Experimenting And Researching Multimedia Techniques

Our lesson this week was split into two parts; one part of experimenting with our ideas with the equipment in class and the other spent in the library, looking at books, including the script and on line with two editors to put it all on one blog. 

I spent the first lesson experimenting with the equipment. This ranged from projectors (hand held and fixed,) computers and a video camera. In my group we came up with three experiments:

• a projection onto a blind of the big brother poster. Someone is going to sleep and when they pull the blind down the poster is there. Even when they're asleep, the government are still watching. 
• project three different colours onto someones chest; red, green and white- red for faulse, green for true, white for scanning. Someone is being interviewed and scanned to read their inner thoughts.
• a live feed of everyone in jail and perhaps some tortures to remind people of what is in store if they become a thought criminal. 

We decided to experiment with the second idea. We used a projector, a computer with a prezi and a chair with someone seated. We made a prezi so we could have a white slide and then the option of changing to red and green. To do this you put the pattern of colours white, green, white, red. The prezi, when linked to the projector, will project onto anything around you. For our scene we chose to project on to a person being questioned by the thought police. The questions asked would be answered by the person seated and we change the slide according to whether they were telling the truth or not. If they were telling the truth we would turn the slide green. However if they were lying we would turn the slide red. Written across the red slide was the phrase thought criminal which projected across the persons chest. When scanning for answers the slide was white. 

I enjoyed experimenting, mainly because it was a lot easier than I thought. if you can work with the individual equipment it is just a case of putting it together. I hope to use and develop ideas created in that lesson later in the unit.

In the other part of the lesson we went to the library to research multimedia theatre and elements of the play to accompany it. My job was to gather books from the library, take relevant information from them and give them to bloggers. I looked at a book that described how easy it was to mess up a piece of multimedia. Technology, as wonderful as it is, can have its faults. When preparing for a performance where multimedia is key therefore, you need to keep the projection or technical detail as simple as possible to avoid mistakes.

I also looked at costumes we could use that would be affective both to compliment the themes of the play and the projections that may be shown on actors. We chose simple t shirts and trousers, either in white or black. In the world of 1984 individuality was non existent so the colour scheme is simple and not eye catching and also is clear and visible when projecting on. It also doesn't highlight any particular era meaning that detail is flexible.