No comments

Project FOUR: The Final Piece – The Journey

  By weiyunsoo • June 7, 2015

WORKING TITLE:

Creating an Interactive Narrative using YouTube Doubler

We were sticking to our YouTube Doubler and creating a parallel narrative. We thought it was more appropriate to stick to a simpler concept as suggested by the panel of judges. After brainstorming with Seth and the class, we had came up with a few pointers that could probe us into creating a few prototypes.

Ideas given:

  • start with the first person narrative.
  • understand it and analyse cinema films
  • after that, start thinking how it has been altered with parallel narrative
  • then what happens if you were going to show a ‘FRONTBACK’ video style. (filming yourself and the first person perspective.)

We had to look for an effective element that drives the narrative using first person perspective and try to find ways to make it more effective.

What happens to first person perspective video when it is re-appropriated into a parallel narrative like YouTube Doubler or other tools?

We started reviewing first person perspective in cinema films and the techniques of shooting and editing. We looked into parallel narrative where we understood it was a generalised category. Parallel narratives have been used such as tandem narratives where they are put into a single sequence.  SEE FILM: CRASH (2004)

We decided to use this narrative and see how it works while being played simultaneously. Also, we would explore on how to create an effective first person narrative as well.

The ideas we came up with over the period of 3 weeks were:

1. Having two-sided perspectives in a conversation.

Due to previous mistakes, I remembered to put in actions that would be obvious enough to see that it was a first person perspective. It wasn’t as effective as I expected with just actions and the other character looking into the camera. I had to think of more ideas.

2. Using Monologues (Inside thoughts/conversations)

This had proved to be more effective and how easily viewers can slip into the character’s shoes because they know what they’re thinking and what actions they plan on doing.

3. Using the elements of our case study and creating a simultaneous perspective

We finally used the room as a location where two people were undergoing a focus group experiment. This was to test their observation skills. We used two types of observation in this film.

 

And that is our final prototype.

 

The prototype definitely has more room for improvement. The idea, however, is evident with the parallel narrative.

 

No comments

Final Prototype: Stuck In A Room

  By weiyunsoo • June 5, 2015

These are the two parts of the video of our final prototype. Please view them in YouTube Doubler.

SUMMARY:

Ever wished to be be in a person’s shoe when you’re watching a film. Feel free to participate in our focus group joining perspective A! Wait, there’s two of them in that room! What does it feel like to be in the other person’s shoe? Stop thinking and watch in perspective B!

Check out perspective B here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP7DjnWPon0

Hold up, why not watch both of them together? You can mute and listen to the other person’s dialogue / monologue by yourself. You control this film! (GASP)

Go to: http://youtubedoubler.com
and put both the links in! (you can also put your dj name if you secretly wish to be a dj)

Cheers!

 

Reflection:

Adding the monologue to this video made first person perspective more effective due to the fact, I added the cropping motion like she was closing her eyes to take a nap. I used “bad film” effect to show the flashback of the key (it is not very visible) but the key was shown again when he was having his back facing her.

 

LINKS:

Reflection: Project FOUR Draft + Presentation Notes

Prototype Draft: First Iteration

Prototype Draft: Monologue Test (THE LAST CHIP)

Prototype Draft: What Will Become The Final Prototype

G-doc Report

Project Four Tag

The Project Four Journey

Wei Yun’s Portfolio

No comments

Prototype Draft: What Will Become of Our Final Prototype

  By weiyunsoo • June 4, 2015

This would be how it looks like in YouTube Doubler. Just for drafting sake, and for people to understand what it is like to put the videos through youtube doubler. This shows two perspectives of the two people stuck in a room for a “focus group” experiment on observing things. One would be observing from afar and taking in the surroundings and looking at things closest to her while the other opens every compartment, searches every corner and walks around the whole apartment. The twist at the ending was just a simple way to end the film.

