A Final Post (For Now):

Through out the past 3 months, this blog has gone from a newly formed page, to a now fairly lengthy read, filled with many interesting topics, each post linking elsewhere, spawning further material for readers to investigate.

This semester, I’ve pondered about the important question of what makes a network, and explored a network of my own through a hyper-text essay. I and a wonderful team of creative minds forged our own networked narrative.

I’ve looked into the past, and the events that lead to the invention of the internet, and the World Wide Web. It’s fascinating, and horrifying to think that our greatest inventions are the secondary applications of technology designed to kill.

In another post, I took a look at viral media and the longevity of internet popularity. And of course, cat videos!

Finally, I discussed two very recent trans-media projects in the forms of Jurassic World and Halo. Don’t forget I took a dive into my own trans-media campaign, which you can read all about here!

The subject of Making Networked Culture has been a unique and inspiring one. I know the content I’ve learned here will be applicable and helpful in the future. Until then, thanks for reading!

Augmented Reality Games:

Augmented reality games (ARG) are an intelligent marketing method that may provide a lot of fun for audiences, and be far more engaging than a simple trailer, or posters.

Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World, launched an ARG through their website, as an intricately detailed site promoting the theme park from the film. Seen on the site is a map of the park, waiting times for exhibits and rides, the current temperature, ticket bookings, an online merchandise store, “live” camera footage of the park, and even park reviews, including some very well thought out negative reviews.

In preparation for the launch of Halo 5: Guardians, 343 Industries formed a trans-media campaign titled; Hunt the Truth. Encouraging fans to attempt to solve for themselves, what happened to Sierra 117, The Master Chief, between the events of Halo 4, and Halo 5: Guardians. Included in Hunt the Truth, is several trailers from multiple points of view telling conflicting stories, a miniseries produced by Ridley Scott, titled Halo: Nightfall, and a Sound Cloud page, HUNTtheTRUTH, telling the story of Benjamin Giraud, a reporter attempting to uncover a conspiracy surrounding the Master Chief.

CATS!!!

Adorable house pet, Broadway musical, one of the most common sources of allergies and one of the biggest internet sensations. What is it about cats that evoke such a response from people? There seems to be no genuinely correct answer to this question. All we can say for sure is that cat videos are hilarious. But why? Perhaps we want to experience the adorable and playful aspects of owning a cat, with out the responsibility. Then there are videos like Pinky the Cat, in which we are not shown an adorable kitten, yet it’s one of the funniest videos on the internet.

Perhaps cat videos are successful because cats are ultimately unaware of their success. Almost all cat videos are genuine. We understand that cats have no concept of the internet or monetisation. They can not grasp the idea of video cameras, are not staged, and never behave a certain way to act funny.

Pixelspersecond explores the concept of cat videos in his short, Kittywood Studios: Cat Videos Incorporated, in which a mass-media company dominates the market of feline footage.

Viral Media:

Spreading through Europe via the Silk Road, with no mercy nor respite, the ‘Black Death’ resulted in the death of 75-200 million people in the Eurasia area. Wiping out almost a third of the ‘known’ world in the space of seven years. Similar to the spread of a plague, or pandemic, is the spread of viral media. Utilizing pre-existing social networks, viral media spreads from person to person like a disease. Only, this kind of virus usually only kills one’s productivity.

On July 15 2012, South Korean musician, Psy, released his 18^th single, Gangnam Style. By the end of 2012, Gangnam Style had become the most viewed and most liked video on YouTube. And had topped the music charts in over 30 countries, including Australia, Canada, Italy, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom. Gangnam Style currently has 2.43 Billion views on YouTube and almost 10 million likes. Gangnam Style was catchy, and Psy’s dance moves became an online sensation in themselves. However, it would seem that viral media is prone to dying as suddenly as it becomes popular. Like a fad, what was cool before becomes uncool, or yesterday’s news soon enough.

Peter Lepeniotis’ animated film ‘The Nut Job (2014)’, featured characters dancing  to Gangnam Style over the end credits, which was seen by audiences as “cringe inducing” and unnecessary. The top comment on YouTube seems to be an accurate representation of current responses to Psy’s once unstoppably popular music video.

War forces Innovation:

Technology and warfare go hand-in-hand. In Sid Meirer’s Civilization games, players must discover the crossbow in order to build the printing press, and invent dynamite in order to connect their civilizations by railroads. In the same way that enhancing one’s army in Civilization can improve the happiness and gold outputs of cities, war-time can lead to technological leaps and bounds in the real world.

