Leaflet Design

Now I have got the markers less obvious i need to design them for a leaflet, so i added more space to the bottom of the card and text to tell the user where to hold the card. This is because if the user places there finger over the black border of the AR marker it wont work.



I have also designed the back of the leaflet to further the promotion. I have done this by giving guidelines to how the competition works, what the AR marker and thats its an interactive expirence.

Then to further the competition I have added a section that says if you lose dont worry because if you submit your email address you could win a voucher. This will make buyers more interested in the new brand and gives Nike a chance to advertise and promote via email because once they have got their address they can keep sending them emails.

Putting Sebs Suggestions Into Place

Once I had the suggestions from Seb I decided to first try the simplest suggestion which was to chnage the size of the camera feed. So I changed the size of the camera feed to 320 x 240 and this made no difference.

I then decided to try the other suggestion of changeing the complexity of the marker, this did not make any difference. But I did keep these re-designed markers because it is an easier marker to read.

Then I thought before I play around with the format of the video why not try the pace of the sequence. Therefore i doubled the pace from 5 seconds to two and a half. Then when this played in processing it played as 5 seconds long which was the length i wanted. So i have solved the problem that needed solveing.

Skype Talk With Seb

Now I have finished my sketch it was time to have my skype talk with Seb. As far as I was concerned my only problem was the speed of the video playback when I showed my marker. This is because it was playing at a slow rate.

Therefore the suggestions that I got back from Seb were…

• Change the size of the camera feed, try halving the size to 320x240
• Inspect the video file (format, file size, ect)
• Make the markers less complex, cut out the text
• The pace of the film, try doubling the pace of the film

So i need to spend the next few days problem solving to see if i can improve the video playback

Pairing Win and Lose Sequences With Markers

Now I have created my sequences and my own markers, I have paired them together by editing code and files to work togeather. I have also added the translate and rotate code to place and position the video over the top of the marker.

Compleated Sequences

I have completed the sequences for the win and lose markers, I have tried to make the sequences the same size as the markers so thats why they are pixelated because they are being stretched. i have created the sequence with the x for a lose marker and the nike logo for a win marker.

Win & Lose Sequences

Over the next few days i need to create a win and loose sequence for my markers. Because so far i have been using just random videos that i have had on my computer. These are mockups of how my sequences will look. I want the sequences to look identical apart from the icon that comes out of the hat. This way people entering the competition will not know weather they have won until the icon comes out of the hat.

Merging POGG & AR

After spending a few days learning how to create video playback through processing i have now worked out how to combine it with my AR sketch that places cubes over the markers, so when a movie shows i video is placed on the marker instead of the cube...

Create classes for the movies

TheoraMovie myWMovie;//Win Movie
TheoraMovie myLMovie;//Lose Movie

Setup the Movies

//Win Movie Setup
myWMovie= new TheoraMovie(this, "win.ogg");
myWMovie.loop();
//END - Win Movie Setup

//Lose Movie Setup
myLMovie= new TheoraMovie(this, "lose.ogg");
myLMovie.loop();
//END - Lose Movie Setup

Marker detection setup for win movie and loose movie

if(nya.markerid==0){myWMovie.read();image(myWMovie, 0, 0);}
else if(nya.markerid==1){myLMovie.read();image(myLMovie, 0, 0);}

Video Playback

Before I try to place video over the top of the marker I first need to understand how video playback works in processing. The most plausible technique so far seems to be the POGG technique. This is the technique where processing and the OGG video format is combined.If anybody wants to know how to do this, there are examples on the pogg website ...
http://www.fotosdelpais.com/octavi/pogg/doku.php?id=pogg

Getting My AR Markers to Work With Sketch

With my own markers designed and generated into patt files it is a simple step replace my markers in place of the defalt ones. I just need to place my patt files in the data folder within the sketch folder. Then in the sketch change the name of the patt file to the same name as my generated patt files….

String[] marker={"patt.nikel","patt.nikew"};

And this is the result

AR Marker Maker Online

After searching the internet I found an online AR marker generator. But as normal I have run into some problems. The way that they are created is by uploading images or using webcams to take photos, the image is the converted into a patt file. But a problem that happens when you download the patt file is that it downloads as a photoshop pattern file. Therefore when you download the file you need to rename it patt."filename" so it saves it as a unreconised file but it is still a patt file when used in processing.

Marker Making

Now I have got a sketch working with the defalt markers the next thing is to get one working with my own that I have designed. I have designed my own but not knowing how patt files work i need to research the way that they are constructed. Here are the designs that I want to turn into patt files...

