Convergent Media: Extended Realities and Audiences BLOG
21/01/25
During the introduction to the module, we began by looking at previous examples of the work produced. All these examples caught my eye as being different and interesting and we began working on what brief we may want to pursue. We looked at the media landscape and focused on the gaps where we are able to fill. I am mostly interested in the hybrid realities brief as it speaks most to me as a career path. There is a lot of freedom with this brief and I look forward to exploring different media outlets and ways of producing.
Later in the week, people added their ideas to padlet which are very interesting but not really what I’m looking for. Next week, I will speak with my group about our ideas and how ambitious we can be with this module.
Introduction to Module
During the introduction to the module, we began by looking at previous examples of the work produced. All these examples caught my eye as being different and interesting and we began working on what brief we may want to pursue. We looked at the media landscape and focused on the gaps where we are able to fill. I am mostly interested in the hybrid realities brief as it speaks most to me as a career path. There is a lot of freedom with this brief and I look forward to exploring different media outlets and ways of producing.
Later in the week, people added their ideas to padlet which are very interesting but not really what I’m looking for. Next week, I will speak with my group about our ideas and how ambitious we can be with this module.
Crowd Surfing Podcast
While this podcast was somewhat interesting, I found that the disjointed sound takes away from the experience for me. I did, however, appreciate the amount of croudsourcing that needed to go into this project.
https://cmpspace.ning.com/modules/convergent-media-2021/three-s-a-crowd
These Homes Need People
I really liked this walkthrough experience and it was really nice to see the amount of work which had gone into this project. It is well thought out and informative.
https://youtu.be/UtwnTSV6aNc
Distress of the Modern Goddess
This project stood out to me the most as a project focusing on hybrid realities as it was unclear what the actual project was (this is a good thing). I found it very clever how there is a mix between the virtual and the physical space.
https://cmpspace.ning.com/modules/convergent-media-2022/dotmg
28/01/2025
This week, we explored some examples of hybrid media with ‘Karen’ and ‘Draw Me Close’. I enjoyed looking at these as they blend reality and immersion very well, being able to tell stories in unconventional ways. With this in mind, we began working on forming a group and coming up with a concept for this module. Myself, Noah, Peter, Eliana and Robyn decided on doing a short horror film with elements of Unreal Engine environments and live performance. This is a very exciting, yet ambitious concept but I am confident the group can come together to produce something spectacular.
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04/02/2025
Unreal Engine
In today’s morning session, we began work on Unreal Engine; a platform I am eager to pursue and use in this module. I really like Unreal as a platform and would like to practice it in my own time. I have previously used the software in personal projects and it is really powerful in many ways. We began looking at creating an environment and moving through it. This was a really important session as we will be using Unreal Engine as part of our project.
We also explored participatory practices, such as Anthony Gormley’s ‘One and Other’ and JR’s ‘Portrait of a Generation’. These pieces included an audience who participated in the creation of the work and, therefore, can relate more closely to it. This is interesting but we are focusing on completing our project with the hybrid realities brief, and thus will not be using audience participation in the planning and production stages of our project. We also made a list of questions which culd help us when planning our project.
‘One and Other’ was broadcast over a 24 hour period where audience members were able to step upon a plinth in Trafalgar Square to perform however they liked. The piece was viewed by many people of London and was a statement piece on the difference of people. Allowing them to express themselves in any way they desire. We spoke as a group about how this may be problematic with displays of nudity and violence to the public. This was a very important discussion because it emphasised the importance of consent, and informed consent.
‘Portrait of a Generation’ focused on bringing together different viewpoints on the idea of gun violence in the US. JR uses portraits from many different people meshed together in a coherent picture to mimic the ideas present in the US at the time. I really liked this participatory approach as it explored different areas in a strong, compelling way, without diminishing other perspectives.
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11/02/2025
This week, we continued to explore Unreal Engine and how we can manipulate landscapes to become what we need for our project. We learnt how to paint on landscapes and change the ground to fit the style and aesthetic we need. This is particularly important for our project as we will be using similar techniques to create our own landscapes which will be used as backgrounds for the film. I took some time at home practicing these skills as I would like to be part of the Unreal team for this project.
We also looked at several hybrid media examples during the afternoon session, which helped to guide our own piece as we are moving towards this specific brief. We looked at many different ways this can take place; from performance to VR.
Google Earth is a great example of hybrid media as it is unclear exaclty what it is as a piece of media. It is neither animation, nor video, nor a map. It is all in one for an immersive, practical application. I thought it was interesting how Google Earth is so common yet we are still unable to identify it.
Lev Manovich says that a computer is a ‘metamedium’ for several different types of media to exist and, therefore, is a form of hybrid media in of itself. This is an interesting way to view the computer as it is true that it is many things at once; a television to watch shows, a tool for learning and searching, and a neverending place of creativity through coding.
Group Formation
This week, we explored some examples of hybrid media with ‘Karen’ and ‘Draw Me Close’. I enjoyed looking at these as they blend reality and immersion very well, being able to tell stories in unconventional ways. With this in mind, we began working on forming a group and coming up with a concept for this module. Myself, Noah, Peter, Eliana and Robyn decided on doing a short horror film with elements of Unreal Engine environments and live performance. This is a very exciting, yet ambitious concept but I am confident the group can come together to produce something spectacular.
04/02/2025
Unreal Engine
In today’s morning session, we began work on Unreal Engine; a platform I am eager to pursue and use in this module. I really like Unreal as a platform and would like to practice it in my own time. I have previously used the software in personal projects and it is really powerful in many ways. We began looking at creating an environment and moving through it. This was a really important session as we will be using Unreal Engine as part of our project.
