It has been over a century since the first ever video was produced, and since then there has been nothing but growth; within the “Digital Age” video content is being used more and more frequently by designers through the uses of:
- Short Films,
- Promotional Material,
- Film Trailers,
- User Generated Content,
- Advertising,
- Virtual Reality Tours,
- Games,
- E-Learning Platforms
When videos where originally produced, they were a luxury which not everyone could afford, but as the ages progressed video content became affordable and accessible through multiple delivery platforms allowing more user’s to experience an interactive experience.
To experience these interactive experiences; a lot, if not all off us do not even need to leave the house as we can experience most of the applications above through the uses of the World Wide Web; but it does not stop at the Internet, as we can also experience video content through DVD/Blu-Ray’s, Kiosks, and through Email Attachments; and as the world goes mobile, content is being sent to our phones so that we can experience this great content on the go.
In the early years of film/video, short films where the norm and often people would pay to go see a feature film which was followed by a few short films, known as “sketches”, but as the ages progressed and we entered the more modern era short films became less frequent.
Short films did not end completely; they were still being aired through the uses of TV over the years, but the visiting to the cinema to see a short film was no longer; but with the growth of the internet short films had a platform of which it could strive on.
Short films are more communally used through the use of the World Wide Web now a-days as more and more companies are using it, through offering a short series to long term consumers or even for grabbing the attention of new users; Pixar is a prime example of this.
Pixar is known for films such as Toy Story, Cars, Wall-e and Monsters, Inc. But as well as these titles they have done short film series using characters from their feature films, such as “Cars Toons” and “Toy Story Toons”.
As well as the listed short films above Pixar have published numerous “Theatrical Shorts” which are played before a Pixar feature film, my most notable “Theatrical Short” from Pixar is known as “Partly Cloudy” as my first time viewing it is before the movie “Up” which I simply didn’t enjoy compared to the rest of Pixar’s films. “Partly Cloudy” being the only part of the movie I enjoyed.
Partly Cloudy although originally used as a theatrical short in addition to the release of Pixar’s feature film “Up” has also since then been published online as a short film, and also through the use of DVD/Blu-Ray Film when purchasing the feature film “Up”.
The Characteristics used within “Partly Cloudy” is of an emotional journey using audio to reflect this. The “Partly Cloudy” short film reflects original work of short films as there is no dialogue and all emotion is directed through the music.
When it comes to publishing short films online, the designers need to consider the file sizes as not everyone is blessed with superfast broadband, and there is nothing worse than waiting on buffering screens. This is where they can consider file formats and how file formats can affect size and quality.
When it comes to file formats for video material there are so many to choose from, but with any file format for computers each file will have different characteristics, i.e. if the file is compressed in any way, and how much compression is done.
Take the following two file formats as an example, .avi and .mpg which are both popular file formats used for online services which incorporate video. Between these two file formats AVI is the higher quality format as less information is compressed, but due to this the files sizes are a lot larger; but beneficial as less data is lossed in compression allowing better quality. While with MPG file format it focuses on lossy compression meaning there is sacrifice over quality to cut down greatly on file sizes.
While “Partly Cloudy” is catergorised as a short film/theatrical short it could also be catergorised in to promotional material, but for promotional material I have went down the route of using a well known manufactures promotional material which was released alongside one of their most recent tablets; the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1.
The manufacture Samsung when releasing this material went down the route of demonstrating the features of the tablets through video, rather than using real life demonstrations they used CGI to accurately demonstrate the features of their newly released product.
With the GCI used it allowed a smooth transition between scenes allowing a smoother user experience as you do not need to worry about faults of humans. The Galaxy Note 10.1 being presented as a prestigious tablet allowed this to be demonstrated through their promotional material by using CGI.
Although the video above is through the popular online platform “Youtube” this video was originally sent too me through an email attachment as I am signed up for promotional material from Samsung. When using email attachments as a designer you need to consider some limitations on some email clients, although their is no definate file limit on an attachment some clients will refuse them.
Although the video was originally sent in a lower resolution to me in an attachment it was also presented with a link to the above film which was within a higher resolution for those who prefer HD. As it was sent in an attachment at a lower resolution we can see that the designers where already considering the delivery platform being a limitation and to reduce sizes they had to sacrifice quality.
When distributing a file through an email attachment you will also need to consider what media players will support it, i.e. which file format it is going to be in. Although Windows Meda Player comes pre-installed on to all Windows Based machines you need to consider if the file will be supported on this, as the designer will be unsure if the user will have third party video players/media players installed which will support the file. Which is why sending an attachment of a file is best to be in a recognised format that is going be supported on stock settings.
