In our first group meeting, we had a productive discussion and aligned on several key aspects of our project. Below is a summary of our ideas, decisions, and plans moving forward:
1. Idea Stage
During the meeting, everyone shared their initial ideas for the project:
– Carly’s Idea: Focus on Edinburgh’s myths. The concept involves a tunnel where a young boy opens different doors, each revealing content that showcases Edinburgh’s history, culture, and its influence on the present.
– Zixuan’s Idea: Explore perspectives from different animals, which could be an engaging and unique approach.
– Ruotong’s Idea: Amplify subtle sounds while minimizing louder ones to highlight elements we often overlook in daily life.
– Chao’s Idea: Use old buildings as anchors to showcase Edinburgh’s history and culture.
-Yiting’s Idea: Use a 3D camera to shoot and create 3D videos to express our project.
2. Final Concept Decision
After discussion, we decided to base our project primarily on Carly’s idea of Edinburgh’s myths. We will integrate Zixuan’s concept of diverse perspectives and Ruotong’s sound-focused approach to create a rich and immersive experience. We even considered locating an old tunnel as part of the installation.
3. Role Assignments
To ensure smooth collaboration, we assigned roles based on individual strengths and interests. While everyone will contribute to the overall project, here are the primary responsibilities:
Project Lead: Carly
Documentation: Chao
Planner: Yiting
Sound Director: Ruiqi
Image Director: Ruotong
Tech Support: Zixuan
4. Questions for Reflection
We also discussed three key questions to clarify our motivations and goals for the project:
1. What excites you about this project/course?
– Chao: Collaborating with others and exploring UK culture and history.
– Ruotong: Broadening my horizons.
– Zixuan: Exploring media possibilities, learning new coding techniques, and building an interactive sound product step by step.
– Ruiqi: Collaboration, installation, and high expectations for the outcome.
– Yiting: Exploring Edinburgh’s history, comparing past and present, and using VR technology.
– Carly: Researching myths, exploring tunnels, and creating an engaging final product.
2. What do you want to achieve in this project?
– Chao: Create an interactive sound environment.
– Ruotong: Produce a soundscape.
– Zixuan: Learn how to collaborate effectively and draw inspiration from others.
– Ruiqi: Achieve unique sound experiences.
– Yiting: Combine video and audio in an immersive way to tell architectural stories.
– Carly: Introduce audiences to an immersive experience that contrasts myths with modern reality.
3. What do you need to achieve these goals?
– Chao: Explore more possibilities in sound design for the project.
– Zixuan: Technical support and knowledge of culture/history.
– Ruiqi: Collaboration with peers.
– Yiting: VR technology and live recording tools.
– Carly: Research, sound software, recording equipment, video equipment, editing software, and suitable locations.
5. Learning Goals
Finally, we identified areas where we want to grow through this project:
– Ruotong: Achieve the production of a soundscape.
– Chao: Learn how to use multimedia storytelling to create interactive experiences for audiences.
– Chao & Zixuan: Transform abstract ideas into tangible media outputs.- Zixuan: Build equipment for interactive experiences.
– Ruiqi: Develop storytelling skills.
– Yiting: Improve teamwork, communication, and proficiency in interactive technology.
– Carly:
This meeting set a strong foundation for our project. We are excited about combining our ideas into a cohesive concept that highlights Edinburgh’s myths through innovative use of soundscapes, visuals, and interactivity. Stay tuned for more updates as we progress!
Individual Contributions：
Carly:
This was our first meeting as a group without any tutors. We gathered together, brainstormed various ideas for the project, and later, when we felt we had enough, we held a vote. In this instance, we didn’t settle on one unique idea but opted instead to merge three ideas, resulting in our final concept for the project. After deciding on the idea and weighing the pros and cons of each option, we allocated roles for the project. Rather than drawing another vote, we allowed everyone to express their preferred roles. I, for one, wanted to take on the planner role, but Yiting Liu was interested in it as well. I was averse to becoming the project lead, yet ultimately, I was persuaded into it, and now I find myself as the project lead. I must say I’m genuinely excited about what is on the horizon for the project.
Zixuan:
During our first group meeting, we mainly accomplished three tasks. First, we shared our ideas about the project, with each member presenting their own thoughts. Second, we assigned roles within the group. Third, we discussed the questions given by the professor.
In the end, we selected three key ideas to form the core theme of our project: Carly’s idea of using the legend of the Edinburgh Piper Boy as the story background, Ruotong’s concept of reversing the scale of everyday sounds—making loud sounds small and small sounds loud, and my idea of simulating audiovisual experiences from different creatures’ perspectives. Combining these elements, we shaped our project’s central theme. I found this particularly interesting because the inescapable nightmare of the Piper Boy provided us with great creative space, allowing both our auditory and visual designs to be abstract, which aligns well with the ideas Ruotong and I proposed.
Additionally, we divided responsibilities within the group. I took on the role of technical support, with my main task being to learn various software tools to help bring our project to life. I chose this role because I wanted to challenge myself—learning new software will greatly enhance my skills, and I find this process very exciting. Through this project, I hope to improve my technical abilities.
Finally, we shared our thoughts on the professor’s discussion questions, and Chao recorded them for reference
Ruotong:
We can exaggerated the sounds that overlooked in our daily life by amplifying subtle. For example, in a traffic scene, the overall noise of vehicle flow can be reduced while enhancing the sound of tires friction against the ground, emphasizing its texture and detail. (make big to small and small to big)
Five Questions
1.Write three things that excite you about this project/course.
- This project can shift perspectives, allowing us to see or hear the unnoticed details of everyday life.
- This project can use digital media to represent or recreate urban spaces, creating entirely new experiences that I have never encountered before.
- It allows for a multidimensional understanding and exploration of a city.
2.What do you want to achieve in this project?
- To uncover an interesting new perspective
- To help more people, including myself, better understand Edinburgh.
- Trying to create the soundscape
3.What do you need to achieve these things?
- Conduct extensive research on the city’s background.
- Understand the definition of soundscape, explore the acoustic characteristics of the city, and study how to integrate them into the project.
4.What are the things that you want/need to learn in this project?
- The ability to complete the project through collaborative efforts.
- How to use digital media as a new artistic form to interpret the relationship between sound and image and create a more immersive experience.
In this meeting, firstly we discussed the research direction of this project, and everyone shared their own ideas and concepts. And we determined the project’s theme through a voting process. We integrated the ideas of three team members, using different perspectives to tell a story about Edinburgh. Then we divided the project tasks and identified six different roles that we needed to take on. I chose the position of Image Director, which means I am responsible for overseeing the filming aspect of the project. Finally, we discussed the five key questions mentioned in the lecture that we need to consider.
Ruiqi:
Today was our first group meeting, and we focused on generating ideas and establishing the foundation of our project. Each team member introduced themselves and received their roles. As the sound director, I am responsible for the overall sound design, ensuring that audio elements align with the project’s vision. We decided to create an immersive sound environment for the myth installation, using techniques like ambisonics. Ruotong came up with the idea of maximizing sounds we often overlook and minimizing the ones we’re accustomed to, linking this concept to our project name, Perspective. We’ll tailor the sound to match the hearing ranges and habits of different animals, like dogs, cats, insects, etc.