Participatory Practices
We also explored participatory practices, such as Anthony Gormley’s ‘One and Other’ and JR’s ‘Portrait of a Generation’. These pieces included an audience who participated in the creation of the work and, therefore, can relate more closely to it. This is interesting but we are focusing on completing our project with the hybrid realities brief, and thus will not be using audience participation in the planning and production stages of our project. We also made a list of questions which culd help us when planning our project.
‘One and Other’ was broadcast over a 24 hour period where audience members were able to step upon a plinth in Trafalgar Square to perform however they liked. The piece was viewed by many people of London and was a statement piece on the difference of people. Allowing them to express themselves in any way they desire. We spoke as a group about how this may be problematic with displays of nudity and violence to the public. This was a very important discussion because it emphasised the importance of consent, and informed consent.
‘Portrait of a Generation’ focused on bringing together different viewpoints on the idea of gun violence in the US. JR uses portraits from many different people meshed together in a coherent picture to mimic the ideas present in the US at the time. I really liked this participatory approach as it explored different areas in a strong, compelling way, without diminishing other perspectives.
11/02/2025
Unreal Engine
This week, we continued to explore Unreal Engine and how we can manipulate landscapes to become what we need for our project. We learnt how to paint on landscapes and change the ground to fit the style and aesthetic we need. This is particularly important for our project as we will be using similar techniques to create our own landscapes which will be used as backgrounds for the film. I took some time at home practicing these skills as I would like to be part of the Unreal team for this project.
Hybrid Media
We also looked at several hybrid media examples during the afternoon session, which helped to guide our own piece as we are moving towards this specific brief. We looked at many different ways this can take place; from performance to VR.
Google Earth is a great example of hybrid media as it is unclear exaclty what it is as a piece of media. It is neither animation, nor video, nor a map. It is all in one for an immersive, practical application. I thought it was interesting how Google Earth is so common yet we are still unable to identify it.
Lev Manovich says that a computer is a ‘metamedium’ for several different types of media to exist and, therefore, is a form of hybrid media in of itself. This is an interesting way to view the computer as it is true that it is many things at once; a television to watch shows, a tool for learning and searching, and a neverending place of creativity through coding.
Group Meeting
Today we spoke as a group about our idea and started writing a document with all our ideas. We discussed the idea of a tri-screen experience with theatrical elements. While this is very ambitious, we feel as though we are capable enough to complete a strong project with many layers of hybridity to fit the brief. We also discussed the script and Noah has been tasked with completing a first draft before next week. We are going to continue to speak over the week to come up with ideas. I am going to look at existing scripts to find one that could potentially work in this setting.
18/02/2025
Unreal Engine
This week, we looked at UV wrapping and textures, touching on the game engine aspects as well. Now we are equipped to start building our world in Unreal which will be used in our project. Using the links on the padlet, I hope to further my understanding of the software in the next few weeks and begin building some environments we could use. I am also very interested in creating my own playable game using the software too.
Group Meeting
During our group meeting, we discussed Noah’s original script idea and made notes for him to work on. Those who came to the meeting were Noah, Eliana and Peter, as well as myself. We discussed our project in detail, writing notes on our shared document. We also discussed a reasonable timeline and roles as we are getting closer to the pitch presentation and want to make sure everyone knows what they are doing. I am to help out with the Unreal Engine background creation and as a co-director. I am looking forward to this project but am a little worried that there is a lot to do and would like to get started as soon as possible with filming. Therefore, I will be taking time to practice on Unreal in the next week and assist with the script writing where I can. Noah has been tasked with creating several script concepts for us to discuss at a later date and will send these throughout the week for myself and others to look at and assess.
25/02/2025
This morning, I attended the green screen workshop which showed us how we can use the green screen for virtual production. We are able to load an environment into Unreal and view the keyed footage in real time. This is really important for our piece as we will be using this space and have sent an email in regards to completing the induction next week. This gave me confidence in our project and that we may be able to pull this off!
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Before our tutorial with John, we discussed our project in more detail and began working on the group contract, due on Thursday, and the presentation for next week. Our tutorial went pretty well but John seemed most concerned with the cohesion of the piece. He asked whether it will be separate to the exhibition and so we discussed presenting the performance beforehand and showing a video of the screening during the exhibition. We have a lot of people in our group so we need to make sure we are talking to everyone and everyone is pulling their weight in regards to the project. We must be in constant contact and make sure that our project is cohesive and doable.
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04/03/2025
Pitch Presentation
Today we met to practice our presentation before going into the Dragon’s Den. Over the weekend, we worked on the pitch, I particularly worked on the timeline and visual references and Eliana was able to go through and tidy anything up that was unclear from myself. We sat down and discussed the presentation, assigning slides to each of us and practicing to stay within the 5 minutes.
We then went in for the pitch which was well-structured and well-spoken. The lecturers mentioned that we could present the piece at the private view through timed intervals. They also mentioned that we should include more elements of performance, rather than keeping it simpy a 4D experience. This could be done by incorporating CCTV cameras in the space and planted actors. This is really interesting and is an avenue we will pursue. The other main piece of feedback was that we need to have a clearer story and try not to fall into cliches with the dystopian elements. This will be difficult to do but we will try to get another script done by the end of the week in regards to this.
After the presentation, we sat down to discuss and began brainstorming ideas for the production design and story. We came up with two extremes in relation to censorship and surveillance. Eliana lead this in a very compelling way and Noah was tasked with updating the script to fit our new narrative, making it clear what our story is trying to say.
I now feel confident in our ability to produce this piece of work. It will be a lot of work for us over the next few weeks but I think we are a strong team and can pull it off in time. I am going to continue working on Unreal with Peter so that we have an environment finished before filming with the green screen in a couple week’s time. Additionally, we have booked our induction for Thursday at 10am and will begin shooting on-site next week.
All collaborative documents can be found on this Google Drive.
Green Screen Workshop
This morning, I attended the green screen workshop which showed us how we can use the green screen for virtual production. We are able to load an environment into Unreal and view the keyed footage in real time. This is really important for our piece as we will be using this space and have sent an email in regards to completing the induction next week. This gave me confidence in our project and that we may be able to pull this off!
