My DA has been a rocky road full of writes, re-writes, aesthetic changes and biggest of all platform changes. I originally wanted to create a digital artefact that focused on the future of the film industry within the next 5-10 years. As cinema and film have been rapidly evolving in the past few years, I wanted to discover more and develop my own theories of what will be up and coming.

I found out somewhat early on that my original idea for the digital artefact, video essays, was going to be too much work for me to handle so I decided to create a website instead. This was my first time developing a website so had to stumble through a lot of issues before I was able to create content for the site. After I had the bare bones down, I split all the topics I wanted to address down into pages and began research on each area.

I found a massive amount of research that I wanted to use, as the emergence of new technologies have been setting the film industry aflame. An article by Raindance (2019) showcased the mass of new technologies are developing new techniques for the film industry reshaping the production process. From my own knowledge I knew other techniques were developed recently for the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, which also piqued my interest, becoming a key focus in the technology aspect of the DA.

From the lectures, I remember in week 3 the foundations of future studies were rooted in predictions prophecy and scientific forecasting. This is something I brought into the DA with making predictions of which sci-fi movies were going to be reimagined/redone to fit the visions of our future now. I found articles that detailed predictions of sci-fi films that had already come to fruition and Business Insider (2019) detailed this in an article which I used in correspondence to the lecture material. This was paired with my own knowledge of Disney remakes becoming so popular that other series of films, such as Back to the Future may be revisited.

As film studies is a passion of mine, I know that many people that feel the same would enjoy the website I was creating. I felt as though it would be perfect for those interested in sci-fi and technology and also what you could say, ‘movie nerds’. As a BCM student as well, I think this DA would continue to be useful to future BCM325 students, to look back on my digital artefact and see if I were perhaps correct or what they could make of it in the future.

Overall, as there were many changes in ideas and trying to figure out how this DA addressed the challenge of the Future Cultures focus, this digital artefact took a bit longer to get off the ground and could honestly still use some work. I feel with more time it will be up to my own standards but here we are at the finish line, and I am still happy with the result. I think now it is fully functioning with all links working and easy to navigate, it is a success. I was not able to address everything I wanted with the research I had completed thus limiting the full utility of the project.  

However, if you are interested in the DA, please check it out here:  https://taylah912.wixsite.com/filmindustryfuture

Harman, R 2019, ‘How is Digital Technology Reshaping the Film Industry?’, Raindance, 24 April, viewed 18 April, https://www.raindance.org/how-is-digital-technology-reshaping-the-film-industry/#:~:text=Here%20are%20just%205%20technologies,4K%203D%20Cameras

Johnson, D 2019, ‘9 predictions from old sci-fi movies that actually came true’, Business Insider Australia, 12 December, viewed 21st April, https://www.businessinsider.com.au/sci-fi-movie-predictions-2019-5?r=US&IR=T

Okay here we go again with a critical reflection of Beta Comments for BCM325 – Future Cultures. Its week 12, and we are all in the thick of perfecting our DA’s for submission. Some last minute tips and helpful insights is what we all need right now and this is what I came up with.

Firstly I comments on Emma’s Beta Pitch which is a DA I commented on way back in the beginning of semester. Chae is a business which has a magazine that looks into a variety of topics but wanted to add to this in line with what we have learnt over the semester in this subject. In the Beta they mention adding Tik Tok to gather a larger audience and become multi-platformed. They have also been uploading “sporadic” podcasts.

Emma’s (Chae) Comment:

I first looked at this DA when it was just a pitch and it’s awesome to see how far you’ve come since then. I think we all struggled at the beginning of the DA process to connect it clearly back to lecture materials but I can see how you’ve looked into using skills from a futurist perspective to develop your podcasts. This article looks at the history of forecasting and its relevance in futurism which is connected with both the lecture content and what you DA is focusing on https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/12/17/why-we-are-obsessed-with-forecasting-futurism/

By branching into Tik Tok I think you will find a greater audience that will able to interact back and push more ideas, similar to our live-tweeting for the rest of the subject. You’ve done an awesome job so far and can only see improvements from here on out. Congrats!

As I commented on this project in its inital pitch ideas, its been amazing to see the project grow. This comment I really tried to pull out where they are connecting to course content and give a source that in this case appealed to both course content and to specifics they are implementing in the DA. I tried finding further sources but was unsure of how else to assist as they have a very steady plan that it extremley well thought out.

