https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bli95B6Bhru7O30ukRyyUzprBkMlH8l7DI2AuC9vtwY/edit
The link contains videos of each artefact in use.
exploring realities.
Category: 360 Filmmaking
Developing these three artefacts, I have efficiently worked under strict time constraints, discovering innovative methods or enlisting aid to rectify any issues that came my way. Each project bore numerous complications, but my capacity to devise solutions, or learn from others to resolve these challenges, has instilled confidence in my capabilities and newfound skills for future projects. I will now divulge how I came to this realization and the developmental procedures of each project.
The first artefact was the 360 film project. Conceptually, I knew of its existence, but I had never attempted to create a 360 film of my own before. Thankfully, this project was done in pairs, and I partnered with a classmate who had significantly more experience with computer softwares and editing than I did. Under our time constraints, we agreed it was more appropriate to work mostly within our existing individual strengths. Thus, we concurred that she would handle most of the technical editing work in Adobe Aftereffects, and I would manage the narrative and creative direction, including the interactive element of the film editing in Eevo.
When gathering ideas for our narrative, we heeded the assignment brief and decided to base our plot around a futuristic, post-apocalyptic human civilization. I drew inspiration from multiple video games to aid in devising lore for our 360 film world. We designed a foundational narrative before beginning filming, allowing ourselves to rule out areas that would be unsuitable for our world. We were more efficient in filming this way and proceeded onto editing the videos quickly.
In charge of creative and narrative direction, I advised my partner on what to edit for our futuristic, spaceship-like world. We were, however, overly ambitious with our goals, especially considering both of us were unfamiliar with Adobe Aftereffects. We consequently simplified our vision to ensure it was achievable for our skillset, while still establishing our intended immersion in the world we created. As my partner edited, I sketched out a preliminary storyboard to plan exactly how each scene would flow from one to the next for the interactive aspect. I then worked off this storyboard to connect the various scenes on Eevo. However, another issue arose here – we’d both assumed that text could be written directly on scenes in Eevo, but after emailing our tutor to check, I discovered this wasn’t the case. Running out of time, and without Aftereffects on my laptop, I created a slideshow of each scene with the added text, then screen-recorded this to use in Eevo. I understood the brief was to edit in Aftereffects, but this was the most simple and efficient fix for our untimely complication. I feel this demonstrates my ability to overcome unplanned obstacles using the resources at my disposal in an effective way.
Overall, I am content with the final 360 film, but perhaps given more time and experience with Aftereffects and Eevo, the quality of the editing and immersion of the film could’ve been much greater. Though I enjoy narrative direction, for similar future projects, I’d like to tackle the more technical aspects that I am less experienced with to further my knowledge and skills.
Our second artefact was the virtual world-building project. I was both excited and nervous about this: excited to create a virtual Singapore and experience my hometown in a new way, and nervous about using an unfamiliar software, Unity. Despite my reservations, I found this project to be the most enjoyable for creativity and technicality simultaneously; Unity was generally easy to use and understand.
Once again, under our time constraints and my lacking skills in polygon modelling, it didn’t seem feasible to model my Singapore landmarks in Maya. Instead, I opted to download my landmark assets online and edit them in Unity to make them my own.
I faced a few obstacles with this software, despite enjoying it, but each issue was easily remedied with help from my classmates with prior Unity experience, or our tutor. One error now burned in my memory, never to be repeated, is ensuring to save my Unity file as a “project” rather than a “scene”. I mistakenly saved my work as a scene file, and when subsequently loading it, found that the game mode no longer functioned. After much research, fiddling, and assistance from my classmates and tutor, we discovered that the issue was due to the main camera and third-person walker camera having different displays after loading it as a scene. From then on and forevermore, I will ensure to save my Unity work as a project file.
I completed this project quickly and efficiently despite the setbacks and enjoyed doing so. Experiencing childhood landmarks I hold dear in a completely different manner, and being able to share these intimate memories with others, made this project incredibly special. However, if I were to redo it, I would dedicate more time to finer details and the realism of the world, as I feel it would be more immersive that way.
