2023 | Visualization Research Centre, HKBU
Overview and Conceptual Context
Eavesdrop is an interactive cinematic installation created for a panoramic 360-degree projection system, initially presented in PLACE – a user's manual (1995). This immersive film transforms a club-like environment into a space that straddles nightclub and purgatory, where viewers are invited to “eavesdrop” on character conversations as the story unfolds. Actors are positioned at tables encircling the audience within a cylindrical screen. Each viewer is equipped with an iPhone and headphones, allowing them to selectively engage with the narrative. Their location within the setup determines which conversations they overhear, crafting a unique, proximity-based audio experience that evolves with their movement. This setup encourages viewers to explore and shape their narrative journey through the film.
Interactive and Technical Narrative
The Eavesdrop system leverages advanced synchronization of movement, audio, and visual content through real-time location tracking on each viewer's iPhone. As viewers move, the audio adjusts to deliver conversations from nearby actors, while the video angles update to match their positions, ensuring a continuously personalized perspective. The interactive design allows viewers to actively “re-edit” the film’s storyboard based on their proximity and movement, creating an evolving, individualized cinematic experience. This integration of location-based audio and video showcases a core capability of Future Cinema Systems: merging social and personal engagement within a single immersive narrative.
第一部分:項目概述
Eavesdrop 是一個為 360 度全景投影系統設計的互動電影裝置,最早在 1995 年的 PLACE – a user's manual 中推出。這部沉浸式影片將夜店般的場景轉化為一個既像夜總會又如同煉獄的空間,觀眾被邀請成為“偷聽者”,在影片展開的過程中選擇聆聽角色之間的對話。演員圍繞觀眾席座位在圓柱形螢幕內的桌子上就坐,每位觀眾手持 iPhone 和耳機,通過自己的位置選擇參與到不同的敘事之中。根據觀眾在場內的位置,他們會聽到附近演員的對話,形成隨著移動而變化的獨特聲音體驗。這樣的設置鼓勵觀眾探索和塑造自己的影片敘事旅程。
第二部分:互動技術敘事
Eavesdrop 系統通過實時位置追蹤與音訊、視訊內容的同步調整,提供一個高度互動的體驗。隨著觀眾的移動,音效會自動調整,將附近演員的對話傳遞到他們的耳機中,而視訊角度也會根據位置變化而自動調整,確保觀眾擁有持續個性化的視角。這種互動設計使觀眾能夠依據自己的位置和移動來“重編”影片故事板,創造一個不斷演變且個性化的電影體驗。這種基於位置的音訊與視訊結合展示了“未來電影系統”的核心能力,即在一個沉浸式敘事空間中融合社交與個人化的互動體驗。
Principal Investigator: Jeffrey SHAW
Collaborator: ---
Partner: ---
Date: 2023
Team: Huib Nelissen (Hardware developer), Adolf Matthias (Software developer), Leoson CHEONG (software developer)
Hardware: nViz with 29.6 surround sound system, HTC Vive tracker, iPhone
Software: Unity 3D
2019.11.13 - 2020.06.21
WYSIWYG, Osage Gallery, Hong Kong, China
2005.01.08 - 01.30
Sydney Festival, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia
2004.10.07 - 11.07
Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne, Australia
2004.09.07 - 09.19
Brisbane Festival, Block Gallery, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
David PLEDGER (Co-author)
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Innovation and Technology Fund, HKSAR