by andrea.ortner -

Impuls #1

Während meiner Teilnahme an der World Usability Konferenz konnte ich aus drei inspirierenden Vorträgen wertvolle Erkenntnisse gewinnen, die meine Recherche für meine Masterarbeit und die Design&Research Blogs bereichern werden:

  1. Aus dem Vortrag von Jen Romano blieb folgender Satz im Gedächtnis hängen: „You are not your User“. Obwohl mir ihr Vortrag nicht wirklich zusagte, mochte ich diesen Satz. Er ist für mich wichtig, weil für den Relaunch der Website der TU Graz „digital university hub“ viel umstrukturiert werden muss, und der Input von manchen Mitwirkenden nicht unbedingt hilfreich ist. Diesen einfachen aber fundamentalen Satz werde ich schon bald im Team in meiner Arbeit erwähnen.

  2. Aus dem Talk von Javier Bargas Avila, fand ich für mich, wo er darüber sprach, wie die auf englisch designte Website „youtube“ in alle möglichen Sprachen übersetzt werden konnte. Obwohl ich kein Fan von reinen Piktogrammen bin, weil ich die Meinung vertrete, dass Icons zunächst immer erlernt werden müssen, außer das Icon ist textlich unterlegt, hat mich Javier überzeugt, dass Buttons mit einem X Symbol nicht extra nochmal das Wort „schließen“ benötigen. Erst recht nicht, wenn es sich bei der Zielgruppe (der Plattform der TU Graz) digital affine Menschen sind, welche die Bedeutung ohnehin kennen.

  3. Von der Keynote am Donnerstag, 11.10.2023 von Jamie Levy über „The Best and Worst Practises of the Discovery Phase“ wurde mir wieder bewusst, wie wichtig es ist, zuerst Probleme zu definieren, um dann nach Lösungen suchen zu können. Für den Relaunch der Plattform der TU Graz werde ich im nächsten Schritt eine Problem-analyse machen und alle Probleme definieren, um weiters Lösungen finden zu

by yao.sossou1 -

Impules#2-#4 World Usability Congres 2023

I had the privilege of attending the 2023 World Usability Congress, where I immersed myself in a series of captivating talks delivered by renowned speakers. One particular keynote that left a lasting impression on me was “Beyoung UX: The Truth About Digital Product Success,” presented by Russ Wilson from Google Cloud. Wilson’s presentation was a thought-provoking exploration of the factors that underpin the success of digital products.

At the heart of his keynote was a unique approach, a sort of guided quest through a series of thought-provoking questions. For instance, he delved into what truly makes people fall in love with a product and what ultimately defines a product’s success. To illustrate his points, he shared an anecdote about his boss sending him an article about a well-funded startup that meticulously followed every established best practice in user research, prototyping, experimentation, iteration, and design to create a beautiful product. Despite their thorough efforts, this startup met with failure. This prompted Wilson to ask, “What went wrong?”

In his pursuit of understanding digital product success, Wilson conducted interviews with 300 individuals (can’t remember the exact number) over the years, posing a fundamental question: “What is the single most important factor that leads to a digital product’s success?” While acknowledging the significance of aspects like personalization and adaptability, he made a crucial distinction. He argued that these aspects, although important, are secondary. His compelling conclusion was that success primarily hinges on differentiation – the ability to offer something unique or perform better than any other product in the market.

He urged us to consider products that excel in a way no other option can match. These products, initially, had strong differentiators that set them apart, whether it was offering something no one else did or excelling in a particular aspect. As competition inevitably emerges, they continue to seek fresh ways to differentiate, whether through superior performance, reliability, branding, pricing, or exceptional service.

Digital products face unique challenges that set them apart. Their ever-changing nature means that traditional rules of architecture and industrial design often don’t apply. Moreover, technology evolves at an unprecedented pace in the digital realm, faster than any other medium. This rapid evolution presents a distinct challenge, as anyone can leap into the scene and introduce something entirely new.

So, what is the strategy for success in the digital world? Wilson emphasized that perfection is an unattainable goal. Customers and the market have been conditioned to expect rapid results and little patience. Hence, achieving perfection is not a viable strategy.

Wilson proposed a pragmatic approach to success, one that challenged conventional notions of good UX. He argued that, from a business perspective, it’s not about making a product aesthetically pleasing, but rather about how it differentiates itself. In the competitive digital landscape, standing out through a unique and meaningful user experience, not just visual appeal, is the key to success.

