What I am reading, published 2012. It is filling holes which is useful.

Sue Maslin presented the Lynette Wallworth‘s, ReKindling Venus: In Plain Sight project last night.(full description below) I found the presentation really useful. Points I noted on the ipad. (Date: RMIT Media and Communication, Thursday, November 3, 2011)

Sue referred to herself as a screen producer with this move into working on new media projects with ‘screen artists’. Also this was described as reaction to changing evolving terms for these types of projects ‘new media, multi-platform, cross-media…’…’a nonlinear convergent environment’. Seen as (quote) ‘building a practice around convergence‘, convergence practices that cross boundaries of screen practitioners. Working as a ‘digital media developer’ outside in this case a practice history of film and television producing.

One of the aims of the ReKindling Venus project was to explore how Lynette Wallworth’s work could be taken out of the gallery or extended into a global experience.

ReKindling Venus was described as a transmedia work…augmented reality. Connecting viewers to coral reef systems worldwide. The mobile phone was chosen as the device to achieve this aim. The participant downloads an app. Described as an ‘online interactive environment’ that uses google earth, google maps NOAA (data feeds) uses different platforms for engaging with the artworks. These works are nto seen as being documentary, Wallworth uses technology to connect with people emotionally. A description of the project from the website:

ReKindling Venus is a colony of artworks using digital platforms to connect us to the world’s coral reefs and the ecological urgency of climate change. Devised by immersive installation artist Lynette Wallworth, ReKindling Venus: In Plain Sight is the first stage of this work planned to culminate with the next Transit of Venus in June 2012. It is an augmented reality (AR) project triggered by a series of images and delivered to mobile phones and webcam, opening a virtual porthole to coral reefs and connected to real-time data.

An affinity for me in the presentation (in regards to my own projects) was the process involved in designing and producing works with cutting edge new media technologies. The need to develop an RnD relationship with collaborators. They planned what they wanted to achieve then went out into world of designers to see what was possible. Described as a ‘convergent issue’ the collaborative model is not the same in film and television production (heritage media). The directors’ vison is not a sacrosanct in the commercial world of developers. This is a domain of business models that do not operate necessarily on a collaborative film and tv model, but more on a service model. The client company service relationship.

In this domain a script is not the pivotal document. Instead it is a matter of refining a brief and scoping document with the company. The end result can be a compromise when you are (quote) ‘pushing the boundaries of technology, working with constraints, the constraints of production technology…’

With this project they ended back up at the university in the RnD department at Canterbury University, in a lab situation. Here there was much more of supported sense of creative innovative vision. A luxury environment compared to the commercial world. The notion of bottom-draw university research documented earlier.

This project was seen as being part of a a paradigm shift in production approach. There are very high rates of pay in comparsion with less interest in (quote) ‘cultural capital’.

A developer in the audience described the process for coders (new media developers) as being more like a craft with the excitement being in designing new things. On the flip side the willingness to experiment in the commercial world is not encouraged.

Finally, Maslin identified a new media role, a training area for a digital project manager, someone like a line producer in film and tv who can work with both sides and motivations. These people are hard to find, currently like ‘hen’s teeth’.

The goal of reaching convergence (developing these hybrid cross-platform projects) is hard to obtain with this impasse.

From the mail out summary:

In this Public Lecture, award-winning screen producer and RMIT Adjunct Professor Sue Maslin will discuss the ReKindling Venus transmedia project on which she is collaborating with immersive installation artist Lynette Wallworth. Sue will reflect on changing modes and practices of screen production. She will explore how authorship and creativity are impacted by the opportunities, demands and limitations of working in cross-platform or transmedia production contexts as well as arguing for the need to bridge the parallel and separate cultures between ‘heritage’ and ‘new’ media.

Went to Leo’s PHD examination today. There was some valuable points I got out of the presentation.