AR Code SOLVED !!!

After scoring the internet for a way to get NyARToolKit to work on the mac i found a Spanish processing blog who was also trying augmented reality and he posted that these lines of code are what make AR work on a mac....

try {
quicktime.QTSession.open();
} catch (quicktime.QTException qte) {
qte.printStackTrace();
}

after pasteing this code at the top of the void setup i get the result of a cube being placed over the AR card when shown on camera

AR Research

After researching augmented reality i have found a library called ARToolkit. This library is to be used to develop augmented reality for PC, but after further research the augmented reality library i found a version for mac called NyARToolkit. But at the moment i am having problems to get the sketch that i found to work on mac. Therefor i am undertaking further research to make the sketch work on mac.

Augmented Reality

After researching the Hugo Boss example i have found hou how it was created. It used a technique called "Augmented Reality". This is currently moving over to the iphone platform with games that use the camera. i have has a go with basic code and icon but at the moment i cannot find a libary that works with mac. I am researching the above example to see if i can get this to work with an idea that i have developed

Processing Artists : Aaron Kobin

After going to OFFF and seeing data visualizations I was inspired staright away. But not knowing how they were created I automatically thought that they were created with a special effects program so I tried to create some data art with after effects. But when I started this project and found out that they were created using processing it made me want to learn as much as I can about processing as possible. What makes me like Aaron Kobin so much is that he can create such interesting pieces of art with just data. I am now going to look at his pieces of art and how they were created.

Flight Patterns – After coming up with the idea of creating this piece Kobin Worked with RLM and later Wired Magazine to retrieve data with high accuracy that showed the paths of each airplane over North America which was the able to be animated using processing. With this piece Kobin has received amazingly broad exposure, this includes National Science Foundation's First Place award for Scientific Visualization, screened at the Coachella Music Festival, and appeared in numerous magazines and television programs. The piece has also earned a place in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

New York Talk Exchange- With this piece Kobin asked asked AT&T to provide data on the way that New York City communicates with the rest of the world. Once the data was collected a number of visualizations was created to show the international city relationships to New York.

Visual Research : Hello Kitty Store

This piece of processing is aimed at both children and the parents who come in the store. It first works by photographing the customers as they come in the door, this must work by using lasers or triggers when they come in the door to take the photo, then frame it. The second part of the video shows and interactive display where children use a device that simulates a cursor for controlling the different elements to colour in the different parts of the outline drawing.

This is a cleaver way of keeping people in the store. This is because whatever way you look at this example while the kids might interact with the application the parents might be getting bored therefore while they are bored they might go round looking at products and might start buying them. The other way you can look at this example is while children play with the application they will probably like the products even more and therefore the parents will most likely end up buying them.

Visual Research : Smith & Smith, Spain

the embed has been disabled by user so Click Here to view the video on YouTube

This piece has got to be a much further developed piece that I have seen so far. The reason that I say this is because this is more of a website displayed in an touchscreen window display. I say this because looking at the features of the piece there are many buttons and tabs along with photos and information. Even thought I think this is the further developed piece I also think that you can put too much information into a piece. The reason that I say this is because looking at the display there are large pictures and large chunks of text. I think that it might have been better to keep the images and limit the text because I think that the viewer of this piece may look at how many sections there are and think it might just be easier to go in the shop and look at the products.

Visual Research : Hugo Boss

This piece has got to be the one that works the best. The reason that I say this is because watching the video of the interactive window display looks like it uses the same technology as QR readers on the iPhone to read the BOSS promotional cards and change how they look when you view them on the interactive screen.

Another reason that I find this interactive window display works well because it draws you into the store. This is because by activating the promotional cards outside you have to go inside to see if you have won a voucher. Therefore even if you haven’t won on your voucher BOSS has achieved what they set out to do and that was to get you in the shop. So if you haven’t won you are in the shop and you might like some of the products and therefore buy some and this would give BOSS a sale and they would of made some money for them, which is what they set to do in the first place.

This is why I find that this is this promotion the best because it has got you in the store to check if you have one and even if you haven’t one you are in the store.

Visual Research : Apple Store

This piece is not an interactive piece but more of a visual attention-grabbing piece. The reason that I say this is because if you own an iPhone you will notice the display and even though the icons are travelling fast you reconise symbols but not them all. It is a cleaver way of presenting the icons because it looks like a particle sequence presenting all the apps out there. Another cleaver way that the window is displayed is by using a model of an iPhone to select single apps to display and what the apps do.

