Get Your Wallet Out – Interactive Film – Evaluation
This unit was part of a rounded theme for my entire third years work. My general intention for the year was to develop work suitable for my portfolio, and explore the concept of interactive film through various forms as this is something of interest to me. This unit was an exploration into how we may build a bridge, or develop the relationship between the user and on screen media such as film. I think building a personal relationship, be it psychological and/or physical, between the user and the medium would give these technologies a new direction and enrich the experience for the viewer. We are beginning to see new methods of interaction in the gaming industry with the Nintendo Wii providing a high profile example, but this is the early stages of its development and is therefore not as effective at this stage as it will be in years to come.
My goal was to produce a film with an immersive experience whilst applying and developing my editing skills in a way that suited the overall experience. The idea was only an experiment, and an analysis of user interaction, so the potential outcomes were not previously defined. By creating something of an interactive nature, I had hoped it would enrich the experience, or at least give the user some sense of control over what they were seeing and hearing. I wanted to create a space that the user could move around in and within this given space the camera angle and sound would change, giving an accurate reflection of the users position within it. The application was always going to be rather crude, but it was the concept and outcomes that were of massive importance. Whilst I always intended on making something that looked professional, for me it was the development of my editing skills that was the primary aim, with my immersive theme giving me the purpose and direction needed.
The idea itself was something I really enjoyed making and developing. I love every aspect of producing a film from the development of the initial concept all the way through to authoring the final DVD so applying myself was never going to be an issue. I wanted this piece of work to be instantly applicable to my portfolio but I honestly don’t think any of the outcomes are really decent. My idea became so broad and convoluted that it did not develop any particular aspect in enough depth.
My choice of content for the scene was debatable. I had an idea of what I wanted my installation to be. I wanted a confined space that the viewer could move around in and a scene that was simple and diverse, like a conversation. The elements of a conversation such as lighting, sound and imagery could be spacialised and I thought this would be suitable, given the type of installation I was hoping to create. Most types of scene have pre defined editing styles, editing speeds and a general cinematic feel to it. For example, an action scene would generally have fast editing and tight composition, as highlighted in my blog with the climactic sequence from 28 Days Later. By choosing a scene that was based around dialogue I was ensuring that I had complete control over the artistic direction, with no obligation to lend myself towards previously defined styles. This also ensured that the viewers experience of the scene within the installation was diverse, and again not previously defined based on obligatory editing techniques. However, I do admit that my scene is a little bland and this gave added importance to my final outcome.
In planning the film I experimented with various transitions and camera shots, and how these related to what the users actions might be. I made another variation of my scene using more stylistic shots from an array of angles. Whilst I really enjoyed using the variety of shots, it was clear to me that these shots would have no relation to the position of the viewer in the installation, so it would have been impossible to build a relationship between the user and the medium. So my choice of shot was of great importance and I took a lot of influence from the Coen Brothers. Their use of very symmetrical and balanced cinematography is consistent with their work and they frequently use very simple techniques to create a mood or tension, without over stylizing. I tried to ensure when planning and filming my footage that there was an underlying degree of symmetry incorporated into it, so that when the viewer would move around the given space, the footage would reflect their position, or at least make the transition seemless. The balance of footage is consistent throughout the three versions of my scene, and this helps highlight the fact they are all the same, and in complete sync with one another. I was trying to create a rounded experience within my film and I think that I did a reasonably good job in producing something that was balanced.
The installation that I made was in no way immersive and was rather disappointing. Not because of the elements that were in it, but in how it was presented. The pressure pads I created were very cheap and far too fragile to allow the viewer to use the installation as I intended. I wanted what was essentially a room, with surround sound and three pressure pads which someone could move around in freely. What I ended up with was a projector, three pressure pads that you could barely step on and sound that was playing out of bedroom speakers. So whilst I am happy with everything I made, except the sound, it was my practical application that let me down. Overall the editing techniques used were decent, but they weren’t great. I found it difficult to get the colour balance right on a some of the shots, and I think this was to do with the positioning of the lighting during filming.
Whilst the installation was the platform on which I would apply my film, it was the creation and development of the film alongside my abstract concept that I hope to be judged on mostly. Throughout the production of my film there were actually very few issues I encountered that hindered my progression. I reached a stage where I had developed my idea enough, gathered my footage and edited my scenes and really needed to begin experimentation. There were difficulties in finding space to work in for a large part of the term and I think this drove me to focus more on editing techniques than installation work. Many of my editing ‘experiments’ were done to simulate different installations, and how by changing different elements within my film I could enhance or decrease the sense of immersion. The poor sound is the other major aspect of disappointment, and was a direct result of poor planning by me. I am no sound technician, but my mistakes were basic and in hindsight I cannot believe I over looked the importance of sound in my piece, especially during the installation phase of production. At this level of production these mistakes are inexcusable and will ultimately cost me the grade I was hoping for. In my opinion the installation wa so bad that my only choice was to have such ridiculous feedback in my mocumentry to add a comical touch to the failed experiment.
It kept slipping in and out of focus based on the actors movement and this made a large part of the footage for one of the actors useless. So on one or two occasion I lacked the necessary footage to completely sync with the dialogue. This is where my creative strengths shone as I had to do some mighty fine adjustments to the footage to ensure this. Whilst the actors were consistent, there are several moments when I had to slightly speed up or slow down the footage so it would fit with the dialogue, and whilst it is not noticeable, I feel the task should not be taken lightly. Good editing often goes un-noticed and I hope this is not the case.
Overall I am happy with the DVD I produced. It is in keeping with what I wanted to achieve and actually looks quite nice. Whilst I made only a couple of errors in the production of this piece, they ultimately proved costly and I must guard against making the same mistakes again in my production sequal, ‘Snakes in the Grass’. Where I will be exploring the psychological elements of interactive film, in keeping with my work so far. In my next piece I am going to ensure I plan my time efficiently and keep up the high workload, whilst planning my footage to the smallest detail. No oversights in sound, imagery or lighting as I want to excuses as to why my work is not as effective as it should be.