Our final artefact was creating a virtual world avatar in Spark AR. Starting this project behind everyone else due to illness increased pressure, but after browsing through Lenslist for filter inspiration, all those concerns seemed to dissipate. They were instead replaced with an excitement to create something unique and beautiful.
A holographic/iridescent face was the inception of my filter-to-be; it portrayed ethereality and otherwordly beauty. I desired to build upon the holographic face with a mermaid-esque crown to further emanate this impression.
I encountered slight hiccups while constructing my filter, the most prevalent of which was not knowing how to create the holographic face appearance. I engaged my tutor’s support on this, and he suggested I use a variety of different-coloured lighting to create this effect. Gratefully, he was entirely correct; I used this method to create a multicoloured, iridescent facial effect that matched the user’s head movements. He also advised me on how to fit my crown asset perfectly onto the user’s head, as I struggled with this. He suggested I cut the back half off the crown model in Blender, giving the illusion of the crown fitting around one’s head.
Because of his assistance, I was able to create my filter exactly as intended, exuding a surrealistic, mystical beauty. Additionally, I now have a barrage of knowledge on producing certain effects for a filter on Spark AR. I plan to practice these newfound skills and create more filters on Spark AR, as I uncovered such a sense of accomplishment when my filter was functional and published.
Here is the link to the presentation of my final artefacts, and the process of creating each of them:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MJa0tsLjw1tOQHVSbUZovtfgZiRhpL2b7UMAX35iztM/edit#slide=id.p
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Week 10: 360 Film Finalization
I began editing the 360 film scenes on Eevo this weekend but was unsure of how to connect various scenes together to create the interactive element. I couldn’t find any instructions or guides online, so emailed my tutor to ask. He provided me with various guidance links from the Eevo website and also informed me that text cannot be added to videos on Eevo directly, and that they must be added on Aftereffects before being placed into Eevo. This proved to be a problem as my partner and I had assumed we could place large bodies of text on various scenes to provide the player with information on the world, a crucial aspect of our narrative. Additionally, I don’t have Aftereffects on my laptop, and waiting until Monday’s lecture seemed too tight as the deadline for the final film is on Wednesday. As such, I decided to create a Google slideshow to add the text and animate. I then screen-recorded this on Quicktime Player and cut the films, placing them in Eevo afterwards to ensure our choice option scenes would be completed. Despite this, some final scenes still need to be further edited on Aftereffects during Monday’s lecture as the informative text is necessary to the scenes to provide the player with context, and this can’t be added any other way.
Here is the link for the slideshow: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qhULiTYxNXaurGzyoRVUjVEuCl5ejNUpFAqfeEjbmOs/edit#slide=id.p
We might be a little tight for time, especially with the other projects that need to be done by Wednesday as well, but I’m confident I will get this done. The process has not gone as smoothly as planned, but things like this inevitably happen when working on projects, and I’m proud of my ability to recognize an innovative solution to the problem at hand and fix it, rather than stress and worry.
My partner and I will add the text to the filmed 360 scenes on Monday, and then all that needs to be done is to connect the interactive elements on Eevo with the newly edited scenes. In the meantime, I will work to connect the rest of the scenes and ensure the interactive element is functioning.
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Week 9: 360 Film Production
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.
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Week 8: Editing on Aftereffects
Today my partner and I began editing our 360 film clips on Adobe Aftereffects. Having been a while since our initial tutorial on the software, we had both forgotten most of the basics and so did some research and asked for assistance from our tutor to get started. We both soon realized that we had been overly ambitious with how we wanted to edit our clips, as Aftereffects can be quite finicky, and thus unfortunately had to compromise our vision to suit our skillset.
We began with a random clip – one from the canteen – as all the clips will have to be imported individually into Eevo (the website we’re using to edit in the interactive element of the film); it doesn’t really matter which particular order we edit them in.
To create the effect of a futuristic world in which this film takes place, we decided to edit the lighting within the scene. We thought bright, almost neon blue lighting would be fitting for this spaceship canteen, instead of the regular white/orange lighting, and so placed various gradient ellipses on the lights in the clip.
