Here is the link to my sketch:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1remkHVlSj3Jkg4kx7XYgDY7NZKfDvqjow2WAFJgqPa4/edit?usp=sharing
The audio is already included in the vlog reflection below:
Here is the link to my sketch:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1remkHVlSj3Jkg4kx7XYgDY7NZKfDvqjow2WAFJgqPa4/edit?usp=sharing
The audio is already included in the vlog reflection below:
This week I come across the AI fashion week debut in NYC. Followings the related articles and interview clips, it is fascinating to see every process automated entirely by AI, from cloth designing to stage set-up. The quality is phenomenal to the extent that I initially think it is a Vogue editorial. Personally, it is an interesting observation because this content substitutes the involvement of human labor. For example, it replaces the photographers to capture the atmosphere backstage. You can review the show’s images in the attached link:
Here is the page of the event: https://fashionweek.ai/
FAQ: https://fashionweek.ai/faqs/
I look up FAQs and discover two requirements: contestants need to “facilitate the reproduction and sale of your collection” and the final quality is aligned with Vogue’s. Therefore, I guess the contestants extract samples from trendy fashion collections and prompt them in machine learning. They then organize the output images in a linear order that matches the theme of their collection. However, it is questionable whether the use of AI might be considered ethically creative as far as in the garment industry.
We are able to explore new creative directions for our inaugural sketch, from a series of Tweet threads to interactive mediums such as TV news. As far as we develop, it widens the available options with the tools in hand. For example, we can stimulate a podcast focusing on the issue or even recreate it in the form of TV news. However, it strikes a problem that we have not agreed on the medium. Therefore, everybody comes out with different sketches.
We hope that for future work, we get familiar with the technological options provided. For instance, I am interested in the collaboration feature of Reduct where we can create a design-thinking framework. In Eleven Labs, the voice synthesis has a paid subscription feature for integrating real-life voice
For this week’s video, I am particularly enthusiastic about how Simon Willison demystifies the complexity of machine learning concepts. He does not use jargon in explanations but rather compelling language with interactive visuals. For example, when he illustrates how LLMs actually work, he brings out the Apple auto-translator to break down the similarities in AI topics. One key principle that hooks me is when he shows interactive methods with AI. He blatantly zeroes in on the AI’s lacking in which hallucination turns into obviousness. He recommends we understand how the model works and learn the hard lesson that the iterative process will be never polished. As a result, we have to be the deliberate moderator of the companionship with AI.
Here is the link to my Week #4 sketch (please use RMIT account to access):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OwNd7RGXziUBp9DQEVcnUN1IU-IUZWu-/view?usp=sharing
Here is my group’s media sketch of the week:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QCMD8XnfzsrHwsaM-O5Ti9MecfXdOf1LJNf6HPY-Lyc/edit?usp=sharing
Please use your RMIT account to access the document
Week #2 Vlog Reflection:
Here is the access link to our media sketch:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Jlv0gk9_BcMvUyvkUE2_nK9qGrUAmfpYDLrZL6VqEfc/edit?usp=sharing
Please use your RMIT account to access the document
Here is my written reflection:
Week #3:
A Reddit user posts his Ai-generated recreation of the famous Mona Lisa in the modern day in the AI-art subreddit and received critical responses from other users. Here is the link to the post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/aiArt/comments/11e3elz/modern_day_mona_lisa/
I think it is an interesting case study to remind us that even the most updated language models are fragmented with prejudices and biases, especially in this example, unrealistic visual depictions of women’s bodies. Also, I find out it is Stable Diffusion, the notorious text-to-image, diffusion learning model. To put it simply, training images will be processed through image encoders to represent the information as vectors (Zhao 2023). The diffusion model combines all this information to find relative associations and utilizes them to create final products (Zhao 2023). However, during my research, I discover that the model was primarily trained on images with English descriptions. This explanation explains why the image of the AI modern Mona Lisa is rifled with irrational visuals, largely due to the unhealthy environment of data input.
