently. However, they can also be put together and formed a larger object, which is Net Adaptation in the art industry, our project. Thus, our project responds to modularity, which is one of the possibilities of online spaces.
Moreover, nonlinearity. It can be seen that there are three to four 1 – 2 minutes short interview videos under each person, which has their question marked as covers. Those interviews were 5 – 6 minutes video each originally, nevertheless, the online space enables chopped up version. Every question can be seen as independent or combined randomly to form a ‘narrative’. There is no particular storyline in our interactive online documentary. Every question, every person, and every industry can be a narrative. Therefore, our project responds to nonlinearity online spaces characteristics.
Last, variability. “A new media object is not something fixed once and for all, but something that can exist in different, potentially infinite versions” ((Manovich, 2001). There is no certain order in our project. Each industry, interview, and the question can be viewed randomly. There are numerous versions and interpretation in terms of one project. Hence, it responds to variability.
Our project is considered to be web specific to a great extent.
Even though, there might be a film that focuses on online branding in the art industry. However, it is hard to combine different art forms in a film, for example, there are both video and written interview in our project. Also, online format is easier to access and engage as every industry and interview or question can be viewed individually. There is no requirement of watching a whole film featuring different interviews in various art industries. The audience can choose freely whatever industry that they like, whoever that they have an interest, whatever media format that they prefer, or even whichever question that they want to know to watch and explore more. However, in the traditional format, for example, a film, the audience has to download and watch the whole film or keep skipping in order to find the industry, person or question that they want to explore. It is inconvenient and time-consuming. Thus, our project is web specific.
In regard to the question originally asked, there are some limitations of online screen production, for example, it cannot force the audience to interact if they do not want. Also, it is hard to get participation. Also, there is a considerable difference between a smaller scale and traditional media. First, there are fewer people involved in the production. Second, small-scale work is more flexible, easier to change or add new keywords in a second. It does not have to be what it has to be or what it is planned to be. However, in a big production, normally everything is locked off as there is a continuity that has to make sense before and after. Last, the online project can be ongoing and never finished. Nevertheless, the traditional media is fixed once it finishes. What is more, it is considered difficult to make engaging online content as the ‘trend’ is changing quickly. It is hard to predict the next trend. Also, following the current trend is conceived as inadvisable and unnecessary as it might be out of date next second. Hence, under this circumstance, to set up constraints is useful when preparing or making an online project. Moreover, it is necessary to choose the target audience and subsequently analysis the tren within that demographics.
In terms of our exhibition, there are some areas for improvement, especially technical. As we did not figure out how to create ‘go back’ from the 2nd interface to the 1st one, hence, it blocks the audience’s interaction due to the fact that they need to refresh when everytime they want to explore another industry. Also, there is a lagging issue in our project, which uses up the audience’s patience and once again affects the interaction.
Reference List:
Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media. The MIT Press, 2001. pp. 18-31