LIFF 360 Workshop Hosting

After being great technical help at LYFF earlier this year, I have been approached by the leaders of LIFF to possibly host a workshop to filmmakers on VR!

So excited at the opportunity and can't wait to get stuck in.

After a meeting it was decided that my workshop should take on a 360 film direction, teaching filmmakers about how to put together 360 footage, some principles behind filming 360 and how they can make it viewable in cardboard and other app, which sounds amazing.

My workshop will be 90mins long and It would be amazing to include a section where the filmmakers can go off and film their own 360 footage after being taught the technical, and at the end we can put their footage together however they wish, and at the end have created an awesome 360 video to put on Google Cardboard via Youtube or App, and show off to everyone!

I decided to brush up on my 360 film skills first of all.

Using the 360 footage I acquired from a friend at the VR Hackcess hackathon, I tested clipping and stitching of the clips in Adobe Premiere Pro, then exporting, then injecting spacial metadata, then uploading to Youtube;

And it worked great.

To render out equirectangular I needed to adjust some settings on the export, such as making the profile high, the level 5.1 and the frame rate 30, THEN in was able to adjust the aspect ratios to the custom size of the 360 footage.

I then tested some awesome 360 effects in Insta360;

These will be great to show people who want to make a video with 360 effects but not in 360... Such as the fisheye effect, little planet films etc, as little planets can't be exported out successfully into 360 images..

Here is an example of me keyframing some of these cool effects onto a video;

As you can see the video is no longer 360 viewable, which makes Insta360 great for cool video editing, photo effects and sharing your 360 videos on platforms which don't have 360 viewers.

So. done with the 360 editing. Now It would be great to show them some interactive film making using Unity! So I tested out a few techniques and decided that it would be great to show the process of dragging in 360 videos to unity, having a raycast pointer click on an object in that video and then BAM your into another 360 video, really simple and fun interaction which they can take away and elaborate on in future endeavors. This may take a while explaining as Unity is tricky for people who have never dealt with 3D software before, so I'm going to have to go really slow.

here is a video of a demo scene I made;

I feel this would engage and educate people in the workshop, though it might be a little heavy handed, its still amazing knowledge they will be inspired by.

Structure

10 min introduction to principles of VR filmmaking, to inspire them for when they start to film their own stuff.

10 min intro

10 min premiere stitching + Insta 360

20  min Unity

30 min filming session

20 min stitching films.

For the brochure of the workshop I created 2 possible thumbnails which I think advertise the nature of the workshop best, using my 360 camera.

I also created a pamphlet to hand out so people can take home and repeat the workshop with their 360 videos.

Here I am on the website for the event as well:

Cometh thee hour

All the prep for the workshop really paid off! I had a very successful day with my participants leaving happy and full of VR knowledge! It was a shame all 10 people couldn't make it, but the people I did have were perfect participants, eager to learn and passionate about VR, couldn't of hoped for better!

The technology behaved and everything went smoothly and according to plan! It was so enjoyable, teaching these professionals all about 360 film, and im so happy they had the most valuable experience. With there only being 5 people it meant they had more of a one to one session with me which they expressed they liked.

After my workshop in the afternoon Catherine Allen arrived for her talk. There was just enough time to catch a burrito with her:

as usual, her talk was very inspiring and insightful, shes such an inspiration to me and it was amazing to meet up with her again.

Work Experience @ VTR North

Over summer I had the delightful opportunity of working at VTR North.

For a month I worked part-time as a receptionist and runner, really getting to know that industry environment, it was a great eye-opener and have taken many valuable skills from it, aiding in my own professional practice.

I even had the chance to get involved a little in the structuring process for an animation, being involved in a meeting for a live client brief, which was yet again another eye-opener.. The process of engaging with the client was brilliant to observe and how many times things change till the final resolution of the client being happy.

I really enjoyed meeting clients, making them brews and talking to the animation/film freelancers about their experience as a freelancer within the industry, which was yet again extremely valuable to learn.

I also checked in on the animation department where they are currently working on an animated short, it was great seeing their industry workflow, looking at what they are producing and knowing their backgrounds and how they got there.