With our group’s media sketch this week, we plan to create a melodrama, music theatre script of the scandalous scene of Chris Rock slapping Will Smith. What does not work well is that the Chat GPT model does not update the event in its system. Therefore, it is unable to make a logical analysis of tension and it leads to the issue that the tension is resolved in an illogical sense. In the end, we are gladly happy with the results and our collaborations. Everyone helps spark the idea together so that all the scenes are linear and meaningful. For future media works of a similar kind, it is recommended that we could teach Chat GPT about what should/should not include. Although we frame boundaries to make sure that the story is not astray, we are thrilled with mesmerizing ideas that Chat GPT can spark.
This week’s reading creates an interesting comparison between large language models like ChatGPT and lossy compression algorithms, in order to identify the limitations and challenges of LLMs (Chiang 2023). There is a key quote that really stood out for me “If students never have to write essays that we have all read before, they will never gain the skills needed to write something that we have never read” (Chiang 2023). He asks about the effectiveness of the AI model, whether that “blurry copy of unoriginal work’ helps improve our writing or not. Everyone has to start by mimicking other writers’ styles before crossing to their original work. Therefore, AI might not foster writing but rather disrupt the necessary process in the quest to become a good writer.
Reference List:
Chiang T (9 February 2023) ‘ChatGPT Is a Blurry JPEG of the Web’, The New Yorker, accessed 6 August 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/chatgpt-is-a-blurry-jpeg-of-the-web
Zhao G (2023) How Stable Diffusion works, explained for non-technical people, Medium website, accessed 6 August 2023. https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/how-stable-diffusion-works-explained-for-non-technical-people-be6aa674fa1d
Reference list:
Izadi E (29 May 2018) ‘Behind the scenes with Seth Meyers’, The Washington Post, accessed 29 May 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style/wp/2018/05/29/feature/inside-the-writers-room-with-seth-meyers-how-to-make-late-night-tv-in-the-trump-era/
Lloyd R (29 May 2023) ‘‘The Big Bang Theory’ is ending, but we shouldn’t let multi-cam sitcoms die. Here’s why’, Los Angeles Times, accessed 29 May 2023. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-big-bang-theory-multi-camera-sitcoms-20190505-story.html
Paragraph #1: The GFX list proves to be helpful to me. The role of GFX is to give the graphic operator and assistant director a sense of how GFX is being played during the show. Reflecting on our run sheet in the game show, I must reinstate the importance of a GFX list.
When I analyze the mock GFX list, there are some concepts that I conclude about: first of all, the description of the graphic, and second, the additional notes. It is interesting that the description should compile supportive information about the GFX. For example, what is this GFX about, where are we locating this GFX, the size, the font, the format, and so on. It is principally because the graphic operator and producer/writer need to format the content of the GFX to their desires. For example, in the director-booth video of the show “JEOPARDY”, the questionnaire graphic was formatted to be in sync with the overall concept. Looking at the color and the font format of the questionnaire graphics – in blue color and professional, acknowledgeable letter looks.
We will see how they calculate the different alternations of graphics. At first, it was a full-screen question graphic with a voice-over from the host, which might serve two reasons: one, for a break before a transition, and two, to fix any camera angles or errors. Since this game show is live and not pre-recorded, the full-screen graphic might be a sneaky way to hide the studio. The lower-third question bar is showcased during the overview screen of the whole stage.
The additional notes are significant for the AD to indicate when and where the graphic is shown. They converse with a graphic operator on the placement of graphics (we do not want to see the blocks of graphics on the screen). In addition, for example, if I want to show an OTS graphic while the host is talking, the AD and director should acknowledge it in the GFX list so that they might set up the appropriate camera framing.
Paragraph #2: The history of SNL and its roots in popular culture illustrates the dividend role of inspiration in creative making. I never think of the extensive range that SNL in particular and the general comedy-variety format has historically changed our way of entertainment. The variety format is rooted in the vaudeville concept, which shows a variety of separate acts unanimously (Marx et al. 2013). A new format was adopted in the early radio format history: a general theme with a fictional setting, and controlled variations for the weekly installment (Marx et al.2013). As far as the emergence of pioneering historical and social contexts follows (ie. the transition to TV), it welcomes new styles of entertainment. However, the segregation that sets SNL apart is that it is a live-to-tape production, different from major pre-recorded shows prior in the history. It is adventurous to be exclusively liveness, especially with a show “predicated on the idea of bringing new talent with a countercultural flavor” (Marx et al. 2013). SNL includes a shifting roster of guest hosts, ensemble comedy with sketches/one-liners, and live performances of contemporary artists. It is an interesting tactic for the NBC directors to keep the show updated to change audience biography. The fact that they are still relevant for a long time should be regarded as a great success, retaining relevant ideas and replacing unnecessary ones. It gives me a new insight into the possibilities a live variety show might be operated. If we stay with the old format, keeping recurring characters and the same sketch of comedy, we are no longer adapted to the competitive market. I am thankful that the reading “Saturday Night Live and American TV” shows me historical records of ups and downs in television. It helps me understand how and why the right mindset, flexible to uncertainty, wins the test of time.
