New Media Documentary project proposal

New Media Project
Documentary Production III, DM8106
Proposal written by Janis Cole, June 9, 2008

Watching the Watcher

I'm working in a student group that includes myself, Elaine, Inger, Gail and Ernie. We are playing with notions of watching, being watched, voyeurism, privacy and surveillance.

Our new media project incorporates a four-camera multiple perspective surveillance of a live performance, a random playback order of the performance narrative through a MaxMSP patch, a small light and camera that will be triggered when someone peeps into an object in our installation and a monitor feed to an AV projector that will complete the watching cycle.

Here’s how it works:

• We have choreographed our four-camera coverage (i.e. four perspectives) of a live performance, secured our performer (Mike Sage) and arranged to film on June 9th.
• The video clips of the performance will play back in random order through a MaxMSP patch like the ones we used in class, and will be projected on a 20” computer monitor.
• As audience members watch the monitor with the performance clips they will be enticed to look through a peephole in a 20” box set up close to the images of the performance (one camera perspective of the event coverage is through a peephole which will entice viewers to peep into the box).
• Looking into the peephole will trigger two sensors. The first sensor will set off a small light that illuminates an object used in the event we film. The second will trigger a small camera that begins to record.
• The projection behind the person peeping into the box creates an image of the watcher watching, which gives us the result we want.

We attended the electronic workshop to learn about setting up circuits and sensors.

*** new media applications we're using include– Multiple camera coverage of an event with the clips to be run in random narrative playback order through a MaxMSP patch. A small light and small camera set to be triggered by sensors. A real time monitor feed into an AV projector. An interactive environment where the viewer becomes part of the installation piece.

We would like to install our project in a room approximately 14' x 10'. There will be a 20" monitor, a 20" box and a 3' x 3' projection in the room. The equipment we're using includes two laptop computers, a 20" monitor, stereo speakers, amplifier, AV projector, 7W light, small camera, stands and/or tables, cables and AC power cords, control of lighting in the room (overheads on dimmers or lamps and dimmers), sensor, circuit, Arduino code folder and the MaxMSP random order patch.