Tutorial with John
Before our tutorial with John, we discussed our project in more detail and began working on the group contract, due on Thursday, and the presentation for next week. Our tutorial went pretty well but John seemed most concerned with the cohesion of the piece. He asked whether it will be separate to the exhibition and so we discussed presenting the performance beforehand and showing a video of the screening during the exhibition. We have a lot of people in our group so we need to make sure we are talking to everyone and everyone is pulling their weight in regards to the project. We must be in constant contact and make sure that our project is cohesive and doable.
04/03/2025
Pitch Presentation
Today we met to practice our presentation before going into the Dragon’s Den. Over the weekend, we worked on the pitch, I particularly worked on the timeline and visual references and Eliana was able to go through and tidy anything up that was unclear from myself. We sat down and discussed the presentation, assigning slides to each of us and practicing to stay within the 5 minutes.
We then went in for the pitch which was well-structured and well-spoken. The lecturers mentioned that we could present the piece at the private view through timed intervals. They also mentioned that we should include more elements of performance, rather than keeping it simpy a 4D experience. This could be done by incorporating CCTV cameras in the space and planted actors. This is really interesting and is an avenue we will pursue. The other main piece of feedback was that we need to have a clearer story and try not to fall into cliches with the dystopian elements. This will be difficult to do but we will try to get another script done by the end of the week in regards to this.
After the presentation, we sat down to discuss and began brainstorming ideas for the production design and story. We came up with two extremes in relation to censorship and surveillance. Eliana lead this in a very compelling way and Noah was tasked with updating the script to fit our new narrative, making it clear what our story is trying to say.
I now feel confident in our ability to produce this piece of work. It will be a lot of work for us over the next few weeks but I think we are a strong team and can pull it off in time. I am going to continue working on Unreal with Peter so that we have an environment finished before filming with the green screen in a couple week’s time. Additionally, we have booked our induction for Thursday at 10am and will begin shooting on-site next week.
All collaborative documents can be found on this Google Drive.
06/03/2025
Green Screen Induction
Earlier in the week, the group set up an induction for the Green Screen Room so that we are comfortable in using the space. We met up in the morning and had the induction with Kam who taught us how to set up the space and how to take down at the end of a shoot. This was very helpful and I was glad that all members were able to make the induction and that we are now able to use the room. We will be filming a scene over an Unreal background for the production, which means we don’t need to find a set. It also relates heavily to our brief with Hybrid Realities as we are utilising different ways of filmmaking in order for the project to not simply be called a “film”.
After the induction, we sat and spoke about the project and what was needed going forward. We spoke about updating the script and what we wanted in terms of a background we could use in the room. Peter came with some examples from Fab, the Unreal backgrounds store, which was really helpful in visualising what it may look like. This was very helpful to all members and we are looking forward to filming as soon as possible.
Green Screen Induction
Earlier in the week, the group set up an induction for the Green Screen Room so that we are comfortable in using the space. We met up in the morning and had the induction with Kam who taught us how to set up the space and how to take down at the end of a shoot. This was very helpful and I was glad that all members were able to make the induction and that we are now able to use the room. We will be filming a scene over an Unreal background for the production, which means we don’t need to find a set. It also relates heavily to our brief with Hybrid Realities as we are utilising different ways of filmmaking in order for the project to not simply be called a “film”.
After the induction, we sat and spoke about the project and what was needed going forward. We spoke about updating the script and what we wanted in terms of a background we could use in the room. Peter came with some examples from Fab, the Unreal backgrounds store, which was really helpful in visualising what it may look like. This was very helpful to all members and we are looking forward to filming as soon as possible.
11/03/2025
Virtual Production Set-Up
Today we booked the green screen room to set up the Unreal background we had found on Fab. Myself and Peter took the lead on setting up the space by turning on the computers and loading the space, making sure that all the equipment was working with what we needed it for. Unfortunately, we had a few issues but luckily, Craig came to help us with our issues and we were able to see how the film would look with the 3D set. We did not do any filming today as we were unprepared with props and acting but we have booked the room for a later date so that we can film the first scene in our film.
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During our tutorial with Tadej, he made some great points about dystopia and what we are trying to say with the project. He mentioned how it was unclear what the purpose of the theatrical elements and meaning of the piece was to which we tried to explain. He also gave us some references for more ideas and understanding of the project, such as Punch Drunk Theatre Compnay who produce immersve theatrical storytelling and Mark Farid with his work on surveillance. After this meeting, it was clear that we needed to have another meeting about the project before continuing. Therefore, we will be meeting on Thursday in the green screen room to practice and speak about the project so that all members are clear.
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13/03/25
Green Screen Practice
Today we had booked out the green screen room to film the first scene but it was clear that we were not ready to do so. We spent some time in the morning looking at Unreal and how we would be able to bring our story to life before writing questions that needed to be answered. I wrote these questions in the morning and discussed with the group later to clearly answer them. We spoke for a few hours about the project, coming up with a synopsis here:
“
‘Hell is Other People’ is an extreme representation of the present day. The project is a piece of propaganda for the regime to show that this could be anyone.
Ray is being interrogated for breaking the ever-changing “contract”; not to interact with false “truth”. Ray and Magnus interact with physical media -books and texts-that are a representation of the concept of “truth” being hard and unchanging, in a world where it is malleable. This is a world with no “hard-copies” and the digital can always be updated, upgraded and rebooted and yet your digital footprint is forever.
People need to be careful about their online presence. Anyone could easily be the person who is picked out and scrutinised for their digital footprint. We want our piece to remind people that this concept of “safety in numbers” is not an intention, but rather a side-effect of a world gone digital. To our audience members, we warn them: “ Do not be passive”. Do you know what data about you has been collected? Do you know where that data is being used? How is it being used? How it could be used for you, as well as against you? Read the terms of conditions, understand the jargon and read between the lines. Our depicted regime does not want this because with “truth” being their driving force and being pliant to their desire, they have absolute control over society with fear.