Paragraph #3: This game-show assignment enhances two integral aspects of live-to-tape production: the coherence in the team’s communication, and the importance of polishing pre-production. I raised expectations for this assignment when our team was formed on assignment briefing day. A substantial part of this is that the members are comprised of talented and insightful people who spent an impactful amount of time complementing the content and script. Based on the role division, I am not wholly involved in the developing content process. However, I skimmed through the script and run sheet the prior day to shooting and everything is pretty detailed. They write two separate scripts for the host and the fictional co-host, Dave the Dropout (in the EVS). There is no rigid transition between two different narratives in which each dialogue explains and continues the prior one. I am thankful this time that the team briefs the host about the content and prints out a deck of questionnaire cards for the host to follow. Therefore, we will not challenge him to read content out of Autocue throughout the show.
(Below is the screenshot of our script and explanation)
I am satisfied that the guys put sound effects on the track – it anchors an interesting tweak from the simple narratives. However, we can do more with this aspect. Neglecting the accident of sounds occasionally not playing in sync with the screen, I think we could put intensively rampaging or nerve-racking theme sounds on round 1 – the revision or maybe lightning round 3. It might catch more attention from the audience, and segregate this round’s theme from general-question round 2.
(Look out for the screen switching at 1:55 – the sound plays)
The crew does an exceptional job at GFX. Great thanks to Jamie for pulling out fantastic graphic designs for the show
(Some of our GFX do not make final cuts)
The time sheet is different as since we agree to discard the intro sequence at the outing. However, the presence of GFX before the EVS of Doug the Dropout explains the rule passed without any checks. I am confused when I double check on the title placement (ie. GFX in the name of EVS). This grave mistake does not pay us a massive consequence since I quickly put on the EVS of Dave at the right time after the host finishes the introduction
(As you can see, in the run-sheet, there is supposed to be the showcase whiteboard EVS before the Dave EVS. I maintained to put all EVS files in order without acknowledgment it not going to be used. Refer to 2:40)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GtBswVd366ylZH-_9dgeY726pWCTERCV/view
It is our mistake of not doing several checks on all the documents before the show. It should be better if, in the next shooting, we spend a considerable amount of time skimming through the errors, and correcting everything before the official run to avoid these mistakes.
Reference list:
Nick M, Matt S and Ron B (2013) Saturday night live & American TV, Bloomington : Indiana University Press.
First Blog:
When I first encounter the term ‘Multi-camera production’ in this class, I am not sure about this studio’s approach. Having previous interaction with the production mode ‘single cam’, which is historically based in cine, magnifies my insecurity about a whole different aspect. Not only though, I had no idea about either the workflow or technology in multi-cam projects. However, the more I place myself more into studio practices, the more I comprehend the outline of goals in studio descriptions. I am confident to stand up to new challenges which Ms. lovely Ruth assigns to our students. There are two big goals that I wish to achieve at the end of this course: to understand the workflow and technology of TV production, and comprehend how TV, as a cultural text and creative expression, would be able to thrive and prosper. In week 2, I take charge of the Director’s Asssistant, who monitors the set-in representation of the director and makes sure the crew completes their duties (Ruth, 2023). I also tried on Audio Director and especially Graphic (GFX) Operator, which will play a significant role in complementing the looks of future projects. After a few trials, I acknowledge basic pre-production and crew management for the talk show format. It is interesting to learn during the live tape-in, what responsibilities a team of core members (Director, DA, Floor manager, and so on) have to take charge of.
Some other great insights come from the viewing of historic multi-media shows, including “I Love Lucy”. The show on its own provides vivid explanations for the different aspects of multicam and single-cam production. Multi-cam or single-cam do not supposedly interfere with the quantities of cameras on the set, but rather their settings. Most of the prevalent single-cam shows such as talk shows, variety/late night, etc will have live-studio viewers and the recording is based inside an in-house studio set.
