At long last.

Ladies and gentleman, after a corrupted external hard drive and a blue screen of death which fatally damaged my laptop, it has returned from the dead stronger than ever. I present to you my doco. I do recommend you watch this in 1080p. Enjoy!

 

Doco Learning Contract 2.0

CONTENT

1. What is the community that you will make your documentary for?

I am making this documentary for the Super Street Fighter 4 community in Melbourne. The video game series was first developed in 1987 by Capcom and has since established itself as one of the most well known fighting games to date. It has great success internationally.

2. Why do you think it is a community?

It is as such because there exists a common interest between everyone who considers himself/herself a part of the community: the love of the game, the love of playing the game and the love of video games in general. Similar to other gaming communities, this group has developed its own slang for describing certain areas of the game (i.e. strategies, situations), as well as inside jokes that a person not familiar to the game would not understand.

3. What theory about community have you read that is relevant to issues in this community? Summarise the relevant ideas.

This post somewhat explains my thoughts on the matter. For the record, most of the reading produces complex concepts which I find are irrelevant to simply choosing what community I want to be working on. This could be due to the fact that the Super Street Fighter 4 community is not considered a ‘moral’ or ‘civic’ force. It is quite simply, a group of people who share the same choices of entertainment.

I would however, like to illustrate the similarities I have drawn from the reading and the community I am addressing in the documentary. The following quotes attempt to summarize Delanty’s explanations of Cohen’s and Turner’s viewpoints on what a community is.

Delanty states, “for Turner community has a symbolic character in the sense here of creating powerful links between members of a society or social group” (p.46, 2003). Cohen, on the other hand, feels that community should be defined “in terms of particular kinds of awareness groups have of themselves in relation to other groups” (p.46, 2003). He than adds, “people can participate within the ‘same’ ritual yet find quite different meanings for it” (Cohen, p.55, 1985).

4. Are you in agreement or disagreement with these ideas?

I am in agreement with both of these ideas. Why Delanty seems to interpret Cohen’s ideas as going against Turner’s puzzles me, as they are essentially saying the same thing: groups with an awareness of the uniqueness of their bonds are communities. Cohen’s statement of finding different meanings for the same ritual is simply saying each individual in the community has their own reasons. That does not change the fact that they are still engaging in the same activity. His statement is redundant to defining the community, but interesting in how i can creatively approach my documentary.

5. How can you use these ideas in your documentary?

Illustrating the community’s awareness of their uniqueness when compared to other groups (i.e. How are SSF4 players different from other arcade game players in other areas of Australia? What sets them apart?). More than anything, I think it is important to focus on the people in the community, rather than the activity of playing. Yes, the activity or ritual of playing is the glue that binds them together, but it cannot be what the whole documentary is about. What other human interactions are present? How did all of them get into the community in the first place? Was it from an introduction from a friend? A tournament? A rivalry? How do rivalries function in the community? Also, I would like to take the time to ask each individual what their reasons are for becoming part of the community.

6. What is the structure of the documentary?

Intro

An urban, personal feel during the establishing shots. Filming the common sights at the arcades. Introducing the audience to the bright and shiny world of our community, their ‘home’ if you will.

Body

The main chunk of the documentary will be split into two parts:

Technical:

This portion of the documentary looks at the interesting parts of the community that ‘outsiders’ would not be familiar with. I mentioned earlier the jargons, mannerisms and habits of the group. This ‘technical’ aspect of the documentary is meant to provide a light hearted feel to the documentary, although the format may be subjected to further change. Still viewing other documentaries to see whether interweaving the technical and personal elements of the documentary will be feasible.

Personal:

This portion will comprise of personal questions with Ali, mainly revolving around questions of how he got into the community and why he joined the community. These interviews will be interspersed with scenes of the ‘crew’ hanging out and spending time with one another at the arcade.

Conclusion

A nice smooth outro which blends seamlessly back to the arcade itself, maintaing the urban feel. Also perhaps giving some information about the group and where they meet, for people interested getting in contact with them.

7. What is the style of the documentary?

A combination of participatory and expository documentary.

TECHNICAL

8. What type of media will your documentary consist of (eg audio files,text,stills,video, animation etc.)

An audio visual documentary which includes footage recorded, together with royalty free music to provide background music.

9. Given that your documentary will be published online, how will you tailor production and post-production to be appropriate (eg image size, frame rate, design issues, copyright)?

Documentary will be recorded in 16:9 aspect ratio. The video will be optimized for web distribution (1080p), either on Vimeo or YouTube.

With regards to copyright issues, the use of all media not created exclusively for the documentary will have the creator’s consent prior inclusion and will be acknowledge during the credits. In addition, as this documentary will be publicly viewed, all participants will be informed of the fact that the content can be manipulated by an outside party.

There is a high probability the documentary will be posted on the community’s website, Shadowloo.

10. What are your skills in making this style of media?

I have a great deal of experience in post production audio with Avid as well as a basic level of competency with audio recording devices.

