For Real World Media Studio: Dream, Alienation

In our studio, I chose the Dream group and was the first to experience their work at the exhibition. In my reflection for Week 13, I mentioned that the Dream team had done a great job with their exhibition setup, and it was worth taking inspiration from and learning. Therefore, I read the reflections of my teammate, Nat, from Week 9 and Week 10 (as this team has not yet posted contributions on the studio website). Their project aimed to ignite the five senses of the audience and deliver a powerful viewing experience. While experiencing their work, it was evident to me that they had designed the environment, lighting, objects, and sounds around the concept of dream. In particular, they attempted to create an as enclosed as possible environment using cardboard, which they referred to in their reflection as using “tunnel and confined spaces” to imply a “tunnel vision” concept.

Additionally, the blue lighting created a serene atmosphere that aligned perfectly with the theme of dreams. In Trevor Chen’s reflection, he mentioned that even without an explanation from the group members, the audience can freely experience their exhibition. This is also one of the remarkable aspects that I appreciate, as it creates a sense of storytelling and immersive experience through the atmosphere. It’s as if I was sitting there, watching the videos, and being transported into the narrative they intended to create. Their exhibition was the most immersive for me, and through each object and lighting, I could understand the dream-like concept they aimed to build.

Another group I chose was Alienation, and what impressed me about their project was the creation of a small booklet and the inclusion of an origami experience during the exhibition.

According to Gloria Ye’s reflection, the purpose of creating the booklet was to provide a sense of engagement for the audience. The booklet primarily consisted of visuals and text, enriching the project’s visual effects. Additionally, I believe the origami activity was an important step in providing a sense of participation for the audience. In my previous reflection, I mentioned that offering offline activities for the story allowed for greater audience involvement. (Attewell 2021)

Moreover, there is another aspect of the Alienation group that I find worth emulating. They incorporated the experiences of international students into their story, which helps evoke emotions in a broader audience. According to Allan Yang’s reflection, they intended to merge elements of reality and fantasy, using authentic experiences of international students to stimulate empathy in the audience and create a stronger connection to the story. According to (Dam & Siang 2022), empathy plays a crucial role in story construction, and authors need to have a deep understanding of the character’s motivations and emotions, incorporating empathy into the narrative. In this regard, I think this group did a great job. Although our story also aims to evoke empathy in the audience through the theme of love, I feel that the integration of story details is not as strong as in Alienation, and this is something I hope to attempt again in the future.

For Other Studio: Sound Futures

Project Name: A License to Krill

Project Name: The Last Bastion

The other studio I selected was Sound Futures. This semester, we conducted extensive research on transmedia storytelling. While I’m not particularly interested in sound-related studios, I prefer visual media technologies to audio ones. However, as sound is a type of transmedia technology, I’m curious to see what Sound Futures has produced.

I listened to two projects from Sound Futures studio, “A License to Krill” and “The Last Bastion,” and I must say that these work far exceeded my expectations for sound media. Both stories are futuristic science fiction narratives that use a variety of sound elements to impart their narratives. As I listened to these tales, vivid mental images of the narrative settings kept resurfacing. For instance, at the beginning of “The Last Bastion,” the sound of footsteps evoked an image of a weary wanderer urgently searching for a permanent home while walking on sand. In “A License to Krill,” the use of reverberation and resonance created a futuristic atmosphere. I realized that by listening to these sounds, I was able to conjure up precisely matched images and even consider more imaginative possibilities. Temple argues that sound plays a crucial role in scene narration by, among other things, conveying time and location, character backgrounds, narrative atmosphere, and intensifying existing emotions. These audio narratives from both projects demonstrate this theory plainly and piqued my interest in sound media. Perhaps I can also convey the story of “The Maya Odyssey” through sound, expanding the audience’s imagination.

Reference List

CARPENTER , B 2022, How to Create an Immersive Attraction Experience With Local Artists, Eventbrite Blog, viewed 31 May 2023, <https://www.eventbrite.com/blog/tech-immersive-attraction-ds00/>.

Dam, RF & Siang, TY 2022, The Power of Stories in Building Empathy, The Interaction Design Foundation.

iZotope 2018, Understanding Atmosphere in Music, and How to Create It, iZotope.

Temple, I 2022, Exploring the Functions of Music in Visual Media, Flypaper by Soundfly.