I was a bit unsure of what class to choose as my first Uni elective but now I’m very very happy to be in Visualising Data in Art. After the Mondays class I was massively inspired by some of the stuff we saw, the scope of things which we can do is massive. I already know a few of the applications we will be looking into. A while ago for a school project I used Processing to Data glitch photos for Art although I had no idea what I was doing. I would love to learn more about the program because it could help me greatly for making more experimental videos.

This was our final submission our group project. The process worked in a way where Tom gave us clips and we would experiment with the visuals to it compliment the sound. Anna and I mess around with our own edits and brought it back to tom where be would change subtle noises in the tracks to then suite the audio better. Combinign Annas Drop visuals and my video feed back experimentations made some very  interesting effects when using blending modes and distortion techniques.

Editing the video was a very tedious exercise

An Intricate Image from Alec Wilson on Vimeo.

As a group we went to the Redwood forest in Warburton to collect sound and imagery for our interactive display. We brought two cameras; My 6D and a loan camera from building 9.

I found the environment to be quite immersive as we all went off to do our own things getting lost among the trees or the river. Under the redwood trees there was a sense of uniformity in the trees placement but it still felt like we were in a natural forest. It was good for filming because it made it quite eerie and meant that I could play around on the zoom and shallow depth functions on the X200

Unfortunately  I thought the camera was filming at 1060p 60fps, but was actually filming at 60mb/s only 25fps. The whole time i though the footage as going to be in slowmo. This would have allowed me to slow it down in post which would give the image much smoother motion and focus.

I was imagining for the interactive display that we could have the footage ramp up or does depending on how fast the interactive instrument would be shaken or stirred. Instead we might need to do something else.

For the  TownHall organ installation Anna and I are collecting visuals which will be projected on the organ and react to the sounds.  We are going to do some field recording but are also going to have seperate projects where we experiment with more abstract imagery to give the show diversity in its subject matter. Anna has already recorded footage of dye in water and now i’m going to experiment with video feedback techniques.

I was first inspired by a youtube channel called ‘troysvisualarts” which to this date is my greatest find on the internet. Hours of content have been posted by Troy as he builds TV’s and Cameras as well as testing out expired film and experimenting with old media. Many of his videos (over 200)  have only 5 views
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy64khZ24vA&index=29&list=LLRbgvZkbV127DEFpdPrTLvg&t=771s

While I don’t have the same equipment as Troy, I borrowed some a digital tape camcorder from the department and hooked it up suing an HDMI cord into my monitor.
Over a few sessions I experimented with strobe lights and lazers, messed around with the cameras manual settings and improvised with other random objects.

From this process of testing and experimenting I became immersed in the strobe lights while trying to recreate previous patterns and looks.

Morphing hand gestures infront of the camera created some very trippy visuals. One cool thing aobut this was that by having my hand between teh screen and teh camera it created sort of a shadow on the image whcih in a way masked the feedback in front and bellow it. So it interchanges between red flashes and darkness resulting in an interesting effect.

I found that the camera wasn’t particularly suited to this kind of work as it could only film in 1080i 25fps. I wanted to slow the footage down when editing  but found the video feedback morphed slow enough that it wasn’t needed.

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AUDIT – Laser Tag

Laser tag can be a highly immersive game and relies heavily on its surrounding environment to stimulate and enhance the users experience. I audited Laser tag in three different locations and found that while there were different degrees of immersion, the physical exercise was enough to bring myself into the world of the game. This tactical immersion of having to react within split seconds to other players means our “higher brain functions are largely shut down” as we make movement for movement decisions that are “physical and immediate” (Gamasutra 2004). Immersion in laser tag can be heightened further by intense stimuli within the arena. For my audit I attended three vastly different spaces; Cousins house, Sidetracked (with friends) and Strike bowling (class mates).

I remembered as a child my cousins had a Halo laser tag set which lead to some intense standoffs and sessions lasting hours. So I thought it would be interesting playing this many years later and then analyzing this to more stimuli heavy environments.