Alex’s DA is now focusing on 1 minute Tik Toks that develop the ideas of AI in other science fiction films. Originally she started blog posts but found they were not engaging for herself or others. Her struggles with views are understandable and in my comment I opted to use my own knowledge to maybe help out.

Alex’s Comment:

This DA is not only perfect for this subject but also incredibly interested. One I am interested in myself. AI throughout BCM325 has been an ever-present concept we have dealt with since the beginning weeks. By utilising this knowledge, you have created an engaging project that not only BCM student will find entertaining. Tik Tok is a perfect platform especially since there is a strong fan base presence for various movies and series that can be used to your advantage.

To bring both your platform and subject content together, I found an article about how Tik Tok themselves uses AI which could be interesting to weave throughout your other videos to elaborate further on lecture content https://www.analyticssteps.com/blogs/how-artificial-intelligence-ai-making-tiktok-tick

I hope this helps, and don’t be too disheartened by views as sometimes the Tik Tok algorithm is hard to crack but you never know when your next post will blow up! Can’t wait to see what else you do!

This DA was super interesting to me so I had many ideas that could be of use. I wanted to keep it short and sweet however, as we are in our final stages. Again in this comment I reflected on class content and found a source that was both platform related and aligned with the subject of AI.

Lastly, I commented in James’ Beta Pitch for his DA in ‘Forecasting the Forecast Factories’. This was a DA I wasn’t familiar with but gathered he was making videos to delve into what factrory types games will look like in the next 50 years. Though he mentioned uploads have fallen behind, I was still able to leave some feedback.

James’ Comment:

Hey James, I think this is a really interesting topic and is grounded nicely in lecture material such as forecasting and futurism. 50 years is a very long way in the future and I am keen to see your thoughts on how different these types of games will look in the future. I think going even further and looking at how VR and Cyberspace might affect these specific games would work really well too.

This article is specific to manufactory type games and how to make them fun again for the future. Maybe it will give you some further ideas.https://www.industryweek.com/technology-and-iiot/article/22025774/gaming-the-factory-can-data-make-manufacturing-fun-again

Good luck with the upload schedule!

This comment I opted to give some ideas on what other course content he could relate to his digital artefact on top of the concepts he already has/plans to talk about. I also provided a source that looks at factory gaming and how to make them fun again which is something I thought would be useful when looking into the future. Though I could have added more ideas and feedback, again, as we are close to the finish line, overwheling students with too many ideas and concepts would be counter productive.

Overall, I think my comments this round were more rooted in course content and drawing out ideas from what we have learnt in the subject so far. I think I have improved in the way I give feedback but I am sure there is more room to grow.

Until next time……

Since my last critical evaluation of my tweeting experience in BCM325, we have continued our sci-fi screenings and developed our critical thinking about future cultures. From the last lot of tweets we have viewed Blade Runner 2049, The Matrix, Alita Battle Angel, Ready Player One and finally to end the semester Robot and Frank.

After the last time I wrote about future cultures in the framework of the science fiction films, I have developed my skills in critically analysing the films with the lens of the theories and concepts we have learned in our lecture. I personally believe I have seen an improvement on the quality of my tweets and the converstations with other students surrounding the films.

For Week Six, as a cohort we viwed Blade Runner 2049. As we had prevously already watched and alaysed the original Blade Runner, it was interesting to see the developments of the storyline as well as critically view it from a more developed sense of future culture theories. I tweeted things such as:

Transhumanism is a path we are quickly rocketing towards with constantly developing technologies that will enhance the human condition. It is something we have been seeing from pretty much every screening from #BCM325 Is it a good thing? Or something we should be wary of?

Tweet by Taylah

This is something that has been looked at since the dawn of time, we have no clue about the past of some nations because they didn’t write things down or have tangible pieces of history. It makes me think we are almost moving backwards with this move to digitisation #BCM325

In reply to – Jess Wainwright

Are there any memories you would want to be manipulated or even removed? This technology seems as though it has this power, but as it was said, memories make us have human responses, what would we be without them? #BCM325 #BladeRunner2049

Tweet by Taylah

These tweets, I feel, began to bring more conversation towards the content of the lecture subjects and created converstations with other BCM students in the subject. I was more engaged with this filom than the first Blade Runner and I believe my knowledge of future cultures were able to facilitate this.

