For my final project, I decided to record a Pagan ritual. The ceremony which fit best with the timing of this assignment was December's full moon ritual, as put on by SPIRAL, the Pagan group on campus. After clearing the idea with SPIRAL, I recorded the entire ritual from the center of the circle. The circular formation allowed for a unique perspective on an already taboo and often misinterpreted set of faith traditions. To develop a greater sense of story, I split the ritual up into its different components in...
Samsung Gear360 Manager – Independent Learning
by Anna Leach
- December 14
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For my final project, I decided to film using the Samsung Gear360 camera. One of the "perks" of using this device is certain Samsung cell phones can download the Samsung Gear360 Manager app, which acts as a sort of virtual remote for the camera. Configuration The camera connects to Manager via its own Bluetooth signal. Once the app is launched, the user is prompted to pair it with any Gear360 camera whose signal is on and within range (which through trial and error, I discovered was fairly strong up even at...
Assignment #8 – Major Project Pitch
- November 16
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https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1xrq0sFJgMo-do_Pjf9qliokVbmfntJ12YJQSSOADjgY/edit?usp=sharing
Assignment #6 Playmaker – Anna Leach
- October 24
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This playmaker scene was an extension of my original scene, with the added opening/closing treasure box. For me, the working out the logic took a long time; even though I have a little bit of programming experience, thinking about the different stages and cause/action relationships took me a while to think through. However, this skill will be incredibly useful going forward in Unity and really opens up opportunities into interactive storytelling.
Research presentation – Anna Leach
- October 24
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For my research presentation, I researched Verge's 360, infographic-based interview with Michelle Obama. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CnXltkFJIxvRkLoOsQsXhxKq-UnXDMExoqC3XfBMO50/edit#slide=id.g17c858ac92_0_168
The concept for my scene was taken from Maurice Sendak's "While The Wild Things Are," when Sendak describes the way Max envisions his room not as a room but as a forest with magical beasts. My Unity scene represents a transitional moment, when bits of "reality" (i.e. the bed and the desk) in his world are colliding with the world of his imagination. Because I'd never used Unity before, a lot of this assignment was about me learning some of the more basic tools/the UI of the software and adjusting my...
Assignment 4 – Anna Leach
- October 5
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For our second iteration of the video, we made changes which helped adapt and refine the vision of the project. The most obvious change was the text. The facts elevate the project by giving it a purpose; instead of a random simulation, it now can serve as an educational PSA or tool. Small tweaks like smoother transitions and patching the nadir hole, refining the project further. I was present and assisted in the shoots as well as giving feedback on Premier edits, however, the bulk of my involvement was in...
Assignment #2: 360 Video Pitch
- September 14
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This 360 would explore the "behind the scenes" of the popular Syracuse restaurant Pastabilities. The ultimate product would walk the viewer through different parts of "back end" life of working at this restaurant, following the journey of a server who works at the restaurant. The piece would begin with the view from the service entrance and then travel to the kitchen and then out onto the main floor (near tables) and then at the end of the night, end up back outside. While the opening scenes in the beginning and end...
Anna Leach – Assignment 1: My VR Experience
- September 4
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Coming into lab on Wednesday, like others in the class, I had no hands-on VR experience. " Moving from device to device, the reality of the medium's "wild west" nature became so much more clear to me; even with some sizeable similarities, there was a lot of variation in the apps/programs, the physical and digital design, the use of the senses, the target market(s) etc., too. All of those things affected how the stories were executed and then how they were felt. The first device I used was the HoloLens. In...