Film trailers on the other hand can be distributed through a lot more platforms and are often seen in numerious places. It is a format of where designers use digital video technology to enhance a user’s interactive experience which a designer would not want to sacrifice quality.
Film trailers are often found through DVD’s and Blu-Ray’s but with the growing technical age you can always find them online, and through Kiosks, i.e. when purchasing a ticket a Kiosks may briefly show a trailer of the movie you’re about to see.
The norm for film trailers is to show highlights from the movie, and the film trailer for the recently released “The Hobbit” was no different as they included a lot of clips from the movie which included voice-over giving a brief over view of what to expect.
To me, film trailers can sometimes ruin a movie, luckily enough with the trailer above it did not give away the whole story, which some trailers in the past tend to do so. The designers followed the norm of film trailers and used snaplets from the movie to grab the viewers attention and allow them to experience an interactive experience through the use of short clips and speakover throughout the trailer.
With Film Trailers there is so much variety in how they can be done, but the norm tends to be with sniplets throughout the movie to briefly describe the story; while with the “Dark Knight Rises” the film trailers tended to be that bit different as there was 3 in total, released strategically to grab a wider audiences attention, as the first one released as seen below gave little to the imagination in terms of story but as the following two came the viewers understood more to the story. By doing it in three separate trailers you could define them through a start, middle and ending.
As the purpose of the film trailer is to show of as much detail as possible the designers had to consider quality, which is why they opted for a 1080P Full HD resolution release of the film trailer. The designers also knew that not everyone could view 1080P trailers with no interuptions, so they opted for a 720P, and a dreaded 480P version for those of which have slow internet.
When considering how to benefit users with slower connections, lowering the resolution is not the only option which designers can do, they can ensure that the aspect ratio, bit rates, frame rates etc. match the platform which they are using.
For example, if the platform is capped at 30 progressive frames per second, there is no point uploading a 1080i@60fps film as this is using interlaced layers and the platform will have to work harder in order to output the film to the user putting more strain on their bandwidth.
Aspect ratio can be considered to ensure the best quality is maintained; the platform "YouTube" player uses a 16:9 aspect ratio (HD), so by uploading a film which is 16:9 will ensure it plays natively, while uploading a non-16:9 ratio file will result in the image being stretched, or having the horrible letterbox/pillerbox black bars on either top and bottom, or left and right.
If you notice the embedded videos throughout this blog do not follow the conventional 16:9 aspect ratio which I have mentioned, and they are infact 4:3 (Standard Definition), this is due to how an embedded YouTube video player will play at 4:3; but if the original video was uploaded in 16:9; quality will not be sacrified as much.
Of course with film trailers you are going want to watch them in the best quality possible to get the full feel of the film which is why designers only need to worry about the delivery method which is not so much a problem now a days as I mentioned a few of the platforms which designers have access to publish their film trailers.
Film trailers, as well as the promotional material discussed previously along with some forms of short films could all be catergorised in to an advertisment; although they are not directly assosiated to an advertisment the characteristics are very similar.
Advertisments are everywhere we go, it is now in an era where you could be sold a tin of sardines while going to the loo. This is why the impact of video technology is so important when it comes to advertising; an advertisements main purpose to be discreet yet rememberable which is why creating an interactive experience through video technology is so important in advertising.
To make a notable difference of how companies use advertising through video compared to that of promotional material I have used an advertisement which was publised by Samsung for the “Galaxy Note 10.1”.
Most notibly the difference is the length as adverts have to be short as they are aired between TV shows most often, but you can see how although they are still showing the functions it is more showing how a user will use the device, which is appealing to an audience.
While with promotional material it is more of an explanation of how features work, while with advertising it is a demonstration so that people can relate to while viewing.
Advertising can be done everywhere, but for video related advertising it is used within all of the platforms mentioned at the top of this article, companies love having a wide platform to sell to the public, most notibly advertising is commonly used through the internet and Kiosks. But it is not limited to these platforms as it can be seen everywhere.
With the growth of upload speeds across the world user generated content has become one of the most popular forms of amatuer designers using digitial video technology to enhance their users experience.
Using the popular platform known as “Youtube”, people make money from work they submit online, this work can range from gameplay videos of popular games, music videos, even some users make professional looking videos that have been editted to look like their own personal trailer for a game.
Of course all the content is published through the internet as it is the quickest and cheapest delivery method for people to distribute their work.
Last year DiCE the developers of Battlefield 3 ran a competition called “Only in Battlefield 3” which was the second one they ran, but the purpose of the compeition was to allow Battlefield 3 users to upload videos relating to Battlefield 3 showing off the features within Battlefield 3 as if it is a trailer; they had to be under 5 minutes long, and marks were awarded for originality, creativity etc.