“
We also spoke about character motivations and the specifics of what kind of dystopia this is. I think we all went away with a much clearer idea about what our project is about and it made me more confident about the project as a whole and realistic deliverable.
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18/03/25
Shooting Day 1
Today, myself, Noah and Peter met up in the Green Screen Room to film the first scene in the film. Unfortunately, Eliana was unwell and Robyn joined us later in the day. Once again, we had issues with Unreal and requested Kam to come and help us out. It seemed that there was an issue with saving the area and we were unable to resolve the problem by the end of the day. Regardless, we were able to film and capture the piece from one angle with the camera at the front of me and Noah. After our tutorial with Tadej, Robyn had to leave and so the three of us stuck out until 8pm to finish filming. We also took time finding a stool to break for the scene. I think today was very productive and we were able to get a lot done, even with only three people. However, after looking at the footage, we think we may need to reshoot as the lighting is wrong as we would like to get some better angles. After the shoot, Noah looked very bloody and had to go in the gym showers to clean up. Thankfully, though, we had a much better understanding of the piece and acting elements and are ready to try again.
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Tutorial with Tadej
During our tutorial with Tadej, we spoke about our progression with the project, reading out our synopsis and making it a bit clearer what our project is about. He gave us some insightful questions to answer and we spoke about what we might need for the gallery space. Next week is the exhibition workshop and thus we need to be more clear on this by next week.
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19/03/25
Frameless Exhibition
Today, some of CMP were lucky enough to visit the Frameless exhibition which was really insightful for this project. Frameless is a gallery of installation artworks which moved in time to music. It was an amazing experience and really lovely to see classic artworks come to life in the space. While our project isn’t too similar to this, it was good to see how a gallery works and how to curate in a gallery space. Some of the installations used projections and fabric, similar to our own project so it was good to see how this might work in the space.
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20/03/25
Research
Whilst we had originally planned to film in the green screen room again on this day, we were unable to do so as another group was using the space. Instead, I decided to do some research on the areas and people Tadej had mentioned would be good to include in our film, or as references.
Punch Drunk
Punch Drunk is a British theatre company focusing on taking an audience through an immersive, theatrical experience. The set is often dressed exactly how it should in relation to the production and it feels as though you are walking into the world of the production when entering. The audience is not just a passive observer but an active participant in the experience: audience members are free to explore the set, follow different characters, and discover hidden narratives in a non-linear fashion. This creates a highly individualized experience, where no two audience members might have the same journey. I would love to see one of these performances as it would be a great inspiration for this project. The acting needs to be of a high quality to truly immerse the audience in the work, as well as the set design and ambience. Therefore, it is also important that the production design for our performance aligns well with the piece, immersing the viewer more. We will work in tandum with this and make sure all members are clear about what is expected from this performance.
Surveillance Capitalism
Surveillance capitalism, coined by Shoshana Zuboff, describes the business model where companies, especially tech giants like Google and Facebook, collect and monetize personal data by tracking user behaviour. They predict and influence actions through targeted ads, creating huge profits. This system raises concerns about privacy erosion and power imbalances, as individuals have limited control over their data. This is really important for our project as we tap into this idea through recognisable companies advertising throughout the experience. It needs to be clear that these companies are taking and using the audience’s data for nafarious reasons.
Mark Farid
Mark Farid's Poisonous Antidote is an art project where he wore a head-mounted camera for 28 days, allowing a remote participant to control his actions and decisions. The project explores surveillance, identity, and the loss of autonomy in the digital age, questioning how much control technology has over our lives. Again, this is an interesting case study for our project as it explores how data can be used in a real-world setting.
25/03/25
Exhibition Workshop
This morning we had a workshop on exhibition planning and presentation. We had a look at the spaces available to use and some examples of how space can be used well in an exhibition. We reqested a full room for exhibition but we are still a little unclear about how we will present our work. Eliana and Robyn have been tasked with the production design for the project so it was a little worrying to me that Robyn did not come to this workshop.
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Tutorial with Tadej
During our tutorial this week, we focused on the presentation of our work in the gallery. During the morning session, we mentioned that we’d like to dress an entire room for our exhibition but we managed to come to an agreement on what we could do instead. The audience member will sit in the seat of where we place the 360 camera during the recording to which the set will come to life when they utilise the VR headset given to them. They will be able to view the piece as if they were in the live performance. Tadej also gave us some visual references such as John Rafman and Hito Steyrl for Eliana and Robyn to use for the production design. The plan is now by the end of the week to have split into an edit team and production design team to get both aspects completed at the same time.
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Shooting Day 2
This morning we came into uni early to collect all the equipment needed for our shoot that afternoon/evening in Milton Keynes. We went to Mstores before our workshop but they weren’t ready to give us the equipment we needed. Therefore we went later in the day to collect it and take it to mine and Noah’s cars. We put everything on charge for as long as we could before our tutorial at 2pm when Robyn joined us and we were ready to leave.
The journey to Milton Keynes wasn’t awful: it was a little long but we got to Noah’s house and rested a little before going to Tim Hortons for some food and arriving at the location at around 6pm. We set up by the large firepit which took a long time to do as we needed to get more equipment and Noah picked up a friend to help with the project.
However, once it had all been set up around 9pm, we began filming. We got three takes done of the entire scene from three different angles and also managed to get some other shots of the characters being beaten up before the equipment started running out of charge. The shoot went fairly smoothly and I was very happy with the result. Then, we packed up to leave, ensuring that we had all the equipment and headed back to Harrow. We all had a very late night and I was in bed at around 3am... ready to wake up for my Wednesday morning lecture!
