My green screen setup –from learninginhand.com by Tony Vincent
Excerpt:
I’m often asked about the set up I use to film my videos. Here’s a 360 spherical photo that I’ve annotated. Feel free to scroll and zoom around to check out my setup.
On 03/24/2016,
in art, business, corporate / business world, creativity, Google, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, interactivity, media/film, usability, user experience (UX), vendors, virtual field trips, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
The promise of virtual reality in higher education — from er.educause.edu by Bryan Sinclair and Glenn Gunhouse
Excerpt:
Just as hypertext, digital publishing, and other digital media have transformed the ways in which we engage with documents and collections, the technologies surrounding virtual reality (VR) may ultimately transform the ways in which we teach, learn, engage with each other, and experience the world writ large. In a not-too-distant future, as VR technologies advance at a steady pace and become embedded in our lives, we may one day look back with a sense of amazement at students once bound to a physical classroom, campus setting, locale, or even place in time.
VR may be seen as the next logical extension of cyberspace.
Five ways virtual reality is reshaping industries — from by Daniel Terdiman
Gaming is only the beginning.
Excerpt:
It’s rare that a consumer technology is a giant leap forward rather than the next iterative step. Virtual reality represents just that kind of leap. With the spring launch of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, as well as the imminent release of Sony’s PlayStation VR, high-end virtual reality has arrived. Add to that lower-end headsets like Samsung’s Gear VR, Google’s Cardboard, and many other players and it’s clear that 2016 is the year the technology goes mainstream. While none of the hardware makers are promising to sell millions of units this year, estimates peg the VR market—hardware and content—at $30 billion by 2020. It’s not just gaming and entertainment that are poised for transformation. Here are some of the most interesting—and potentially lucrative—ways VR is being deployed.
Why you should try that crazy virtual reality headset — from wsj.com by Joanna Stern
VR isn’t just for gamers—take a journey through the virtual experiences that will make the real world better
Excerpt:
You’re going to own a virtual reality headset one day.
Yes, you’re going to put those funny-looking goggles on your face and your eyes won’t be rolling at me like they are right now.
I’ve been there. My interest in gaming stops at Monopoly. The promise of virtual reality meant little more to me than a funny photo opp.
But the buzz! It’s the future, they say! So I went on a journey to find virtual reality’s practical uses.
You can take a class of fifth-graders across the world without needing permission slips. You can inspect the countertops in that dream house you’ve been eyeing. You can feel your heart pound as you practice your big speech in front of a room of people who aren’t actually there.
John Carmack calls ‘Minecraft’ for Gear VR ‘the best thing’ on Oculus — from uploadvr.com by Ian Tingen
Excerpt:
After a hands-on with Minecraft VR – an in-development title for the Samsung Gear VR – Oculus CTO John Carmack gave a speech where he proclaimed Minecraft VR to be, “the best thing to come out on Oculus…Not just for the Gear VR but everything”.
Virtual reality headsets are roaring in 2016 : What’s your pick? — from unimersiv.com by Sanjay Bojan
Excerpt:
In 2016, although still in their infant stages, VR headsets are advancing thick and fast. On that note, here is a selection of the best VR headsets you could buy at the moment.
How virtual reality will democratize learning — from readwrite.com by Jacob Tempchin
Excerpt:
Still, I am confident that virtual reality will revolutionize how we learn, and the reason is simple. Virtual reality is not just a technology, it’s a medium. And I’ve seen how powerful that medium can be.
Jaunt’s ‘cinematic VR’ tech will take you around the world — from engadget.com by Mariella Moon
First stop: Machu Picchu.
Addendum on 3/25/16:
- Step Inside a Salvador Dali Painting in Virtual Reality — from vrscout.com by Jonathan Nafarrete
. - Academia Tackles Storytelling in Virtual Reality — from edtechmagazine.com by D. Frank Smith
The University of Southern California’s School for Cinematic Arts is studying how virtual reality can be used to tell stories in the next generation of movies.
. - Virtual Reality Headsets are Roaring in 2016 : What’s your Pick? — from unimersiv.com by Sanjay Bojan
On 03/17/2016,
in art, digital learning, digital storytelling, drama/theater, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, Europe, innovation, media/film, society, story, storytelling, user experience (UX), Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning,
by Daniel Christian
The world’s first virtual reality cinema has opened in Amsterdam — from springwise.com
The VR Cinema gives movie-goers an immersive experience via Samsung Gear VR, headphones, and 360 degree chairs.