In Week Seven we live tweeted to The Matrix, which was a film I was eagarly awaiting to rewatch. I had previously seen the film trilogy but wanted the chance to investigate the theories we learnt in the scope of the movie. I tweeted:

Cybernetics is “the scientific study of control and communication in the animal and the machine.” Norbert Weiner, a concept heavily drawn upon in the film The Matrix which we are about to see #BCM325#thematrix

Tweet by Taylah

How would we know if we are living in a simulation? These days the line between technology and reality seems blurred. This article discusses this idea with chances being 50/50 #bcm325

Tweet by Taylah

Cyberculture, often depicted as dystopian, in how human society is susceptible to governments and outside forces, which is something explored in the matrix and how the society crumbled to machines. #BCM325

Tweet by Taylah

The revistation of this film really made me aware of the path of the future that we as a socitey could be following. I loved seeing everyone elses phiosophical thoughts and critical thinking arounding subjects of AI and cyberculture. I had many more tweets with articles that developed futhers thoughts of the film and lecture as well.

In Week Eight we looked at Alita Battle Angel in focus of Cyborgs and further developed ideas of AI technology. I tweeted:

We have seen cyborgs before in Ghost in a shell, a being that has both biological and artificial parts. I am interested to see how this will differ #BCM325

Tweet by Taylah

The reality of cyborgs is a future we need to consider as futurologists. This article by the Conversation explores this idea in the context of Alita Battle Angel #BCM325 https://theconversation.com/a-robot-that-can-touch-eat-and-sleep-the-reality-of-cyborgs-like-alita-battle-angel-110430

Tweet by Taylah

Consciousness jumping isn’t something I have ever really considered before this film. Maybe this is another aspect of merging technology with our bodies that we should consider more #BCM325

Tweet by Taylah

After viewing Ghost in a Shell a few weeks prior, watching Alita Battle Angel was the extra step in thinking about the reality of Cyborgs and how probable this concept will be in our future. I had conversations about this, not only with BCM students, but with fans of Alita Battle Angel that came across my tweets and had extra ideas to input. As far as the tweeting experience went, I feel like this was a real turning point in the quality of what I had to say.

Week Nine we viwed Ready Player One. This movie I had heard a lot of mixed reviews for so was interested too see how I felt about it. However, as I was analysing the film in the context of all the previous theories we had learnt so far, I enjoyed the film and was able to draw out more meaning that others may have missed. I tweeted:

So far, somehow, this feels like the most realistic futuristic movie we have watched. As we already have aspects of this technology it doesn’t seem too far of a stretch #bcm325

Tweet By Taylah

Technology like VR is already climbing and becoming increasingly popular in the gaming world. Role-playing games and immersion technologies are just the beginning of cyberspace activity #bcm325 #ReadyPlayerOne

Tweet by Taylah

#ReadyPlayerOne showcases a positive to living in a VR world in comparison to the bleak view the Matrix demonstrated. This is discussed more in this article #BCM325

Tweet by Taylah

This was a film I really enjoyed and pushed myself to connect to the lecture content and outsource interesting articles that connected with the concepts. I feel as I was so wrapped in the movie itself I missed some opportunies to interact with people as much as I had in the previous weeks but still managed to retweet and like as many posts as I could.

In our final week of live tweeting we watched Robot and Frank. This was the first sci-fi film I hadn’t heard of before so very much went into this viewing blind. As I noticed in my first weeks of tweeting, I got too caught up with background research of the movies to enage with the lecture content as much as I began too so truly had little knowledge about this film. I tweeted:

Of all the movies we have watched throughout the session, this feels like it could be tomorrow. Not all sci-fi movies have to showcase a dystopian outlook on the future #bcm325

Tweet by Taylah

Very big differences here in Robot and Frank, this Robot doesn’t have as advanced AI as we have seen. But I feel as though this makes it more realistically for a nearer future #bcm325

Tweet by Taylah

This article demonstrates how Robot and Frank can actually prepare us for the future. Unlike movies such as The Matrix or Blade Runner, this movie sees the reality of things in the next couple years #bcm325 https://www.clarifai.com/blog/ai-at-the-movies-how-robot-and-frank-prepares-us-for-the-future

Tweet by Taylah

This final viewing left me on a high note for the subject that the future isn’t all doom and gloom. I personally think the live tweeting experience gave me an incredible ability to learn in a new and interesting way. SInce the first weeks of watching the films and tweeting, I utilised the feedback to create more tweets that involved the lecture content and introduce more critical articles to further my own understandings.