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I also did the risk assessment for this shoot.
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27/03/25
After a rest on Wednesday, we got working on the scene which was previously filmed but unusable. Eliana did the risk assessment for this shoot and ensured that we would not get any blood on the floor in the green screen room with towels and foam carpets. Throughout the morning, we had more issues with Unreal to which Kam managed to sort out for us and took out another two cameras to get the angles we needed for this shoot. In the afternoon, we felt ready to film and had a total of three shoots to lots of SD cards in many different places to capture many different parts of the green screen background and foreground. We will oedit the piece in post to mesh both elements together. Robyn was not available today, nor did she tell us why and we were unable to contact her throughout the day but even with the four of us, we were able to have a very successful shoot. After the shoot, Noah had to leave as soon as he could and myself, Eliana and Peter took down all the equipment, ready to give back the following morning. I spent the night downloading all 100GB of footage to mine and Noah’s hard drives and I was very pleased with the result. I think we can now focus on editing the piece and sorting out the production design. There are some other things we need to think about too and so will come in tomorrow to have a chat about next steps.
Virtual Production Set-Up
Today we booked the green screen room to set up the Unreal background we had found on Fab. Myself and Peter took the lead on setting up the space by turning on the computers and loading the space, making sure that all the equipment was working with what we needed it for. Unfortunately, we had a few issues but luckily, Craig came to help us with our issues and we were able to see how the film would look with the 3D set. We did not do any filming today as we were unprepared with props and acting but we have booked the room for a later date so that we can film the first scene in our film.
Tutorial with Tadej
During our tutorial with Tadej, he made some great points about dystopia and what we are trying to say with the project. He mentioned how it was unclear what the purpose of the theatrical elements and meaning of the piece was to which we tried to explain. He also gave us some references for more ideas and understanding of the project, such as Punch Drunk Theatre Compnay who produce immersve theatrical storytelling and Mark Farid with his work on surveillance. After this meeting, it was clear that we needed to have another meeting about the project before continuing. Therefore, we will be meeting on Thursday in the green screen room to practice and speak about the project so that all members are clear.
13/03/25
Green Screen Practice
Today we had booked out the green screen room to film the first scene but it was clear that we were not ready to do so. We spent some time in the morning looking at Unreal and how we would be able to bring our story to life before writing questions that needed to be answered. I wrote these questions in the morning and discussed with the group later to clearly answer them. We spoke for a few hours about the project, coming up with a synopsis here:
“
‘Hell is Other People’ is an extreme representation of the present day. The project is a piece of propaganda for the regime to show that this could be anyone.
Ray is being interrogated for breaking the ever-changing “contract”; not to interact with false “truth”. Ray and Magnus interact with physical media -books and texts-that are a representation of the concept of “truth” being hard and unchanging, in a world where it is malleable. This is a world with no “hard-copies” and the digital can always be updated, upgraded and rebooted and yet your digital footprint is forever.
People need to be careful about their online presence. Anyone could easily be the person who is picked out and scrutinised for their digital footprint. We want our piece to remind people that this concept of “safety in numbers” is not an intention, but rather a side-effect of a world gone digital. To our audience members, we warn them: “ Do not be passive”. Do you know what data about you has been collected? Do you know where that data is being used? How is it being used? How it could be used for you, as well as against you? Read the terms of conditions, understand the jargon and read between the lines. Our depicted regime does not want this because with “truth” being their driving force and being pliant to their desire, they have absolute control over society with fear.
“
We also spoke about character motivations and the specifics of what kind of dystopia this is. I think we all went away with a much clearer idea about what our project is about and it made me more confident about the project as a whole and realistic deliverable.
18/03/25
Shooting Day 1
Today, myself, Noah and Peter met up in the Green Screen Room to film the first scene in the film. Unfortunately, Eliana was unwell and Robyn joined us later in the day. Once again, we had issues with Unreal and requested Kam to come and help us out. It seemed that there was an issue with saving the area and we were unable to resolve the problem by the end of the day. Regardless, we were able to film and capture the piece from one angle with the camera at the front of me and Noah. After our tutorial with Tadej, Robyn had to leave and so the three of us stuck out until 8pm to finish filming. We also took time finding a stool to break for the scene. I think today was very productive and we were able to get a lot done, even with only three people. However, after looking at the footage, we think we may need to reshoot as the lighting is wrong as we would like to get some better angles. After the shoot, Noah looked very bloody and had to go in the gym showers to clean up. Thankfully, though, we had a much better understanding of the piece and acting elements and are ready to try again.
Tutorial with Tadej
During our tutorial with Tadej, we spoke about our progression with the project, reading out our synopsis and making it a bit clearer what our project is about. He gave us some insightful questions to answer and we spoke about what we might need for the gallery space. Next week is the exhibition workshop and thus we need to be more clear on this by next week.
19/03/25
Frameless Exhibition
Today, some of CMP were lucky enough to visit the Frameless exhibition which was really insightful for this project. Frameless is a gallery of installation artworks which moved in time to music. It was an amazing experience and really lovely to see classic artworks come to life in the space. While our project isn’t too similar to this, it was good to see how a gallery works and how to curate in a gallery space. Some of the installations used projections and fabric, similar to our own project so it was good to see how this might work in the space.
20/03/25
Research
Whilst we had originally planned to film in the green screen room again on this day, we were unable to do so as another group was using the space. Instead, I decided to do some research on the areas and people Tadej had mentioned would be good to include in our film, or as references.
