3.4 Be able to plan a research exercise to test an idea for exploiting converging technology.
So first I need to create an idea of converging technology, so the one i have chosen to talk about is a watch smartphone with a projector for showing your latest video or setting up impromptu cinematic experiences. I have named it the W-share.
Having researched the the lack of stylish watches that incorporated technology companies came up with a relatively simple idea of a strap that can hold an Ipod nano, allowing them to use it as a watch as well as a media device.
Rolling with this idea in mind I thought the restrictions that the Nano had (e.g not incorporating calls and wi-fi internet connection) and wanted to see if I could work in the idea of live projection to share your favourite movies (ala star wars, or old timey cinema projectors) and having smartphone technology. Seeing as the Ipod Nano has apps it cannot be beyond the realms of possibility.
Inspired by R2s projection in a "A New Hope"
Incorporating the HD projection features into the watch.
To research the market this item could appeal to, I checked the rise in popularity of searches on internet site Google to gauge possible interest in my converged product the W-share. the terms I searched for was Ipod Watch, Projector watch, Smartphone watch. This gives me a rough Idea of the kind of market popularity the product could tap into. As well as this I plan to create a quick survey questionnaire to send out to my peers who also do my college course to see if they think its a good idea.
Thursday 15 December 2011
3.2 Describe examples of how ideas for multi-platform content have been used to reach new audiences and generate revenue.
The ways Ideas Multi-platform content have been used to reach new audiences is prevalent with companies such as apple releasing their i-Cloud, a piece of software that syncs your data and saves purchases across all your apple products, allowing you to keep your music on your i-pod, i-phone, i-Pad and iMac, It keeps all your settings and universally updates all your devices at the same timesaving a backup onto an Apple server.
This allows you to to always have the files on your computer with you in some shape or form. How this has generated revenue is through the validating of purchasing Digital downloads such as games and music, photos and movies (as well as important documents if you are...boring..) as now they are not restricted to keeping their purchases on one device encouraging users to purchase more as they suddenly become a lot more accessible and and having the time consuming task of updating your I-Calender on 5 pieces of equipment.
3.3 Describe examples of commissioning processes and funding opportunities in relation to converging technology.
Below is a video of something incredibly awesome,It is a video of the company Android who had commisioned the It not only is a public event attended by hundreds of people giving them joy and wonders though the use of this technological showcase, on the outside its wonderful, a lovely company doing a toatally random act for people to gawp at and talk about.
But from the companies perspective it is a carefully strategised and marketed ploy to create opportunities to market thier product through this amazing act and the word of mouth buzz that would follow it.
Now watch the video and be amazed...
I told you it was impressive....
This is an example of a company seeing the advantage of staging an event in this case using the mastery of 3d mapping team "Facade Mapping" they have created a funded event that will in turn help the returns when thier product is evnetually released (The LG Optimus, or a swanky Android smart phone to you and me).
The comminishing of said marketing event with a view that, using the converging medias of social media and networking to get people to attend (while also helping spread word of mouth after the event) as well as the video "trending" on websites such as youtube and twitter.
This as well as funding/commishioning smaller events like hired out to event management companies who are charged with handling the event carefully chosen at Canary Wharf, they work on things such as hiring people to work/advertise the phone, security and such, . As well as this they would have also had to hire the crew nescessary for filming the peoples reactions, thus creating another way to gague the publics reaction to thier product as well as to advertise online again via the social networking / word of mouth phenomenom with a mind to create a frenzy for the the device on its launch.
3.1 Describe the changing expectations of audiences and consumers within a chosen Creative Media industry.
The Media industry I've chosen is Journalism, The arrival of file sharing, online uploading and ease of access to information via the internet and social media websites has caused a change in how we receive our news and journalism before only the scheduled televised programmes, and daily newspapers were the source of information for the general public.
The demand for online services and news on the go has necessitated the change from news at a specific times to round the clock access to the latest world events. No longer do people have time to physically go to the newsagents on route to their destination and pick up the daily paper, Or fund the time to plonk themselves infront of a television for an hour waiting perhaps the whole broadcast for the one news item they are interested in.
As well as this, news stories can often become stale as the day wears on and new developments happen every minute, having the new online services that include, Podcasts, RSS(Really Simple Syndication)Feeds that collect the latest posts on a chosen subject from a host of different websites and put the links in one handily clickable box, Mobile news sites (e.g accessing the BBC News website from your smartphone). Text/Phone Alerts letting you know when news is updated or the latest development happens on the move. As well as news which can be sent to you via email again notifying you of important updates as and when they happen.