(I Love Lucy BTS)
I hope to learn both theoretical and practical aspects of live-studio production in this course. I am looking forward to reading more industry-insider articles and augments of analysis, which would enrich my application of theories into real projects. The reading on Week 2 is definitely a wholesome summary of multi-cam and single-cam practices – an example of how this course proves to be personally helpful.
Second blog:
One interesting idea in the reading “An Introduction to Television Style: Modes of Production” of Butler differentiates between two modes of production, in following to the aspects of production stage. In the pre-production, scripting is not always following the same framework. In one-cam products which call for high-quality visuals (commercials, animation, music videos, to name a few), shot list and storyboard are prerequisite. In the script breakdown, the writers tend to jot down detailed actions, even the expressive moods, with the camera directions (either be zooming in close to the face and panning to the side, for example).
(The example is the Dark Knight screenplay breakdown. As you can see from the extract, the action line is cap locked to specifically emphasize what actors need to follow. In some cases, directors will jot down the camera movement, but I bet Christopher Nolan has a sophisticated storyboard instead)
On the other hand, Butler (2018, p.193) illustrates that soap-opera and sitcom comprise mainly of dialogue, with gaps in between that director may write in camera directions, as the script “less image oriented and literally no camera directions at all”. The absence of storyboards and shot lists can track back to the minimal set designs of most one-cam shows. Likewise, in our first live tape-in talk show, there is no prerequisite for ‘acting’. We only need to have a framework of how the talk show will run and the discussion theme, to the most minimal effort. What Butler (2018, p.193) intends to phrase non-narrative programs (game shows, talk shows, reality TV) as “speak in their own voices” is the outcome we are seeking. If we look more broadly into the TV production, the blended nature of two production modes leads to less preservative ideology around each pre-production procedure. A lot of planning in advance will be forwarded by members to find the tailored solutions for each program. In short-film, they break down the scripts into set pieces, and complimentary shot list and storyboard helps visualize those pieces prior to shooting. Whereas in single-cam products, especially live to tape, the push to liveness is priority. However, Butler declares about how each mode borrows the aesthetic technique from the other (2018, p.196). How I met your mother is an example of how the show seems to multi-cam (the use of laughing track to imitate a live audience and live studio-set) but intrinsically uses technique from one-cam (more creative camera movements, time on set is longer) (Butler, 2018, p.197). I think it is necessary to think of two production modes as more of the tool to expressive artist souls. Rather than sticking to one style of production, it works better to learn the beauty from both extremes and develop it for the good of my own.
Third blog:
Before the recording day, my team does not have a sufficient script for the talk show. Since I expect that the hosts and the participants are assumed to speak in their own voices, we are negligent of the fact that an organized script helps keep a trace of undesired possibilities (Butler, 2018, p.194). That leads to the problem at the production stage: we have a vague idea of the theme and rush to finish all the tasks on time, especially during the typing for autocue. There are some of the things I expect from the first live-to-tape talk show: one is with the music topic, and second is with our freedom in the choice of props, set design and lighting. The insufficiency of discussion is accountable for the absence of good graphics and lack of coherence throughout the show. For example in Group 2, they boil down to the discussion of a particular person (Kim Kradashian in this case), or else in Group 4, they discuss the Moomba festival. I feel it necessary for a 3 minute show to focus on a specific topic to avoid too general questions. It should be working next time if we had more sophisticated planning.
(In group 2, the host has a deck of questionnaire cards for guideline and the crew prepares some graphics in advance)
Following on the music topic, we could skim down to a specific music theme location or a favorite artist. From that on, we retain our audience’s focus on that topic only. Second of all, I sense that the show’s overall design is a little bit underwhelming. I was watching a YouTube video titled “Using Color to Tell a Story in Film” by the channel “In depth Cine”. There is a part they mention about three ways that film can achieve the color desire and one of them is lighting (In depth Cine, 2022). The lighting is sometimes overlooked; however, it can work as a statement for the show. For example, people watching Who wants to be a Millionaire identify the blue with the show. As I mentioned, it can be solved with sophisticated pre-planning in future projects. There are still some positive points to discuss. I am more than proud of working with teammates who understand their roles and show uttermost respect in communication. Even though we do not start off with the planning perfectly, our team soon covers up the disadvantages smoothly on the set. I want to give special appreciation to Josh and Olivia for being wonderful floor managers and directors. The crew makes my job as director assistant less difficult and the whole communication during the set is on point. Olivia sets up extraordinary visions by giving concise directions to camera operators, while she asks me for suggestions on the camera positioning and so on.
