Making Narrative Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4LwfLjusGo  Since we have watched all the video projects in class already I am sharing my video on here in case anyone wants to see it again!

When I first started making videos it was with a Flip video camera.  Maybe you remember those?  At the time I thought they were the coolest things ever because they were small and portable and shot HD video.  In fact, I shot a three-minute "horror" film in the woods with my friends were being stalked. and then attacked by a mysterious creature.  Sound familiar?  I wanted to make a comparison between that film and the one I linked above because so much has changed, but at the same time, its not your equipment that makes a good film, its your imagination and determination!  
      Nowadays, there is HD quality video on every newer smartphone so those Flip camera went obsolete pretty quickly.  Having a smartphone that shoots lovely video, and access to the school's filming equipment, makes me realized how privileged I am.

Comfortableness in Front of the Camera

Since we just finished up our narrative video projects, I thought I would talk about how self-conscious people turn when they are placed in front of a camera with people watching.  I have been watching the show Food Network Star which features half cooking and half TV personality elements, and I find it so fascinating that even the contestants, who are cooking experts and have been on cooking shows many times, can totally melt, become awkward, or forget their words when they know all the attention (and cameras) is on them.  Even if it's just a little bit, it seems to happen to everybody.  I experienced it a little as I directed my narrative, because as I was acting in it I found myself often bursting into laughter or overthinking what I was supposed to be doing.  When I'm on the filming side of the camera everything seems to flow like clockwork (not all the time, but in comparison).  That being said, I feel satisfied with my performance (mostly, lol) especially as I got used to it,

Ingress, the Ultimate Interactive Game

Hey all, so I am trying to get the ball rolling again with my blog posts.  As you might have noticed I have been woefully neglecting them due to focusing the majority of my time on the major projects at school, and working at my job!  I don't have access to my book for the next while, so be prepared for a few non-book-related posts about media and art!

The first item I want to highlight is a little game called Ingress.  You may have heard of it, or you may not have, but I have been playing this game recently and it is amazing!
      As far as interactive art is concerned, this game has to be among the top.  To summarize, Ingress is an app for your phone that uses GPS as it's mainframe.  Instead of seeing Google Maps as per usual, you see Ingress's sleek secret-agent style interface on which you can see hidden portals and rogue energy particles.  These portals are the focus of the game, and instead of being randomly placed, they are coded to be literally on top of interesting objects around the world be it a statue, a memorial, a unique sign, a shop, a boulder, or other artifacts.  These portals can only be seen with the Ingress app, and you can join a team called the Resistance or the Enlightened to hack these portals for your side.  You must venture to the actual item to hack it, which makes this game extremely interactive and engaging.  I won't go into any further details, but if your interested you should watch this video, download the app, play, and tell me what you think!
    No, I am not a solicitor for this game (officially), I am just curious to see what you think as it is an amazing combination of Art and Technology!  ;)

Video:  https://www.ingress.com/events