As always, there are places I can improve. Tweeting quickly over a long period of time can be quite draining which left me with errors in spelling, grammar, so on and so forth. In addition to this, not all 10 recommended tweets were solely about concepts we had talked about in the subject and ocassionally just little ramblings of my mind about the movie.

Overall, however, I think we can notice a big improvement since Week 1 of the quality of the tweets. I have really enjolyed this subject and may continue live tweeting in the future with similar movies just for fun.

To find all other tweets and retweets click here to be linked to my Twitter Feed.

As I have already completed all the research for the website, from now until week 13, I will be fine tuning the website and writing some more content and editing the content I already have prepared. As I am not as far along as I wanted to be, I have my work cut out for me. However, I am motivated and excited for what the finished product will look like. I feel as though the changes I have made to the project are beneficial and will act to acknowledge the concepts we have looked at in BCM325.

I can’t wait to hear what you guys think and further improvements that I can make before Week 13.

Reference List:

Shoard, C & Pulver A 2020, ”If Bond moves again, it’s armageddon’: seven experts on the future of the film industry’, The Guardian, 9 October, viewed 18 April, <https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/oct/08/the-future-of-cinema-seven-experts-on-industry-now&gt;

Harman, R 2019, ‘How is Digital Technology Reshaping the Film Industry?’, Raindance, 24 April, viewed 18 April, <https://www.raindance.org/how-is-digital-technology-reshaping-the-film-industry/#:~:text=Here%20are%20just%205%20technologies,4K%203D%20Cameras&gt;

Richwine, L & Coster H, ‘Analysis: Fewer movies in theaters? Big Media turns focus to streaming video’, Reuters, 14 October, viewed 21st April, <https://www.reuters.com/article/walt-disney-restructuring-streaming-idUSKBN26Z09E&gt;

Meenakshi1, K, Maragatham, G, Agarwal, N, Ghosh, I 2018, ‘A Data mining Technique for Analyzing and Predicting the success of Movie’, Journal of Physics: Conference Series, pp. 1-9.

Johnson, D 2019, ‘9 predictions from old sci-fi movies that actually came true’, Business Insider Australia, 12 December, viewed 21st April, <https://www.businessinsider.com.au/sci-fi-movie-predictions-2019-5?r=US&IR=T&gt;

I feel as though I am a veteran at commenting on peoples pitches now I am in my fourth year. Posing questions, giving critical feedback and providing sources that could help with the DA, or in general be of interest in regard to the idea. For this subject, we do all of this within the lens of Future Cultures and all the concepts surrounding this.

The first comment I made was on Bronte’s Pitch idea. Her idea looked at making a short horror film based on mental health. The idea also includes contextual blog posts looking into the future of her project. I really engaged with this idea as mental health is a passion of mine. I am also an avid film lover so it was easy to get her some suggestions and pose some ideas that could help her with the project.

Bronte’s Comment:

Hey, this is a really interesting pitch!

I myself are very passionate about mental health so a short horror film making mental health as the object of the films ‘foul play scary factor’ sounds really fascinating.

I found this journal article https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4830464/ which talks about the future of what mental health will look like, and how social media is affecting it majorly. Maybe this is something that you could address in your blog posts or even include in the film. Like the dark character popping up after scrolling through Twitter or Instagram?

I don’t know a whole lot about film making (not since year 10 drama) but to bring your film in line with some of the course content, maybe looking at how horror films have evolved could help with making almost a futuristic type piece. By futuristic, I don’t mean flying cars or lightsabers but more analysing trends to see what horror films might look like in the next 5-10-15 years, and create something that you think a horror film will look like.

Here is a link to a blog post about Horror films evolution. It poses a really interesting question at the end about the future of the industry that I think you might enjoy. https://blogs.library.american.edu/mediaservices/2020/10/30/the-evolution-of-horror-films-a-look-a-horror-movies-from-the-19th-to-21st-century/

Good luck with the project, I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

The second comment I made was on Emma’s post. Herself and two others are doing a joint digital artefact surrounding their business Chae. They are looking to create podcasts to post on their established social media platforms that surround the topic we cover in BCM325. As they already have an established idea I posed a few sources to assist with getting more traffic to their sites and making engaging content for their audience.