I feel I have come out of this as a more confident individual, approaching clients, talking to Chris Kamara, answering client calls, its been great fun and really hope to work there again soon.

Hackcess Reality - VR 4 Good - 8th Sept

Today I had the pleasure of attending a VR Hackaton based around the aspect of accessibility! A whole day making something in VR for the social good, something I haven't yet achieved.

The day took off with a series of talks, fuelling inspo from a series of awesome professionals.




VR-EP for example were amazing, they have created a VR experience replicating the visual impairments of dementia. This was an amazing learning curve for me because you only ever hear about dementia's mental effects, never the physical... But to find out about the discolouration and visual effects of dementia, was shocking to experience... To experience what it is like to look through the eyes of someone with the illness, is moving and also aids in feeling that empathy for the individual.

I was so inspired by Hectors talk from Microsoft, so much so I decided to go with the AR team in the hackathon, to create an accessable tool utilising AR and the Hololense. Having done a lot of VR, I relished in the opportunity to try and learn something new.

It was amazing, so lightweight and efficient. The narrow field of view surprised me, I expected to be able to see EVERYTHING instantly. It was easy to forget that I was even wearing the kit at times, such a change from VR, and refreshing!

Our team came up with the innovate idea of creating a platform to find the most accessable routes to commute... Like Google Maps has car, bike and walk travel, we proposed to add the 'accessable' option including most quite routes to your destination, for those who are noise sensitive, and the most wheelchair accessable routes too! Considering pavement conditions etc.. There will also be a user platform meaning people can add live updates to locations, for example road works and pot holes that suddenly occur. Through the AR element, arrows will aid in directing the user and other visuals.

Obviously in a day hackathon we would NOT be able to produce all this, so for the hack we just did a demo scene on the Hololense, placing some arrows in AR space to show the most accessable route out the building.

I learnt so much from this, it was great meeting so many more new people in the VR and AR world! And also catching up with the amazing individuals I have gotten to know through this VR summer!

VR Manchester VIII

This VR Manchester meetup was probably the most enjoyable meet-up I have been too yet, it was just like catching up with friends! Everyone who I had connected with at the lab was there and everyone who I keep seeing at all the other VR events. I'm really happy that it has got to the stage where im starting to creep into this VR bubble and know everyone in it.

There was a post-lab run down from Mark Ashmore at the lab and also a great talk on CaraVR a new 360 stitching tool from Foundry.

Also got the change to try out 'The Lost Bear' by Fabrik games on PSVR. Such a refreshing experience! With VR you expect CG but the guys at Fabrik bravely tackled VR with a traditional touch, using after effects animated sprites to create this cut-out, pop-up storybook aesthetic. Inside the game you remain a spectator to the whole thing, observing rather than experiencing, the game plays infront of you like a cinema screen, but aesthetically resembling that of a children's book open infront of you. As immersive qualities are considered, the game is immersive in the aspect that as your sat down, leaves fall like in the game infront of you, including you in what your playing and watching.. However compared to other VR games which include character intractability and locomotion, which are very immersive qualities, the game wasn't so immersive in that respect. But it set out from the start to be different from all those other games, breaking the currently set VR boundaries, a brave and brilliant decision because they have created something original, beautiful and  most importantly... enjoyable! A masterpiece of interactive immersive theatre!

Showreels

I have created 2 showreels to promote on social media, one a jack of all trades all rounder showreel and one a pure CG. The reason I have done two is to promote to a variety of different studios for possible work experience as many studios are pure CG and others like a mix of all.

I am quite happy with my reels, after sending them to studios when scouting for work experience I got some high praises on them, especially from Kilogramme and VTR North.

VR Artists Development Lab MMU Evaluation

Over the past 4 days I attended a VR Lab in Manchester

Day 1 consisted of workshops, tilt bush and 3DS Max, two softwares I kind of knew how to already, but it was great all the same. I also was there to be of aid to other people:

What we modelled with the software we then took into Unity and viewed through VR in Unity which was great.

The labs space was refreshing and very creatively stimulating. 

Day 2 consisted of splitting into groups depending on roles. There was only me who was a developer, we had no coders in our team, the rest of my teammates were idea generators, managers and people who have a great enthusiasm in VR but haven't made anything in VR or even touched the software, but we still made something amazing!

