My partner and I began editing the 360 videos this week. We had previously agreed that she would take care of the technical aspects of the editing in Aftereffects, and I would lead in the creative and narrative direction of the project in Eevo. We decided to do it this way to optimize our skills and resources to ensure the project was done effectively and on time. She has more experience with editing softwares, and in the same way, I have more experience in creative and narrative direction.
Perhaps it may have been more effective for learning to grow our skillset if we were to take charge of the areas we were less familiar with, however with the time constraints placed upon us, we felt it was best to proceed in a manner in which we knew would be most efficient.
We both sat together as my partner worked on the editing, and I provided suggestions on the kinds of edits we could make to each scene. Our initial ideas to edit in holograms and neon lighting were admittedly a bit far fetched considering neither of us were familiar with Aftereffects, but we were able to add in bright blue lighting instead of the classic white or orange lighting on campus, as well as text on some clips. We decided to focus more on the narrative aspect of the film as trying to edit in realistic effects proved to be quite difficult.
Meanwhile, I sketched out a storyboard for how each scene will connect to one another, and therefore the kind of plot this will lead. We had previously decided to operate the interactive aspect of the plot in such a way that no matter what the player chose, they would receive the same information, despite arriving at different scenes. This way, the intention of the plot is achieved, the player receiving all the information, while still under the illusion that they have choices in the story that change the outcome. This allows the film to remain immersive and interactive while still delivering out intended plot effectively.
My partner finished the editing on Aftereffects and now it is up to me to create the interactive narrative element of the film and ensure it flows smoothly. I have never used Eevo before so I’m a little nervous, but due to the restricted deadline, I’m determined to get this done to a good standard by any means necessary.