This is a cleaver way of getting the attention of both current customers and new ones. The reason that I say this is because by using eye catching techniques to show a range of apps, the company is showing what is available to you ( that is if you have an iPhone or you want one).

Visual Research : Nike Footlocker

This piece of processing is aimed at people who want to interact with the window display, but it also works for people who just walk past the window. This window display works with sensor cameras, so that when people move past the sensors the leaves over the image of the shoe move so that the shoe can be seen. By looking at the video not many people interact with the display, but by watching the video it seems the higher the person in front of them the more of the background image is revealed. I think that if the amount of particles that move when people walk past was increased so more of the background image was shown people might pay more attention.

New Project : Open Source Software

Today I was set a new project where i need to create an interactive application for a new line of products from Nike called "Magic". This application needs to be created using Open Source Software. Therefore I need to start researching areas such as open source software, processing, and interactive applications

Conclusion

Looking back on this project I feel that I have developed my skills professionally. The reason that I think this is because I have worked for a client who has given us a brief to promote their product. Therefore this project has helped me develop my idea development, after effects skills and viral skills.

I also feel that I have learned very much how to create a viral. The reason that I think this is because being someone who had problems with ideas, this is because I developed so many ideas that would not work as a viral. The way in which this has provided me with learning material is because with my first ideas they were much along the line of advertising, where as after further research and idea development an idea not using the product as the main feature was created which was very much more viral than my previous ideas.

Working for a client it has given me experience in how I need to work when creating a viral. This is because working for a client I needed to think specifically how to include the aquapax without being too obvious, because being too obvious would have an advert feeling. Therefore by researching funny virals including water I come up with my idea of a practical joke including the aquapax. By doing this I broke away from the idea of keeping my viral closers to an advert. Also by working with a client they can have there input and suggest elements to include, as well as having there talk in the sequence weather they like certain parts or not. An example of this with my sequence I showed the client was that they thought the footage of my little brothers was not funny enough. Therefore I went and filmed some other people and replaced my brothers with my newly filmed footage. Another example of client input is the suggestion of adding a note to the end of the sequence saying “sorry about the shopping” to the footage of my dad.

Final Sequence

After taking the advice from the client and class mates I have done some further filming of my water prank, as well as adding the end note therefore this is my end result...

End Note Developed

After further filming i have also developed on the suggestion of adding a note at the end saying sorry about the shopping and this is how i want it to look.

First - Looking like torn paper

Second - Use a handwriting style font


Finally - Apply it to a freeze frame with the same animation style as my intro
And This is how it looks animated

Further Filming

I filmed a further two more pranks on people. My first one work and I got a very funny verbal and visual reaction, but my second reaction failed and the prank fell off the wall and broke the only carton I had left.

First One - Success

Second One - Fail

Comments Form Clients

The sequence I showed is the entery before this titled "Compleated Sequence Modified", and here are the comments I got for the sequence

• Scrap the little boys reaction
• Film some more and make them shorter
• End on the footage of your dad
• A tag to the end “sorry for the shopping dad”
• Like the scrap book style intro
• it’s a cleaver way to start the sequence so people know what’s happening

Therefore my plan is to scrap the little boys reaction, film more and make them shorter and finally add a note on the end of the sequence saying sorry to my dad about the shopping.

Compleated Sequence Modified

After looking at my introduction sequence I decided to modified it. The way in which I done this was by looking at my phrasing and I cut it down, then I merged steps of the process together and put two photos on each page. This is the result of my modification...

Compleated Sequence

This is my completed sequence with the intro and filmed footage...

After looking at my video and analyzing it I feel that my intro sequence is too long compared to the video. Therefore in the next few days I plan to develop my intro sequence and cut it down a little

Filmed Reaction

These are the reactions that I have filmed and that I am going to use in my sequence...

Mum

Dad



Brothers

I am going to edit these into a sequence to play after my intro.

Into Sequence

After researching further I found a tutorial on how to create a book and page peel effect. Therefore i developed the graphics of each page of the how to intro

I then animated the graphics so it looked like a book with turning pages, and this is the result

Page Turn

After doing some test runs of my introduction sequence i felt that the footage was too grainy therefore i come up with another idea. This idea was that i create a scrap book style sequence with a page turning effect(like the one above). After further research i found the effect cc page turn in After effects. Therefore I need to develope a "how to" intro to show how to set up the prank.