Additionally, I had the opportunity to attend several other enlightening talks during the World Usability Congress.

Impulse #3:

Andraea Picchi from Kroo Bank delivered a talk titled “The Contextual Nature of Design Leadership.” One key takeaway was the idea that our perception of reality is inherently limited by perceptual constraints. Picchi emphasized the concept of “reflective assumptions,” where what we consider a groundbreaking product may differ from what is genuinely valuable from a user’s perspective. He delved into leadership concepts in the context of design, emphasizing that a great leader may have strengths and weaknesses, with the latter requiring a targeted developmental approach. Picchi also highlighted that different experiences lead to varying levels of information, and increental leadership development can result in nonlinear improvements in performance.

Impulse #4:

Julien Vaniere from Sage shared insights in his talk, “Designing Systems at Large Scale.” He stressed the balance between full alignment and creative freedom when building a design system, highlighting that it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Julien underlined the importance of assessing resources, team composition, and priorities, as building trust within and for your company is a limited opportunity. Challenges in creating a design system for a large group include team composition, prioritization, and sustainability. He recommended establishing strong foundations, beginning with user needs, defining real principles, managing expectations, and applying Pareto’s law. The combination of these elements yields the value of a design system, considering OKRs (Objective Key Results) as well.

Impulse #5:

Peter Horvath from Whitespace delivered a talk on “The Principles of Systemic Design.” He introduced the concept of systemic design as an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to thinking and design. Mr. Horvath shared principles from the four orders of design, shedding light on what is that the core of the approach he is proposing on systemic design journey. He introduced us his twelves principles for systemic design. check the summary of those in the picture below.

Impulse #6:

Sabine NB from Human Factors Research & Design presented her insights on “Delivering Design at Scale.” She showcased examples of failed companies that started with promising products, with the main takeaway being the importance of consistency. In her view, the lack of consistency is a significant reason behind the failure of many digital products. She emphasized that if standardization of human interface guidelines by tech is done right, product design can become more scalable. She proposed a model for delivering at scale and concluded by offering five metrics for successful scalability: consistency in design, disciplined execution, repeatable inventory, measurable outcomes, and limited changes.

Impulse #7:

I also had the privilege of attending a talk by Riya Thosar from SAP, who explored the topic of “Leveraging Design Innovation for Business Success.” Her insights shed light on the potential of design innovation in driving business success.

Lastly, Jaime Levy from Jaime Levy Consulting delivered a captivating keynote on “The Best and Worst Practices of the Discovery Phase.” Levy shared techniques for conducting effective interviews, workshops, prototyping, and critical thinking to enhance the discovery phase in the design process. Her presentation provided valuable insights into optimizing the early stages of product development.

These talks and keynotes have not only broadened my perspective on design and research but also provided valuable insights for my ongoing work in developing a healthcare app for underserved rural communities. The emphasis on differentiation, systemic thinking, scalability, and the nuanced aspects of design leadership have offered great impulses and fresh approaches to tackle the unique challenges of this project. I’m excited to integrate these learnings into my work, ensuring that the app is not only user-centric but also stands out in a crowded digital landscape, making a real impact on healthcare accessibility for underserved communities.

by helena.opower -

Impulse #1 – WUC Talk The Best and Worst Practices of the Discovery Phase (Jaime Levy)

Jaime Levy’s talk was about the importance of the Discovery Phase within UX Design. Discovering in the context of UX is significant for gathering evidence and is for example a part of the Double Diamond Process. She built her talk by using the example of finding an apartment in Berlin which was on the one hand funny and on the other a good example to understand her points. Step by step she introduced different methods and how they are used. Within each method she examined the dos and don’ts. The talk reminded me of the importance of using empirical methods as the foundation for a successful digital product. This is essential in order to be able to justify decisions on the one hand and on the other hand to have the requirements for the product examined from all sides. Of the methods (Steakholder Interviews, Competitive Research, Workshops, Costumer Interviews, Prototype Experiments, Critical thinking) she presented, some will be for sure useful for my topic. For example, costumer interviews will play a role for me. My intention is to interview my potential target group (kids/teens between 12 and 16) to be able to define the basic requirements on Instagram for this age group. Prototype experiments may also become interesting at a later stage in my project to test the implementation of initial ideas. I was lucky to be one of the youngest in the room to win a book by Jaime Levy on UX Strategy. I will definitely use this with regard to my master thesis and use methods from it to have a support for my approaches.

