part of Emily Carr Interactive Video - online module

DESN-350-SU01: Interactive Video (ONLINE)

Summer Term I (May 11–June 26)

Prerequisite: Completion of 51 credits

We are all getting pretty familiar with live video - using tools such as Skype, Zoom, and Twitch (to name a few) most days. Streaming is the portal through which we access both culture and companionship. We are all broadcasters. In this class, we will explore ways to engage with video creatively and in real time, from VJing and video mixing, to chroma keying and camera tracking. We’ll be using both found footage and live video inputs to create generative and moving digital text, graphics and video mixes, live camera environments, and playful interactive applications.

Students will get to grips with Isadora (https://troikatronix.com/) - a simple but powerful toolkit for working with real-time and interactive video design. You’ll be introduced to the principles of generative design, systems thinking and interactive design as applied to real-time video. These have applications within the world of environmental graphics (supergraphics / interactive wayfinding), theatre (projection mapping /set design), live music (VJing), broadcast (video mixing) and interactive art.

The course is split into 3 parts:

1. LIVE CAMERA - using your webcam and screen as a portal
2. GENERATIVE VIDEO - generative animation and video mixing for performance
3. INTERACTIVE VIDEO - exploring camera tracking and interactive systems using your webcam

During this module you will create several small projects that explore different aspects of each theme.

• mac / pc with webcam
• Isadora software + license (1 month = $17.50) https://troikatronix.com/get-it/
  • please install this BEFORE the first session. any problems, contact me - smeech@ecuad.ca
• materials - coloured paper / card / tape / fabric
• BlueJeans and Zoom video conferencing apps

Please refer to the Moodle page for a complete and most updated schedule.

sessions on Wednesdays & Fridays @ 9:00am PST (Vancouver time)

• Week 1 - 13th May / 15th May
• Week 2 - 20th May / 22nd May
• Week 3 - 27th May / 29th May
• Tue 2nd June Mid-term Process Book Due (Moodle Upload / blog link)
• Week 4 - 3rd June / 5th June
• Week 5 - 10th June / 12th June
• Week 6 - 17th June / 19th June
• Week 7 - 24th June / 26th June - realisation week - final presentations
• Mon 29th June Final Process Book Due (Moodle Upload)

• Research 20%
• Process 20%
• Form & Presentation 20%
• Criticality 20%
• Agency 20%
• <hi magenta> Total 100% </hi>

<hi blue>20% Research:</hi> Collecting, identifying and generating information relevant to practice. Investigate and appraise various strategies to gather and generate a broad range of information.

<hi blue>20% Process:</hi> Application of iterative design methodologies in relation to conceptual and formal development. Apply a variety of appropriate methods to test ideas, generate solutions and inform practice.

<hi blue>20% Form and Presentation:</hi> Technical and applied practice in relation to production and presentation of course outcomes. Produce and present final outcomes in well-executed and organized manner, demonstrating appropriate technical skills to an intermediate level of ability.

<hi blue>20% Criticality:</hi> Appraisal of practice and learning in relation to contextual, cultural and sustainable factors. Evaluate thinking and ideas with basic analytical strategies within the context of culture, community and sustainability.

<hi blue>20% Agency:</hi> Engagement with studies and independent responsibility for learning within and beyond class. Exercise problem finding and solution generation within defined challenges or context.

Over the course of the module you will create a process document (format of your choosing, but blog / website is suggested) that details your research and ideas alongside the outcomes of the workshops and exercises conducted over the course of the module. It is advised that you work on the document throughout the semester. At the mid-semester formative evaluation you will be asked to show your progress on the document and will receive feedback on you progress. The final document will be submitted for evaluation at the end of the semester.

The document must contain the following for each project / task:

Reflective statement — two or three paragraphs describing your process, the challenges you faced, how you overcame these challenges and what you learned while working on the project.

Supporting Research — Include all material that you gathered that helped you in making the project. This may take the form of images, articles, essays, quotes, etc.

Ideation Stages — document each stage in your making process. Include initial sketches, test recordings, prototypes and iterations.

Final outcomes - digital files / media — links to Isadora files for completed assignments, with supporting media and documentation. Eg: a zip file or google drive folder containing:

1. YourName-ProjectName-v10.izz (isadora file - WITH COMMENTS)
2. media folder (assets such as video, sound etc)
3. readme.txt file (what do we need to know to make it function?)
4. folder of earlier iterations (isadora files / versions)
5. Video documentation - URL to video / screen recording of the piece being used in context

• navigate isadora interface
• basic understanding of node-based programming
• develop concepts for time-based and generative graphics narratives
• develop concepts for interactive interfaces
• understanding of live video as a creative medium / audience context
• solve problems through iteration
• solve problems through research on forums, video tutorials and manual
• move between technical and creative thinking
• learn to play and waste time
• collate research questions for further use.
• document, iterate and comment on process
• understand versioning, file-naming protocol, file structures etc.

• get students thinking about LIVE VIDEO SYSTEMS, broadcasting and interactivity
• what can they do with a webcam?
• understand contexts for video

• Chromakeying
• masks
• systems thinking
• video mixing
• camera tracking
• real-time video design - VJing
• control interfaces
• maniuplating time
• triggers
• calibration and scaling
• documention, versioning

Over the course of the semester you will create a process document that details your work for each project and the outcomes of the workshops and exercises conducted over the course of the semester. It is advised that you work on the document throughout the semester. At the mid-semester formative evaluation you will be asked to show your progress on the document and will receive feedback on you progress. The final document will be submitted for evaluation at the end of the semester. The document must contain the following for each project:

Reflective statement — two or three paragraphs describing your process, the challenges you faced, how you overcame these challenges and what you learned while working on the project.

Supporting Research — Include all material that you gathered that helped you in making the project. This may take the form of images, articles, essays, quotes, etc.

Ideation Stages — document each stage in your making process. Include initial sketches, thumbnails, all drafts, prototypes and final iterations.

• Move flexibly between different modes of thought (convergent/ divergent, concrete/ abstract, logical/intuitive) in responding to design problems and opportunities.

• Solve communication problems by practicing a comprehensive design process that includes research, analysis, concept development, formal explorations and synthesis of concept in visual form.

• Respond to audiences, contexts, and communication needs in shaping design decisions. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the issues involved in designing for a variety of media.

• Show competence in digital literacy, understanding specific issues and challenges in shaping communication models for emerging technologies.

• Use participatory research methods and narrative analysis to generate a range of visual references and contextual information.

• Generate multiple concepts and drafts to developing design solutions in response to specific audiences' communication needs that demonstrates an understanding of the principles of accessibility in visual design.

• Utilize Adobe Creative Suite, with advanced skill to develop and design projects to formalize outcomes, including creating Risoprinted outcomes with a professional level of binding and finishing.

• Respond constructively to critique while expressing independent views and responses to project briefs. Be able to articulate the role of design within the context of an aging population.

• Manage time efficiently and work effectively in teams or individually, as required.