Automation and redistribution of work: the impact of social distancing on live TV production

publishedVersio

Collaborative video editing

Samarbeid i videoredigering Denne avhandlingen tar opp følgende spørsmål: Hvordan kan vi støtte samarbeid i videoredigering? I ulike anvendelsesområder, som skriving og design, er bruk av samarbeidsverktøy utbredt. Likevel er programvare for videoredigering i hovedsak utviklet for individuell bruk. Videoredigering bør forstås som en sosial aktivitet og blir i profesjonelle sammenhenger ofte utført som et samarbeid mellom ulike aktører. Basert på intervjuer og designverksteder, undersøker denne avhandlingen hvordan videoredigerere samarbeider og utforsker mulighetsrommet for å støtte samarbeid i videoredigering gjennom design av nye løsninger. I tre studier undersøker denne avhandlingen videoredigering fra tre perspektiver. Først undersøker den samarbeidspraksiser blant profesjonelle videoredigerere og identifiserer ulike strategier og sosiale mekanismer som brukes for å oppnå enighet mellom aktørene som er involvert i videoproduksjon. Denne første studien identifiserer ni temaer som beskriver hvordan videoredigerere håndterer usikkerhet og oppnår enighet, spesielt gjennom organisatoriske mekanismer, dokumentasjon og ikoniske referanser. Studien foreslår også tre ulike retninger for design av nye løsninger for å støtte samarbeid i videoredigering. Det andre studiet undersøker videoproduksjon fra et organisatorisk perspektiv, med fokus på en pågående overgang til distribuert arbeid og dets innvirkning på videoproduksjon. Den andre studien skisserer de kortsiktige og langsiktige implikasjonene av å innføre distribuerte arbeidsformer i TV-produksjonsorganisasjoner under COVID-19-pandemien. Den siste studien ser på samarbeid i videoredigering som et designproblem og presenterer designideer for hvordan man kan støtte et slikt samarbeid. I tillegg peker denne studien på utfordringer som kan være til hinder for innføringen av nye videoredigeringsverktøy som skal støtte samarbeid. Ved å sammenstille resultatene fra de tre studiene, samt analysere tidligere forskning og eksisterende videoredigeringsverktøy, identifiserer avhandlingen tre designtilnærminger for å støtte samarbeid i videoredigeringsprogramvare: holistisk, skreddersydd og konfigurerbar. Selv om disse tilnærmingene diskuteres med tanke på samarbeid i videoredigeringspraksiser, kan de tilby et bredere analytisk rammeverk for å vurdere utformingen av samarbeidsverktøy også for andre anvendelsesområder.This thesis addresses the following question: how can collaboration be supported in video editing? In many domains, such as writing and design, collaborative tools have become common and widespread. However, video-editing software is still predominantly designed for solo users. Nevertheless, video editing is a social activity that, in a professional setting, often involves various people working together. Based on interviews and design workshops, this thesis investigates the collaborative practices of video editors and explores the design space of collaborative video editing. In three studies, this thesis looks at video editing from three angles. First, it investigates the collaborative practices of video editors and identifies the strategies and social mechanisms they employ to reach agreements with various parties involved in the videoproduction process. The first study identifies nine themes that characterise the ways video editors manage uncertainties and reach agreements, particularly through organisational mechanisms, documentation, and iconic referencing. The study also suggests three design paths to explore further. Second, it examines video production from an organisational point of view, focusing on the recent shift towards remote work and its impact on video production. The second study delineates the short-term and long-term implications of adopting remote work in TV production organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Third, it approaches collaborative video editing as a design problem and offers design ideas to enhance collaboration. Additionally, it uncovers challenges that might impede the adoption of new collaborative video-editing tools. In synthesising the results of the three studies, as well as analysing previous research and existing video-editing tools, this thesis identifies three design approaches for supporting collaboration in video-editing software: holistic, tailored, and configurable. While discussed in the context of collaborative video editing, these approaches offer a broader analytical framework for considering the design of collaborative production tools.Doktorgradsavhandlin

MarathOn Multiscreen: group television watching and interaction in a viewing ecology

This paper reports and discusses the findings of an exploratory study into collaborative user practice with a multiscreen television application. MarathOn Multiscreen allows users to view, share and curate amateur and professional video footage of a community marathon event. Our investigations focused on collaborative sharing practices across different viewing activities and devices, the roles taken by different devices in a viewing ecology, and observations on how users consume professional and amateur content. Our Work uncovers significant differences in user behaviour and collaboration when engaged in more participatory viewing activities, such as sorting and ranking footage, which has implications for awareness of other users’ interactions while viewing together and alone. In addition, user appreciation and use of amateur video content is dependent not only on quality and activity but their personal involvement in the contents

MarathOn multiscreen: group television watching and interaction in a viewing ecology

This paper reports and discusses the findings of an exploratory study into collaborative user practice with a multiscreen television application. MarathOn Multiscreen allows users to view, share and curate amateur and professional video footage of a community marathon event. Our investigations focused on collaborative sharing practices across different viewing activities and devices, the roles taken by different devices in a viewing ecology, and observations on how users consume professional and amateur content. Our Work uncovers significant differences in user behaviour and collaboration when engaged in more participatory viewing activities, such as sorting and ranking footage, which has implications for awareness of other users’ interactions while viewing together and alone. In addition, user appreciation and use of amateur video content is dependent not only on quality and activity but their personal involvement in the contents