Excerpt:
At the beginning of this month, the world’s first VR Cinema opened in Amsterdam.
The idea originated as a pop-up cinema touring cities in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. Unlike a traditional cinema, the theatre uses Samsung Gear VR, combined with a Samsung Galaxy S6 and a 360 degree chair to allow people to look around freely through the film. This is combined with immersive headphones to give a full VR experience to those watching the films.
Now showing:
- In Your Face (&samhoud media, 2016)
Barely containing our excitement, we present Europe’s first feature film in virtual reality in world’s first VR cinema! In Your Face is a production of director Jip Samhoud and was written by renowned Dutch author Ronald Giphart. The film explores the moral dilemma that the ongoing refugee crisis brings along: to what extent would you really take action and help? This is the question that award-winning actors Hadewych Minis and Tibor Lukács encounter when a TV show drops off a Syrian refugee unannounced. What would you do?
Addendum on 3/17/16:
- Sky Announces Virtual Reality Production Studio — from vrguru.com by Constantin Sumanariu
Excerpt:
European pay TV giant Sky has launched a Virtual Reality production unit, Sky VR Studio, as it steps up its commitment to VR programming. The first pieces of fully-immersive VR content to be produced by the unit will be released on Friday — two films shot during Formula One testing in Barcelona, which will put viewers in the pit lane, the team garages and out onto the track.
On 01/16/2016,
in 21st century, active learning, Apple, blended learning, Bring your own device (BYOD), change, collaboration, creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, education, education reform, education technology, elearning, game-changing environment, generational differences, Google, hybrid learning, internet, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning theories, media/film, Microsoft, multimedia, online learning, organizational change, parents/guardians, pedagogy, personalized/customized learning, research, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, tablets, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, technology (general), the downsides of how people use tech, tools, trends, United States, web-based collaboration, youth,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
If you can clear up just short of an hour of your time, this piece from PBS entitled, “School Sleuth: The Case of the Wired Classroom” is very well done and worth your time. It’s creative and objective; it offers us some solid research, some stories, and some examples of the positives and negatives of technology in the classroom. It weaves different modes of learning into the discussion — including blended learning, online learning, personalized learning and more. Though it aired back in October of 2015, I just found out about it.
Check it out if you can!
Also see:
- Schools push personalized learning to new heights — from edweek.org
Excerpt:
For most schools, reaching the next level of digitally driven, personalized learning is far from reality. Still, some schools are extending their digital reach in significant and sometimes groundbreaking ways, as the stories in this special report illustrate. They are making moves to integrate a variety of technologies to track how students learn and to use the resulting data to expand the use of hands-on, project-based learning. The goal is to build never-ending feedback loops that ultimately inform the development of curriculum and assessment. Plus, big data and analytics are gradually making their marks in K-12 education. This special report outlines the progress schools are making to use digital tools to personalize learning, but also raises the question: Are they reaching far enough?
. - A Pedagogical Model for the use of iPads for Learning — from higheru.org
On 01/11/2016,
in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, digital audio, digital video, emerging technologies, future, media/film, music, trends, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, wearables,
by Daniel Christian
Predictions on the future of digital media — from techcrunch.com by Peter Csathy
Excerpt:
It’s pundit time — this time, digital media style. Last year I predicted challenges to YouTube’s dominance in online video, a beginning of cord cutting and the unbundling of video services, and an explosion in short form video content. This year the media landscape will continue to shift as VR grows up and consolidation takes over.
On 12/15/2015,
in attention, Augmented Reality (AR), Australia, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, immersion, innovation, interactivity, internet, languages and translation, learning, learning ecosystem, media/film, nursing, user experience (UX), Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning,
by Daniel Christian
MIT’s amazing new app lets you program any object — from fastcodesign.com
The Reality Editor is a Minority Report style AR app that makes programming your smart home as easy as connecting the dots.