Punch Drunk
Punch Drunk is a British theatre company focusing on taking an audience through an immersive, theatrical experience. The set is often dressed exactly how it should in relation to the production and it feels as though you are walking into the world of the production when entering. The audience is not just a passive observer but an active participant in the experience: audience members are free to explore the set, follow different characters, and discover hidden narratives in a non-linear fashion. This creates a highly individualized experience, where no two audience members might have the same journey. I would love to see one of these performances as it would be a great inspiration for this project. The acting needs to be of a high quality to truly immerse the audience in the work, as well as the set design and ambience. Therefore, it is also important that the production design for our performance aligns well with the piece, immersing the viewer more. We will work in tandum with this and make sure all members are clear about what is expected from this performance.
Surveillance Capitalism
Surveillance capitalism, coined by Shoshana Zuboff, describes the business model where companies, especially tech giants like Google and Facebook, collect and monetize personal data by tracking user behaviour. They predict and influence actions through targeted ads, creating huge profits. This system raises concerns about privacy erosion and power imbalances, as individuals have limited control over their data. This is really important for our project as we tap into this idea through recognisable companies advertising throughout the experience. It needs to be clear that these companies are taking and using the audience’s data for nafarious reasons.
Mark Farid
Mark Farid's Poisonous Antidote is an art project where he wore a head-mounted camera for 28 days, allowing a remote participant to control his actions and decisions. The project explores surveillance, identity, and the loss of autonomy in the digital age, questioning how much control technology has over our lives. Again, this is an interesting case study for our project as it explores how data can be used in a real-world setting.
25/03/25
Exhibition Workshop
This morning we had a workshop on exhibition planning and presentation. We had a look at the spaces available to use and some examples of how space can be used well in an exhibition. We reqested a full room for exhibition but we are still a little unclear about how we will present our work. Eliana and Robyn have been tasked with the production design for the project so it was a little worrying to me that Robyn did not come to this workshop.
Tutorial with Tadej
During our tutorial this week, we focused on the presentation of our work in the gallery. During the morning session, we mentioned that we’d like to dress an entire room for our exhibition but we managed to come to an agreement on what we could do instead. The audience member will sit in the seat of where we place the 360 camera during the recording to which the set will come to life when they utilise the VR headset given to them. They will be able to view the piece as if they were in the live performance. Tadej also gave us some visual references such as John Rafman and Hito Steyrl for Eliana and Robyn to use for the production design. The plan is now by the end of the week to have split into an edit team and production design team to get both aspects completed at the same time.
Shooting Day 2
This morning we came into uni early to collect all the equipment needed for our shoot that afternoon/evening in Milton Keynes. We went to Mstores before our workshop but they weren’t ready to give us the equipment we needed. Therefore we went later in the day to collect it and take it to mine and Noah’s cars. We put everything on charge for as long as we could before our tutorial at 2pm when Robyn joined us and we were ready to leave.
The journey to Milton Keynes wasn’t awful: it was a little long but we got to Noah’s house and rested a little before going to Tim Hortons for some food and arriving at the location at around 6pm. We set up by the large firepit which took a long time to do as we needed to get more equipment and Noah picked up a friend to help with the project.
However, once it had all been set up around 9pm, we began filming. We got three takes done of the entire scene from three different angles and also managed to get some other shots of the characters being beaten up before the equipment started running out of charge. The shoot went fairly smoothly and I was very happy with the result. Then, we packed up to leave, ensuring that we had all the equipment and headed back to Harrow. We all had a very late night and I was in bed at around 3am... ready to wake up for my Wednesday morning lecture!
I also did the risk assessment for this shoot.
27/03/25
Shooting Day 3
After a rest on Wednesday, we got working on the scene which was previously filmed but unusable. Eliana did the risk assessment for this shoot and ensured that we would not get any blood on the floor in the green screen room with towels and foam carpets. Throughout the morning, we had more issues with Unreal to which Kam managed to sort out for us and took out another two cameras to get the angles we needed for this shoot. In the afternoon, we felt ready to film and had a total of three shoots to lots of SD cards in many different places to capture many different parts of the green screen background and foreground. We will oedit the piece in post to mesh both elements together. Robyn was not available today, nor did she tell us why and we were unable to contact her throughout the day but even with the four of us, we were able to have a very successful shoot. After the shoot, Noah had to leave as soon as he could and myself, Eliana and Peter took down all the equipment, ready to give back the following morning. I spent the night downloading all 100GB of footage to mine and Noah’s hard drives and I was very pleased with the result. I think we can now focus on editing the piece and sorting out the production design. There are some other things we need to think about too and so will come in tomorrow to have a chat about next steps.
28/03/25
Meeting and Editing
Today we aimed to meet with the whole group to discuss next steps. Unfortunately, Robyn was again unavailable but we spoke about editing the piece and I booked out an edit suite to do so. Myself and Noah started to have a look at the edit while Eliana started working on production design. While we didn’t get an awful lot done today as we were very tired from a long week, I think we went away with more confidence on the project and where it needs to go from now.
31/03/25
Editing
Over the weekend, myself and Noah spoke a lot about the project and what we wanted it to look like. We spoke about the production design and how the audience will walk through the piece during the screening. I wrote a small notes page about the walk through and did a sketch for the production design as per what we discussed. When we met up in the morning, we had lots of issues with the computers in J block, which made it very hard to work and edit. Regardless, I managed to have a look at the adverts and newsreels which would be played during the performance and we eventually went to the library to continue editing.
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01/04/25
Foley
During the editing process, we realised that a lot of the sound during the fire pit scene was muffled and practically unusable. Therefore, we decided to book the foley studio in M block to re-create some of the sounds. Noah’s girlfriend came to help us as she was experienced in this field and we managed to get a lot of foley recording done in the studio. This will then be overlayed onto the footage in order for teh audience to hear what is going on more clearly. We didn’t have time to record all the voices so Peter is dubbing over his speaking tomorrow. Hopefully Noah can make it all sinc coherently before the screening on Monday.