Below I have included my favorite out of the top 3 winners from the compeitition.
The above video is from a “Youtuber”; a labelled assigned to regular uploaders of “YouTube”, who used the opening music of the Battlefield 3 intro to create his trailer for the compeition, using DiCE’s own words, I quote “This is as close to a DICE produced in-game trailer you can get without actually working at DICE.”
The above video is an example of how users have used available methods to generate content to a wide audience, in some cases producing a professional standard which allows them to be recognized by some of the best game designers out there.
People who use “Youtube” as a delivery platform has little to worry about in terms of file sizes etc. as “Youtube” worries about data transfer rates, compression etc. as they adjust the video while uploading to be displayed at lower resolutions to suit users of the “Youtube” platform with slower connection speeds.
Video technology is not limited to the use of user generated content, advertising, film trailers, short films and promotional materials as discussed above, it is also frequently used for the uses of games, e-learning and virtual reality tours which I have demonstrated below.
With the growth of the digital age using video technology to aid in virtual reality tours is becoming more and more frequent. The use of video technology to direct users through an exibit is important, and is communally used through Kiosks. Most of the virtual reality tours that can be found through a Kiosk in the corresponding place that it is virtualising can also be located online.
Below I have used an example of the “Vatican” virtual reality tour of the “Basilica of Saint Peter”. From this website you can virtualize the whole exhibit which people go to visit on a daily basis.
Although the examples online are more of a panorama photo rather than that of an actual video it is hard to provide examples. Google went a step further with “Street View” and captured nearly every street in the UK and allowed it to be one large virtual reality tout throughout the streets.
A lot of companies/governments have been using street view to accurately showcase their location within a certain area, or even show of the city that they are located, although Street View cannot be directly associated to a virtual reality tour it is good as an example as any other online VR Tour.
The use of video technology to demonstrate a tour through a Kiosk is becoming very popular and a lot of the larger tourist’s attractions are beginning to do it. Kiosks come in so many forms and can be designed around exhibits so the aesthetics are beneficial to purpose of the exhibit.
When creating video for Kiosks you do need to worry about file sizes, resolutions etc. as Kiosks are usually low powered with little processing and very little memory so creating high definition video may not be beneficial as the video may play back choppy as the processing power of the Kiosk cannot process the video quick enough.
Most Kiosks will generally be at 720p resolution, which is another thing you need to consider, there is no point producing a 1080p video presentation if it is going be limited a lower resolution on the hardware it is designed for.
Other teaching platforms which are now using the uses of video technology to aid in demonstrations and teaching are e-learning platforms, online there are various sites which consist of an e-learning platform. In the SRC we have access to our own e-learning platform known as Moodle, and within “Student Services Induction and Information” section they have used video’s to help explain the services.
As this is through our college’s intranet it could also be classified as a form of digital rights management suite as it is a secure log-in before access can be gained to the content. While the methods prior to this had no real forms of digital rights management; minus the fact that videos through YouTube are well protected through copyright protection through Google’s privacy policies etc.
Other popular e-learning platforms include the “BBC BiteSize” which has been around for years. Although when it was originally introduced broadband was a new concept or simply didn’t exist so at this stage the e-learning platform was simply made up of questions and answers with text, now that everyone has considerably faster internet “BBC BiteSize” have redone their learning platform in the forms of movies with the questions embedded at the end.
The clips are “Bite Sized” allowing appropriate learning for all users, with various levels of connection speed. Since the movies are not too long most users in the UK should have a trouble-free learning experience with little interruption from a slow connection.
With the BBC BiteSize videos the quality is already set low with no option to alter it, from this you can tell the designers where already considering the user’s connection and how quality can affect streaming times.
Throughout this article I have briefly only mentioned mobile phones a few times, and haven’t stumbled across games overly much which is where we are touching the end of the article.
Games in particular have come a long way over the years, but most importantly the rise of games for mobiles in progressing very fast and with the use of video technology it is allowing games for mobiles to progress that much further.
Cut-scenes in games is often where video technology has been used within a game to emerge the user in to the experience; but as games for mobiles progress cut scenes and other forms of video are being implemented to allow this emergent which until recently was only possible through a games console or PC.
Above we can see how the designers have used video technology to create the emerging user experience in to a game designed for the mobile platform. Mobile games started as a typical time-killer as time progressed to the likes of “Wild Blood” seen above which is a full feature game which until now you would have only expected to see through a PC or games console.
Without the use of video technology the game would not have consisted of the interactive user experience as video technology within games is required if you wish to create a proper user experience through an adaptable story.
Throughout the article I have demonstrated how designers have various platforms to use when distributing their video related content and how they need to consider technologies through compression, file formats and size etc. when distributing their content.