RRS FEEDS COMIN' FO YOU.
This demand for news at all times has been necessitated by these examples and show quite distinctly the way the Journalism world has taken on the challenge of keeping up with the new technology available with the internet and the audiences feedback and demands for access and instant knowledge on almost any event.
Some of the new online services provided by the BBC and other news websites.
Now audiences need almost instant gratification, nowadays due to the rise and familiarity of social networking websites and their constant feeds of social activity and the rise in popularity of user News websites (such as reddit), sites that allow members of the public to post news and add to stories that are thumbed up and liked by other users to increase their notoriety *thus creating a trend or powerpost*.
We now have news feeds updating them with the latest on any "Big story" that crops up almost on a minute per minute basis. This was necessitated by the internets influence of bringing that "Instant" factor to the fore of the news world with many viewers of the broadcasted news shows not being as up to date with breaking news as those who would "follow" stories using the web. Another factor that has influenced these is the website twitter and the speed of which news can travel to create Twitter Feeds that allow users to see which specific subject (for e.g if you Twitter #OccupyLSX you will gain access to all the latest news on the london stock exchange occupation)
One only needs to think back to the press frenzy and updates of the most recent London Riots. Where the BBC urged viewers to follow the destruction of their city online taking them to a Twitter/blog/RSS newsfeed taking updates from journalists and members of the public "trending" the riots to see the fascination and need for constant updates.
2 Understand the implications of converging technology on the workforce in a particular Creative Media industry.
2.1 Explain what is meant by ‘converging technology’.
As always to get an idea of what converging media you can turn to the holy gospel of Wikipedia, one second let me just post it in here!
"Technological convergence is the tendency for different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks. Convergence can refer to previously separate technologies such as voice (and telephony features), data (and productivity applications), and video that now share resources and interact with each other synergistically"
OK that's great and all but please allow me to break it down for those without a dictionary/thesaurus, Converging Technology is best described as the melding of two or more technological functions to create an entirely new piece of technology. So for example - a microphone + camera that takes 24 photos per second = VIDEO CAMERA!
Some of the features of the all encompassing Iphone 4s
In this technological age of digital information and wireless gadgetry the uses of converging technology to improve the ease of use and functionality of products seems to be non stop, you need to look no further then the all consuming I-phone to bear witness to that statement. No longer just a phone but a media hub with applications for almost every situation.
Swtor: Released Dec 24th
BUT ENOUGH about Apple, they have been mentioned more than enough throughout this course and blog, so now lets have a look at converging technology in computer games shall we, what I am going to layout is the new feature of "Dynamic Story Telling" in developer BioWares latest MMO (See my Gaming Industry post!) Star Wars the Old Republic. This feature effectively lets you and your group of friends partake in "choose your own" adventure within the confines of an online game.
Each conversation that takes place in the game has 3 or more options to choose from each having a different outcome, players choose a response which then "rolls" them a random number to see if they win the opportunity to say their chosen response thus changing the outcome and progression of the story. (no worries if you lose they give you an accumulator).
This new system has its roots back in the history of gaming but I will give a slightly more updated version, the multichoice conversation system or "choose your own" system featured in one form or another from games way back to the text adventure games of "Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy", but was later used predominately in Single player RPG's (role playing games) like Biowares own Baldur's Gate series and the recent master pieces of Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
The "roll" system is also rooted in the history of RPGS, but the online version that was combined with the dialogue system to allow for this new version of story telling was taken from popular MMO "World Of Warcraft". It was introduced as a way of randomising who would take the spoils at the end of any heroic boss fight. Players select their option of "Need or Greed" and the game rolls for them out of 100, highest number = the person who gets to take the treasure or "loot".
Example scenario:
Player 1: "Hey, I see a chest!"
Player 2: "Okay, let's roll for it."
Player 3: /random 100
System Message:Player 3 rolled a 3 of 100
Player 3: "I guess I don't get to open it... :-("
Player 1: /rand 100
System Message:Player 1 rolled a 97 of 100
Player 1: "W00t!"
Player 2: "Hold on, cowboy..."
Player 2: /roll
System Message:Player 2 rolled a 56 of 100.
Player 2: "Darn, roll hack! ;-)"
Player 1 opens the chest and loots its contents... but being nice, gives stuff not needed or can't use to the other players...