Emma’s Comment:

I honestly adore this DA idea.

By using the content from class to redistribute and have conversations about the topics, you are directly engaging with the course content and lecture material. Especially because this content will directly create discussions around the future.

As you already have a solid base for your DA, I think instead of giving your further sources about the course content, maybe some articles that will help you with marketing strategies for your accounts would draw more traffic to further the discussions you are wanting to have.

This Youtube Video looks at how to boost your Facebook page to get the best engagement or traffic. Whatever you think would suit best. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7ers2RZxqA&ab_channel=HubSpot

Podcasts are a fantastic idea since you already have established platforms and audiences. From what I know you need a website to really get that engagement from these podcasts. This article gives you some tips to create the best kind of content for your page so you don’t lose your Chae focus or get too caught up in that focus either. https://castos.com/engaging-podcast-content/

I hope this helps and will definitely be checking out Chae.

The third comment I made was on Shuning Li’s blog post. This is another group project venture but looks at the Chinese trend of shop exploration, in relation to resturants and food places. I figured as this wasn’t really my expertise that i would do some reserach in food trends and how to find up and coming retail stores and food places. That way they could slightly alter their focus to make sure it aligns with future cultures.

Shuning Li’s Comment:

Hey there, I think this DA has a lot of potentials!

While I think the exploration element of your videos will be super engaging, maybe going to restaurants that are the “next up and coming” place to be would allow you to engage in concepts such as the future of popular culture. To help in finding these up and coming places, this article gives you tips on how to spot retail trends that are likely to be successful for businesses. https://tinuiti.com/blog/ecommerce/retail-trends-emerging/

As we have seen in recent years, fusion foods have become a large trend and continue to revolutionise the food industry.This link here highlights this idea and may give you some ideas as to where/which restaurants would be worth looking into. https://chefmahady.webs.com/apps/blog/show/3811270-fusion-is-this-the-future-of-cuisine–

If you were interested in also cooking and showcases new ideas for what the future is to look like for food, this link will take to a slide show that gives some ideas and examples of recipes that they say are like tasting the future. https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/these-fusion-food-mashups-are-like-tasting-the-future/

I personally don’t know a lot about shop exploration but am excited to see what this looks like in video essay form. Good luck guys.

Reflection:

For this subject I think I have grown in my comments and tried my best to provide insightful sources and give some feedback that could be useful for the future of their digital artefacts. For these comments I did find it difficult to directly relate it back to the course content as it was varied and quite specific. I think for my second comments, I will have a better overview of the content and how to apply it to different/ specific ideas. I know my own pitch was somewhat disconnected from the course content which I now know many people have been struggling with.

I opted for this round of comments to further their perspectives and suggest some way they could connect to the idea of future cultures. As most do not have an up and running digital artefact as of yet, I thought it was important to add to their ideas rather than critique what they are planning to do.

There is always however room for improvement, as there is with everything. Next time round I will be taking more time to do some more research into everyone da for a clearer focus but also have a closer look back over the course content to directly link some ideas.

Im excited to see where everyone’s ideas lead in the future 😉

It is a hot topic of conversation around what movies, tv shows, board games and video games are going to be remade/revamped. News articles and media sites are all for trying to predict what is coming next, and having their say on which movies they think need to be/want to be remade. An article by Brew and Harley (2018) details an extensive list of spoken about, upcoming, reboot projects. Another article by Steinburg (Goliath.com) suggest movie ‘flops’ that deem a remake. Disney has a major hand in the realm of remaking movies, and is a top player in the film industry, an article by Campbell (2021) deatils the likelyhood that Disney will buy out another major film company MGM. How would this affect the future of film? Is disney were to get the rights to all MGM titles, can we expect reboots, sequals, prequals, tv shows? This is what my DA will aim to cover.

This semester in ‘The Future of Work’ I have not only learnt a lot about Narrative theory and that the future will look like in the next 5-10 years but also a lot about myself. Though as a BCM student, I know we all seem to loath the reflective tasks, however, I cannot help but reflect on this subject and only think of happiness.