Filming this draft was fairly difficult but much easier compared to the first film because we tried to use less face-to-face scenes so it does not disrupt the flow and use minimal hand gestures or at least as long as one of them does not see the gesture. I feel it still would have been better if we had the camera strapped onto us instead of holding the camera and limiting us to using one hand only.

The concept is fairly simple as we lack creative narrative but the idea is there. I had jumped from the two-sided conversation to two types observation but the elements from the previous drafts were considered in this film.

No comments

Prototype Draft: The Last Chip!

  By weiyunsoo • June 4, 2015

Another spin off from the previous draft, to try to improve on our skills of filming a first person perspective with a camera.

 

This was more of testing the monologue sequence. Instead of editing it, I had my friend say it out loud. Everything was in monologue until he says “YES THANK YOU!” This was a test on how a monologue feels together with a first person narrative. As a second try, it was fairly simpler compared to the first draft. The mistakes I found was that I could not use my other hand to set it like I had in the previous take. If I could not use it, I shouldn’t have put it in frame at all. Lesson learnt!

The monologue had given emphasis to the first person perspective narrative. I find that it allows the viewers to jump into the first person POV easily compared to showing actions. The monologue allows viewers to understand what the person is thinking and what he desires. The only thing left is for them to anticipate what the outcome will be.

 

No comments

Prototype Draft: The First Iteration

  By weiyunsoo • June 3, 2015

The first draft to be presented for class feedback. The cues were not planned out well as you can see some actions were not timed properly through the two perspectives. It was a difficult process, juggling camera, using one hand to put into action and the timing of when to look at the person at the same time. We actually used another phone to follow the timing of the previous shot. It was a tedious work because I was seen looking at the phone from time to time.

The idea was there but it felt like the actions later on only brought in the effect of the first person perspective. What could make it more effective? Peter and I thought that adding monologues, like inside thoughts/conversations, might bring more “flavour” to the first person perspective.

We definitely made a few trial and error to try and minimise the mistakes because if we were to shoot in a bigger room, it would be more of a hassle as the concept is larger and more actions would be involved. This was just a step to creating a better two-sided perspective.

 

No comments

Reflection: Week 12b – Present Project FOUR Draft

  By weiyunsoo • June 3, 2015

I was not feeling well so Peter pulled the weight of the presentation (sorry Peter!). I have filmed the draft back in Week 11 on the two-sided conversation. I managed to send to Peter and a few points of problems I came across as I filmed it.

These were my presentation notes:

    • could not do it in a proper room that we had planned out.
    • decided to try a different approach.
    • this is two sided conversations. it clearly shows two sides perspective
    • how to make it more effective though? – i had thought of adding monologues /inside thoughts into the two parts.
    • this was just a practice for having two first person perspective. because the room would be a bigger concept (coz bigger room, duh), walking around more, more actions.
    • it was difficult to repeat the same movements we went through. (as you can see some of the missing hand gestures i n the film) – MY HAND WAS POINTING IN THE FIRST PERSON BUT WHEN ON THE OTHER PERSPECTIVE, MY HAND WAS ON THE TABLE- (that’s about close to a min already)
    • THE GUY’S EYES WERE NOT ON ME FOR A PERIOD OF TIME BUT IN HIS PERSPECTIVE WAS ON ME! (NEED TO WORK ON TIMING AND CUES)
    • for the next sketch, we plan to have the room setting filmed. good enough to be a first prototype. and see how we can improve on it from there.
    • to do that WE NEED TO GET THE TIMING RIGHT, THE ACTIONS REPEATED, AND TRY AGAINNNN… (and maybe a more well thought out script)
No comments

Reflection: Week 11b – Camera Put To Action

  By weiyunsoo • May 24, 2015

Shot the “TWO-SIDED CONVERSATION” prototype this week. Thanks to my awesome friend, we did it in a cafe while having lunch. I could say it was terribly difficult and we had to re-take each perspective more than three times at least. The mistakes ranged from moving the camera too slow, not on eye level sometimes and looking at things we weren’t suppose to look at.