https://jaimelevy.com

https://userexperiencestrategy.com

https://medium.com/front-end-weekly/ux-strategy-how-to-devise-innovative-digital-products-that-people-want-by-jaime-levy-book-db51c988893c

by yao.sossou1 -

IMPULSE #1 – Healthcare: Equality, Affordability, and Accessibility from Nick Freitas’s podcast Ep26

Nick Freitas, a Green Beret combat veteran who has established himself as a leading proponent of conservative policies and thought throughout the USA, hosts a podcast show called Making the Argument, or MTA. In this podcast, Nick deconstructs the left’s arguments and makes the case for the conservative values and principles that form the foundation of the conservative movement by examining contemporary events, legislation, and political philosophies. His 26ep podcast tackled the issue of Equality, Affordability, and Accessibility in healthcare.

The podcast is a valuable impulse for my research in designing a healthcare app for underserved communities. Let’s break down the key takeaways and how they connect to my research work:

  • Healthcare’s Significance: Nick emphasized the importance of healthcare, which is a universal need. This message is crucial for my project, as it underscores the significance of the healthcare app I am planning to designing for underserved populations.
  • Government vs. Free Market: Nick discussed the debate about government control in healthcare. While this may not directly relate to my research in providing digital solution to underserved communities, it highlights the significance of understanding the healthcare system’s structure, which can influence the app’s design and functionality.
  • Quality and Accessibility: Nick stressed the need for quality and affordable healthcare. This aligns with my project’s goal to improve healthcare accessibility for underserved populations. It highlights that the primary focus should be on delivering quality care efficiently.
  • Wait Times: Nick discussed the issue of long wait times in countries with government-controlled healthcare systems. This is seemingly the case in most west African countries. This insight informs on an important feature the app could incorporate by emphasizing timely access to healthcare services, which is crucial for underserved communities.
  • Government Regulations: Nick pointed out the impact of government regulations on healthcare in the U.S. This is a reminder that, in my app design, you should consider how to streamline processes and reduce bureaucracy, making healthcare more efficient and accessible.
  • Policy Analysis: Nick’s analysis of healthcare policies is valuable. It suggests that while I am designing a healthcare app, I better also explore how government policies may affect the target populations and consider policy-related solutions to improve healthcare access.

In summary, Nick’s podcast reinforces the importance of quality, accessibility, and affordability in healthcare. It emphasizes the need to understand the existing healthcare landscape and policies. This information served as an impulse for my research and design work, prompting me to consider the real-world implications of healthcare policies on the app’s functionality and how it can address the unique challenges faced by underserved communities.

Sources:

by Hannah Drobir -

Let’s have the Finance Talk – Budgeting in Filmmaking

Finances is probably the most frightening aspect of a movie pre-production. For me, budgeting has always been something that I was happy to avoid. Until now! Today, I want to make friends with movie money. And show you why you should too!

What is a Movie Budget?

When we think of a movie budget, according to Mike Bedard via StudioBinder, most people instantly think of crew and cast costs, money for building sets, make-up, VFX and everything included in a classical production.

However, that’s only half the battle in Hollywood. From there, you need to market the film so that people actually know it exists. For major productions, this is readily apparent in the form of trailers, billboards, radio ads, and everything else you can possibly slap a poster on.

Mike Bedard via StudioBinder

So far so good. But in the case of independent productions or indie films, production managers will not have such a big budget. Therefore, they will have to find alternative ways of marketing the movie. Besides the already mentioned ads on billboards, radio and posters, social media could be a big part of the distribution budget. (Bedard, StudioBinder)

According to Newbie Film School, “an average short film costs between $700 to $1500 per minute.” Of course, this number can fluctuate depending on what kind of short film you are planning to make and how big the production will be. That is why it is smart to make a budget breakdown before you are starting to shoot and actually do work on the project. (Newbie Film School)

How to Calculate a Budget

Newbie Film School goes on to describe how they plan their budgets for shooting short movies (a short movie being anything under 40 minutes). According to them, the most important thing to know is the length of the movie. If you follow the standard way of calculating one minute per script page, you can easily determine how long your film will be. Still, the costs for a 20 minute film can vary between $2000 and $30000 which is a really big range. To narrow this down it might be smart to additionally consider the so-called production value of your movie which is the sum of the following costs:

  • Pre-production cost
  • Production cost
    • Location
    • Cast
    • Crew
    • Types of equipment
    • Art design
    • Other production services
  • Post-production cost
    • Editing
    • Sound design and music
    • VFX
    • Digital Intermediate
  • Marketing and promotion

So, let’s dive into these in more detail. (Newbie Film School)

Pre-Production Cost

These costs include every step of planning a movie from location scouting to visualization in a storyboard. Still, they are manageable and should not exceed $500 but rather be around $250. (Newbie Film School)

Production Cost

These costs are estimated to make up 75-80% of your overall budget. If you want your budget to not exceed in the end, it would be smart to include the following points in it.