Yes, yes that may sound soppy but the wholesomeness (as seminar one would say) of this subject is beyond measure. The Narrative work we completed over the semester has actually helped me to be able to critically reflect on my work in a different manner.

The exercises we used throughout the semester not only has opened my eyes to the lives of others but also to learn about my own personal and professional values. The first assignment on personal reflection about a situation of work let me engage with the course content and my own memories and and hopes for work. By connecting narrative theories to my own life, I found the value in not only the subject material but the value in reflection itself.

When it came to the narrative interview assessment, I had the pleasure to interview my Nan. This was, and I can say this wholeheartedly, one of my favourite assignments to do. I connected on such a deeper level with her and learnt so much from her stories. The theories of outsider witnessing and double listening assisted me in particular with this interview where I was able to draw out her professional values and could connect them with some of my own.

This last final assignment I enjoyed for a different reason. The narrative CV allowed me to be creative, which is why I am apart of the BCM degree. The design of the resume and the stories I got to choose to demonstrate my skills really reflect who I am as a person. The research essay was particularly interesting to write as it relates to what our futures are going to look like and how, realistically anything could happen.

I won’t lie to you, before this subject I was terrified of graduating and having to face the full time workforce. I am still scared that robots might take over the world and that I won’t end up liking what I am studying to go into, but at least now I have a more realistic and more uplifting view of what I can accomplish once I leave uni.

Though I still have 1.5 years left of study, a lot left to learn before I go into a full time job, and more room grow as a human being, this subject has provided me if lifetime knowledge that I will never forget.

As we all know, COVID-19 has rocked the world not only in individuals personal health and safety, but also their security in work. The lockdown has perpetually changed the way people have had to figure out their work lives, adapting to working from home or not working at all. There are arguments both for and against working-from-home due to the quality of workspaces that are now available. Prior to COVID-19, research was being conducted and implemented throughout work environments to optimise workers level of productivity. Hoendervanger (2015, p. 1) analyses the use of a tool called ‘MyPlace2Work’ which allows individuals to log activities they perform in different workspaces, to determine which workspace invokes the best productivity. 

The most notable company that adapts their work environment to their employees is Google. An online article from Brooks (2018) dissects the intricate work culture of the company and what they get right in terms of their unique workspace experience. Brooks (2018) says, “Google’s culture is flexible (employees are encouraged to work when they like and how they like), fun (offices have nap pods, video games and ping pong) and founded on trust”. The fun and trust elements come hand in hand. While creativity and innovation are rewarded, the trust that employees get the work done with the fun and uplifting elements of the workspace improve their productivity levels and fuels their creativity. Many technology companies are paving the way with improvements to their spaces (such as rotating desks, treadmill, open plan environments etc) to allow for a more innovative space. Companies such as those that value innovation and creativity should be implementing strategies, like Google, to create a dynamic workplace that allows creativity to flourish.

On the other hand, working from home during the global pandemic has become the new norm for many workers. While many countries have almost eradicated the virus, it is predicted that many employees will continue to work from home. Lister (2020), the president of Global Workplace analytics has said, “For those who were new to remote work until the pandemic, we believe there will be a significant upswing in their adoption. Our best estimate is that we will see 25-30% of the workforce working at home on a multiple-days-a-week basis by the end of 2021”. There is a list of reasons as to why this may become a standardised practice. Increased demand for work-from-home from employees, reduces fear from employers and mangers, increased awareness of cost-saving opportunities in work-from-home are all reasons individuals from the survey have used to support the predicted increase for working-from-home. Working from home is a completely different experience than working in office spaces. Many people have had to adapt their homes into workable spaces as they have not had to work from home before. 

Corporate culture is a major factor that is influenced when working-from-home. A collaborative workspace, like offices, allows for instant communication and socialisation. However, with working-from-home communication is regular scheduled and delayed through technology. Though we have applications such as Zoom and Skype for meetings and conference calls, these do not allow for face-to-face connections. Co-working Resources (2019)  demonstrate that company culture is fostered through employees coming together for team-building exercises and engaging in company wide meetings. Having smaller disjointed teams makes culture within the company harder to accomplish. This is something companies are going to have to tackle now that working from home is suggested to become the news normal for many. As mentioned before, people have had to adapt their homes to encourage a productive workspace. Though working from the couch seemed to be the most ideal situations for many pre COVID-19, it is now creating a mass of issues on peoples health. While in many work environments there is dress codes and suitable desks and chairs are all provided for their employees, this is not the same case at home. Houses and apartments do not always have a dedicated place for work. Family homes are lucky to have the space enough for a child each room let alone a dedicated study. 