My understanding of immersion is when you focus your attention towards a specific task and as a result, are so engaged that the environment around you shrinks. For it to be an immersive experience it needs to stimulate and redirect our attention on our major senses (Anon eReserve 2017). So the flashy lights, dark environment and windy paths are just a few things which adds to our perception in the game and away from the outside world. Laser tag becomes a very engrossing game because of this and is the reason why its still popular because it offers something cinema and VR cannot do.

Laser tag is a basic game heightened by various stimuli. Players compete in teams by using infrared beams fired from guns to hit infrared targets on other players vests. The two teams battle for the win, giving purpose to the action with outcomes such as the players kill/death ratio and accuracy of shooting. Players drive engagement but only if they are willing to suspend belief.

The target market for laser tag would be Males aged 10-15. At Strike bowling their laser tag had a very different crowd; an older age range mainly 18+ attracting people having a night out catching up with friends. Having a higher age group dictated the way the game was played. At Strike with a more laidback manner with less dedication to take it seriously. Laser tag at Sidetracked was taken more seriously by the younger crowd and consequently we became more competitive because of the hype. Another thing made players at LaserForce try harder to win was that they not only had a scoreboard but also a system where players could use personal accounts. This means that every time you come to play you are upgrading and levelling up you character. The player is now devoted and attached emotionally to get the best score each time, further immersing them into the world of the game as there are actual accomplishments to reach instead of single game wins.

Strikes simplistic arena was smaller than Laserforce which meant it was easier to see where the opposition were and gave the player an idea of the scale of it, lessening the immersion to stimuli. If they were to improve the space they could put mirrors along all the walls.giving a sense of infinity and further pushing the sci-fi themes of the venue. Laserforce’s multi-levels and intricate maze design meant we could play the game multiple times without easily navigating the arena. This brought about a freshness that strike lost after a few games. Strike felt more like a room they had somehow squeezed in rather than a stand alone arena. The prop design at strike also made the experience more exhilarating and interesting because they put in old sci-fi objects from old films. Some of these like the terminator robot also interacted with the game by becoming targets to shoot or actually becoming enemies which can shoot you. This interactivity and intricacy made LaserForce much more immersive than Strike especially after a couple of rounds.

The lighting in both venues was very dim using UV lights and smoke machines enhancing the texture of the light and overall ambience of the experience. This forced the player to stay alert and ready at all times. These uneasy environments was further heightened by the sound effects which darted around the room from the vests, phasers and targets. Music played a massive role in the arena as the “soundscape contributes to a sense of presence by creating an illusion of the game world as an actual space” (Xiaoqing 2015). The 90’s techno/anthem soundtracks also sped the play which made them seem very fast despite it being 10 minute games. When the fast passed music and the intensive activity of running, ducking and shooting are combined, it’s easier for the individual to find time suddenly alters its perceived speed (Xiaoqing 2015). So the environments created in these laser tag arenas are both engaging because time feels faster but because some aesthetic aspects of Strikes set up isn’t completely right, it is not fully immersive when compared to LaserForce.

What Laser tag is trying to do is create an environment which is unlike anything we are used to. It is an “experience that cannot exists in reality” therefore to a degree we can suspend disbelief and “side-track our senses” to view the environment as a novelty but still forget that we are not in our normal world (eReserve 2017). I believe the reason why Strikes Laser Tag fails at immersing the participants fully is because of its small size and simplicity.

While all three experiences differ greatly from one another they were all immersive in different ways. Laser tag at my cousins house had low immersion but because it was still energetic and competitive there was a high level of engagement. There was a level of temporal dissociation in the surroundings because of this high involvement (Jennett C 2008). None of the audited places had as much immersion as LaserForce where there was a narrative connection when your individual character levels up. The huge size also made LaserForce more believable allowing the players to have a deeper psychological experience with the surrounding stimulus. The music and sound effects is vital to the speed of the game which in turn enhances immersion with dramatic stimuli.