A friend of mine told me I should film it on a 35mm lens because that is the actual focal length of our eyes… but… I don’t have a 35mm lens! So I just had to make do with my phone camera. We drank coffee until the levels were not the same anymore! But that was the least of our worries, the most problematic situation was that we were holding the camera with one hand that we could only act out scenes with one hand only. We lack an extra pair of hands or maybe gadgets that could strap the camera to our heads.

 

No comments

Reflection: Week 11a – IT CAME TO ME!

  By weiyunsoo • May 19, 2015

IDEAS! BEFORE I FORGET THEM!

Two-sided conversation. – Having two perspectives on the situation. Person A will have thoughts and monologues about having trouble spilling a secret to the Person B. Person B will have a monologue about why Person A is being so jittery and awkward.

Stuck in a room – Having two types of observation. One may be looking around the room from one spot while the other roams and inspects every corner of the room.

 

So, I was having lunch with a friend and we were cracking up on making awkward conversations when an idea hit me. What if someone has a secret to tell the other but he/she is absolutely nervous and afraid that it would hurt the other person. Thus, the awkward confrontations. DONE! Idea number one.

The next day, I was running about going in for house inspections (before I get kicked out of my current lease), I always wondered what my friends and I would be if we were locked up in a room like a sort of “focus group” kind of experiment and it gave me an idea of using my first person perspective experiment as the focus group experiment (I think i just confused myself saying experiment multiple times). Anyways, so I thought two people with different kinds of perspective in observing the space.

VOILA! Now, to get cracking on how the film is going to be shot.

No comments

Reflection: Week 10b – Think of Ideas!

  By weiyunsoo • May 15, 2015

My mind became a blank. I was stuck with my sketches. Re-read the probe a thousand times and my creative ideas just got blocked. BLOCKED!

As suggested, I tried playing with the timings and sequence with the past videos I had and find something interesting. I tried parallel reverse timing, fast forwarding, playing at different timings. To my despair, there was nothing interesting or anything that I learnt from it. In other words, EXPERIMENT FAIL.

So, as I write this reflection, I am panicking that I do not have anything to present for discussion for next week…

No comments

Reflection: Week 10a – Pitching Ideas to Seth!

  By weiyunsoo • May 12, 2015

This session was a self-directed session again. I gave my two cents on my past sketches and what I felt it was a first person perspective when Seth thought it was a third person perspective. It boiled down to the fact that I should still give more actions that may look more believable as a first person perspective. When someone watches that particular video, they should instantly get that they are being in the shoes of the observer. It was a good insight and I will remember using it in my future sketches which would lead to my final and confirmed prototype.

YouTube Doubler was the main theme in my mind, cutting out all other narrative ideas. This was a bad idea because of limiting myself. Peter and I decided to take a step back and listened to Seth’s advice.

We put a couple questions to prompt us as we answered each of them.Naturally, the first questioned we asked was “What is the first person narrative?” So, what happened was we went through films like Cloverfield, recommended by our peers during our brainstorming session in week 9. We paid close attention of the camera angle, shot, length and edits. How they used first person perspective in cinema. That had led to our next few questions on the techniques of shooting in first person perspective.

We came into class with a little bit more knowledge about how to produce first person perspective and tried to get more feedback from Seth. After the feedback, we had some fragmented ideas (which we won’t know if it will work unless we experiment on it). Seth had mentioned going back to our case study, as usual, and think about how they used the apartment room space, the complexity and dynamics on first person perspective and trying to experiment on things to make viewers experience the entire space without being in the location itself.

 

So far, my ideas I got:

filming yourself and different reaction. Then, creating three different scenarios to allow viewers to choose which event comes first based on the person’s reaction.

PANEL A: Your face like you’re vlogging (with several expressions/emotions)

PANEL B: 3 different scenarios in one video to allow viewers to choose which event should be played when they see the person’s reaction.

 

  • Archives