During the on set, me and Josh communicate back and forth to manage the situation in and out of the live set. We are on tight with the running order as giving sufficient time slots for trial and live recording in the compromised time span.
Reference List
Butler, Jeremy. G (2018) An Introduction to Television Style: Modes of Production. In: Television: Visual Storytelling and Screen Culture, Milton : Taylor & Francis Group, Routledge, New York, pp. 185-198.
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rmit/detail.action?docID=5264139&pq-origsite=primo
CBS (20 Aug 2020) ‘Behind the scenes of I Love Lucy’, CBS, accessd 21st March 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7yPwWoj4D8
In Depth Cine (28 Feb 2022) ‘Using Colour To Tell A Story In Film’, In Depth Cine, accessed 19th March 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbYjgJuvsDg
Lannom SC (2019) The Dark Knight Script: Screenplay Scene Analysis and PDF Download. Studio Binder, accessed 21st March 2023.
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/the-dark-knight-script-pdf/
Richard, R (2023) Crew Role Glossary, RMIT Dashboard, accessed 21st March 2023. https://rmit.instructure.com/courses/117281/pages/week-1?module_item_id=4999647
I would love to give credit to the music video directed by my lovely friend, Emily Cox. A key idea addressed in the studio that I think Emily does good job for her M/V is the transition of sound and images. She takes advantage of the match cuts effect to transit between scenes and represents the vibe of the whole song: internal struggle with love. For example, the burning fire or the storm in the dark is the metaphor for the raging emotions that sit deep inside the character. To maximize the efficiency of the match-up, she blends two different shots to create a dreamy and conflicting look. I also love her choice of colour and lighting in this music video; it is fascinating. It correlates with the concept of moods in genres that we discussed in the studio before. I am not certain about her intentions behind those choices. However, I could sense that each scene should speak out a certain feeling. The bright red, dim light set of the bathroom with the lighter prop signifies the anger – red. Whilst, the dark blue set of the tunnel indicates the sadness – blue. We talked in class about different genres that might have their preferred choices of colour and lighting. Depending on the cinematography choice, drama might only use a bit of light to create contrast or blend the characters into the surroundings. I also like Trevor’s commercial edit. It looks fresh straight out of the commercials I see on TV. I like how he puts the snap photos frame by frame to create the rough motion of B-boy dancing. I also notice that he uses a lot of B-rolls of shoe close-up and place them with the main sequence to intensify the endurance of the shoes. The sound edit is on point. I am not sure if we ever mentioned sound editing in detail. Nevertheless, I love how we smoothly move from the sound of the zipper opening to the hip-hop sound. I bet there is a lot of work with sound design to snap with scene rotation.
I am also interested in the science fiction short movie, TANTRUM, from AUGMENTED CINEMA (Creating Immersive Media with Film and Video). I think the key idea that this short movie communicates is team collaboration. I can reflect on the Commercial genre edit (Freatom) that we did in our studio and my narrative edit from Series Edit Brief. In the team contribution sequel, I see that every member is in charge of different works, from VFX creation to editing and direction. Looking at the successful output, I think that they have shown an awesome teamwork spirit. Because every single duty is labour-intensive, it requires good communication between members to ensure every process finishes on time. The same philosophy applies to our Commercial genre edit. Although the fact that we edited the commercial individually, we had the voice-over recorded by our classmate. Working in a team, an essential characteristic in this industry, means that everybody knows their duties and ensures a good teamwork ethic. I also feel the need for a coherent group in the making of narrative edit. I would like to fragmentalise the production into three big categories: pre-production, shooting, and post-production. In the short movie Tantrum, the pre-production shows vividly through their preparation of the script, visual storyboard, and shot list. The post-production reflects on the sound design (the allocation of track and mixing afterwards), and motion design (VFX). Therefore, I can compare the difference in quality between a one-man movie versus a movie directed by a crew