Investigating the Use of Audiovisual Elicitation on the Creative Enterprise

Elicitation methods have been explored extensively in social science research, and in business contexts, to uncover unarticulated informant knowledge. This qualitative study investigates the use of an audiovisual elicitation interviewing technique, developed by a UKbased creative multimedia production social enterprise; Fifth Planet Productions CIC. The method employs a system of using audiovisual stimulus to elicit participant responses in the interview setting. This study, conducted in two parts, explores how the method improves solutions for eliciting client requirements. Part 1 explores the audiovisual elicitation interview within the business setting; how the techniques are effective at revealing tacit knowledge that would ordinarily remain unspoken in the standard interview. Part 2 tests the developed methods on a sample of 25 business owners seeking to improve communication within their respective organisations. This evidences how it is possible to elicit rich information that can be interpreted to determine clients’ requirements on professional commissions. The study presents a working method of audiovisual elicitation that is regularly employed by Fifth Planet Productions CIC. The methods are used to elicit project requirements in professional commissions and to establish stronger client relationship

Proof of Concept For the Use of Motion Capture Technology In Athletic Pedagogy

Visualization has long been an important method for conveying complex information. Where information transfer using written and spoken means might amount to 200-250 words per minute, visual media can often convey information at many times this rate. This makes visualization a potentially important tool for education. Athletic instruction, particularly, can involve communication about complex human movement that is not easily conveyed with written or spoken descriptions. Video based instruction can be problematic since video data can contain too much information, thereby making it more difficult for a student to absorb what is cognitively necessary. The lesson is to present the learner what is needed and not more. We present a novel use of motion capture animation as an educational tool for teaching athletic movements. The advantage of motion capture is its ability to accurately represent real human motion in a minimalist context which removes extraneous information normally found in video. Motion capture animation only displays motion information, not additional information regarding the motion context. Producing an “automated coach” would be too large and difficult a problem to solve within the scope of a Master's thesis but we can perform initial steps including producing a useful software tool which performs data analysis on two motion datasets. We believe such a tool would be beneficial to a human coach as an analysis tool and the work would provide some useful understanding of next important steps towards perhaps someday producing an automated coach

Interfaces for human-centered production and use of computer graphics assets

L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen

The role of artists in the public realm: an investigation into artists' generative processes in context.

A shift in practice towards a process-orientated and collaborative art practice within the strands of art practice in the public realm raises the question, what is the practical contribution artists make to society' which can only be answered by first understanding how artists work. Introducing the concepts of context, artist-led and residency with reference to the Artists Placement Group, the problematics of assessing the social contribution of context-specific art practices are presented as resting upon two difficulties, the conceptual gulf between the artworld and the public realm and the assumption that artists can or should not articulate their intentions for an artwork. Combining questions raised from practice with the problems outlined by Suzanne Lacy, the need for research into the generative process of public artists is established. The purpose of the research is to investigate and develop artists understanding of the generative process by examining the interaction of artists in contexts in the public realm and to make that information explicit. An appropriate methodology and theoretical framework is found by critically reviewing recent related practice-based research projects in Art and Design with special attention to the work of Ian Hunter on immersion strategies in rural contexts. The model of the artistic process as problem-solving, developed by J. Getzels and M. Csikszentmihalyi , is also examined against current theories in scientific research into creativity and theories of social policy problem-setting of Donald Schon and the pattern of inquiry by John Dewey and subsequently extended. Data was generated by recording the decisions and reflections of three artists carrying out an actual artist-led context-specific project in the public realm (Taming Goliath). Data gathered by using a specially adapted method (Sweatbox) were analysed by using the Generative Process Model. The results produced narratives which describe each artists experience and information on the methods artists use to interact with a context in the public realm, their intentions. The significance of the findings and the experience are discussed in relation to the work of Suzanne Lacy and Allan Kaprow with recommendations for further research. In conclusion, four areas contributing to knowledge are proposed: the extension of the Generative Process Model, the development of an methodology of analysis, the usage of the Sweatbox method and contributions to the body of knowledge of artists processes in the public realm

Virtual human representation and communication in VLNet

[No abstract available

Shifting lenses: Investigating interdisciplinary approaches to the use of the moving image and digital media in live performance

The use of digital technologies is becoming ubiquitous in contemporary dance performance practice, however rigorous questioning of the theatrical cohesion of live bodies, visual projections and digital technologies is still in its infancy. Through the lens of an embodied choreographic practice this research examines interdisciplinary perspectives on the intersecting knowledge fields of choreography, moving image, animation, installation and interactive technology. Utilising practice-led strategies, Shifting Lenses, a solo performance installation tested new and experimental relationships between movement vocabularies, digital projection, interactivity, and performance design; leading towards future development at the nexus points where digital technologies meet the body in live performance

Visual Attention in Dynamic Environments and its Application to Playing Online Games

Abstract In this thesis we present a prototype of Cognitive Programs (CPs) - an executive controller built on top of Selective Tuning (ST) model of attention. CPs enable top-down control of visual system and interaction between the low-level vision and higher-level task demands. Abstract We implement a subset of CPs for playing online video games in real time using only visual input. Two commercial closed-source games - Canabalt and Robot Unicorn Attack - are used for evaluation. Their simple gameplay and minimal controls put the emphasis on reaction speed and attention over planning. Abstract Our implementation of Cognitive Programs plays both games at human expert level, which experimentally proves the validity of the concept. Additionally we resolved multiple theoretical and engineering issues, e.g. extending the CPs to dynamic environments, finding suitable data structures for describing the task and information flow within the network and determining the correct timing for each process

Spatialising Illustration

As an illustrator I reflect on human behaviour and the psychological effects of space through drawing. I use people I have met and whose lives intrigue me. Taking a woman I know, I observe and draw. ‘She sat at the table in the sparse kitchen. It had belonged to her grandmother, and her mother before her.’ (Regan, 2012) This quote is taken from the illustrated book I have created ‘The Set,' it is significant in introducing what I discovered about space. Space is not physical and universal. It is personal and formed in the mind. ‘The Set’ explores a woman and the spaces she inhabits. I visualise and try to make sense of this by drawing

Using participatory visualisation of soundscapes to compare designers’ and listeners’ experiences of sound designs

There are numerous rules and well-established guidelines to help designers with the visual appearance of interactive technologies. In contrast, when it comes to the use of sound, there is a paucity of practical information regarding design for euphony, excepting musical composition. This paper addresses this hiatus by describing a theoretically based, practical method for evaluating the design of the auditory components of interactive technologies and media. Specifically, the method involves eliciting the auditory experiences of users of these technologies and media and comparing them with what the sound designers had intended. The method has been comprehensively tested in trials involving 100 users (listeners), and the results have been described as “useful” and “invaluable” by a group of 10 professional sound designers