Location

Your location needs to have some sort of power supply. For independent productions it is smart to use free locations to keep the costs at a minimum. However, calculating between $250 and $500 is smart to have as an extra for shooting permits you might need.

Cast

Working with pupils from acting schools or freelancers is the smartest for independent productions. That way, you save additional costs for insurances. On average, one can calculate approximately $100 per person per day. However, if you negociate wisely this price can be brought down. Still, calculating with $100 is smart and having a little surplus in the end is not bad either.

Crew

Cinematographers don’t usually charge higher rates for short films. It ranges from $150 to 300 per day. […] The Sound Recordist is vital if you need to record sync sound and hence the costs range between $150 to $250 a day. The Direction team should cost anywhere between $100 and $150 per day. […] The Gripper and the Gaffers should add up to another $200 per day in total. Costume if needed should be dealt with the designer on a negotiated price. If you rent them, it should not add up to more than $100 per day for the entire cast.

Newbie Film School

In total, that makes up for around $750 per day. However, if your script does not require special costumes, etc. these costs can be minimized.

Types of equipment

Equipment will add to your overall budget! In total, cameras, lenses, grips, jibs and lighting will cost an average of $500 per day. The wage for the sound recordists usually already include the gear so at least there is no need to rent this.

Art Design and Other Production Services

This part of the budget can be easily avoided if you are not building sets for your film. For indie productions it is recommended to shoot outdoors (and also use natural light to lower the costs there). Other Production Services might include spot boys or caterers. These can also be avoided easily in independent productions. However, keeping a spare budget of around $300 is recommended.

Post-Production Cost

These costs consist of sound, music, VFX and editing post production processes.

Editing

It is recommended to not hire editors who are paid hourly. Rather “offer them a package between $500 to $1500 depending on the length […].” (Newbie Film School)

Sound Design and Music

This will cost another $750 on average. However, it is recommended to look for talents who have not been recognised yet. Maybe you know someone or could hire given people from art schools.

VFX

If possible, avoid having any VFX in your indie production. Costs for this field are very high!

Digital Intermediate

This service includes the coloring of the film. As this can be very expensive as well it pays off to hire students or enthusiasts who will color your entire movie for an average of $500.

Marketing and Promotion

In order to have a decent exposure after the film is finished, one should think of using free tools to send the movie to festivals. There are a lot of screening opportunities that are free. However, some festivals have an entrance fee which is why an additional $1000 is recommended for marketing and promotion. As said already, using social media to promote your movie is also a great and cheap tool to market your work. (Newbie Film School)

Summary

If one follows the points mentioned above, your average movie budget will be around $3800 for fixed costs plus $100 per actor per day plus $1250 per day for crew and equipment. For a 3 day production with two actors your budget should therefore be:

3800+100*2*3+1250*3=
3800+600+3750=$8150 (or around €7700)

As you see, these costs are immense and no indie newcomer will ever have the dollars to cover them. This is where small productions will need to get creative. One example to do so is using a method called Guerilla Filmmaking. More on that in another post.

Still, it is important for filmmakers to know these numbers. And I believe that having an approximate estimate guide such as this post can help you calculate your first budgets. I will use these numbers to calculate my next expenses for a short movie as well and will keep you updated on how that goes.

However, I will leave you with this for now. I think it is already a big enough pill to swallow.

.

.

.