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Meeting with Tadej
This afternoon we spoke with Tadej about the screening and presentation in the gallery space. We confirmed our space in the gallery and explained our process up to this point. Tadej seemed very impressed with the video footage and we are confident in the screening and that it will be a good experience for our audience. We also explained our grievences with Robyn not being here a lot of the time, also unavailable for the foley today. This has caused a lot of stress onto Eliana for the production design and I’m not yet sure whether we are all clear on what is expected of it but we will see on Thursday for the settiung up of the blue shed.
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03/04/25
Setting Up Blue Shed
Today, myself and Eliana came to the blue shed first thing and began working on the space. We set up the chairs and waited for the others to arrive. When Noah and Peter arrived, we decided to go to Hobbycraft to pick up fabric and rope for the screens. When we returned, it was clear that there had been a misunderstanding and Eliana and Robyn spoke about changing the idea for the production design. Admittedly, it was their job and thus, perhaps, we should have had more conversations with them about the space, but, unfortunately, this became a problem and a dissagreement quickly. After somewhat of an argument, myself, Noah and Peter left Eliana and Robyn to find Chris and speak with him about the situation. He mentioned that we should have a meeting in the morning to discuss tensions and we mentioned this on the group chat to be there ‘sometime in the morning’. That evening we were still a little stressed about the situation and setting up the gallery so we spent the night at the pub with Anne :)
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04/04/25
Set Up Continued
On Friday, myself, Noah and Peter began working on the space by painting the walls and going to Sainsbury’s and a hardware store to collect hooks and set up the screens. Robyn did not come in the morning as agreed and, thus, our meeting with Chris was pushed to the afternoon. At about 3pm Robyn showed up and we met with Chris to discuss the issues. It seems as though there has been some miscommunication somewhere along the lines and a lot of us work in very different ways. Chris ironed out these problems and all members seemed to go away with a better understanding of the project itself. We decided on the production design and Robyn and Eliana went to get the tarp while the rest of us gathered the crt screens and cameras from Mstores, photography and the CMP store room. We also took down the screens as Chris explained that he didn’t find them particularly effective. By the end of the day, the space was looking more like how we imagined the space to look. Hopefully, we can now focus on the screening without any more arguments!
06/04/25
Editing
Over the weekend I spent time editing the newsreels and adverts for the piece. I used glitch effects and subtitles to alter the words said in the video to mimic how this society changes the news to fit their narrative. Noah also showed me the final cut for the piece which looks very impressive. Whilst i am worried about how much work needs to be done tomorrow, I am confident that the audience will be impressed.
07/04/25
Set Up and Screening
Today we began by continuing to set up the room for the screening. Unfortunately, the media players weren’t playing ball. We spent a LOT of time trying to fix them but failed. Fortunately, though, we came up with a plan and connected three laptops to the projectors and played the three videos at the same time. We also set up a camera at the back of the room but, unfortunately, we were unable to capture the whole performance with the C200. Due to some technical difficulties, the screening was pushed from 4:30 to 5:00 and a few audience members were unable to come. Regardless, even without a full rehearsal, we agreed that the screening went well and was captured fully with the 360 camera. Then, it was time to move everything to the project space. We were very grateful to Noah’s friends who helped us tidy up and move the screens and tarp to London Gallery West. We then spent a few hours setting up and retired for the night at around 8pm.
Overall, I think the screening went well and our acting was the best it has been. It was also good that we had sorted out the issues from the previous week and managed to present a successful screening. However, we were dissapointed that Robyn was, again, unavailable for, arguably, the most important day of the project.
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08/04/25
This morning, myself, Noah and Peter came to the gallery 8:30am to continue setting up the space. Once again, technology was failing us and we had to enlist the help of Advait to set up the VR headset. Eliana helped set up the posters and Robyn was present for the presentation at the crit. Thankfully, we eventually got the VR working and had a successful presentation. Marcello was very impressed with the work as he watched and was very animated. This was really good to see and I think we managed to explain our project to a point that didn’t explain too much. The lecturers were also impressed and enjoyed the piece whenever they were able to watch.
I also enjoyed watching others work and hearing about their projects. It was clear that a lot of work had gone into many of the projects on show and I was really impressed with everyone.
Later in the day, during the private view, we decided to re-edit the sound to a better, more manageable version. Noah did this well and it became a better experience for the other viewers.
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09/04/25
Today, I opened the exhibition at about 11am after my meeting with Chris Chris. Noah had exported a newer version as the previous one had issues with the video. Noah then joined me and we invigilated throughout the morning. During the day, Chris and Zak came to experience our project and were both impressed and enjoyed the experience.
At the end of the day, myself, Peter and Noah closed the gallery and trapped my fingers in the door while doing so :)
Luckily, my fingers survived.
Upon reflection, this was a massive project that I am impressed we managed to pull off. As always, Noah had an outrageous idea which managed to come to fruition through blood, sweat and tears (literally). While there were many issues throughout the process, including misunderstandings and frustrations with certain members of the group, the final project still feels polished and well-made in a way that we wanted. I thoroughly enjoyed this process and doing crazy things like driving all the way to Milton Keynes! I think “Hell is Other People” encapsulated Hybrid Realities in a well-thought-out way as it can neither be considered a film, nor a theatrical experience, nor a VR experience truly. It a one-of-a-kind piece with many layers of immersion. This process has been a long one and we have spent an incredible amount of time on it: we hope that this is presented to the fullest in the project.
Editing
Over the weekend, myself and Noah spoke a lot about the project and what we wanted it to look like. We spoke about the production design and how the audience will walk through the piece during the screening. I wrote a small notes page about the walk through and did a sketch for the production design as per what we discussed. When we met up in the morning, we had lots of issues with the computers in J block, which made it very hard to work and edit. Regardless, I managed to have a look at the adverts and newsreels which would be played during the performance and we eventually went to the library to continue editing.