11. Are you enlisting the help of any crew during the production phase of your
documentary?

Yes. I require the assistance of a DOP.

12. Will you need to borrow technical equipment from the School techs? If yes, what do you want to borrow? When do you want to borrow it?

No. The camera, a Canon 550D is property of my DOP, as well as his shotgun mic. Some audio tests are required to see if background audio levels at the arcade would interfere with voice levels. In that situation, other audio recording devices might be used.

PERMISSIONS

13. What talent do you need to get release forms signed for?

The individuals whom I plan to interview will have to sign a written consent: here

They will all be part of the Shadowloo crew. Availability of other talents, such as the arcade managers are pending.

On location shoots, similarly, have to go through the same process for permission to shoot: here

14. Are you going to interview any minors?

No.

15. Do you need permission to shoot on location?

Yes, I will be needing permission, especially if I plan to film SSF4 tournaments, which are usually held at hotel convention rooms, or arcades.

POST-PRODUCTION

16. What software do you need to edit your documentary?

Avid.

17. Do you have sufficient skills with that software?

Yes, I have sufficient skills with the program.

18. Do you have sufficient access to that software?

Yes.

PUBLICATION

19. What social software environment will you publish your documentary to?

The documentary will be published on Vimeo and YouTube. It will probably make its rounds in Face Book and Twitter as well.

20. Is the media you are creating appropriate for that environment?

Yes. I feel that a video documentary will capture the essence of the arcade culture and the best way to showcase this documentary is through the more popular social networking sites and video sharing websites.

21. Have you become a member of that environment?

Yes I have.

22. Have you done a ʻtestʼ publication?

I have uploaded my online portfolio on both Vimeo and YouTube, which would demonstrate my familiarity with the social software.

23. Does the environment stipulate any limits (eg file size, dimensions, file types, copyright, legal issues) that you will need to meet?

Yes they do. Restrictions will be met.

LEGAL
24. Have you got copyright permission for all the content you use?

Yes.

25. There is no defamation or slander?

There is no instance of defamation or slander. All subjects involved are willing, and it is in my best interests not to edit content in such a way which places any subject in a negative light.

26. Any other legal issues?

None that I can ascertain for now. Copyright and paperwork for talents and locations are fairly straightforward, as this will be a simple documentary.

RISK ASSESSMENT

27. What are the most likely things that could go wrong with your project?

The Shadowloo crew seems extremely enthusiastic with my project, so acquiring talent would not be a problem. I suspect that problems would most likely arise from technical issues such as lighting and audio. My concerns for the video and audio quality come from the fact that most tournaments are held in the evening and stretch on into the night. In addition, arcades are an audio minefield with regards to recording good sound.

28. What is your back-up plan if these things occur?

Rescheduling another day of shooting which coincides with a Shadowloo event. The fact that my DOP has flexible hours helps a lot. A 2 man crew with light equipment is extremely useful in this case.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

29. What is the date of your rough-cut showing?

03/06/2011

30. What is the final due date?

17/06/2011 (Extension granted)

31. When do you intend to start production?

From 10th June to 16th June

32. When do you intend to start post-production?

13th June to 17th June.

33. Given your production start date, have you already booked any technical
equipment you need?

I have not. As explained earlier, all equipment needed are procured from personal contacts.

34. How do these dates work in with assessment deadlines from other courses?

The dates are clear from any deadlines, as the extended due date for the doco is the last deadline in the semester.

35. If you are using talent, does their availability suit your production schedule?

They have already been notified.

36. Remember to collect all the credit information as you go.

Will do!

My thoughts on the doco.

Despite major setbacks, I’m really, really, REALLY pleased with how Fight Night came together. The clip itself is 8 minutes long, was shot with a Canon 550D and edited with Avid. In retrospect, perhaps all the bad luck with the latop dying from a corrupted hard disk was actually a blessing in disguise. To reshoot the documentary took very little time since I already had the shot list and question list all planned out as per the first shoot. In addition, visiting the Shadowloo guys again really made me feel like I’m actually starting to be part of the community. As such, whether consciously and subconsciously, Fight Night 2.0 turned about to be pretty different from my initial work. The orginal version of Fight Night felt a lot less personal to this version, as it was more formally constructed and framed. All the handheld shots in the present version gives the doco a very voyeuristic feel to it, placing the audience in the heart of the action next to our subject.  In my opinion, it also gave the doco a very urban feel especially when compounded with it being a night shoot and the great mood music from DanoSongs.com. Overall, I think this current version of Fight Night aligns closer to the creative direction I had in mind when planning, since it draws inspiration from the 100Yen productions I linked earlier on in the semester.

I was especially pleased that I got to film in an arcade, thanks to the friendly manager at Timezone Arcade @ Boxhill. I had so many choice cutaways to choose from and it provided an -excellent- background when interviewing Ali. Ali himself was easy to interview! He was friendly, outgoing and was natural in front of the camera. Getting a subject to be natural in front of the camera is perhaps one of the toughest challenges when making a doco, and I feel all my earlier visits to build rapport with the crew really paid off. Getting Ali to took into the camera was a conscious decision to bring the audience into the doco. Occasionally, he would look off  camera left, glancing between me and the camera. I’d like to think this gives the impression that the audience becames part of the community while having a casual conversation with Ali.