Take me away! Elderly home residents given virtual reality goggles to help them feel like they are travelling the world — from dailymail.co.uk by Belinda Cleary
- Residents at a Perth nursing home are trialing virtual reality goggles
- The technology will allow them to see the world without leaving their seats
- It’s hoped the trial will bring back lost memories in dementia patients
NASA partners with Microsoft to provide holographic computing in space — from seriouswonder.com by B.J. Murphy
Excerpt:
Partnering with multinational technology company Microsoft, NASA has since been engaging with their astronauts to use HoloLens headsets to help them make complex computations and provide them with virtual aid as they work inside the ISS. Labeled Project Sidekick, this form of space-based holographic computing will help empower astronauts by allowing them to achieve greater autonomy in their work as they explore and connect back home at NASA headquarters.
With the Cygnus delivery of the HoloLens headsets, expect holographic computing to become a crucial facet of future space exploration – one more item to check off of our list on, “How to become more like Star Trek.”
How to try virtual reality today without breaking the bank — from bgr.com by Jacob Siegal
Excerpt:
2016 might be the year that virtual reality finally takes hold in the tech world. Sony, Microsoft and Oculus VR are all planning to launch their own hardware before the end of next year, with tons of developers already hard at work on games, apps and other software to ensure that VR hits the ground running.
But if you don’t want to wait until next year to see what VR has to offer, you can take a sneak peek at the innovations today without putting a strain on your wallet.
Breaking Down Billion-Dollar AR/VR Investment In The Last 12 Months — from techcrunch.com by Tim Merel
Which VR Headset Holds the Pole Position? — from statista.com by Felix Richter
The show goes on in Paris – through augmented-reality glasses — from theguardian.com by Barbara Casassus
If your French doesn’t go beyond bonjour, you can still enjoy a night at a Parisian theatre thanks to new glasses that provide simultaneous translations
Excerpt:
It’s Saturday night at Le Comédia theatre in central Paris and I’m staring at the stage through square plastic glasses. While the actors in the musical Mistinguett, Reine des Années Folles sing boisterously in French, the words appear simultaneously in English on a small screen in the right-hand lens. Though it’s not the same as watching the show unfettered, I find it surprisingly easy to follow the translated dialogue along with the action.
.
Also see Immersive VREducation’s:
ER VR Trailer – Virtual Reality Medical Training Simulation
Virtual-reality lab explores new kinds of immersive learning — from chronicle.com by Ellen Wexler
Excerpt:
That can have implications in distance learning, he said. For students attending class via webcam or video lecture, the video is two-dimensional, and the audio doesn’t sound as it would if they were in a real classroom. Mr. Duraiswami thinks the virtual-reality technology could help the experience feel more immersive. “If all you’re seeing is a bunch of things in front of you, you’re not as immersed,” Mr. Duraiswami said. “You want the instructor to feel as if they’re right in front of you.”
10 killer media applications enabled by ‘virtual reality’ headsets — from eweek.com by Mike Elgan
Virtual reality headsets can do much more than ‘virtual reality,’ a technical term that is badly defined in most news reports. Here are 10 rapidly developing applications.
Deakin University to launch virtual and augmented reality hub — from cio.com.au by Rebecca Merrett
Industry partners, as well and students and staff, can get their hands on latest virtual/augmented reality tech
Excerpt:
Deakin University will launch an Interactive Digital Centre Hub in Melbourne CBD in the first half of 2016, which will allow industry partners to access the latest virtual and augmented reality technology. Partnering with EON Reality, more than US$10 million has been poured into the facility and will be the first of dedicated centre to virtual and augmented reality in the Asian region. Having a strong group of researchers in virtual reality, Deakin University decided to open a hub to facilitate working with industry and host education programs and courses in this field.
Virtual reality could finally get people to care about climate change — from techinsider.io by Chris Weller
Excerpt:
As the founding director of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Jeremy Bailenson firmly believes that statistics don’t make people care about issues.
Experiences do.
That’s why Bailenson has spent the last few years developing an underwater virtual reality (VR) experience that shows people firsthand how climate change impacts ocean health.
All the data in the world won’t make a problem seem real unless people care about it on an emotional level, he says. According to Bailenson, virtual reality solves that problem without creating new ones.
Virtual reality in 2016: The 10 biggest trends to watch — from techrepublic.com by Erin Carson
2016 promises to be a watershed year for virtual reality as a commercial product. Here’s what to expect.
Revolutionary tech for the real world — from createtomorrow.co.uk
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
AR is also highly effective for education and training says Ronald Azuma who leads the AR team at Intel Labs. Why? “Because it makes instructions easier to understand by displaying them directly over the real-world objects that require manipulation, thus removing the cognitive load and ambiguity in spatially transforming directions from traditional media like manuals, text, images and videos into the situation at hand.”