During the Second World War, both the Allied and Axis powers were heavily invested in attempting to gain a leg-up on the opposing side through better military technology. Aircraft were utilized for bombing runs over great distances during ‘The Blitz’. The Germans developed the Enigma code, a means of encrypting information that was almost deemed indecipherable, if not for the work of Alan Turing and his team. German rocket scientists further developed rocketry, creating the earliest prototype of the jet engine, and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. Meanwhile, the Americans constructed the ultimate payload for such missiles, the Atomic Bomb. First known as the Manhattan Project. A weapon of mass-destruction so powerful it forced Japan to surrender within the week two bombs were detonated.

After the war, these German rocket scientists were split between Russia and the United States. In the wake of this deadly conflict, the Cold War between these two super-powers pushed technology further than ever. Both sides rushed development on the nuclear bomb, forcing an arms race that, at a moments notice, could result in the mutually assured destruction of both countries and render most of the Earth uninhabitable. The Cold War came to a close with the conclusion of the Space Race. Russia placed the first satellite in orbit, Sputnik, launched the first living creature into space, Sputnik II/Laika, and the first manned space mission, Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1. Many Americans saw Russia and Communism as the enemy, and at this point in history, the enemy was winning. NASA scientists needed an end goal to beat Russia to. And so the Apollo Luna program landed on the surface of the Moon, and safely transported its crew back to Earth, in what truly was one giant leap for mankind.

Even with the Space Race won, the threat of the ‘Nuclear Checkmate’ still loomed over the world. If mankind were to survive a war with no victors, then it would need to store its collective information on a distributed network, rather than in single information centres. Thus, the Internet was developed…

What is a Network?

A network is simply a series of interlinking nodes, possibly connected to a central node, or may be entirely decentralized. This model can be applied to a wide range of interconnecting mediums. Examples of networks are, the human nervous system, where the brain is a central node branching off the many other nerves through a network of synapses, carrying messages around the body. A city functions in a similar way, with many different networks layered over one another, such as sewerage, electricity, and road networks to form infrastructure.

The internet is another such network. The internet is not some sort of persistent ‘cloud’, storing data. But is a large distributed network that is very physical, composed of servers, thousands of miles of cable, and the billions of devices connected at any given time.

But a network does not have to be one of physical connections. At university, students are often told to start forming their own networks. Networks of colleagues, friends and co-workers. Collaborators and potential contacts for the future.

Transmedia Project

My transmedia project takes inspiration from contemporary properties from the Super Hero genre. Inspired by works such as Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, Marvel Comics’ Civil War, and Sucker Punch’s InFamous.

Product/End Result: Feature Film. Supers: A disastrous terror attack annihilates 7 city blocks in the (fictitious) city of New Empire.  After the incident, Felix Ruskin, a young courier discovers he has unique super powers. But he is not alone; an entirely new social class rises from the ashes of New Empire, as “Conduits” appear and become more common, an agency dedicated to tracking and regulating them is formed. But the Conduits are not seen equally in all eyes. Some revere them as gods, while others see them as threats to humanity. Leading the movement is an enigmatic speaker, Bishop Balthazar, who hijacks Television signals to further his message.
But the International Conduit Control Agency’s (ICCA) methods are sketchy. Entire cities around the world are cut off from the outside world. People suspected of containing the conduit gene disappear over-night. And ICCA operatives roam the streets enforcing martial law, with reports of some exhibiting their own super-powers. Things take a turn for the worse for Conduits, when Balthazar begins to raise his own militia, and begins to actively hunt what he calls “Bio-Terrorists”.
But Balthazar is not the only one fighting for a cause. A conduit known as Holiday uses similar methods to rally others to the defence of “Supers”.
As things approach breaking point, it lies on Ruskin to protect the citizens of New Empire from the agents who locked them in. Or, become corrupted by his power, leading him to transform into the monster people see him to be.

Transmedia elements:

A YouTube account by Bishop Balthazar: This account will post cryptic videos, as an outlet for his disdain towards the “Bio-Terrorists”. While many of these videos will be of Balthazar talking to a camera, his face is never fully visible. Eventually Bishop becomes much more violent in his approach and calls for the extermination of anyone suspected to be a bio-terrorist.

A similar account by Holiday: This account will post similarly enigmatic videos intended to rally others to his cause.

Home video of conduits: A whole range of non-descript YouTube channels will upload videos of these “supers” using their powers.

http://www.ConduitControl.com: A website, run by the ICCA which provides information on the public face of the ICCA, and information about the recent rise in the conduit gene.