Sources

Bedard, Mark: Average Movie Budget — How Much Do Movies Cost to Make? In: StudioBinder, https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/average-movie-budget/ (last seen: 08.10.2023)

Newbie Film School: How much does it Cost to make a Short Film? In: Newbie Film School, https://newbiefilmschool.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-make-a-short-film/ (last seen: 08.10.2023)

by nadja.pirchheim -

IMPULSE #1_”Where Arts meets Science: Design and Development of Project Chimera” – Game Dev Days Graz

Today I was at the Game Dev Days 2023 in Graz. One talk was from Saeed Safikhani, who is a HCI Researcher and Tech Artist with the topic of “Where Arts meets Science: Design and Development of Project Chimera”. Project Chimera is a VR game specified in gamified learning. The user will find itself in an spaceship and explore it while learning about diverse topics. Which he pointed out during the talk was that you should never break the presence of the user in VR – which means when exploring or playing different levels the user should feel that jumping between the levels feels as natural (however “natural” feels like in VR :-P) as possible. In Project Chimera the user will be guided through different levels while using the elevator. Interaction implemented in the menu design is a way where the Virtual Reality experience is not interrupted and feels consistent for the user.

For my DesRes Research I take away the fact, that creating a menu design without interrupting the VR experience is essential for the user flow. As I am working on a virtual reality experience for an apprenticeship in a chef’s position, I need to think about the different level design and also a menu design which supports the user in his experience.

Links:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2593770/Project_Chimera/

https://medium.com/@lucycarp/vr-menu-patterns-and-use-cases-f30fd8b5ef36

Saeed Safikhani
https://gamelabgraz.com/team/saeed-safikhani/
by jona-tristan.koehring -

Impuls 1: An Environmental Toolkit for the New Zealand Screen Production Industry

An Environmental Toolkit for the New Zealand Screen Production Industry:

Given that my thesis will address Sustainable Production Workflows in Independent Nature Conservation Films, I aim to explore established guidelines designed to ensure eco-friendly production practices. It’s worth noting that many existing guides primarily focus on feature films with various involved parties, such as makeup departments and lighting crews. In this blog entry, I intend to assess the feasibility of applying some of these concepts to independent conservation film productions. Additionally, I’ll examine if there are any pertinent aspects missing in this guide or others that could be relevant to such productions.

This specific toolkit was developed by South Pacific Films in collaboration with the Ministry for the Environment, Landcare Research, and Waitakere City Council. I chose this particular guide because it offers more comprehensive information compared to others like the Green Toolkit Film & TV.

Since environmental films are typically shot in natural settings rather than studios, I will primarily focus on the environmental impacts at the filming location. Here, the guide outlines the following impacts:

  1. Vehicle use
  2. Damage to natural landscapes
  3. Damage to wildlife habitats
  4. Overexposure of sensitive and protected environments
  5. Modifications to natural landscapes
  6. Noise and artificial light pollution
  7. Damage to infrastructure, such as historic buildings and monuments

All of these factors are indeed applicable to independent conservation film production.

Werner Heisenberg once said that it’s impossible to observe something without altering it. For most of the last 300 years, scientists believed they could objectively observe the natural world without influencing what they were studying. They presented their scientific findings as if no specific person had made the observations. This approach differed from fields like the humanities and theology, where the observer’s perspective was an integral part of the subject. In the scientific realm, the observer seemed detached, with no apparent influence on the results.

However, in the 20th century, this perception changed. Scientists realized that when they attempted to observe very small particles, such as atoms, their observations unavoidably altered the particles’ behavior. For example, trying to measure the position of an atom would change its speed. This concept became known as the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: When you closely monitor something, you unavoidably affect it. Ultimately, it became evident that all scientists were active participants in the universe they were studying, and they couldn’t remain purely detached observers.

With this in mind, it’s essential to understand the impact that filming, essentially glorified observation, can have on an environment. The guide refrains from providing specific examples, but based on personal experience, I’ll offer an example. When you observe nature using a drone, it becomes evident how your observation alters the subject’s behavior. Drones are unnatural objects that most animals fear. Birds flee from them, and they can startle horses. This is one of the reasons why flying drones in Protected Areas is prohibited.

Returning to the guide, it lists several reasons for complying with its recommendations, such as the necessity of protecting nature to maintain picturesque backdrops for stunning productions.

In the “Office” section of the guide, you’ll find additional guidelines that are applicable to independent conservation films, including:

  1. Working digitally
  2. Minimizing printing

Many of the office guidelines are tailored to companies with multiple employees. I’ll skip over makeup and lighting since they are not relevant to my research.

