Tag: Cinema

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News Publications Research

‘The Formation of Film Audiences’

A new (and free!) book is now available: ‘The Formation of Film Audiences’ conference proceedings, edited by Lito Tsitsou, Helen Rana and Bridgette Wessels, address many aspects that feature in the ways in which film audiences form in the early 21st century – across distribution, exhibition and audience experience.

The proceedings include a selection of the papers presented at the Beyond the Multiplex: Understanding the Value of a Diverse Film Culture conference that cover the diversity of cinema and highlight the richness of film audience experience, bringing practice, policy and academic perspectives into the debate. They address the curation aspect of cinema (Rachel Hayward and Andy Willis); the role of digital access to film in relation to collective audience experiences (Andy Moore); the cultural history of ‘industry landscapes’ and ‘industry histories’ in the evolution of the independent documentary sector in the thirty-year period to 2020 (Alice Quigley and Steve Presence); the audience engagement and development at Town and Gown cinemas (Dominic Topp and Lavinia Brydon); and the ways in which interaction design for audiences can help in building resilience and supporting the COVID-safe recovery of independent cinemas (Polina Zioga and María A. Vélez-Serna).

You can read the proceedings here.

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Interactive Filmmaking Interactive Scriptwriting News People Publications Research

New Year New Publications!

Here at the Interactive Filmmaking Lab, we have started the New Year with new publications! Hot off the press:

Clarke, A. and Zioga, P. (2022) Scriptwriting for Interactive Crime Films: the Case of Scapegoat. Interactive Film And Media Conference 2021: New Narratives, Racialization, Global Crises, And Social Engagement, Online. Interactive Film and Media Journal, 2(1): 106-121. doi: 10.32920/ifmj.v2i1.1524.

In recent years, the increasing number of interactive films being released, has highlighted the need for further development of methods and criteria that can guide the earlier stages of development, such as the scriptwriting process. Following the framework of interactive storytelling as a spectrum, it is acknowledged that writing a script for an interactive narrative that involves branching path options, or multiple endings, is becoming more common and presents its own challenges. […]

The article is published as part of the Proceedings of the ‘III Interactive Film and Media Conference (#IFM 2021)’ that took place in August 2021. You can read here: the full article and the editorial.

Clarke, A. and Zioga, P. (2021) ‘Celtx Gem split screen view of Scapegoat script’​.​

Also, in press:

Zioga, P. and Vélez-Serna, M.A. (2021 In Press) ‘Interaction Design for Audiences: A Proposition for Building Resilience and Recovery for COVID-safe Independent Cinemas’. In: Proceedings of Audiences Beyond the Multiplex: Understanding the Value of a Diverse Film Culture. Studies in the Digital Humanities. Sheffield: The Digital Humanities Institute.

[…] interaction design and technologies can help independent cinemas to engage and galvanise new audiences to patronise COVID-safe venues. From low-end online platforms to high-end immersive experiences, new technologies are transforming connectivity across society, and have the potential to support access for D/deaf, neurodivergent, and disabled audiences, but adoption by exhibitors is so far limited. We outline the research needs and priorities in this field. These include identifying facilitators and obstacles to industry adoption of interactive forms, and mapping experiences and attitudes across the sector. Together with directions for immediate practical solutions, it is crucial to gather critical data for future research use, in order to pave the way for long-term solutions and design innovation, so that the sector can build resilience, recover and reach underserved audiences.

The article will be published as part of the Proceedings of the Conference ‘Audiences beyond the multiplex: understanding the value of a diverse film culture’ that took place in March 2021. You can read the full article here.

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News People Publications Research

‘Audiences beyond the multiplex: understanding the value of a diverse film culture’

On the 2nd and 3rd of March 2021, is taking place the online conference ‘Audiences beyond the multiplex: understanding the value of a diverse film culture’.

At a key moment for film exhibition, the conference raises questions about how we might think differently about audiences and their relationship with film, and how these insights can support audience development.

As part of the conference, Dr Polina Zioga and Dr María A. Vélez-Serna will present their latest research on ‘Interaction Design for Audiences: A Proposition for Building Resilience and Recovery for COVID-safe Independent Cinemas’ (Session 9 ‘Audiences, accessibility and responding to the pandemic’, 3 March 2021, 11:50-13:00).

Zioga, P., and Vélez-Serna, M.A. (2021) ‘Interaction Design for Audiences: A Proposition for Building Resilience and Recovery for COVID-safe Independent Cinemas’. In: Audiences beyond the multiplex: understanding the value of a diverse film culture. Glasgow, UK, 2-3 March 2021.

