Week 6 is the week that our assessment is due. Unfortunately I got quite ill over the Easter break and couldn’t gather the resources I needed to create my first envisioning of A2. Though I did turn up with a visual draft of the direction I am headed in. I was nervous to show it in front of the class and Cat because I don’t like showing unfinished projects in public. Plus my visual style is pretty out there, and might not have fit with the brief. Luckily I got a pretty good response from the group, and it appears I can go ahead with my new plans. I mean as long as I get a pass I am happy, because what I am making will serve a greater purpose outside of uni. The content of this weeks content was immersion art, such as virtual-reality and alternate-reality. I think AR will eventually be the one that hits mainstream commercially, much like the car did. VR is fun and interesting, but AR presents a much grander vision of possibilities, because it could revolutionise everything from education to advertising and media.

Week 5 was our last session before the Easter break. This weeks online session was about Hive-Minds. We also talked about colour grading and got time to prepare for Assessment two. I am actually pretty well acquainted with the idea of a hive mind. One of my favourite television shows is Star trek: Next Generation. Next-Gen features a race of biomechanically assimilated aliens called “The Borg”. The Borg operate and live as one being, with all their consciousnesses connected under the real of one singular entity. The idea of humans fusing with Artificial Intelligence and becoming a singular being probably isn’t as Science Fiction as it sounds, and could represent  a pretty real future. Though it isn’t any future I want any part of. I’ve never been too good a colour grading, so it was good to go thorough it once again. I’m excited for assignment two because with this assessment I want to make it more in line with the work I create outside of university for my portfolio. I’m hoping to have something to show first session back in two weeks.

Week 4 was our second in person class for the semester. The focus of the content for this session was on memes and misinformation in online spaces. For our opening activity we were allowed to spend a few minutes making a meme using online tools. I decided to take the extra step and make a Prince Phillip meme in photoshop (below). After this We were shown the Sony X70 camcorders. They’re a prosumer video camera and actually produce a very nice image. Super light weight and simple to use, especially with the top handle. At the beginning of class we had a screening of all our Assessment one videos. Unfortunately I appeared in two separate videos because I said I would help Joe make his, and I also left mine to the last minute and ended up having to act myself. Both the penalties of my lack of foresight. Luckily I wasn’t entirely cringe worthy. We did a little shooting exercise with x70’s later on. I filmed with Joe and Rhys. It was fun to get out and about and to think about camera work again after having a year stuck inside.