The most significant aspect for my thesis is production and post-production, so let’s continue with that:

  1. Unplug video players, television monitors, and other equipment with stand-by mode when not in use.
  2. When purchasing or renting technical equipment, inquire about energy-efficient alternatives or more efficient ways to use the equipment.
  3. Use digital processes for filming and sound recording where quality allows.
  4. When using film, ensure that your suppliers have end-of-life management programs compliant with local regulations for disposing of photographic processing chemicals.
  5. Explore recycling options with your film supplier to avoid sending waste film to landfills.

In general, these recommendations are all applicable to conservation films. However, this section of the guide seems relatively brief. Considering that this is the most relevant part of my project, it will be intriguing to delve into how specific equipment choices can make a more significant impact.

Now, let’s proceed to post-production:

  1. If available and suitable, use tapeless post-production workflow systems.
  2. Utilize the energy-saving features of technical equipment and computers.
  3. If compatible with your customers, distribute projects and demonstration reels on DVD.
  4. Apply the purchasing, energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste reduction tips provided for the office.

These post-production guidelines are also applicable, but, as before, it seems that there is potential for further expansion in this section.

In conclusion, it’s worth noting that these guides tend to skim over production and post-production aspects, which is unfortunate because there is much to discuss in these areas. For instance, it’s essential to explore which camera companies align with eco-friendly practices and carbon emissions reduction in filmmaking.

by nadine.lowden -

Impulse #1_”Mastering the Emotional User Experience”_World Usability Congress

On October 11th, 2023, I attended a talk entitled Mastering the Emotional User Experience by Bill Albert, SVP of Global Customer Experience at Mach49 in Silicon Valley. Albert began the talk by noting that the emotional user experience was the topic of a recently added chapter in the newest edition of his book, Measuring the User Experience: Collecting, Analyzing, and Presenting Usability Metrics and something his company is now just beginning to touch on.

Why should we care about measuring emotional UX? Albert cites improving products/services beyond usability, achieving KPIs (loyalty, satisfaction, etc.), aligning with brand strategy, and gaining competitive advantage as positive outcomes for considering emotions in UX research.

Albert utilizes scales of “Arousal” and “Valence” to classify emotions. Arousal classifies the degree of excitement or engagement from “calm” to “excited’. Valence measures the “goodness” or “badness” of a response from negative to positive. Albert argues that only a few emotions are truly relevant to UX design. He includes engagement, confidence, trust, frustration, affect, and stress, but also notes that these are highly contextual. As an example, Albert shared a user testing video for a participant who was laughing at the poor functioning of a website. The face tracking software registered her smiles as a “joyful” response, where in reality she was amused at how bad the website was. Albert also notes that UX testing usually elicits a “weak signal”, or low emotional intensity, and is thus not as obvious to measure compared to high emotional intensity events such as a roller coaster ride, a great first date, or a team winning a big game. The example of the user laughing at the poor functioning of the website, and that response being registered as “joy” is known as “noisy data”, or data that has to be sifted through and removed by a person, not AI. Albert points out that we don’t all have the same definition of each emotion, and we have to also consider cultural and language-based differences – this all results in “noisy data”.

As we begin the semester, I am thinking about how I can narrow my research and get closer to my final thesis topic. Bill Albert’s talk was very relevant to my past research, as he exposed the shortcomings of AI in understanding human behavior, and the prevailing importance of having real people test, analyze, and summarize data. This “impulse” was a great way to get the ball rolling for this semester of Design and Research, and will provide “food for thought” moving forward.

by Kris Van Hout -

Blog #1 – Topics thesis question

Recap:
Last semester I ended my design and research with the topic ‘’short form video’’ And with this topic I created thesis questions. Which could help me finding a clearer view of what I want to do in the 4th semester. Which are:

  • Exploring the storytelling potential of short form video content on social media platforms.
  • The impact of editing techniques in creating engaging narratives in short form videos.
  • Analyzing the effectiveness of different video formats (e.g., vertical, square, horizontal) for short form video platforms.
  • The aesthetics of composition and framing in short form videos: Techniques for capturing attention.

For the design and research course this semester I would like to dive deeper in these questions and see how much potential they have and how I can make them worthy as a thesis topic.

To make it already clearer by forehand what short form video is and other terms in these questions. I made a glossary for terms that I think will be very handy to know.

Glossary:

Short form video:
Short form video is to a type of video content that typically has a shorter duration compared to traditional long-form videos. These videos are often created for social media. Short form videos are made to capture viewers’ attention quickly and deliver content in engaging way, they usually are between a few seconds to a few minutes.