Flyers hung up in several major cities across the world: These posters come from several sources, including ICCA material telling citizens to remain calm, propaganda by Balthazar’s militia, and Holiday’s associates.

Protests and rallies held in several major cities: Organised protests demanding equal rights for Supers, harsher regulation and registration on conduits, and complete separation of humans and bio-terrorists.

A Sound cloud account run by an unknown person: This account uploads leaked audio clips from within the ICCA, relating to quarantine zones, conduits, and the ICCA’s inner workings.

Secret Conduit meetings: Clues found on posters and in Holiday’s videos point to specific secluded places and times. Those who appear at the designated times and places will be given instructions by Holiday to further the cause.

Supers | Reveal Trailer:  The first glimpse of footage from the film. This will be shown exclusively first to audience members who engaged with other elements of the campaign. Inside will be small teases of the elements the audience interacted with, including names, faces, the wider scope of the world of the film, and even footage of the various protests that took place.

Click here for the entire Supers, Playlist.

Pictured above: The Chronological order of events in the lead up to the film’s release. In the world of Supers, the New Empire disaster occurs prior to any of the events shown.

Networked Storytelling

A Party.
A Murder.
3 Suspects.
1 Killer…

This narrative projects thrusts the viewer into the hot seat as the ‘digital detective’, attempting to solve the burning mystery of ‘who did it?’
Very inspired by the aspects of film noire, while also borrowing a few pages from Jonathan Lynn’s Clue.

Each actor took on the role of the writer and architect of their own character and backstory, forging the narrative of where they were and when, with all three suspects having something to hide, and something to reveal about the others.

Overall, I believe this piece came together very well. Unfortunately the difference in our editing styles and skills is quite apparent visually and audibly when cycling between videos. However, given the scale of this piece, I believe all four cast and crew members did an outstanding job at evenly distributing the workload among ourselves.

The idea of branching and interconnecting narrative was a very fun concept to explore, and one I would definitely consider utilizing in the future. In the meantime, enjoy the investigation, detective…

Hypertext Essay

My interests are varied and plentiful, but I believe my future career lies underneath the umbrella of “Media”. My ideal creative pursuit is in film / cinema, as a director or another role behind the camera in the production of films, as well as work in the field of editing and visual effects. Another interest of mine for several years now is that of acting and live performance in theatre and on camera. These are all skills I hope to pursue into future employment. At the present moment, my experience in film is limited to my studies of cinema in high school and university, as well as my experience in creating my own shorts with friends. To improve my career prospects in this field, I must further develop my skills as a practitioner and create and forge networks with other creators and audiences.

One way to enter the world of film making would be to start by building up a portfolio of work, including shorts and visual effects reels. This work should be available to show off on an easily accessible online platform, such as YouTube, Vimeo or my own website / blog. This would allow consumers to view my works, thus allowing growth and a small level of fame among users. It also gives potential employers a means of discovering and browsing through my portfolio of pieces and see my skills and development as an artist.

Another way I can network further and gain recognition would be to volunteer for several film festivals, such as the Melbourne International Film Festival, and Melbourne Web Fest. By volunteering for these events, I can meet with fellow up-starts and film veterans in the hopes of further broadening my own network of contacts, potential employers and collaborators.

Collaboration is crucial in the world of cinema. Therefore it would benefit me greatly to connect with other like-minded artists of diverse talents and roles on and off screen. My time at Latrobe University will greatly assist me in this field, as every classmate I meet could be a potential employer, or collaborator. Furthermore, Latrobe and its students offer a wide range of clubs, societies, groups, and opportunities, for students to join and get involved with. One such society is the “Journalism, Media, Arts and Communications Society”, (also known as “JMAC”). JMAC is fairly new and still developing and growing, but even now offers members great opportunities to meet and work with fellow students from different courses and years who all take up an interest in media and the arts.
Similarly, Latrobe’s annual Moat Festival provides many unique opportunities for students interested in art, film and theatre, with events such as a 48 hour film project, where teams are tasked with writing, directing and shooting a film in a two-day window. Taking part in these events would make for a good chance to gain experience in film-making, and work with fellow artists to create and connect.

First/Test Post

Hello,
My name is Carl Pontisso. I’m currently a first year student at LaTrobe University. If you’re reading this, it means you’ve one way or another stumbled upon my WordPress blog. Enjoy the work/assessments/shenanigans that will soon be posted.