Where I Come Up With The Idea

The reason that i come up with the idea of doing an aquapax shower was because i was researching water practical jokes. I found this video where the joke was that someone was set up so that water falls on them. From this video i developed the idea of the aquapax being mounted on the wall upside down and it was set up that the water falls on someone.

The Idea That Im Going With

After thinking of ideas over the past few days I have come up with an idea that i think will work as a viral due to its humor. This idea is that I set up a practical joke where an aquapax is mounted upside don above the front door and I film people coming in and their reaction to having a shower. I have made an animatic to demonstrate how the sequence will look.




i have also filmed to show how the trigger works



this shows that the string would be attached to the door and when the door is opened it sets off the trigger, therefor people get wet and get a reaction.

War Footage Analysis

After finding footage that was copyright free and free to use for any purpose. I decided to look through the footage and looking at what i have to use i could not see a humorous way to integrate myself into the footage using green screen. Therefore i have scrapped this idea and am developing other ideas.

Holsten Pils Advert Research

After the suggestion of integrating myself into old war footage I was told to look at the old Holsten Pils adverts from the 80s with Graham Rose in it. Looking at this advert it is created in a way that Graham Rose interacts with the actors. For me to make this work i need to find the right kind of footage of the war where i can integrate myself into the footage.

Idea Feedback

Idea Feedback

Yesterday I presented my join the revolution and catch me if you can ideas to the client for his opinion .The clients the opinion about both of the ideas is that they are too much like an advert. But a way that my war idea could be developed is buy using old war footage and integrate aquapax into it some how. Therefore I am going to use the internet archive which is copyright free footage site and review the footage of how it might work.

Storyboards Animatic

After developing my 40s/50s america idea i have done an animatic of the storyboards. the process that i have illustrated is

Cloud comes in
Starts rumbling & shaking
Cracks in half
You see a bucket & it pours out water
Pours into sive
Sive creates rain
follow the rain down
Hits rockey surface & slides down
Striked by lighteing
Tran: the white of the lightening ceates a transition
Two mountains come up and a lake starts flowing
The lake turns into a spring between 2 mountains
A person uses a pipette to get some water
Clips pipette to a production belt that’s moving around a lot
Drops it in the carton drop by drop
Cartons come out in stacks on the production belt
Trans: Zoom into one carton
Zoom out to reveal the carton in a fridge
you see someone at the side on a bike generator. Creating power for the fridge
Someone picks up a carton buys it at the counter
Goes out a revolving door
Starts drinking the carton
The animation changes to film focusing on the aquapax

Idea Research : Catch Me If You Can

After researching and looking at sequences I had the idea of creating a motion graphics sequence that looks like the American 40s/50s artists style of the catch me if you can title sequence. The way that I would create content for the sequence is by animating the process it takes to create water. An example of this is rain to spring, spring to filter and filter to carton.

Viral Research : Quicksilver Dynamite Surfing

Out of all the virals I have seen this is the only one that makes me think that it is a fake. This is use to the fact that the water explosion looks very much like special effects. But once you you get over the fact that the explosion was a fake it is a cleaver way of making a viral. the reason for this is because by sufing in a river where there are no waves at all you are placing a sport in a area where it has never been done, therefore creating a unique idea and this is presented at the end of the viral with the end slogan "Original Thinking". Another cleaver element of the the viral is its filming method, this is because by filming it as an ammeter and at a fast pace it adds to the tension to the feeling of the video and the viewer wanting to know what they are going to do.

Viral Research : Diet Coke + Mentos

This viral is one that plays on peoples curiosity because many people have herd about how coke and mentos react together due to there sugar casing, and there has even been products released to test this theory. Even though this viral is a long video length it keeps the viewer hooked because someone just doing a 2l bottle of coke and some mentos is something you would watch but most likely not pass it on. But when the experiment is being tested on this scale it becomes more interesting to the viewer and keeps them watching to see how it all works. Even though this viral was not advertising a product it most likely peaked the sales of both coke and mentos due to the fact that people would like to try themselves.

Viral Research : Daft Hands - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

This viral uses a well known track to catch people attention to their video. The reason that it probable become a viral and got noticed is due to the fact that it was created for Daft Punks track “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and the creator named it “Daft Hands - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” therefore by naming it this way and adding the separate tags of “Daft, Punk, Hands, Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” , this means that it would become high on the relevance list when the person looking for Daft Punks track “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”. Then by having the video name and the thumbnail of someone’s hands it would interest the viewer to view the video, and then the concept of the video is interesting therefore it makes people show others and it becomes a viral.

