Week 5/6 - Studio 2: Progress

Me pitching to Ewan McEoin, Senior Curator at the NGV (facilitated by Chris Barker, Belinda Anson and Troy Innocent)

Week 5/6 - Studio 2: Progress

I pitched my project to the NGV for Melbourne Design week, which took a lot of work, but went well. This has further focused my ideas and given me valuable opportunities for extra feedback.

Alongside this I have been testing the first build of the prototype and making a list of changes I think it needs before we go onto Phase 2 testing.

These include (in order):

• Adding a menu of some sort to the start - still devising a way to do this without loosing the immersiveness of the current immediateness of the video trailer playing at the start of the experience

• Video trailer needs to appear portrait but letterboxed, but will fit to fill when screen is turned to/held in landscape position

• Make the phone call from the astronaut into a video call and show the astronaut’s “video feed” (her sitting in the cockpit with an astrosuit on and a microphone - 80s style). I will organise filming of this after I have finished casting and when hopefully COVID-19 restrictions ease where I am - based in Melbourne.

• Add a graphic, animated overlay that represents the room being scanned, rather than having the screen say “establishing connection” for so long. This would be something that looks a bit like a laser scanner the environment, accompanied by a ‘scanning noise’ (with an 80s aesthetic)

• Improve tracking of objects once the AR is experience is launch - at present they jump around a little ie change positions

• Swap out the current ghettoblaster for one that is animated ( I have found one a sketch fab but it wasn’t downloadable. Jadd suggestion of contacting the artist was successful and I now have the file from her ) Hopefully the new model will do the trick

• Make the ghettoblaster the only thing that appears at the start of the AR experience (either on an AR table or floating in thin air and on a slight angle with a slight movement perhaps). Ie use the camera feed and overlay the ghettoblaster (no walls or ceilings. Floors are ok if furniture can be occluded, otherwise no floors.

• Perhaps use a hologram shader to “fade in” the ghetto blaster, rather than it appearing in full straight away (great suggestion from Jadd).

• Improve the placement of the cassette tape - at present, after you tap it (to carry it)  it is floating off screen a little too much.

• Change the writing/label on the cassette tape to “Cassette tape”

• Allow the animation of the new version of the ghettoblaster model to run while inserting tape and to spool after it is inserted. The music still plays when the tape is inserted

• Once the music starts playing, fade up 3 - 4 other objects in the space tbc. I will decide this after my next feedback session with the NGV in case they are interested in collaborating. Otherwise it will be a statue, a bmx bike and a dining table.

• Nice to have in the scene would be a couple of porthole windows (attached to the actual walls of the user’s room if indoors) through which stars are visible

• Nice to have in the scene: a lighting bank hanging from the ceiling which casts light on the museum exhibits.

I have also been doing lots of casting research and have come up with the following wish list (I just need one woman to play the part of the lonely astronaut. This is mostly narration, but I have decided I also want to have her on screen as a video call if possible.

People who would be great for the role, even though I cannot yet afford most of them:

Sarah Ward

Rachel Maza

Della Rae Morrison

Zulya

Judy Davis

Leah Purcell

Judith Lucy

The idea is to re-record all the narration and replace my own narration which is just temporary, except for my voice in the trailer which I’ll probably use).

I am now also teeing up meetings with a couple of producer friends of mine to ask for casting suggestions/ideas.

I am also working through the list of changes with Hizi and creating a schedule together.