This video brings attention to the role hyper neoliberal capitalism was taking in creating the algorithms which occupy the digital space, and increasingly our attention. The way new technologies like virtual and augmented reality are evolving and interacting with hyper-capitalism and the attention economy is showing some troublesome trajectories. While this assessment may seem a little dystopian, I also want to encourage viewers that we can win back the digital zone from the extractive interests of hyper-capitalism and harness the democratising potential of our machines for the humans.
Strategies
To begin, I wrote a script, storyboarded and recorded this as a podcast with my quality podcasting mic. I knew my camera sound was not great and I limited the use of it and got up close when I did, using a tripod. I was packing in a lot so the varied formats allowed for a change of pace and I also tried to vary my voice intonation.
Recently, I learned to chroma key and I wanted to use it for the to-camera shots using the green screen background. This way I could make maximum use of the creative commons images and video I had sourced.
While I created an intro, I decided going straight into the moving bodies image would have more impact on this occasion.
Overlays
Technically speaking, the to-camera pieces were overlays in a sea of technology backgrounds. This was a choice made to highlight the reality of the technology infiltrating our minds and attention as was the decision to make some of the to-camera images partly transparent (although there were some technical difficulties with the green screen which necessitated this as well). I also used the to-camera shots to give the message a human face and to break up the sequence into parts.
Figure1. Timeline
I used a static transition with a sound effect when I come in and out as if I was a hologram switching on and off. Elsewhere, I use fades and dissolves in my transitions.
The sound was used to enhance the mood and tensions I had created with my background footage to drive the message. At the start, there is a hum which accompanies the floating bodies which gathers pace with the increased speed of hyper-capitalism and the manic machine as the images fly by.
Lessons
This project represented a few firsts in my videography which really enhances my capacity to produce quality videos into the future. The new skills I gained in sourcing creative commons videos and using chroma key promise to revolutionise and open the creative options I have available.
Having extra sound and image options available really seems to enhance the creative process and hide distracting blemishes. Having the music soundtrack option meant I was able to mostly hide the poor sound quality of my mic in one of the to-camera videos.
While using many of the ‘free’ technologies and creative commons sources, I was also encouraged by the democratic gains technology has made outside of the extractive economy and what could become possible in the future. If we live to see it.
References:
Douglas Rushkoff – www.rushkoff.com/
Tim O’Reilly – https://www.oreilly.com/
Jane McGonigal – https://janemcgonigal.com/
Video Credits:
Talking About a Revolution: Life in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (https://youtu.be/4JfK1bJ16es) by Yuval Noah Harari (CC BY 3.0)
How to Transform Society through Digital (https://youtu.be/9CcY9d_jQKQ) by World Economic Forum (CC BY 3.0)
Future Technology Inventions ¦ 2019 (https://youtu.be/R832bJieqmY) by Vids 4u (CC BY 3.0)
Tips To Help Avoid Online Surveillance (https://youtu.be/I6UuWrVzys4) by AJ+ (CC BY 3.0)
Future of Virtual Reality [ Short Film ] (https://youtu.be/gqUv60pFi88)by Captain Gizmo (CC BY 3.0)
LET’S PLAY FORTNITE!! (BATTLE ROYALE) – Lizzy Sharer Gaming (https://youtu.be/iCNTHaZljLQ) by Like Lizzy (CC BY 3.0)
Photo Credits:
EVA training in the virtual reality lab (https://flic.kr/p/opRgSJ) by Samantha Cristoforetti (CC BY 2.0)
Virtual Reality (https://flic.kr/p/26xaK7f) by Damien Walmsley (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Virtual reality workshop (https://flic.kr/p/Xc4AHR) by TED Conference (CC BY-NC 2.0)
‘Hard to Comprehend’, Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (https://flic.kr/p/8ifLdx) by Chris Ford (CC BY 2.0)
Meet the media Guru (https://www.flickr.com/people/21617144@N00) by Paolo Sacchi (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Alan Finkel (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alan_Finkel_(2017).jpg#file) by Danimations(CC BY-SA 4.0)
Music Credit:
Future (https://soundcloud.com/leonimuz/future) by LeonimuZ (CC BY-SA 3.0)