Before I met with the lecturers I knew I wanted to create a project based on various creatures in Japanese folklore and use AR to ‘bring them to life’. During the studio session, I had a one to one meeting with Ryan where I explained that I wanted to make / 3D print three different masks based on Japanese folklore and three 3D models based on those masks. I will then want to reveal the modelled characters using an AR app which will recognise the masks. One concern I had was how I would make the AR app and whether it would be able to recognise the masks. Ryan then asked me why I was so interested in this idea, and helped me figure out for myself what I wanted to gain out of the project and question the project itself.
Regarding the augmented reality, I was torn between whether I should programme the app myself or find an existing app that can help achieve the same thing. He informed me that creating the AR app is definitely possible but will take a lot of time and since I knew nothing of AR or programming we thought it would be best to find an existing app and use that for the project. He then advised me on various programs that I could look in to, one of which was Zappar which imports 3D models and uses ‘zapcodes’ which can be printed where the app scans the code and causes the model to appear.
As for the idea itself, he asked me what I wanted to achieve with the project. I began to explain that I wanted to create a relationship between old and new technology. Traditionally masks were used to reenact stories, allowing people to visualise/imagine what these characters and creatures would look like. Through my project, I am almost taking this away by recreating these characters and incorporating it in the real world through AR. We then discussed whether or not we should use these tools to tell stories, and whether the reason these folklores have existed this long because people have had to reimagine these creatures. We came to the conclusion that my project almost questions whether new technology that can be used for storytelling will taint storytelling itself and whether it should be used or not.
Overall, Ryan told me that because character concept art and creation won’t be as big of a problem as the AR aspect, therefore, I should spend time concentrating on whether I can achieve this or not before Assignment 1’s submission. He also suggested I read:-
- “Hamlet on the holodeck: the future of narrative in cyberspace” by Murray, Janet Horowitz
- Narcissistic narrative: the metafictional paradox by Hutcheon, Linda
Tasks to do next:
- Research storytelling tools and how they have affected storytelling itself.
- AR research and how to achieve what I want to do for my project
- Mask research and concept art
- Ask how to print/make masks cpda technicians
Animation Project 