Samsung launches Gear VR virtual reality headset in Australia, promises 360-degree web browsing — from news.com.au
AUSTRALIAN phone users will be able to play virtual reality games, watch 360-degree films, and navigate the web using their eyes as Samsung launches its third virtual reality headset.
CES 2016: driverless cars and virtual reality to dominate at world’s biggest technology show — from mirror.co.uk
The world’s biggest technology showcase kicks off in Las Vegas on 6 January 2016. Here’s what we know about what will be happening at the Consumer Electronics Show
Should your institution move into the Augmentarium future? — from ecampusnews.com by Ron Bethke
The University of Maryland, College Park, is leading the way in studying the innovative applications of augmented and virtual reality across a wide range of fields
Excerpt:
The potential applications of virtual and augmented reality in a host of disciplines–including education, science, medicine, the arts, entertainment and industry–are massive, say large institutions like the University of Maryland (UMD), whose Augmentarium serves as a potential instrumental model for innovative research facilities and universities looking to make their impact on the future.
Sundance 2016 dominated by VR, over 30 experiences listed — from vrfocus.com
Excerpt:
This year’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah was a surprise hit for virtual reality (VR) technology. It was here that Oculus VR revealed its new film-focused division, Oculus Story Studio, while plenty of other filmmakers and story tellers showcased their own projects using head-mounted displays (HMDs) in the festival’s New Frontier section. That section is set to return for the 2016 edition of the festival from 21st – 31st January, and is this time utterly dominated by VR experiences.
Virtual reality for all, finally — from scientificamerican.com by Larry Greenemeier
Will the new generation of headsets hitting the consumer electronics market deliver enhanced virtual-reality experiences at more affordable prices?
Excerpt:
You can be forgiven for rolling your eyes at the latest round of promises that virtual reality has finally arrived for the masses. Tech companies have been hanging their hats on that one for decades without much success, due to high prices and poorly rendered graphics that have given people headaches—literally.
Despite these missteps, a new generation of virtual-reality tech targeted at consumers has begun to hit the market, most prominently with Samsung’s $100 Gear VR visor released in late November. Both Gear VR and Google Cardboard—which starts at less than $20 and was launched in 2014—rely on a smartphone clipped or slid into their respective visors. The headset’s binocularlike lenses—between the phone and wearer—help deliver a 3-D VR experience. That makes the gadgets a relatively low-risk investment for consumers and enables tech companies to gauge public demand for virtual reality in advance of devices such as ones from Oculus, Sony and HTC slated for next year that feature more sophisticated embedded sensors and displays.
…
Now that VR headsets no longer cost tens of thousands of dollars the door is open for educational and social applications that are true to virtual reality’s roots, allowing people to learn and interact in digital classrooms and playgrounds.
Here’s what virtual reality means for kids stuck in the hospital — from techcrunch.com by Drew Olanoff
Excerpt:
Virtual reality is here to stay and it’s more important than just playing a game or watching a boxing match in a more immersive way. It could, and will, change lives. Imagine this kind of happiness in children’s hospitals everywhere, all of the time. Then think about how doctors can train for surgery virtually. Pretty amazing stuff, eh?
Addendum on 12/20/15:
- The Promise of Virtual Reality is Starting to Look Very Real — from nbcnews.com by Michael Sheetz, Special to CNBC
On 11/19/2015,
in art, journalism, media/film, multimedia, music, user experience (UX), vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning,
by Daniel Christian
A virtual reality revolution, coming to a headset near you — from nytimes.com by Lorne Manly
Excerpts:
Virtual reality — once the stuff of science fiction — is still in its infancy. But there’s already a gold rush around the technology, which plunges viewers into a simulated 3-D environment and lets them explore their surroundings as if they were really there.
Technology and entertainment giants are betting billions that virtual reality is much more than a passing fad, one that will revolutionize the way we experience movies, news, sporting events, video games and more.
Meanwhile, filmmakers and other creators are grappling with an entirely new storytelling language and dealing with some formidable challenges — claustrophobic headsets that can make people cybersick.
…
Here, some of the other pioneers in film, journalism, sports and gaming talk about the potential and struggles of building a new art form from the ground up.