Day 3 and 4 was the development process. Our idea shifted so many times, we wanted to capture emotion and meaning but found all our ideas in this area were too heavy and needed a lot of morals and research considered.. So we landed upon a simple game idea where you had to collect the 4 elements from different zones to create a new world after an apocalyptic situation. So it didn't have the deep narrative that we all wanted, but it was achievable and fun! 

I set to work and on my own with coding help from some awesome people I managed to create our game! I was so happy with what I had single handily achieved in 2 days ! My team members we're awesome in testing out the game till it finally reached it resolve. 

Everyone else's ideas had been very narrative based which was brilliant, but the interactivity we had added into ours made for an exciting and fun game that everyone wanted to go on more than anyone else's. Which highlighted to me something very powerful... You can make an experience which is deep and full of complex meanings, but at the end of the day, is it going to rake in the money??? How popular our VR experience was says otherwise... 

All in all, it has been such a valuable experience, it all worked out fantastic and I am happy with what we have achieved. Working together with previously unknown people who share this same interest in VR has been great in establishing those key collaboration skills.

People really wanted to try our game, and enjoyed themselves whilst experiencing! Thats what you want the most with VR, to excite and engage and we achieved that well.

A video was also made about the lab where I am interviewed in:

The lab has also been amazing in establishing contacts, getting to know the VR Manchester team and everyone in the lab from coders to artists, all wonderful connections. It is also great to know this lab will be a continuous thing, meaning i will get to see the same people over and over, sealing those connections, who knows in the future we may have a VR studio created!? Can't wait for more.

VR Manchester Summer Mixer

This was a great meet up and a great prelogue to the VR lab starting the next day. There were a few demos and Vives set up too.

Bee bee Q was fun and refreshing to experience considering it is a multiplayer VR experience when so many of them are isolating single players, it was nice to see something so different. It was a fun party style game.

It was great getting to know the VR Manchester crew before starting the lab the next day, and all meeting Harvey Ball again who I met last at the diversity initiative. There was a great talk from Mark Ashmore about what the lab entails, it was very inspiring and made me excited to start it ! 

Branding myself

After going to so many networking events this summer and witnessing the need for some business cards I decided to get designing...

I elaborated on the template for my last logo of the face in the headset and opted for a more personal and artistic charm. I sketched out the outline of my face in a realistic manner so it is recognisable as me unlike the last logo, to make it more personal. 

I have gone for a multi colour burst in the headset to show the mindblowing creative realities possible in VR, the greyscale time of my face compared with this fresh burst of colour reflects how the virtual is more powerful than the real. My handdrawn signature also aids with this personal feel.

For my collaboration with my partner in crime, a computer scientist, I rebranded to a tech and art infused logo;

Utilising the same multicolour explosions from my personal card.

I like the multicolour fragments which originate from the headset I feel it reflects the fragments of a reality or dimension full of colour and vigor. There is a contrast between the arty craft feel and computer techy, which reflects who me and mike are and I think on a card like this, strangely coexist.

Festivus - 13th June

On my trip down to London for the VR initiative I was amazed to see that Festivus was on on the same day! Such a brilliant coincidence, so I just had to go.

My first Festivus definitly won't be my last, it was one of the best and most successful networking sessions I have had. It is amazing what a little bit of drink does to people. Having just had a successful day at the VR initiative, I was brimming with confidence and excitement about VR which I bent many people's ears about.

 It was great talking purely to animators and people interested in animation rather than just all round VR techies, I felt I related to them more and could talk about things more relatable.

What the VR initiative made me realise is that where I thought I had done very little in VR, I have actually done a lot compared to many, therefore felt I didn't relate as well, but animation however I felt I could relate 100% which made talking to professionals so much easier. 

What Festivus made me realise is how much I love animation and telling stories.

I left with so many business cards, from a variety of different studios. What was so great was people approaching me, with it usually being the other way round, it was great to experience. 

It was the first networking session I have been to which is solely focussed on alcohol consumption, which I think is a reason to why it was the best. 

It was also brilliant catching up with people who I keep catching at the VR events I have attended.