Reflection:
- What were you trying to achieve in terms of critically communicating about extended reality (XR) media and which method in the editing process was used to attempt this?
People in today’s society are so addicted and glued to their phones all the time, constantly immersing themselves in media for every possible moment throughout the day. Online shopping and work from home setups are becoming the norm, and more immersive technology is becoming accessible to the general public, such as the Meta Quest headsets or the Oculus Rift, which was particularly made for the enhancement of computer games and interactivities of reality in general (Schmalstieg and Höllerer 2016). We are rapidly approaching an era where humanity will be able to fully function from within the confines of our homes. We are becoming more and more reliant on technology to assist us with everyday fundamentals, such that it is easy to envision a world where people are so engrossed in the aid that technology provides that we worship it like gods. This is where my trailer attempts to shed light on a different ethical perspective about advanced technology and extended media by showing the dangers of our future society and trying to steer people away from that potential timeline. I used a lot of red light in my shots to emphasise warning and danger, and I put a green hue on several shots in my edit to make everything seem more computerised. This matches well with my prayer shot and my VFX city shot, both of which also support green as the colour for technology.
- How did your preproduction/production/post production process go and what would you do differently/improve next time?
Unfortunately, due to being sick and focusing on several other assignments due at the same time, I did not have much time to do preproduction for this project before having to begin filming. I had brainstormed a rough outline of the story and prepared a vague shot list to go off of; however, it was definitely less preparation than I have done for any other project up to this point. This definitely led to a more hectic shooting schedule, which was exacerbated by having some of my actors become unavailable, resulting in a last-minute rework of the story. All of this meant that I did not get all the shots that I wanted to tell my full story, and I had to fill it in with random, unrelated shots I had taken for practise. All of this led to me having to fill in the blanks of my rearranged story with more post-production work, including ADR, narration, and using some stock footage. In the future, I will definitely try to do more pre-production, even if it means my shooting has to get pushed back, since I now fully appreciate the importance of having a script to shoot and the stress of trying to film without one.
[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15WeMjtCRqLVuMUoL3Qy9JMOy4yzVcmdCEj22n62whIQ/edit?usp=sharing]
- What do you think the most and least successful parts of your Film Trailer were, and why so?
I believe the most successful part of my trailer is the colour grading of each shot. I spent a lot more time on this project on colour balance, colour correction, and colour grading, ensuring each shot matched the tone and feel of the last for a cohesive and complete look, and I believe it really takes my work to the next level. This is despite my underexposing my footage in some shots and struggling to adjust the brightness and contrast without adding extra noise to the scene. However, I am still improving with the way I handle my camera and have researched SLOG and colour theory, so I believe my next piece will be even more visually stunning. I am trying to get as much quality in the camera as possible by using good composition and lighting, so I have to do less correction and VFX in post before working on stylistic choices. My least favourite part of the trailer is definitely my acting. I am not great in front of the camera and a bit shy, so it was a shame that I left finding actors too late and couldn’t find anybody willing to help. In the future, I will make sure to source talent well in advance so I can stay behind the camera and not have to act while also adjusting the cinematography.
- What kind of creative storytelling and film techniques can you develop to explore Extended Reality (XR)?
As was mentioned in my last blog, I was interested in experimenting with integrating an AI text-to-image generation tool to create storyboards, but due to time constraints, I was unable to do so, and this is something I would like to do if given the opportunity. Another idea for utilising XR in filmmaking and creative storytelling that I am intrigued in attempting is using high-quality photo-scanning to map out locations via the NVIDIA application called NerF, which, when combined with Unreal Engine, I believe is such an excellent pair to have experimented with because it not only can be used as VFX elements in the film itself but could also provide such an effective approach for pre-production processes such as planning and blocking or set design. To simplify this, it is possible to compare this concept to the car mapping and navigation system, as both of these ideas use virtual capacities to explore and enhance real spaces (Schmalstieg and Höllerer 2016).
- In what ways will Extended Reality (XR) technology products or services change the way we live, work and play?
As I briefly explored above, I believe that the more immersive technology is introduced into daily life, the less we as a society will actually leave the house for things. With virtual reality headsets becoming cheaper, lighter, and more realistic, they will surely become more mainstream and less gamified. There are myriad applications for which VR and XR technology can be used to improve workflow both around the house and in the workplace, improve quality of life for people with various impairments, and generally enhance everyday activities. People will have no need to leave their homes for shopping, work, socialising, or play, as everything will be able to be done from the comfort of the couch. XR technology will simultaneously bring people together from across the globe as it will be immensely easy to connect with anyone instantly, but it will also push us away as a society while we lock ourselves away in our homes. As a result, XR technology will bring people together from all over the world since it will be so easy to interact with anyone instantly, but it will also push us away as a society as we shut ourselves away in our houses. Leads to decreased cognitive performance, social abilities deteriorate, and the risk of major depression increases (Oh et al. 2019). The quantity of interactions may increase, but the quality of those interactions would arguably decrease.
- What kind of filmmaking production techniques can you use to build excitement for the film trailer?
I went into this trailer with the goal of fully incorporating a three-act structure into it so that I could practise my storytelling techniques. I used the tried and true trailer methods of having a cold open and a final scene tease to build excitement for the trailer at the start and excitement for the movie at the end, directly after my call to action. In between, I tried to introduce the premise of the film with the start of the interview mentioning religion, followed by cult-like prayers and dark imagery beginning the conflict of the story, finishing with snippets of interesting narration over a frantic montage of different hero shots to build to the climactic finale. I believe that this structure flows really well to engage an audience and excite them to want to watch the full film.
Pre-Production:
[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RkTis3KS0SemTIzwtf5c0gZI5Nh80Lx71kqQ7YjEbf8/edit?usp=sharing]
Post-Production:
References:
Oh C, Herrera F and Bailenson J (2019) ‘The Effects of Immersion and Real-World Distractions on Virtual Social Interactions’, Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 22(6):365-372, doi:10.1089/cyber.2018.0404.
Schmalstieg D and Höllerer T (2016) Augmented reality: Principles and Practice, Addison-Wesley, Boston.
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