Research and Development Blog
This post will be explaining further on the video editing. The overall look of the interview videos are based on an actual desktop UI to make the experience more realistic. Below is a screenshot sample of it.
Although the videos, are mostly finished edited, I will be rendering a more HD version of it to be utilized in the final project. Furthermore, an increase in exposure and brightness will be added in the interview video.
Technology
Unity 3D
Objective
To make a button appear after a set time. This experiment will be utilized in the VR project during the appearance of choices.
Experiment
Before starting the experiment, create a button. Then, add an animation to the button through the animation window. To create the animation, users will need to set a property to the animation. In this case, the scale property will be used. Set the scale on the first second to zero and the last to users’ desired size.
Then, open the button’s Animator window. Create an empty state, rename it to “none”, and set it as default state. This is achievable by right clicking the empty state. This is done so that the button will not trigger the animation previously made upon starting the scene.
Before continuing to the next step, make sure to set the button’s scale to 0 so that the button will be invisible. Next, create a C# code to delay the animation. Below is the code for reference.
Based on the script above, the button’s appearance is delayed by 2 seconds from the start of the scene. Implement the script into the button, and set the Animator as the button’s animator.
Final Outcome
Challenge
The biggest challenge of this experiment is the fact that C# is not taught to students from Raffles Jakarta during their diploma due to difference in curriculum. This is a major setback as now most of the students are encouraged to use Unity to complete their final project.
Conclusion
Overall the experiment was a success although it took quite some time to figure out.
References
https://forum.unity.com/threads/delay-an-animation.434645/
The final AR Project will be informational, and the contents will be surrounded by statistics and research regarding the topic. As of now, the illustrations are still on progress, however, here are the main points each illustration will highlight:
Each illustrations will be unique and match the overall design feel of the project.
The prototype of this project has been done previously (kindly refer to it here). However, I will be re-explaining the step-by-step guide on the final project in upcoming weeks.
This blog post will further explain and show the script and flow of the project.
As previously mentioned, there will be three characters in this project: Main Character (MC), Interviewer, and Candidate. However, the Candidate character and scene is still being reconsidered due to time constraints. To sum up the characters’ personality (excluding Candidate), MC is a hard-working. ambitious, and family-oriented woman; whereas Interviewer is a misogynistic and old-fashioned man with a lot of experience in the field.
As for the production, there will only be one actor needed for the character Interviewer as the whole video will be shot from MC’s point of view using a 360 camera. Currently the actor and set have not been decided. Another blog post will be uploaded once it has been decided. For the full script, kindly review it here.
On the 5th of February 2020, a field trip was conducted by Raffles to the Singapore National Gallery. There we visited the exhibition “City Hall: If Walls Could Talk.” The general idea of the exhibition is to educate the viewers on the history of the building and how it went through a lot of Singapore’s historical milestone.
The exhibition is open for public without additional fees from the entrance ticket; however, it is a scheduled exhibition, so in order for visitors to enjoy the full show visitors will have to enter in a specific time.
Upon entering the exhibition room, four stations are available for visitors to take pictures. These pictures will later be combined and displayed on the end of each show.
Inside the main exhibition hall, there is a wide table which displays some projection mapping that are interactive in some parts of the show. For instance, visitors are asked to help “flip open” a book that explains the building’s history. In addition to that, above the table, there is a small glass screen which projects a video of the speaker. This form of projection gives the holographic illusion of the speaker. Other than that, four screens on the left and right side of the room, and another wide screen on top of the wide table displays supporting pictures of the topic discussed.
After the show has ended, visitors are escorted out of the room. Outside the exhibition hall, and interactive LCD screens are displayed for visitors to learn more about the building. Visitors are able to pick a topic suitable to their criteria, and are given the information based on it.
After the exhibition has ended, students are allowed to roam around the gallery. During this spare time, I discovered a section in which visitors are able to look around parts of the gallery using hand motions which was detected using Kinect. Unfortunately, no pictures were taken to further explain it.
