The t-shirts have worked! Here’s a video showing our very first tests. Very pleased with this result! From this, we can see what amendments which we need to make in order to make our prototype a success!
Here’s us making the tee’s. We used some transfer Iron on paper for light T-shirts from W.H.Smiths. They were really easy to make and much more time and cost efficient than having them printed professionally.
Learning agreement
Name: Alice Lewis
Course: FdA Digital Media Production Level: 5
Unit: Future Cinema
Reference number: IMD513
Credit points: 45
Study hours: 450 Hours
Tutor(s): Liam Birtles/Phil Beards
Synopsis of study
For the Future Cinema Unit we will be working on an ‘Interactive Mirror’. The idea behind this is that the user can put themselves in the scenario of a film. We are focusing on the conversational element of the cinematic experience; what you discuss with your friends and the people you are with when you leave the cinema. As they enter the room they will be given a choice of ‘Genre T-Shirts’, which have fiducial markers printed on them, each of the markers will trigger a different animation to turn the wearer into a character from that genre. For example, there will be a horror t-shirt that will then turn the wearer into a zombie, or a western t-shirt that would turn the wearer into a cowboy. As our main prototype we will be creating a sci-fi shirt, turning the user into an alien, we are going to make sure that the image is animated on to the person instead of it just appearing, this will make it a little more interesting for the user and make a little bit of suspense in what is happening.
We will go about this by creating our own fiducial markers to be transferred onto t-shirts. Using the FLARToolKit we will ensure that when the wearer comes in front of the camera an animation of the character will begin, turning them into, for example, an alien. We will transfer our markers on to different T-Shirts so that a different T-Shirt will trigger a different animation. The characters for the animation will be designed and created in Adobe Illustrator, they will then be animated in Adobe After Effects and exported within an Alpha Channel to ensure that when they are triggered the user can see the background that is actually around them at the time, to make it seem as if the ‘cinematic experience’ was being created within their own reality. Once this has been done they will be synced up with the coding of the markers in Adobe Flash, this means that when they are presented in front of the camera they will project our animations as opposed to some kind of stock footage.
We have chosen to do this because we decided that the most important part of the cinematic experience is when you are able to discuss it afterwards, comparing with friends and/or family what you liked, what you disliked, how you felt and what you inferred from the given scenarios. By allowing the audience to talk at the same time as receiving the experience it can, in theory, make it more enjoyable for the audience (as talking is generally frowned upon in the cinematic environment you cannot discuss at the same time the ‘action’ is happening). Our idea aims to increase the social aspect of the cinematic experience and with more time we would like to be able to create it so that more than one character can be in the same screen at any time and they can interact with one another.
My role in the project, will be designing the graphics for the archetypal reflectomatic mirror. I will be creating three sets of images, themed around the three genres. I will design these images as connotations towards that specific genre, rather than recreating something from a specific film. For example, for the horror genre, I will be creating the head and torso of a zombie, frequently associated with horror films, but not a particular film. I will also be helping to print the trackers onto the t-shirts. I will show evidence of my progression through my blog, where I will include pictures, notes and references.
Aims
A1 To develop an understanding of storytelling and interactive narrative
A2 To produce video content that explores the possibilities of future cinema
A3 To develop skills in narrative, interaction and user centred deign
A4 Investigate digital techniques to create new user experiences.
Learning outcomes:
On completion of this unit I will be able to:
LO1 Demonstrate an understanding of storytelling and interactive narrative
LO2 Produce video content to explore the possibilities of future cinema
LO3 Demonstrate skills in narrative, interaction and user centred design
LO4 Explore a consider range of new user experiences
Assessment criteria
(specific criteria related to the learning outcomes and linked to the statement of generic assessment criteria matrix):
• Evidence of knowledge of technical processes (b) – Through detailed documentation of the project (LO1, LO3, LO4)
• Evidence of understanding through research and analysis (c) – Through presentation of final project work (LO2, LO4)
• Evidence of Realisation through key specialist knowledge and skills (g) – Through production of finished project (LO3, LO4)
References
All references can be found on my blog, as well as links to the external sites
Action plan/time plan
We have agreed with our tutors that for this project we will be making a prototype of our idea. For this we will print one or two t-shirts with a tracker, one of them will go with our proposed idea of a genre t-shirt, and for the purpose of the prototype we will make it according to one genre (we have chosen to do the horror genre and make a zombie character). As well as this we will make a different version using the semiotics of a genre and get them to hover and move around the person, with the idea that in the future they could move around and interact with the person on the screen. Likewise in the future we would like to be able to get the genre character to move about with the wearer so that it can interact with other users at the same time.
We have broken down everything that needs to be done and been assigned jobs for what needs to be done and we have set days by which things need to be achieved by so we will finish in time with a working prototype to present at the deadline
Here are the space invaders! They were really easy to make, but I think they will be really effective in representing the sci fi genre t-shirt! I made them by creating a square grid, and adding a fill to certain squares in order to create the pattern of the space invader. I left the thin grey stroke around the space invaders to try and keep that retro look 
We agreed as a group to create space invaders, as they’re quirky and while not being from a film themselves, they represent the sci fi genre by being associated with aliens.
This is where I got most of the inspiration from for creating a zombie.
Because What Zombie doesn’t like Brains? Partly inspired by the ‘Plants Vs Zombies’ T’shirts
I made half the face, then Copied and reflected it to make sure that the face was even all the way round. The circled area shows the joining lines. This is the same at the top of the head. I also repeated this process with the torso.
I added a Radial gradient to add shading onto the Zombies eye. This makes it look more realistic than if it was a block colour. The Eyelids and Bags under the eyes are simply circles, cut in half, adjusted to shape, and placed behind the eye layer.
I have been creating the vectors for the project. I have made enough vectors for three scenes based on different genres of film. The genres are Sci-fi, Horror, and Western. I have tried to create familiar icons to use them as semiotics which will allow the audience to instantly recognise and relate to the genre. I will add some screen shots of the images and how I made them.
We have made a lot of changes along the way. Firstly, we thought that fiducial trackers were the smartest way of projecting images from t-shirts. Fiducial trackers work well, and are very popular. They work as good reference points in interactive media, and work best when used with Max Msp.
Here is an example of some Fiducial markers.
We spent a lot of time trying to calculate the best way to make one of these work. The only problem was, that Max Msp really works better with sound, rather than moving images (And is way too confusing for my brain to handle). So we dabbled into other methods of using trackers to project images, and came across an example of AR codes.
We found a working example of an AR code in FLARToolkit. There is also less coding involved in the process which makes it easier for us time wise.
This is the AR tracker we will be using:
We can now adapt this working example to how we want it it. Obviously if we had more time, we would make our own, but this is assisting us in creating a prototype that works.