List of stimuli
Arena Layout

• Strike was very small and had little height variation in the arena
• Sidetracks Laserforce had multileveled platforms and walkways
• Cousins house was in daylight in an outdoor setting

On-body

• Gun attached to vest with audio speakers and LED flashing lights
• Vest and gun lights strobe when shot or firing
• Speakers play count down audio, power up sound effects and vocal instructions

Environmental

• Targets built to shoot at or have the ability to shoot
• Soundtrack playing though entire arena
• Winding corridors, Large Fans, Set deign from 90’s Sci-fi films, cover from fire
• Smoke machine haze, UV paint, laser lights, UV lights and LED for ambience

Outer arena

• Objective to win the game and add points to personal account (only at LaserForce)
• Game briefing video and arena entrance room
• Leaderboard with kill/death rate, player level and accuracy

References:

Anon, Immersion. Immersion, p.eReserve.
< https://equella.rmit.edu.au/rmit/items/8fb639f7-c616-4657-b988-3a196fa09e4c/1/

[Accessed 2 Sep. 2017].

Gamasutra, E. (2004). Postmodernism and the Three Types of Immersion. [online] Designersnotebook.com. Available at: http://designersnotebook.com/Columns/063_Postmodernism/063_postmodernism.htm

[Accessed 2 Sep. 2017].

Jennett C, Cox AL, Cairns P, Dhoparee S, Epps A, et al. (2008) Measuring and defining the experience of immersion in games. International journal of human- computer studies 66: 641-661.

Xiaoqing Fu, J.Z., 2015. The Influence of Background Music of Video Games on Immersion. Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy, 05(04), pp.Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy, 2015, Vol.05(04).

I declare that in submitting all work for this assessment I have read, understood and agree to the content and expectations of the assessment declaration.

I’ve decided to go down both paths with the final assessment. The first is the project with Tom and Anna for the town hall piece which is exciting. Over the past few weeks we’ve been going down there and thinking about show we can create the interactive elements which triggers the organ and the visuals.

I’m confused as to how we will achieve this but Anna has experience with Arduino and interactive devices so thats a start. we’ve started filming things for the visuals. Anna has filmed dye in water and I’m going to experiment with Video feedback in a week or so. The footage we record will then go through ‘Processing’ which will then b programmed to send a signal to the projector. We are going to create a station at the front of the Hall where participants can touch items on the Gothic themed table which will trigger sounds from the organ and interact with the visuals projected on the screen.

Im going to also be doing a solo project which will be more experimental. Im still sorting though my music and will choose a song to use soon.

I always find it hard in these studios when we are given free-range to do what we want. It’s great but I always have the problem of not knowing what to do because there is too much to do.

1. I want to do a project on the organ. One idea is the integration of a Rave/techno song with accompanying from the groove on the pipe organ. It would be funnily immersive, and could actually work really well as there are heaps of songs that have organ anthems in them.  the problem is that I have no clue where to start so i’ll need to find a sound student to help on it.
2. I also want to make some kind of short film which has something sound based at its core, so the narrative revolves around a sound. I haven’t exactly thought of this yet but it will come to me soon. Im looking for another sound student to help on this and others who do media.

Immersion is the moment when I forget peripheral thoughts and focus all my attention towards anything. I have be immersed in a burger and become light headed because I had forgotten to breath. Everyone experiences this type of stuff such as when your running and you get stuck in the rhythm and movement of your running that its easy (but still hard) to keep on moving.
I way too often become entranced with music while studying and the feelings of the song will come through into my head. Even if its the most mundane task like putting bulk stamps on letters it can turn teh vibes into something very different.

The process of editing for Project Brief 2 was very different to what I’d usually do. I actually really enjoyed it because the abstract nature of the sound track mean’t I could work the visuals into the audio in a more fluid way. You don’t get those of freedoms when editing to music because you have to be very strict about the cutting to the bars, beats or snares. It’s somtimes a lot harder to edit music because once you start to edit in a particular rhythm  its very hard to pull away from it and swap it up without it being obvious.

I’ve edited and filmed a few videos for  clubs and Dj’s and I’ve found it really hard to find this the balance between making a fun looking video and a hardcore intense video. I feel like I overcomplicate the edit and cram too much into which is why Im probably more suited to experimental editing styles. One thing I could work on this semester is finding the balance on these videos.