1. Referred to the three components of practice-based research
a. project
b. exegesis
c. presentation
2. Put up the research question
3. Stated the objectives of a practice-based research
a. change in practice
b. contribution to professional and scholarly knowledge
c. a more knowledgable and skilled practitioner
4. Covered the process of moving from a professional practitioner to a research practitioner
5. Covered the part of being a research practitioner and presenting your research in different forums (academic – professional). It is not just the making. It is useful to remind examiners (the audience) about these varying forums/platforms that the research has been tested within.
6. Covered the research methodology mainly in this presentation in relation to Schon. (reflective practitioner) (quote)’A conversation with the situation’ (practice)..Thinking through how this process of reflection can be applied to screen production. Making connections between Schon’s concept and the specific practice inquiry.
7. Integrated key theorists used to contextualise the practice throughout the presentation.
8. Screened previous examples of work (from films) as part of presenting the argument and demonstrating the ‘change in practice’. This worked really well in terms of reminding people of the body of work that pre-dates the research and using this history of tacit knowledge to make points. This got me thinking about previous work and what I would personally use (a. story units idea in previous documentaries, Greenaway influences b. The recording of a scene, the process of observational documentary…)
9. A reminder that an understanding of the practice as research is not possible without extensive reflection and analysis. (quote) ‘This reflection makes it academic research…’ This highlighted the importance of documentation of the research (practice) process – i.e. video documentation of the directing and a journal. The passage of time is dangerous in terms of these experiences being lost for later reflection. This reinforces the need to document and reflect on practice-based research as it occurs along with this reflection being invaluable later on. It reminds me to use this blog more when reflecting rather than forgetting it as a resource.
10. Summed up with where the research as practice is heading next.

Other notes:
Ross Gibson – action-present Schon
Being wary of researching yourself – the danger of subjectivity

Plan to collect some notes in this blog post on the adobe MU (muse code name) web development application. Mainly working with HTML5 video. Jim passed this information on from his early experiments with this app.

Resources:
video conversion:Uses ogg files – sourceforge media convertor
Jim’s notes : After installed, go to preferences and click ‘get more presets’ to install the .ogg conversion preset. Table of browser video compatibility on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML5_video

DSLR workflow for upload to vimeo
Camera Canon Rebel 600D
File specs H264, 1920 x 1080, 25 fps, Linear PCM 2 channel 16 bit 48000 Hz

Transfer file to desktop
Convert file to Apple Pro Res using Mpeg Streamclip
From Lachie’s video format pdf:

Converting to ProRes422 from any source (eg: DSLR, mobile, web) for use in FCP
Open clip using MPEG Streamclip (or open MPEG Streamclip first and create a batch list for multiple files)
- click: File -> Export to Quicktime
- Compression: Apple ProRes 422, Quality: 100%, Sound: Uncompressed
- Frame Size: Unscaled (or choose appropriate resolution)
- If resizing, tick ‘Better Downscaling”
- If progressive, deselect “Interlaced scaling” and “Deinterlace Video
- Click “Make Movie

NB – Turn off Perian before working with this format in Perian (click remove)

Export for Vimeo: compression page
Upload with Vimeo uploader

Export for FCP up to 7
Quicktime conversion
H264
5000 kbits for HD 2000 for std
multipass
size 1280 x 720 HD
off internet streaming
sound ACC, 44.1, 320 kpbs
save and compress

Export for compressor

Slowly, building up a DSLR video kit. Working light I opted for the Canon 600D. I have been adapting some old nikon prime lens to record video on this body (28, 50mm) – these are great for manual focus. The best focal length would be a 35mm/1.4 aperture – this is a new option. For audio, Jim pointed me to a rode mic pro and the Tascam DR2-D with a simple portable tripod something like a manfrotto 128RC Got to get recording!

IMG_2066, a photo by keen_seth on Flickr.

Shots of Jim’s rig

The Thesis Whisperer in the post ‘Is your computer domesticating you?’ provides an overview on the writing tool Scrivener, which I have grown to like the more I use it. I could relate to many points mentioned. The other day AM was telling me about how Ted Nelson (the person who came up with the words hypertext and hypermedia) who prints and cuts his writing up and moves it around as part of the editing process using good old fashioned real paper, scissors and paste. This story was really about Ted’s annoyance regarding the use of terms ‘cut’ and ‘paste’ in the menu bar of most applications, which I think he influenced early on in the development of computers. What makes Scrivener a breath of fresh air compared to the indoctrinated MS word is the ability to write in chunks in any order then move them around easily.

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