R093 – Interactive Media

Transitions in Film and Presentations

Nearly every film and video today — whether a big-budget Hollywood production or a two-minute commercial — is composed of a number of individual shots edited together into the final result.

There are exceptions, of course. For example, music videos are sometimes filmed in one continuous long take. However, for the most part, video editors have to find ways to connect one shot to the next in a way that moves the story forward and guides the viewer from scene to scene. Cuts and transitions help them accomplish this.

Transition Types to Consider:

• Fade to White
• Fade to Black
• Dissolves
• Wipe
• Whip Pan
• Zoom

Fade to Black

• A fade to black is essentially a dissolve in or to black. 
• In film, a fade to black is used symbolise completion.
• On a practical level, this typically means fading to black at the end of a dramatic scene.
• A fade to black eases the audience’s emotions into the next scene or the end credits. 
• Fade to blacks imply action, depending on the clips before and after the transition. 
• If you were to fade to black in a scene, it would imply that the narrative tension or emotions have transitioned to the next, even if they aren’t easily apparent in the next scene.

Fade to White

• A fade to white tells the audience that the hero’s journey isn’t quite over.
• You will often see a fade to white at the end of a dramatic film with an ambiguous ending.
• A fade to white gives the audience a perception of hope. Perhaps the hero did change in the end? Maybe the girl didn’t really die? 
• Fades to white are often used to express disorientation and euphoria, among many other similar sensations.

Dissolves

• A dissolve overlaps two shots or scenes, gradually transitioning from one to the other. 
• It’s usually used at the end of one scene and the beginning of the next and can show that two narratives or scenes are linked. 
• They can be used to show time passing, or to move from one location to another.
• Quick dissolves might be used to show the scenes occur a few minutes or hours later, while a long dissolve might symbolize a longer duration of months or years between the scenes.

Wipe

• A wipe implies continued action that is unresolved. 
• A wipe works well in a film that is full of action and movement, which is why you’ll see it throughout films like Star Wars. 
• You will typically find wipes in films with multiple storylines that are playing out in separate locations. 
• A wipe implies tension between one shot and another. 
• A wipe can also serve to juxtapose good and evil or light and dark. 
• While it does depend on the situation, a wipe can serve as a cliffhanger, implying to the audience that they will be returning to the scene once the parallel story has moved forward.

Whip Pan

• A whip pan transition is when the camera quickly pans creating a blur effect between scenes. 
• It’s a bit similar to a wipe but tends to be much faster.
• Director Paul Thomas Anderson frequently uses whip pans in his films, but they’re not always a transition from one shot to another, it’s just changing to a different angle in one shot. 
• This type of transition is often used for comedic effect or to convey fast-paced action.

Zoom

• Like a whip pan, zoom transitions can be used to convey a frenetic pace, switching quickly from one scene to the next.
• In this supercut, Edgar Wright’s hectic zoom cuts create a comedic effect as Shaun goes through his mundane morning routine.

Interactive Media – Key Terminology

Interactive Media - Any computer-delivered electronic system that allows the user to control, combine, and manipulate different types of media, such as text, sound, video, computer graphics, and animation.

Touch – Handle in order to interfere with, alter, or otherwise affect.

Gesture – A movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to express an idea or meaning.

Click – An act of selecting an option on an electronic interface by pressing a button or touching a screen.

Type – Write (something) on a typewriter or computer by pressing the keys.

Google Doc Task:

Open the following link to Interactive Media Examples.

• https://getgist.com/examples-of-interactive-advertising/

Once open, have a look through all of the different examples of Interactive Media that exist.

Task: Choose 3 examples to focus on and add the following for each onto your doc:

• A name/title of the example
• A picture clearing displaying the example
• A short description of what the purpose of your chosen example is (Who owns it? Is it to sell something? What is the maker hoping to achieve?
• A description of how people can interact with this form of media. What can people do to/with it? Is it touchable? Does it respond to gestures/voice commands? What role does the consumer play?

Challenge: If you had to design an 'Interactive' piece of media in order to sell a service/product, what would you make? In what ways would people be able to interact with your idea? How would this be more effective than a standard static or still advertisement/media product?

Extension: Visit the link below showing several museums around the world that use interactivity in their exhibits. Pick an exhibit of your choice, and answer the same questions as above for this piece of interactive media. - https://www.tiqets.com/blog/interactive-museum/