…
“You really engage on scene in a way that gives you this incredible connection to where you are,” Ms. de la Peña said. “And that’s why, early on, I was calling it an empathy generator, an empathy machine.”
On 11/13/2015,
in adjunct faculty, blended learning, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, distance education, elearning, faculty/staff, flipping -- inverted learning, instructional design, media/film, multimedia, online learning, online media, pedagogy, productivity / tips and tricks, teaching & learning, using teams,
by Daniel Christian
8 characteristics of good online video — from ecampusnews.com by Meris Stansbury
Instructor-led video is a must in online learning, but not all videos are successes. Here are eight tips to help educators create effective online videos for their courses.
Excerpt:
According to a report published in the MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, instructor-generated video can have a positive influence on student satisfaction with, and engagement in, online courses. But not all videos are created equal.
Research conducted by the American Academy of Neurology also reveals that “watching videos helps boost brain plasticity,” or the ability of the brain to undergo physical changes at any age. Learners who were trained to perform a particular task through videos performed better than those who learned through images and text, the researchers found—and they concluded that video has a “higher impact on the brain.”
However, researchers emphasize that the format of the video, its platform, and the subject are all variables in the video’s effectiveness.
“Creating interesting, professional videos does take some planning and technical skill,” says eLearn Magazine. “There’s also a fear of perceived high cost. But none of these barriers are insurmountable. By employing … tips to know when to use it, how to maximize its effectiveness, and how to keep costs reasonable, you can make video a key part of your next online course.”
Here are eight tips to help educators create videos for their online courses…
From DSC:
A quick reflection here. Frame rates, compression, having the right equipment and recording facilities, how best to frame a shot, knowing about proper lighting and placement of microphones, and more…hmmm…and we expect the faculty member to know/do all this as well as keep up with their knowledgeabase of their particular discipline? Not likely in many cases. Time’s too limited — even if all of the required gifts and/or interest levels were there (which is asking a lot).
This is why I’m big on using TEAMS of specialists. Depending upon the quality of your products/services that your organization is willing to accept, flipping the classroom or using video in online-based learning requires a team of specialists.
On 10/14/2015,
in A/V -- audio/visual, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, distance education, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, experimentation, higher education, ideas, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, media/film, mobile technologies, multimedia, online learning, online media, streams of content, training / L&D,
by Daniel Christian
Switcher Studio: Be your own TV station — from switcherstudio.com with thanks to Mr. Doug Cuddihy for letting me know about this resource
Mobile streaming video production app
Excerpt:
Switcher Studio is a mobile video app that lets you sync up to four iPhones and iPads to record and stream LIVE video to services like YouTube and Ustream. Insert photos and graphic overlays, manage multi-view effects, and more.
From DSC:
Now let’s take this one step further.
If REMOTE learners could switch between cameras at any point, NOW we’re talking! That is, it would be great if we could set up 3-4 cameras in a face-to-face classroom, and let the remote learners switch between whichever viewing angle/feed that they want to see at any given point in time (i.e., the professor, the whiteboard, the computer, other).
Addendum on 10/15/15: also see:
- Touchcast Studio in a Box:
Excerpt:
TouchCast Studio in a Box allows you to transform your iPad into a full, interactive video studio. The TouchCast Studio includes a green screen, lapel mic, mini-tripods, iPad and iPhone holders. Paired with the TouchCast App, you will be able to use the green screen to transport yourself.
…
And don’t forget to add video apps (vApps) to make your video interactive. Your audience can tap these to dive deeper into other videos, web pages and more.
On 09/29/2015,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, active learning, adult learning, analytics, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, blended learning, Bring your own device (BYOD), cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, communities of practice, convergence, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, disruption, distance education, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), education, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, flipping -- inverted learning, future, global / globalization, heutagogy, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), hybrid learning, ideas, informal learning, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, internet, K-12 related, languages and translation, learner profiles, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, library / librarians, lifelong learning, media/film, mirroring and/or multiple devices, mobile learning, mobile technologies, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new media literacies, online learning, online media, online tutoring, participation, personalized/customized learning, platforms, play, podcasting, reinvent, smart classrooms, social learning / networks, staying relevant, storytelling, streams of content, student-related, technologies for your home, telecommunications, telepresence, television, training / L&D, transmedia, TVs, ubiquitous learning, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Imagine what learning could look like w/ the same concepts found in the Skreens kickstarter campaign? Where you can use your mobile device to direct what you are seeing and interacting with on the larger screen? Hmmm… very interesting indeed! With applications not only in the home (and on the road), but also in the active classroom, the boardroom, and the training room.