Multitouch-based collaborative pre-visualisation for computer animation

Computer animated pre-visualisation occurs at an early stage of visualising scenes in low-fidelity. This is a collaborative process, in which directors communicate with animators how shot sequences will occur. Producers also take notes to approximate costs and other stakeholders may give further input. The problem with this approach is that the improvement cycles can take a long time, making the process take exponentially longer with more iterations of improvement. Our aim is to create a system that reduces this time, while keeping every stakeholder of the animation on the same page. We have constructed a multitouch-enabled system for low-fidelity, animated 3D pre-visualisation. This tool runs on a single, large multitouch table and caters for simultaneous input from multiple users, to better support collaboration. Users can navigate the virtual environment, place and manipulate 3d objects in the scene, as well as animate them, all using multitouch. The system was constructed using the user-centred systems design (UCSD) methodology. After several iterations of development, we performed a qualitative evaluation of the _nal system using two groups, one consisting of film makers and the other consisting of software developers, and concluded with interviews to get qualitative feedback about our pre-visualisation tool. Both groups suggested that the system's setup promoted collaboration and communication, which is important early on in the planning phase of film creation. However, both groups agreed that such a tool is only useful for low-fidelity pre-visualisation, as it might become "cumbersome" to perform detailed animations using multitouch input. Furthermore, the system was often too dependent on the viewpoint, which was a single user task, effectively minimizing the amount of work that could actually be done by collaborative users simultaneously. This study highlights the potential of a multitouch, collaborative pre-visualisation tool

When details are difficult to portray: enriching vision videos

The creation of a shared understanding of the project vision of all relevant stakeholders is vital to the requirements engineering process. One way to create such a shared understanding is through the use of vision videos that visualize the project vision at an early project stage. However, not all functional aspects can be presented. For example, the fact that an access code is valid for only a single use can be hard to visualize. One low-effort solution could be the insertion of short texts or short audio clips. In this work, our question is twofold: What effects do short pieces of additional information have in vision videos? What are suitable ways to add this information to vision videos? To answer these research questions, we investigated three different methods of inserting additional information to vision videos in an eye tracking study. We inserted short texts either below the scene or as overlays and also investigated the addition of short audio clips. These methods were evaluated in terms of participants’ video comprehension, visual effort, cognitive load and subjective preference. The results of our study show that the pieces of additional information improve vision comprehension, thereby supporting the creation of a shared understanding. All investigated methods lead to only marginal increases of the viewers’ cognitive load. Based on our results, we derive recommendations on how to insert additional information in vision videos

Production du film Le seigneur des anneaux : représentations et artéfacts

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

A Company-led Methodology for the Specification of Product Design Capabilities in Small and Medium Sized Electronics Companies

It is the aim of the research reported in this thesis to improve the product design effectiveness of small and medium sized electronics companies in the United Kingdom. It does so by presenting a methodology for use by such firms which will enable them to specify product design capabilities which are resilient to changes in their respective business environments. The research has not, however, concerned itself with the details of particular electronics component technologies or with the advantages of various CAD or CAE products, although these are both important aspects of any design capability. Nor is it concerned with the implementation of the product design capability. The methodology, which represents a significant improvement on current practice, is a structured, company-driven approach which draws extensively upon the lessons of international design best practice. It uses well-proven tools and techniques to guide firms through the entire process of creating such capabilities - from the development of an appropriate Mission Statement to the identification of cost effective and appropriate design system solutions which can readily be translated into action plans for improvement. The work emphasises the importance of adopting a holistic, systems approach which acknowledges the interrelationship between the management of the design process, as well as its operational and supporting activities. The research has been structured around the experiences of companies which have implemented electronics design systems and which "own" the problem in question. Hence, a research strategy was adopted which was based upon a case study approach and upon the development of close collaborative links with two leading design automation tool vendor companies. Case study interviews were undertaken in 18 U.K. and European electronics companies and in 11 U.S., Japanese and Korean electronics firms. The work proceeded in two distinct phases. Firstly, the author participated with other researchers to jointly develop a functional specification of an electronics designers' toolset to support the process of product design in an integrated manufacturing environment. The first phase provided the context for Phase 2, the development of the AGILITY methodology for specifying product design capabilities which represents the author's individual contribution. The contribution to knowledge made by the research lies in the creation of a process methodology which, for the first time, will help U.K. electronics companies to define for themselves product design capabilities which are robust and which support their wider business objectives. No such methodology is currently available in a form which is both accessible and affordable to smaller firms. Furthermore, the author has uncovered no evidence of the existence of such a methodology even for use by large electronics firms. Validation of the methodology is subject to an ongoing process of feedback.Racal Redac Lt

Characteristics of effective communicators: Perceptions of Indian Managers

Human beings spent lot of their time in their everyday life in communicating with others in one form or the other. Communication is fundamental to all living systems also and it has played a pivotal role in every stage of human development. The word communication is derived from the Latin word communis or communicare, which means to make common or to transmit or to impart. Communication can be defined as a process whereby a person makes 3 his/her thoughts, desires or knowledge, own and understood to another person (Terry, 1956). Another way of looking at communication is that it is an interpersonal process of sending and receiving symbols with meaning attached to them (Ludlow and Panton, 1996). Communication should result in the exchange of information and shared understanding amongst the people involved in the communication process. Passing of information and building relationships are essential for interpersonal communication. There are two media used for communication, namely verbal and non-verbal (all types of communication other than verbal are included in this). If the correct objective has to be achieved, the receiver should experience a congruity in the different media used by the sender (Pareek, Rao and Pestonjee, 1981)