Due to our initial struggle with using Aftereffects, this was unfortunately all we were able to achieve today, but we have set up plans for editing each scene, including the order in which they will appear for the final film. We intend to continue working on this tomorrow, ideally finishing all editing on Aftereffects, so we can begin editing the interactive element next week. This gives us wiggle room in case there may be any last-minute tweaks to be done before the final due date.
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Week 4: Filming
We also did our filming for our 360 projects this week. My partner and I filmed in the cafeteria, a classroom, the library, the stairs, and even a short scene outside. The scene outside seems contradictory as we are attempting to create a spaceship-like world within the LCC campus, however we thought a scene outside could be used as a dream for the main character – a dream of trees and the “outside world”, something they’ve never had a chance to experience.
The filming was actually completed quite quickly, as we found that moving shots were incredibly difficult to make. We did 6 static scenes of about 15-second long clips for each location. What was most difficult was perhaps finding the right angles so as to avoid things such as windows, but we had no issues using the 360 camera, and I frankly quite enjoyed getting to explore the campus with a different set of eyes; looking for scenes and interesting locations rather than just walking to class.
Here is a screenshot from one of the clips below:
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Week 3: Planning
My partner and I for the 360 film project also discussed how we would approach filming. We decided that certain areas of the LCC campus would be more appropriate for the futuristic, spaceship-like world that we wanted to fabricate. As such, we thought it would be best to avoid areas with large windows, as this would mean we’d have to edit every single window to make it seem as though the campus was in outer space. Though possible, it’s an unnecessary hassle and we therefore decided to stick to areas where windows were not visible. We talked about filming in the library, perhaps a scene where the character is reading books from the “old world”, the cafeteria, and some classrooms. We discussed how we could edit in various neon lighting to make the campus seem more futuristic, as well as possibly attempting to edit in holograms. This may be overachieving but there’s no harm in trying! I’m excited to begin filming and see how we can bring our vision of a futuristic spaceship world to life through the LCC campus.
This week we were introduced to Aftereffects, the software in which we are to edit our 360 film. My partner for the project and I are both new to Aftereffects, however she has more experience with various tech softwares than I do, and so was able to grasp the concept more easily. We decided that because of this, I would take the lead on narrative design and lore, and she would take the lead on editing the footage. Of course, we both will take part in both learning and developing new skills, but dividing the work in this way allows us to complete the project most efficiently and bring our ideas to fruition.
I found Aftereffects much easier to use than Maya – simpler and less tedious. I was able to complete all the tasks we had to do in class with minimal help, which I felt quite proud of. Being completely new to any sort of tech software, I knew I would struggle more than those who have prior experience using them, but everyone is so helpful and inclusive, and it’s wonderful to have classmates who are happy to guide those who are struggling.
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Week 2: 360 Film
In our second week of lectures, we talked a little more about our assessments for this year. For the 360 film project, the brief is to create a 360 interactive film where the viewer can make choices throughout, affecting how the narrative unfolds. It’s also to be filmed entirely on the London College of Communication (LCC) Campus but edited in Adobe Aftereffects to make it seem futuristic. The narrative and editing are entirely up to us, which I love as it allows so much creative freedom.
My partner for the project and I made a document and discussed some initial ideas for what would be an effective, immersive narrative. We decided to set the film on a spaceship, where the remaining humans have escaped as the earth has become inhabitable. We thought it would be interesting to let the lore and the history of this fictional society be revealed as the player makes choices, affecting when they will uncover what information about the world. However, it would be a shame if the viewer was left with questions if they made certain choices and didn’t uncover certain information, so we decided it was best to reveal all, just at different points in the narrative based on certain choices. This way, the narrative plays out the same whatever the viewer decides to do, all information discovered, but provides the illusion of their choices making an impact (unless they were to replay it and make different choices, in which case, they would understand that whatever choice they make doesn’t really affect the story). We felt, though perhaps a slightly sly way of going about it, that this would make the narrative fully immersive for the viewer through a false sense of control over their playthrough.
The document with our initial ideas and planning, as well as our planning of the lore of this world, is linked below.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sKEQQkJ74BWwcevTaApRf953JwpeQNRYJPuodhetQaQ/edit