See
Skreens.com
&
Learning from the Living [Class] Room
![The Living [Class] Room -- by Daniel Christian -- July 2012 -- a second device used in conjunction with a Smart/Connected TV](http://danielschristian.com/learning-ecosystems/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/The-Living-Class-Room-Daniel-S-Christian-July-2012.jpg)
From DSC:
Some of the phrases and concepts that come to my mind:
- tvOS-based apps
- Virtual field trips while chatting or videoconferencing with fellow learners about that experience
- Virtual tutoring
- Global learning for K-12, higher ed, the corporate world
- Web-based collaborations and communications
- Ubiquitous learning
- Transmedia
- Analytics / data mining / web-based learner profiles
- Communities of practice
- Lifelong learning
- 24×7 access
- Reinvent
- Staying relevant
- More choice. More control.
- Participation.
- MOOCs — or what they will continue to morph into
- Second screens
- Mobile learning — and the ability to quickly tie into your learning networks
- Ability to contact teachers, professors, trainers, specialists, librarians, tutors and more
- Language translation
- Informal and formal learning, blended learning, active learning, self-directed learning
- The continued convergence of the telephone, the television, and the computer
- Cloud-based apps for learning
- Flipping the classroom
- Homeschooling
- Streams of content
- …and more!
Addendum:
Check out this picture from Meet the winners of #RobotLaunch2015
Packed house at WilmerHale for the Robot Launch 2015 judging – although 2/3rds of the participants were attending and pitching remotely via video and web conferencing.
On 07/23/2015,
in creativity, digital storytelling, media/film, story, storytelling, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning,
by Daniel Christian
5 Lessons Learned While Making Lost — from oculus.com by Saschka Unseld; this post regards making a VR-based movie
Excerpts:
- Don’t rush the pacing
Structuring Lost through thinking of it as “moments” and not “actions” helped find the right pace without losing our story structure. - Respect the ritual of “Settling in & Setting the scene”
- Let go of forcing the viewer to look somewhere
- Be aware of Spatial Story Density
- Simplify scope
We eventually redefined the relationship between storyteller, listener, and the story itself. Even though time for the viewer unfolds in a linear fashion, the discovery of the story might not. This realization, of course, had big implications on staging and timing. It also sparked discussion around something we call “Spatial Story Density”.
On 07/01/2015,
in digital storytelling, leadership, media/film, multimedia, new media literacies, story, storytelling, technology (general), vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
Technology and The Evolution of Storytelling — from medium.com by John Lasseter; with a shout out to The Digital Rocking Chair for the Scoop on this
Excerpts:
“People aren’t going to sit still for a feature-length cartoon. Are you nuts?”
But Walt was a visionary.
Walt saw beyond what people were used to. They were used to the short cartoon.
There’s a famous statement by Henry Ford that before the Model T if you asked people what they wanted, they would say, “A faster horse.”
My own partner at Pixar for 25 years, Steve Jobs, never liked market research. Never did market research for anything.
“It’s not the audience’s job to tell us what they want in the future, it’s for us to tell them what they want in the future.” — Steve Jobs
It was because people didn’t understand what the technology ***could*** do. — John Lasseter
I wanted to learn as much as I could.
The more you dig into the technology and the more you learn it, you are going to get ideas you would never have thought of without knowing your technology.
The goal was to make the technology invisible.
On 06/26/2015,
in A/V -- audio/visual, business, chemistry, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, engineering, higher education, K-12 related, media/film, science, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning,
by Daniel Christian
The brave new world of virtual-reality filmmaking — from readwrite.com by David Nield
How VR will revolutionize cinema for creators and consumers.
Excerpt:
While gamers wait patiently for their virtual-reality headsets to go on sale, there’s another industry ripe for the VR picking: movies. That means, as VR technology matures, filmmakers have to work out a new approach to their craft. But if they get it right, audiences are in for a far more immersive and interactive ride.