[…] interaction design and technologies can help independent cinemas to engage and galvanise new audiences to patronise COVID-safe venues. From low-end online platforms, to high-end immersive experiences, new technologies are transforming connectivity across society, and have the potential to support access for D/deaf, neurodivergent, and disabled audiences, but adoption by exhibitors is so far limited. We outline the research needs and priorities in this field. These include identifying facilitators and obstacles to industry adoption of interactive forms, and mapping experiences and attitudes across the sector. Together with directions for immediate practical solutions, it is crucial to gather critical data for future research use, in order to pave the way for long-term solutions and design innovation, so that the sector can build resilience, recover and reach underserved audiences.

You can find more information about the conference here, together with the free registration.

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Brain-Computer Interfaces Live Brain-Computer Cinema Live Cinema News People Publications Research

Autumn 2019

As we bid farewell to the Autumn, all eyes at the Interactive Filmmaking Lab are focused on the new project we are about to launch publicly, but we also take a look back at some of the key moments during the past few months.

In September, TechWorld featured our work on projects that go beyond the passive viewing of a two-dimensional screen:

Contemporary neuroscientists believe that human brain activity is continuous and transient. The Interactive Filmmaking Lab has taken this theory from the lab to the cinema.

You can read the article here.

In October, Dr Polina Zioga presented her latest research on Neurocinematics and Live Brain-Computer Cinema at the ECREA Film Studies Conference 2019 ‘Research Methods in Film Studies: Challenges and Opportunities’:

Zioga, P. (2019) ‘From Neurocinematics to Live Brain-Computer Cinema: Audience Research, Co-Authorship and Film Form’. In: ECREA Film Studies Section conference ‘Research Methods in Film Studies: Challenges and Opportunities’. Ghent, Belgium, 18-19 October 2019.

The abstract and more information can be found here.

Last but not least, we are excited to announce that we have four new lab members!

Dr Dave Payling is Associate Professor in Electronic Music at Staffordshire University. His research is centred on audio-visual composition and the intersection between visual music and electronic music composition. He works mainly with abstract visual and sound materials and explores the relationships that develop when they are combined. He is Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), Member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (MIET), and the ‘From the Floor’ section editor of Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture.

Richard Harper is Lecturer in Games and Visual Effects at Staffordshire University. His is a Visual Media Specialist, with expertise on Virtual Reality (VR) and Motion Capture, among others. His current research focuses on close-range Photogrammetry for scene reconstruction and the use of VR for presenting real-world assets and environments, in the context of archaeological archival and preservation.

Conor-Jack Molloy is Technical Specialist in Games and Visual Effects at Staffordshire University, with expertise on Motion Capture, Rigging and Skinning for Character Animation.

Ethan Williamson is our latest Final Year Student studying on the BSc (Hons) Film Production Technology course. He is a talented videographer, photographer, editor and production assistant.

Stay tuned, as we are about to announce our new project soon!

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Brain-Computer Interfaces Live Brain-Computer Cinema Live Cinema News People Research

‘Will mind-controlled films change cinema?’ Chips with Everything – The Guardian podcast

Dr Polina Zioga has been invited to talk about the future of cinema and how audiences can use their brain-activity to control a film in The Guardian podcast Will mind-controlled films change cinema? Chips with Everything.

Charlie Chaplin, known for the slapstick humour of his films, was part of a generation of actors who managed to continue working through the transition from the era of silent film to one filled with dialogue and sound.

The introduction of sound wasn’t the only way that people revolutionised cinema, and it won’t be the last.

So what does the history of cinema tell us about the evolution of technology in the arts?

And how can brain activity be used to change the plot of a film? Is there a place for the traditionally passive experience of watching a film to become more interactive, or will that detract from what we value about cinema? […]

You can listen to the podcast on The Guardian.

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Brain-Computer Interfaces Live Brain-Computer Cinema Live Cinema News People Publications Research

‘New research shows how brain-computer interaction is changing cinema’

Dr Polina Zioga writes for The Conversation:

Over the past few years, we have seen the extraordinary development of neural prosthetic technologies that can replace or enhance functions of our central nervous system. For example, devices like Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) allow the direct communication of the brain with a computer. The most common technique applied in these devices, is Electroencephalography (EEG) – a recording of the electrical activity along the scalp.

These technologies are mainly used in health, but our new research shows how they are changing the future of cinema too.

Read the full article on The Conversation.