Intercept: Crafting a Live-Action VFX Short Film with Limited Resources

This thesis describes Intercept, an ongoing science-fiction short film production, involving the integration of a fully computer-generated character, as well as other digital effects, within a live-action setting. The thesis encompasses all aspects of the filmmaking process: from conception, design, and development, to the execution of principal photography, and into post-production. This endeavor is inspired by the work of Sam Gorski and Niko Pueringer of CorridorDigital, Ferand Peek, and Neill Blomkamp, in their exemplification of the ever-increasing ability of contemporary filmmakers to craft high-fidelity visual effects, within a live-action context, in spite of limited access to resources such as equipment, personnel, and finances. The narrative was developed from the concept of a futuristic thief and his accomplice, a robotic dog, attempting to infiltrate and escape from a secure facility. The pre-production and production of the film have thus far spanned approximately eight months, and have involved a small cast and crew of student volunteers from multiple disciplines, collaboration with other university departments, and crowdfunded financial support

How has the development of digital methods, technical hardware and scientific knowledge changed the industry and culture of screen media

Technology and contemporary trends are becoming more integral in how the UK screen media industries operates, thus meaning their sense of participation in screen culture can become influential in welcoming new creatives into the wider screen sector. In regard to the screen industries in Britain, this influence can be especially seen in film related areas such as film journalism, film production, and film distribution. While the influence of contemporary technologies on screen media and culture has continued the widespread interest in film as a medium for cinephiles, fans and aspiring creatives alike, it has democratised these areas by creating more accessible tools and resources, on the other hand it has also questioned, impacted, and arguably benefitted the ways in which they function today. In comparison to the near century old age of the medium itself, this dynamic situation has only materialised over the last decade, showing it is a very current and new area of film discourse in need of constant input in order to keep up with its constant developments. This thesis, on the development of digital methods, technical hardware and scientific knowledge, aims to explore how contemporary technology and technological trends have changed the industry and culture of screen media, by focusing on film journalism, the filmmaking industry, and key types of film distribution, such as film festival events, in a predominantly British based context. Key research methods will be used to help recognise and consider the positive and negative effects of these trends, and in doing so will identify these effects through questionnaire data, interviews, and grounded research, and then explain the subsequent impacts these changes could impose on these areas and on film as a general medium

2005 BRAC Commission

Executive Correspondence - Letter providing information concerning the role of homeland defense in the BRAC process as it pertains to Naval Air Station Brunswick's mission and strategic location

A grammar model and curriculum resource for stereoscopic 3-D film production techniques

David Crowe's research was sparked by the lack of a suitable storytelling model for stereoscopic 3-D in cinema. David not only refined a working 3-D curriculum, which is now delivered as a Masters module in Higher Education, but also refined an appropriate 3-D film grammar, for now and the future

The Future of the Internet III

Presents survey results on technology experts' predictions on the Internet's social, political, and economic impact as of 2020, including its effects on integrity and tolerance, intellectual property law, and the division between personal and work lives

Retelling narrative in 360º videos : Implications for audio description

The aim of this article is to question whether the approach for producing audio description (AD) in 2D films needs to be revisited for 360  narrative videos, a new media format characterized by its immersive capacity. To provide answers, a two-step research methodology was designed. First, an extensive literature review was performed. The data obtained during the first step was then used to design and carry out focus groups. The first part of the article discusses the findings from the literature review, comparing standard narratives with 360  narrative videos. It draws some conclusions for audio describers in relation to AD content selection, a key task in the translation of visuals into words. In the second part of the article, data obtained from the focus groups held with describers and AD users is presented. The results suggest possible approaches to AD for 360  content, such as the use of spatial sound and elements of interaction

An Appetite for the Tasteless: An Evaluation of Off-Color Humor in Adult Animations and Video Games, Presented Through a Proposed Interactive Narrative via a Procedurally Generated Material Library

Off-color humor has propelled adult animation into its Golden Age. The success of this genre has prompted media studios to begin developing original series for subscription video-on-demand services. The technology used for these over the top (OTT) streaming services have improved to the point that providers have begun developing cloud-based gaming. These improvements, along with developments in rendering systems, have made it possible to create interactive media across both video and gaming platforms using similar assets. This document will detail the successes of adult animation and the proposal for more interactive narrative media within this category. Accompanying the text will be a procedural material library fitting within the theme and style of adult animation. In recent years media studios have been adapting to tools for a fully procedural texture creation workflow. The focus will be on the creation and implementation of a base material library, as well as examine the benefits and capabilities of said materials across multiple entertainment industries

Game AI revisited

More than a decade after the early research efforts on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in computer games and the establishment of a new AI domain the term “game AI” needs to be redefined. Traditionally, the tasks associated with game AI revolved around non player character (NPC) behavior at different levels of control, varying from navigation and pathfinding to decision making. Commercial-standard games developed over the last 15 years and current game productions, however, suggest that the traditional challenges of game AI have been well addressed via the use of sophisticated AI approaches, not necessarily following or inspired by advances in academic practices. The marginal penetration of traditional academic game AI methods in industrial productions has been mainly due to the lack of constructive communication between academia and industry in the early days of academic game AI, and the inability of academic game AI to propose methods that would significantly advance existing development processes or provide scalable solutions to real world problems. Recently, however, there has been a shift of research focus as the current plethora of AI uses in games is breaking the non-player character AI tradition. A number of those alternative AI uses have already shown a significant potential for the design of better games. This paper presents four key game AI research areas that are currently reshaping the research roadmap in the game AI field and evidently put the game AI term under a new perspective. These game AI flagship research areas include the computational modeling of player experience, the procedural generation of content, the mining of player data on massive-scale and the alternative AI research foci for enhancing NPC capabilities.peer-reviewe

Cyber Threats Facing Autonomous and Connected Vehicles: Future Challenges

Vehicles are currently being developed and sold with increasing levels of connectivity and automation. As with all networked computing devices, increased connectivity often results in a heightened risk of a cyber security attack. Furthermore, increased automation exacerbates any risk by increasing the opportunities for the adversary to implement a successful attack. In this paper, a large volume of publicly accessible literature is reviewed and compartmentalised based on the vulnerabilities identified and mitigation techniques developed. This review highlighted that the majority of research is reactive and vulnerabilities are often discovered by friendly adversaries (white-hat hackers). Many gaps in the knowledge base were identified. Priority should be given to address these knowledge gaps to minimise future cyber security risks in the connected and autonomous vehicle sector