Player 2: "Sweet"
Player 3: "Thx"
* Example taken from Wow Wiki, unashamedly...*
So by combining both of these in game systems they have crafted a way of having an online game where players can fairly and effectively craft their own stories depending on who their grouped with and their own sense of right and wrong when it comes to moral choices in the SWTOR universe, a fine piece of converging technology I'm sure you will agree.
BBC's On-Demand service Iplayer
2.2 Explain the impact of converging technology on the workforce within a specific Creative Media industry.
The "specific" Creative Media Industry I have picked is that of Television, The converging technology of the digital age has impacted upon the television industry heavily in the past few years, with the rise of the internet becoming a deciding factor in the televisions technological development and the readiness of the entertainment and content available elsewhere has pushed the Television industry to take drastic new ventures onto the web creating "On-Demand" services, which allows users to watch what they want when they want for free allowing them to catch up on their favourite programs.
Rival to the BBC's is Channel 4's "4od"
This has allowed them to have their program guides accessible online or via apps that can be downloaded to the latest smart phones, tablets etc, spread their net and their audience which as you no doubt will have noticed is more "on demand" than ever before,. Moreover they offer downloadable content such as downloading your favourite programs in a digital format (which you keep in a file version of the programme) from online distributors like I-Tunes which can be viewed on your smart-phone, work computer, MP3 players (providing it has video) and watch on the move.
1. Understand the use of the digital technology within the Creative Media sector
1.1 Describe the uses of digital technology within the Creative Media sector and the relationships this has created between industries in the sector.
Digital technology is now of the driving forces in the Creative Media sector helping revolutionise and streamline productions and realise artistic vision, The advancements in mass data storage, online sharing and software has taken the Creative Media sector and opened it up for anyone with an appetite for film, music, gaming or whatever media endeavour you wish and levelling the playing field between those starting out in the industry and the elite.
Some Examples!
Before the creation of websites like Blogger, Wordpress etc, having a website you would need extensive knowledge of code and your own web address to even have your own page let alone the know how to make a functioning website.
Before the invention and application of smart-phones, digital cameras and webcams and the data storage and transfer allowed by the advancement in SD cards and USB devices, the cost of having to record a video review at home would have you storing reels, bringing in one hell of an expensive camera to shoot it on before handing it over to a professional editor or mastering team to finish off your "production" as now the advancement in cheaper and easier to use editing software is widely available.
But how has this changed the relationships in the creative media sector I hear you ask? Before the these advancements simple in-house tasks like I encounter at the talent agency where my apprenticeship is based, would have been carted out to other companies. Say we needed a clients materials form their latest film edited together for use in their show reel to send to casting directors, you would need to ship that out to an editing company, paying them handsomely to do it as they had all the equipment and technology and the know how to take the footage you have and edit together seamlessly. The advancement and refinement of digital technology and the availability of free programs like Apples I-movie editing software or cheaper alternatives such as Final Cut Pro have allowed us to take this task in house and now we can edit our own reels reducing cost and speeding up the process considerably.
This sh*t just got reel.
Before the advancement of Data storage in digital technology previously entire rooms were dedicated in companies to the storage of footage in reel form. Sometimes requiring them to hire warehouses and keep storerooms of unused space to just keep a record of there own footage. Now with the Internet and the move to digital technology we can keep entire libraries of footage of reels and productions in a file format online like MobileMe.
This allows you to upload your home videos creating a library rather than having to keep them around the house!
This has taken the need for them to outsource storage and conversion of media files to disc and video from other companies allowing them the cheaper option of doing it from the comfort of their own office/home.
Now the industries can intertwine much like how the Nation Theatre (see my national theatre post) has ventured into the online filming of their own productions to give them a wider library of content for avid theatre goers. the project is called NT live and essentially is filmed theatre productions streamed live in a pay-per-view like function which can be viewed online AT THE CINEMA or on your flashy mobile media device.
It has allowed them to broaden the audience past their demographic of "those who can go to the theatre" to allow those with an interest in theatre to test the waters by viewing online. Those who live too far away from the National to go to cinemas nationwide and catch the latest production. Allowing them to spread the scope of their plays and move into industries the National had previously had never been involved with.
The use of their in-house editor to create trailers for their website to promote it using Macs and editing software like FCP where it is handed to their (also) in house web design team which uploads the finished article to their website. Usually this would need to be recorded by a film production team, sent out to an editor, edited, sent back to the company, sent to the company that deals with the website and finally uploaded to their website (created by a company that creates websites for other companies, confusing) All this including the productions on at the cinema and the distribution of content online have created a franchise that spreads throughout the industries rather than constricting them to just the "Theatre".