To address the community aspect of the film, I think watching the doco itself should answer that question. Some areas of the doco I’d like to point out would perhaps be that this documentary, while made with a general audience in mind, actually appeals more to people on the fringes of this community. It sounds cheesy, but the phrase “made for the community, by the community” pretty much sums up what I think the doco achieves. I think this is unique to some of the other docos submitted for transient spaces, in that it functions to foster and grow the community primarily because said director (read: me) can consider himself to be part of Shadowloo in an unofficial capacity.

Are you serious? -looks up-

So, I was backing up Fight Night into my friend’s external hard disk (who uses a MAC, unbeknownst to me). I think we all know where this is going. Trojan in my com. The type that takes nest in your Systems folder. *facepalm* WHY AVAST ANTIVIRUS? WHY YOU NO PROTECT ME. Obviously the virus definitions weren’t up to date enough. Long story short, my laptop goes kaput while doing some final edits, showing me a blue screen of death. I restart it, only to have it blue screen again after 10 minutes or so. Freaking out now. One day left to the deadline. Sending my laptop to the repair shop to see if anything can be recovered. In the meantime, a deadline extension is in order. I also need to contact Ali again and see if he’s willing to let me interview him.

Le sigh.

Looking at the ‘Community’.

According to the godsend that is Wikipedia, community can be defined as:

1. A group of people living together in one place, esp. one practicing common ownership: “a community of nuns”.

2. All the people living in a particular area or place: “local communities“

Hmmmm. Not quite what I had in mind for my doco. It’s not like the Shadowloo people live together. They do however, congregate at one place and they share a common interest. To me, a community is a bunch of people that do something together which has meaning and importance to them. That’s one intepretation of my layman understanding of the word anway. I’m sure it’s also one which most people agree with. According to Bartle, a “community” in some senses may not even have a physical location, but be demarcated by being a group of people with a common interest”.

There are some other terms which I’d like to point out which I could use to ‘study’ my doco. On his website CEC, Paul Bartle states that “A mobilizer, animatoror activist is a person who tries to move (activate, animate) a community”. For all intents and purposes, one of my interviewees Ali Abdo, is such a person. He will be the main focus of Fight Night, as he acts as the proverbial glue that binds everyone else together. I think this in important in a doco centred around communites. What better way to get expert knowledge from a community than a person that has a hand in forming it!

He also builds upon a concept which I will be looking to incorporate in Fight Night:

“Not only is the concept of a community a ‘construct’ (model), it is a ‘sociological construct’. It is a set of interactions, human behaviours that have meaning and expectations between its members. Not just action, but actions based on shared expectations, values, beliefs and meanings between individuals.”

To loosely use what Bartle is saying, addressing and explaining the mannerisms and slang of Melbourne arcade players to the general audience will give the latter some insight into the community; specific behaviours that only have meaning between members of the the community.

Bartle also points out that , “there may be communities within larger communities, including districts, regions, ethnic groups, nations and other boundaries. There may be marriages and other interaction that link villages on both sides of national borders.” This is particularly true for the Shadowloo Syndicate, as it is a local Melbourne arcade fighting community which is part of a nation wide community of sorts.

All these concepts have given me quite a bit to think about when formulating my question list.

Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans. Or doing work.

If life is an infected lower lip. Seriously, again?! Wtf is up with my mouth. I’m allergic to something in my apartment and it’s driving me nuts. Time to see the doctor. Headaches. Ugh. Can’t eat solid foods. ((((((

On a seperate note, I opened the honours envelope which we wrote our goals out on in week 1 and read it again. Those goals still apply.

Notes for Research Essay Version Two.

So I’m reading Adrian’s comments on my essay version one and I’ve modified by abstract with his advice. It isn’t so all embracing anymore since i’ve narrowed down the genre of games to ‘story driven’. This is one aspect I will have to talk about in version two. What are generally considered story driven genres? Typically, they are adventure games and roleplaying games. But with recent innovations, many genres are merging together, much like the discipline of game studies.

Also, another thing to explain in version two would be to clarify what I mean by making ‘better’ games. In the context of my abstract, it would mean games which are highly engaging. There are some parts of version one which I can use in version two. Generally, it would incorporate most of the ‘background’ chapter.

A portion of version one which needs to be elaborated in version two: “I need to justify my claims that generative narrative in video games will result in greater player immersion”. Taking into account my new abstract, I would be swapping out the word ‘immersion’ for ‘engagement’ and using qualitative research to support this argument. This ties it beautifully with the temporary thesis Stefan and I worked a few weeks ago.

Most importantly, I should be investigating how successful interactive narrative design  is achieved through the use of what Dinehart refers to as VUP (viewer/user/player) navigated interfaces, which encompasses game mechanics. This is my main research problem.

Let’s get to it.