What the future holds for work and/or workspaces is obviously unknown, but we have ways of predicting what can happen. Spaces that create an opportunity to be innovative and creative are more than just your average grey square cubicle. The more other options are implemented the further we can determine its functionality and correlation with productivity. In a post COVID-19 world, everything is still up in the air, however, it is fascinating to notice how these times will impact on the future of work. Will working from home become the new normality? Or are there still too many negative impacts on mental health and corporate culture to allow this to happen? 

References

• Coworking Resources 2019, ‘The Negative Effects of Working From Home on Company Culture’, Coworking Resources, weblog post, 14 March 2019, viewed 12 November 2020, <https://www.coworkingresources.org/blog/the-negative-effects-of-working-from-home-on-company-culture. 
• Brooks, R 2018, ‘Workplace Spotlight: What Google Gets Right about Company Culture’, Peakon, weblog post, 28 June, viewed 13 November 2020, <https://peakon.com/blog/workplace-culture/google-company-culture>. 
• Hoendervanger, J.G 2015, ‘Tool development for measuring and optimizing workplace utilization in activity-based work environments’ EuroFM Research Papers, vol. 1, no. 14, pp. 1-10. 
• Lister, K 2020, ‘Work-At-Home After Covid-19—Our Forecast’, Global Workplace Analytics, weblog post, 28 September 2020, viewed 13 November 2020, <https://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/work-at-home-after-covid-19-our-forecast>. 

The Frame Work

My Digital Artefact, Cuphead – I’m the Boss Now, centres around the animation design of the Boss characters and how this influences their game play; while using these features to transform these into a paratext (in the form of makeup). 

Iteration Cycle

I first came up with this idea after rewatching my favourite You-Tubers in their play-throughs of the game. I was drawn to the unique style of the animation of the game and in particular the Boss Characters. The individualised nature of the bosses and how their game play was influenced by their design was fascinating, urging me to analyse it further. Originally, I wanted to create my own paratexts for each of the boss characters by turning their unique features into makeup looks in one minute Tik-Tok videos. 

I started with this idea, analysing the animation styles; which is heavily drawn upon the 1930’s animation styles used by Fleischer Studios and Walt Disney, known as the Golden Age of Animation. I looked at both journal articles and online sources that looked singularly at the 1930’s animation and also how that animation was utilised within the game. My main source was from Calma (2003) which analysed the significant features of the 1930’s animation style particularly looking at Disney and Fleischer Studios. Various readings into the more intricate details of the Cuphead animators and their process helped inform my own analysis of the game to transform it into an entertaining piece of work, seperate from the game. 

I took a post-structuralist view of the game to not solely rely on the game to inform my develop my own analysis. This was perfect for the idea I had, as a post-structuralist view allowed me to create my own makeup ideas. Though I did not end up being able to create the actually makeup looks due to my technological issues; my DA still inspects what I would have created. 

Feedback Loops

Through my pitch, beta and presentation I gained a lot of constructive feedback as to how I could improve and alter my ideas due to the difficulties that arose through the project. The Beta and Presentation were the main feedback I used to create the final product. The Beta feedback allowed me to adapt my original idea from Tik-Tok videos into a longer YouTube video where instead of actually creating the looks, explaining what I would do to interpret the features of the boss into a makeup look. The presentation also demonstrated I needed to triangulate my analysis which is why I opted to also comment on the paratextual element of the DA. 

Successes and Limitations

The project overall has a lot of space to continue as either a hobby of mine or for other DA projects in my future. As I was not able to complete an analysis of every boss character, is I can create more videos on the Cuphead game and to grow and adapt this analytical framework for other games. What I like most about this DA is that it can be an interest point too gamers, makeup lovers, animation enthusiasts and more. 

This DA of course has its limitations, I wasn’t able to analyse every boss (like I mentioned earlier). This means I wasn’t able to give a finalised project with the scope that I wanted. For further adaptation I would also have to choose other animation styles as Cuphead is original in its game animation format.