Community-Based Narratives: a Study of Collaborative Content Creation in Visual Media Production
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Doctoral Dissertation Academic Year 2013 Community-Based Narratives: A Study of Collaborative Content Creation in Visual Media Production Graduate School of Media Design Keio University Janak Bhimani A Doctoral Dissertation submitted to Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Ph.D. of Media Design Janak Bhimani Dissertation Committee: Professor Ichiya Nakamura (Supervisor) Professor Masahiko Inami (Chair) Professor Naohisa Ohta (Member) Associate Professor Kazunori Suguira (Member) Associate Professor Itaru Kitahara (Member) i Abstract Collaborative content creation is the act of multiple individuals engaging in the creation of visual media narratives. Visual media production encompasses a myriad of styles and genres of content. In this dissertation, research into three synchronous and asynchronous approaches to collaborative content creation are presented. Synchronous collaboration refers to collaboration conducted simultaneously by remote parties while asynchronous refers to work undertaken by remote collaborators at different times. Of the three methods presented in this paper, two of the methods implemented resulted in collaborative student-made documentaries. First, asynchronous collaboration is explored in the curation of crowdsourced assets after the 3.11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan in the production of “lenses + landscapes”. Crowdsourcing is a means to utilize existing media assets to deliver a narrative experience that consists of many small parts, but whose overall impact as a whole is greater than the sum. Second, a combination of synchronous and asynchronous remote co-located collaborative content creation is examined in the production of “places + perspectives”. The implementation of large, remotely located touchscreens in collaborative sessions by teams in Japan and the United States is illustrated and analyzed. The third approach, consisting of real-time synchronous collaboration, is made up of a series of usability studies with participants engaging in real-time collaborative content creation through the use of a “shared” interface. By presenting the findings and details of the experiments on collaborative storytelling, the goal is to demonstrate different methods for creating and curating collaborative content in and over remote locations to allow for a unique and enhanced user experience for content ii creators, collaborators and viewers. The community of user-generated content creators in the dissertation is represented by graduate students from the Graduate School of Media Design at Keio University and undergraduate students at the University of California, San Diego. The aim of the dissertation is to present three collaborative models of digital narrative content creation that demonstrate the way in which users have more control over their content and have a more immersive experience with the content. The goal of this study is to establish collaborative content creation as an interdisciplinary field of study and research as well as provide content creators, both existing and new, with the tools and knowledge to work with other individuals in the pursuit of collective visual storytelling. ! Keywords: Collaborative Content Creation, Visual Media Production, User-generated Content (UGC), Content Curation, Remote Co-location, Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University Janak Bhimani iii Table of Contents List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................viii List of Tables ......................................................................................................................................ix Chapter 1 - Introduction .................................................................................................................1 1. Background .......................................................................................................................................................1 1.1. Collaborative Content Creation ......................................................................................1 1.2. Visual Narratives .......................................................................................................................2 1.3. Technology Driven Change ................................................................................................2 1.4. Redefining the Role of Content Creator(s) ..............................................................4 1.5. Shifting Trends in Media: User-Generated Content ..............................................5 1.6. Community ..................................................................................................................................7 1.7. Shared Authorship ...................................................................................................................8 1.8. Collaborative Community Content ...............................................................................9 1.9. Research Problem .................................................................................................................10 1.10. Research Method ...................................................................................................................10 1.11. Research Goal ..........................................................................................................................11 1.12. Dissertation Structure ........................................................................................................12 Chapter 2 - Literature Review .....................................................................................................14 2. Overview .......................................................................................................................................................14 2.1. A Framework for Collaboration ...................................................................................14 2.1.1. Collaborative Media .........................................................................................15 2.1.2. Collaborative Storytelling Platforms ........................................................16 2.1.3. Visual Collaborative Storytelling ................................................................18 2.2. Interaction Design for Children .....................................................................................19 2.2.1. Tangible Collaboration ....................................................................................20 2.2.2. Designing Collaborative Technologies ....................................................25 2.2.3. Remote Collaboration ....................................................................................27 2.2.4. Collaborative Video Production ................................................................28 2.3. Co-presence: Being here, showing there ..................................................................30 iv 2.3.1. Sharing Screens and Ideas .............................................................................30 2.3.2. Towards Transparent Collaboration ........................................................33 2.3.3. Remote Collaboration Applications ........................................................36 2.4. Collaborative Crisis Management ................................................................................37 2.4.1. Crowd and Ground Collaboration .........................................................39 2.5. Collaborative Tools ................................................................................................................41 2.5.1. Collaborative Crates ........................................................................................42 2.5.2. Hand-Held Help .................................................................................................44 2.6. Summary ....................................................................................................................................47 Chapter 3 - Explorations into Collaborative Content Creation .........................................49 3. Overview .......................................................................................................................................................49 3.1. Growing Documentary ......................................................................................................51 3.2. Crowdsourcing and Curation - “lenses+landscapes” ........................................52 3.2.1. Background ............................................................................................................52 3.2.2. Pre-Production Challenges ...........................................................................53 3.2.3. Production .............................................................................................................53 3.2.4. Mix-Media/Hybrid Approach ......................................................................56 3.2.5. Screening and After-life ..................................................................................59 3.3. Remote Co-located Collaboration - “places+perspectives” ........................60 3.3.1. Background ............................................................................................................60 3.3.2. Production Process ...........................................................................................61