Viral Research : BudTV - Swear Jar

This is a cleaver viral because it isn’t until you work out the hidden message you realise what the viral is advertising, but by then you are laughing by the humour of swearing. When you hear the swearing it is presented as beep’s to cover the bad language, I think that this adds to the humour and the viewing quality of the viral because the video is then letting the viewer use their imaginations to fill in the blanks when the characters are swearing. The humour is then developed further by using language that is suitable to broadcast then the character is told that it doesn’t count for the swear jar, therefore she lashes out by swearing adding further humour.

Viral Research : Stig Speed - TopGear.com viral

This is a viral that is promoting a element of the franchise that is top gear. The reason that it is successful is because its promoting the Top Gear website which is probably a part of the franchise that doesn’t get as much attention as the show. Therefore by not using the regular Clarkson, Hammond or May and using someone who has to have there name put up on screen it hooks you to keep watching to because of being curious. Then by using the stig you know its Top Gear and have the added humour of the stig not speaking, therefore he uses camera angels and camera movement to get his message across. Then the use of the editor speaking and facial movements to end the viral sends the message of what the stig is trying to say just in case the viewer doesn’t get the message.

Viral Research : Numa Numa

Numa Nama is one of the most popular virals out there and most likely one of the first, it was released in 2004 on the website Newgrounds.com. Within three months of being released it had been viewed more than two million times on the debut website alone. In the same the song "Dragostea din tei" by O-Zone on the video then was in the top three in over fifteen countries around the world.

This viral video is a video that was not marketing a product but the success of the video made it a success for the boy band that made the tune. Another reason that it was a success is because it is a video that can be edited and added to.



A further reason is that people can download the video and remix it to its original track or others





Then like all good virals there are sequels, this sequel has been done once the subject got his fame and had requests to make more.



But i think this has damaged the original because it was just a guy with a web cam, where as this is much more ammeter film maker with the use of green screen and motion graphics.

Viral Research : Coca-Cola Happiness Machine

This viral is successful because it has elements that virals have. These elements include humour with the fact that it’s surprising the students with free coke and they hug the machine. Then there is the curiosity when the machine starts handing out objects such as flowers you think what will it be next which hooks the viewer to keep watching. Another element that is cleaver is the filming technique by using a surveillance and ammeter camera style. This is a cleaver way of marketing a drink because being a student myself going up to a vending machine and getting a drink I look at the selection even on a coke machine. By marketing this in America its encouraging student to choose coke due to the fact that this event will happen some ware else and there is a chance it will be your college (but a very small chance when you think of the size of America).

Viral Research : Dove Evolution

This is a successful viral because it shows how edited models are in adverts today. By starting the ad with someone who looks pale and tired gives the viewer an implication that models don’t look beautiful all the time. Another reason this viral is successful is due to its filming technique, this is either sped up film footage or frames/photos are used every time a significant change is made. This implies the amount of work it takes with a model just to create an advert, therefore giving the viewer an idea of what it takes and how edited beauty product ads are. Another successful element is that the viral doesn’t have the feel that its made by a massive corporation that is trying to get you to buy there products, but rather they are trying to make you feel better about yourself by finding your natural beauty through their charity workshop.

Good & Bad Viral Comparason

Good Viral - Will it Blend ?



This Is a viral that works due to many reasons I find. Some of these reason is due to …

Comedy
Humour
Curiosity
Objects being blended
The shear power of the blender

I think this because when you watch the viral and you are posted the question will it blend and you know the object you immediately think yes or know. While watching the viral you are thinking about the object that is being blended and think that tough enough, then as the viral proceeds you are watching the object being damaged which then makes you thing about the power of the blender and when you realise it’s a powerful product therefore it must be a good product. The company that produces the blenders (Blendtech) says that after the series of virals sales increased considerably.


Bad Viral - Newcastle Falcons' viral video campaign



I think that this is a bad viral due to the fact that it was one I had to read the comment to understand it and even then I thought that it was a bad campaign. I feel that it has very little humor and when he humor happens particularly its not funny. That campaign is to stop the rugby fans going shopping sale and come to the launch of the new season. Hence the emphasis on all the sale signs, and at the end of the viral I thought it was just the said the falcons vs and then the date. I had to re-watch the sequence to realize that the manikin in pieces was part of the layout of the end of the viral and not just part of the filming.

Aquapak Brief

Today our new brief has been set of creating a viral for a brand of water that is no in a bottle but in a carton.



I am looking forward and at the same time I need to put in the research to understand how virals work. By doing this research i am hoping my ideas will develop further.