We're carrying out a series of studies at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival to understand ways in which the 鲍鱼tv might enhance its coverage of live events.
We're carrying out a series of studies at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival this week, to explore ways in which the 鲍鱼tv might extend coverage of events it wouldn鈥檛 normally reach, and understand ways in which the 鲍鱼tv might enhance its coverage of festivals, so that audiences at home get more of the experience of 鈥榖eing there鈥�.
If you鈥檙e at the Edinburgh Festival, or have visited the festival in the past, we鈥檇 love you to contribute to our research by sharing your insights, reviews and ideas via an . Just enter a nickname as your passcode to get started.
1. New production processes and tools
We're trying out two new production tools on site.
4K Nearly-Live
A series of static unmanned 4k cameras are fixed around an event space and remotely connected to 鈥楶rimer鈥�, a prototype audio/visual editing system connected over a high-speed network, allowing the user to mix the feeds from the cameras in near real-time (see photo above).
Through this set-up we are exploring production processes that are necessary to create TV programmes in new ways 鈥� and the possibilities of using such a system to extend the 鲍鱼tv coverage of live festival events in a cost effective way.
Bootlegger
In a similar vein, we're working with to explore 鲍鱼tv coverage through community participation, so it鈥檚 not intrusive in the moment of capture. We are investigating how we might support contributors learning the vocabulary of film-making through the use of these enabling technologies, to provide shots in a format appropriate for the editorial process.
2. Festival concept demos
Two festival concept demos have been on display in the 鲍鱼tv鈥檚 area in Potterrow this week, for audiences to see, interact with and give their feedback on.
The Edinburgh Festival Map is a cumulative evolving map of the festival showing real-time activities and areas of interest. The map represents alternative viewpoints generated by media content and data from social media, GPS trackers, festival community photos, 360 video views, performance reviews, jokes, comedian biometric data and laughter levels. The user can filter views and use the map to navigate and plan their festival experience.
The mix of content gives the audience the best of both worlds: the access of the professional crew, with the emotional responses and exciting moments in the crowd. There are also links to users鈥� social media accounts 鈥� to include moments made by friends, and artists/broadcasters they follow.
Users can define what media they want to see in their Mosaic of Moments, and can share/鈥檊ift鈥� the Mosaic with friends and family back home.
In the future, we aim to synchronise the media content to 鈥榯his moment in time鈥� or longer time frames offering 鈥榯he best bits of your festival experience鈥�.
3. Data gathering activities
Touch TV/Haptic TV
The aim of the 鈥楾ouch TV鈥� study is to explore if touch technology (or haptics, as we refer to it) is effective as an extra part of a broadcast stream, and how this extra sensory content is experienced alongside a TV programme.
Haptics are used regularly in computer games (e.g. the Xbox controller buzzes), and so we are exploring the question: 鈥淐an and should haptic forms of communication be used in the home, to become part of a TV programme?鈥�
To do this we are recording biometric data from Festival performers, environmental data from event locations and laughter data from audience members. This data will then be analysed, edited and played-out alongside A/V footage in a series studies back in the user research lab in MCUK, to gain audience feedback on the Touch TV concept.
are measuring my stress levels as I present !
鈥� Ian McMillan (@IMcMillan)
4. Audience feedback and group data
We鈥檙e gathering audience feedback on Festival performances and events, using simple devices to register opinions and emotional responses.
The FOB (above) is a physical button that tags keys moments with a single button press, while the online Emotion Wheel (below) is an engagement measurement tool thatallows the user to input the type and intensity of emotion to a moment, via their mobile phone/ tablet.
5. Ethnographic work
We鈥檙e gathering information about people鈥檚 experiences of the Edinburgh Festival as a whole, and about what people want from 鲍鱼tv coverage of Arts festivals, whether it鈥檚 experienced at the event or at home.
Online diaries and video diaries
We鈥檙e inviting Edinburgh Festival visitors to complete an online diary to share photos of and/or thoughts on the Festival experience. For example, a photo of something they found funny or embarrassing, or a comment about something unique, or a review of an event.
We鈥檙e incorporating interesting photos, videos and comments from the diaries into our Festival concept demos.
Animated audience comments
We are working with to collect spoken comments from visitors and use animated characters to visualise their words. This approach aims to alleviate the cold or nervous feeling of speaking into a microphone.
Designing future festival experiences
We are also recruiting visitors for ethnographic interviews, to find out what types of festival experience they want, and what they think about some of our Festival concept demos, such as the 鈥�Mosaic of Moments鈥� or the 鈥�Edinburgh Festival Map鈥� above.
If you鈥檙e at the Edinburgh Festival, or have visited the festival in the past, we鈥檇 love you to share your insights, reviews and ideas with us via the . Just enter your first name or nickname as your passcode to get started. Your photos, videos and feedback from the diaries will be anonymised, and available for you to keep afterwards, and will not be given to third parties.
In future months we will update you further on our findings.