The AR Project at the moment is still in the content research phase. However the general idea and content of this part will be more towards “How Traditional Gender Roles Affect Career Choices.” Here are some of the ideas I have brainstormed and came up with for now:
As of now, I personally think that number 3 is the most suitable for the overall aim and feel of the whole project. I am currently still researching further images and information that will support this part of the project even better.
This blog post will further explain the User Interface (UI) additions of the project. Below are images of the sketches.
The target market of the project will range from 18 – 65 year old males. This range covers a diverse technology literacy thus the simple and easy to understand User Interface (UI). Other than that the User Experience (UX) is crucial for the users to be able to get the point across. Furthermore, the project has to be easily accessible through phone, with the external Gear VR and controller device. Below is the wire-frame mock-up done in 812 x 375 resolution.
The UI above displays how the video will be displayed as soon as the video starts. A button to review the main character’s (MC) CV will be displayed. Other than that a progress bar will be shown to indicate how the interview is going as every choice will determine how the story progresses. As for the instructions, it will be shown before the video plays out, however users may refer back to it during game-play.
As the video progresses, users will be given two options. They are given 10 seconds to decide how they want the story to continue and end. Each options will affect the progress bar positively or negatively.
Kindly preview the full prototype here.
This blog post will be explaining the characters and setting in more detail. The overall setting of the company will take place in the Engineering field. This field is chosen as the STEM industry is well known to be male dominated. Furthermore, there is a lack of representation of women to push women to this field. (Kindly refer to this post for more information regarding the issue.)
The project will consist of 3 characters: Main Character (MC), Candidate, and the Interviewer. Both the candidate and interviewer will be played by male actors, around 23 – 35 years old. As for the MC, an actress is not needed as the project will be shot in her point of view, placing the viewer in the MC’s shoes. Below is a simple mood board to further illustrate each of the character.
MC is an experienced female worker based in the software engineering field. She is a hardworking, dedicated, and overall a professional employee. Although she is the perfect candidate on the job, the interviewer seems to be reluctant in hiring her as Chief Engineer due to her gender.
Candidate just recently graduated from university in hospitality. He is quite carefree, friendly, a bit of an airhead, and overall youthful. While waiting to be interviewed as (job title) in the company, he met MC and decided to converse with her for a bit. They ended up exchanging numbers before MC was called in for the interview.
Interviewer has been in the company’s HR department for more than 10 years. He is uptight, sexist, and quite straight-forward. During the interview process with MC, he raises concerns of her decision in applying as Chief Engineer due to the industry being male-dominated.
Before I explain further about the set and character details, I would like to give a brief description on the flow.
There will be two parts in the video: (1) Opening (2) Interview. In the first part, the main character (MC) will be waiting for her turn to be interviewed. While MC is waiting to be called in, she conversed with another candidate. Viewers also may review MC’s resume and get acquainted with her for a while. The interview and full interactive decisions will happen in the second part. The interviewer will begin by asking a few basic questions, however as time progresses the questions might seem ill-natured. This part will highlight the discrimination and the things women have to sacrifice in order to achieve her dream career and succeed in it.
As for the set, the project will most likely be shot and produced in Indonesia due to time constraints and budget reasons. It will be much more do-able to search for the actors, rent the set, and do the production there as most of my networks are based in Jakarta, Indonesia. The set used will be a co-working space, in which I will be renting out two meeting rooms for the whole video. Above are sample images of how the set is going to look like.
These meeting room cost roughly IDR 150,000,- to IDR 250,000,- (roughly SGD 15 and SGD 25) per hour. This is a huge price difference to renting out one meeting room in Singapore which costs roughly SGD 55 – SGD 78 per hour.
The final outcome will be in an interactive 360 video format in which users are able to choose how the story progresses, leading to its respective endings. This post will discuss further on the first outline of the project. Below is a rough storyboard, brainstorming session, and character sketch:
During this stage, more in-depth story-line research will be done. The references will be sorted out mostly from YouTube, Reddit, and job interview tips website. Other than that, a job interview template script will be referred to in order to give a more realistic outcome. Below are some of the references:
In future weeks, I will be doing more of the pre-production and the AR part of the project. Below is a rough timeline projection of this quarter.
Shannon Joycelyn 