Companies like Samsung, Google and Oculus have been evangelizing VR cinema experiences, hoping to bring the sorts of videos that make their virtual-reality platforms a real destination for movie watchers. But to make their campaigns work, they need filmmakers and video producers who know what they’re doing.
Innovative use of Virtual Reality in Chemistry Classrooms — from alchemylearning.com
Excerpt:
“My students were able to apply their understanding of the technology to learning activities (labs, research projects, etc.) that could be made possible using virtual reality. For students to draw those connections on their own gives me hope that engineers, teachers, and students will be able to collaborate and create great opportunities for learning inside of a virtual world.” – Matt Cobb
Adopting Virtual Reality for Education — from alchemylearning.com
Excerpt:
“As an educator with 20+ years’ experience integrating technology into curriculum, it is exciting for me to see a technology that so quickly captures the attention of the students, motivates them to make the effort to learn the procedures, and then opens them up to the relevant content.“ – Larry Fallon, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Arlington County Public Schools
…
But ultimately, will VR become a proven medium to help students learn faster, be more motivated, and expand the boundaries of what is possible? Let’s take a moment to survey the state of the field right now and see what the future of virtual reality in education could look like.
Virtual reality technology expands to a blitz of uses, including football — from kansascity.com by Kasia Kovacs
Excerpt:
Reilly’s football software is among a tidal wave of VR programs being developed for introduction to consumers in the next year. The military already uses VR in some training exercises, but the technology has potential uses in other areas, such as entertainment and home improvement. Architects, for instance, can create life-size virtual models of buildings rather than relying on traditional physical models.
…
Raymond Wong, a product analyst for Mashable, said: “I’m not sure if people want to put these goggles on at home. It’s a very isolating experience.” Indeed, total immersion in a world that occupies most of the users’ senses could lend itself to previously unseen consequences.
…
Wong sees more potential for VR in commercial industries such as marketing or engineering.
Research has already pointed to VR’s advantages in the medical field, Rizzo said. Once interactive intelligent agents — virtual characters — are advanced enough to respond like people, surgeons in training may be able to practice procedures with these characters. VR simulations could also be used as a way to distract patients from painful procedures, possibly becoming an alternative to pain medicine.
Education may also benefit from advances in virtual reality.
If a student struggles with conceptualizing the atomic structure, for instance, he could plop on the headset and be immersed within a virtual atom.
Like being there: Walking through an ancient Roman town — from popular-archaeology.com
Excerpt:
The development of new technologies and techniques, combined with the increasingly interdisciplinary approach of archaeological investigation, are producing results that, for the archaeologist of 20 years ago, might have been the stuff of science fiction. Who would have known then that scientists would resurrect in startling detail an entire ancient Roman town after only fractional excavation? And who would have known that thousands of people from nearly every corner of the world would be able to ‘walk’ through that town without ever physically setting foot within?
This, however, is exactly what has happened for an obscure archaeological site located in Portugal—a relatively small ancient Roman town whose few visible remains have attracted comparatively few visitors—at least as compared to the iconic Roman city of Pompeii in the south of Italy.
Oculus Rift DK2 demo round-up for futurists — from futureconscience.com
Excerpt:
NeoS: The Universe
This is a fantastic demo that takes you from the smallest level of scale (surrounded by protons and neutrons) through to the largest (galaxies and the observable universe). As you progress through the scales you are in first overlooked by a penny that seems the size of a building, before seeing it get smaller in front of you and other objects such as basketballs and a T-Rex come into view.
Mona Lisa Room
This is one of those ‘transport you to a location’ demos that a lot of people are starting to get involved with. It seems like such an obvious use of VR technology, and you can really see how the cultural heritage and museum sector is going to jump on this once the technology is commercially available. Essentially what you have here is a solo tour of a very famous art gallery room in the Louvre museum in Paris, complete with atmospheric and well-produced audio guides for a number of different paintings. Most importantly, it’s a VIP viewing – you are escaping the hundreds of tourists crammed into the small space for a personal experience taken at your leisure. Unfortunately, this particular demo really exposes the need for a higher resolution screen than the DK2 has at hand. The Mona Lisa is a small painting, and so none of the detail comes out which is particularly jarring given that the audio tour is talking specifically about how perfect the painting is. Even the massive wall-size Biblical painting nearby comes across as too pixelated to really engage with. It’s a concept that is going to take off in the very near future, but not until we get nice high-res screens!