Social Media Storytelling:
Social media storytelling uses content on social media, such as posts, pictures, videos or interactive content, to tell a story about your company, product or brand.

Short-term storytelling:
Story telling which lasts for one piece of content.

Long-term storytelling:
Story telling which takes place over multiple pieces of content and over a period of time.

User participation interaction:
The engagement and involvement of users in the content or experience. It provides the chance for users to actively participate, contribute, or interact with the content or the overall experience.

Content Trends:
Content trends refer to the popular and prevailing themes, topics, formats, or styles that are prominent in a particular period.

by Hannah Drobir -

IMPULSE #1 – Production Management with Gregor Wilson – Podcast

For my first IMPULSE session I sat down and listened to one episode of the podcast Team Deakins. Every episode they talk to and with people from the film industry. In this specific one their guest was Gregor Wilson, the production manager of films such as Inglorious Bastards, Man of Steal, Justice League and others. Let’s see what he has to say about his very wide-ranging role.

Initially having studied Urban Design, Gregor got involved in film after a very drunk night out. After working different jobs such as construction coordinator, he finally found his place in production management. According to him, the responsibilities of his position include hiring the crew, getting the people, getting the equipment (which consumes the majority of time), working on the schedule and the budget. He works closely together with the line producer, who is one step higher up the hierarchy in a big production.

Gregor goes on to describing his standard steps when being onboarded as a PM. First he has a look at the script to have an idea on locations, necessary decisions, cameras, … right away. He then goes on to making his own schedule where he creates breakdowns of the script and a rough shooting schedule (even though normally the assistant director is responsible for the final shooting schedule) to determine possible problems. After that, the cast availability needs to be checked as well as location availability. According to Wilson, this gets harder every time. The more shows are produced the less stage space, gear, etc. is available to everyone.

To continue he briefly talks about his favorite part of shooting movies: Outdoor shoots. He particularely enjoys them because everyone has to be more flexibile with the weather and one can get light situations that they didn’t expect (which is always exciting for the DPs).

Another big point during his interview was of course the budget (which I will write more about in the next post). Something I didn’t know was that in big productions there is actually a production accountant who is responsible for that. However, the PM is involved in regular money meetings and they work together very closely. Gregor did not mention indie productions but I can imagine that in smaller undertakings, this is still a responsibility assigned to the PM.

An additional new thing for me was that apparently the greatest sin PMs and accountants can make in Hollywood is coming in under budget. This is due to the fact that as soon as there is a surplus of money, studios lose control over how it is use. Also, most studios take up loans from banks to finance the shoots. If a production ends up not using all the money, the studio has made a huge minus with all the interests they will have to pay back unnecessarily. Gregors approach to that is to “take it out on post” (which he says with a laugh).

The third and final interesting thing he mentions (although just in one sentence) is the fact that even though there are a lot of female production supervisors there are not a lot of female production managers. This is especially motivating for me to further persue this interest and maybe make a carreer out of it someday.

Some other points Gregor mentions very briefly are production reports and bond companies, which I will have to look up and research in more detail.

The final subject he talks about is stress and working hours. According to Gregor one of the biggest mistakes production managers can make is not having a good stress management. When you are responsible for so many different parts of a production, being able to make good and calm desicions is very important in the case of an emergency or something happening. Even though you have to be able to work insanely long working hours (e.g. in the US there is no penalty for having your film crew work too long, the situation in AUT will have to be found out about in a seperate post) keeping calm is something that is highly regarded and respected amongst your crew.

After making a joke about why all movies are shot in California (the good weather) the two hosts Roger Deakins and Isabella James Purefoy Ellis close the interview.

As mentioned above there are some things I will have to find out more about: production reports, bond companies and the legal working hours for film crews in Austria.

Links:

  1. https://www.industrialtrainer.org/production-report and https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/daily-production-report-explained-free-template/
  2. https://www.mediaservices.com/blog/how-to-bond-a-film-a-definitive-guide-to-completion-bonds/
  3. https://www.wko.at/branchen/gewerbe-handwerk/film-musikwirtschaft/start.html/ and https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/themen/arbeit_und_pension/arbeitszeit.html

Sources

Team Deakins Podcast: EPISODE 87 – GREGOR WILSON – Production Manager: https://teamdeakins.libsyn.com/gregor-wilson-production-manager (last seen 10.10.2023) (not to self: not cited correctly yet)