01/04/25
Foley
During the editing process, we realised that a lot of the sound during the fire pit scene was muffled and practically unusable. Therefore, we decided to book the foley studio in M block to re-create some of the sounds. Noah’s girlfriend came to help us as she was experienced in this field and we managed to get a lot of foley recording done in the studio. This will then be overlayed onto the footage in order for teh audience to hear what is going on more clearly. We didn’t have time to record all the voices so Peter is dubbing over his speaking tomorrow. Hopefully Noah can make it all sinc coherently before the screening on Monday.
Meeting with Tadej
This afternoon we spoke with Tadej about the screening and presentation in the gallery space. We confirmed our space in the gallery and explained our process up to this point. Tadej seemed very impressed with the video footage and we are confident in the screening and that it will be a good experience for our audience. We also explained our grievences with Robyn not being here a lot of the time, also unavailable for the foley today. This has caused a lot of stress onto Eliana for the production design and I’m not yet sure whether we are all clear on what is expected of it but we will see on Thursday for the settiung up of the blue shed.
03/04/25
Setting Up Blue Shed
Today, myself and Eliana came to the blue shed first thing and began working on the space. We set up the chairs and waited for the others to arrive. When Noah and Peter arrived, we decided to go to Hobbycraft to pick up fabric and rope for the screens. When we returned, it was clear that there had been a misunderstanding and Eliana and Robyn spoke about changing the idea for the production design. Admittedly, it was their job and thus, perhaps, we should have had more conversations with them about the space, but, unfortunately, this became a problem and a dissagreement quickly. After somewhat of an argument, myself, Noah and Peter left Eliana and Robyn to find Chris and speak with him about the situation. He mentioned that we should have a meeting in the morning to discuss tensions and we mentioned this on the group chat to be there ‘sometime in the morning’. That evening we were still a little stressed about the situation and setting up the gallery so we spent the night at the pub with Anne :)
04/04/25
Set Up Continued
On Friday, myself, Noah and Peter began working on the space by painting the walls and going to Sainsbury’s and a hardware store to collect hooks and set up the screens. Robyn did not come in the morning as agreed and, thus, our meeting with Chris was pushed to the afternoon. At about 3pm Robyn showed up and we met with Chris to discuss the issues. It seems as though there has been some miscommunication somewhere along the lines and a lot of us work in very different ways. Chris ironed out these problems and all members seemed to go away with a better understanding of the project itself. We decided on the production design and Robyn and Eliana went to get the tarp while the rest of us gathered the crt screens and cameras from Mstores, photography and the CMP store room. We also took down the screens as Chris explained that he didn’t find them particularly effective. By the end of the day, the space was looking more like how we imagined the space to look. Hopefully, we can now focus on the screening without any more arguments!
06/04/25
Editing
Over the weekend I spent time editing the newsreels and adverts for the piece. I used glitch effects and subtitles to alter the words said in the video to mimic how this society changes the news to fit their narrative. Noah also showed me the final cut for the piece which looks very impressive. Whilst i am worried about how much work needs to be done tomorrow, I am confident that the audience will be impressed.
07/04/25
Set Up and Screening
Today we began by continuing to set up the room for the screening. Unfortunately, the media players weren’t playing ball. We spent a LOT of time trying to fix them but failed. Fortunately, though, we came up with a plan and connected three laptops to the projectors and played the three videos at the same time. We also set up a camera at the back of the room but, unfortunately, we were unable to capture the whole performance with the C200. Due to some technical difficulties, the screening was pushed from 4:30 to 5:00 and a few audience members were unable to come. Regardless, even without a full rehearsal, we agreed that the screening went well and was captured fully with the 360 camera. Then, it was time to move everything to the project space. We were very grateful to Noah’s friends who helped us tidy up and move the screens and tarp to London Gallery West. We then spent a few hours setting up and retired for the night at around 8pm.
Overall, I think the screening went well and our acting was the best it has been. It was also good that we had sorted out the issues from the previous week and managed to present a successful screening. However, we were dissapointed that Robyn was, again, unavailable for, arguably, the most important day of the project.
08/04/25
Crit
This morning, myself, Noah and Peter came to the gallery 8:30am to continue setting up the space. Once again, technology was failing us and we had to enlist the help of Advait to set up the VR headset. Eliana helped set up the posters and Robyn was present for the presentation at the crit. Thankfully, we eventually got the VR working and had a successful presentation. Marcello was very impressed with the work as he watched and was very animated. This was really good to see and I think we managed to explain our project to a point that didn’t explain too much. The lecturers were also impressed and enjoyed the piece whenever they were able to watch.
I also enjoyed watching others work and hearing about their projects. It was clear that a lot of work had gone into many of the projects on show and I was really impressed with everyone.
Later in the day, during the private view, we decided to re-edit the sound to a better, more manageable version. Noah did this well and it became a better experience for the other viewers.
09/04/25
Exhibition Open
Today, I opened the exhibition at about 11am after my meeting with Chris Chris. Noah had exported a newer version as the previous one had issues with the video. Noah then joined me and we invigilated throughout the morning. During the day, Chris and Zak came to experience our project and were both impressed and enjoyed the experience.
At the end of the day, myself, Peter and Noah closed the gallery and trapped my fingers in the door while doing so :)
Luckily, my fingers survived.
Reflection
Upon reflection, this was a massive project that I am impressed we managed to pull off. As always, Noah had an outrageous idea which managed to come to fruition through blood, sweat and tears (literally). While there were many issues throughout the process, including misunderstandings and frustrations with certain members of the group, the final project still feels polished and well-made in a way that we wanted. I thoroughly enjoyed this process and doing crazy things like driving all the way to Milton Keynes! I think “Hell is Other People” encapsulated Hybrid Realities in a well-thought-out way as it can neither be considered a film, nor a theatrical experience, nor a VR experience truly. It a one-of-a-kind piece with many layers of immersion. This process has been a long one and we have spent an incredible amount of time on it: we hope that this is presented to the fullest in the project.