Abstract:
Video creation and consumption is quickly becoming the most popular way to communicate one’s own ideas and experiences; As our society moves into this new era of content creation and utilization, it’s important to take into account not only the ways we consume content, but the ways we communicate it as well. Existing systems of adding contributions to videos are jarringly abrupt, opting to letting users add comments that are only seen below the video. Restricting users’ contributions to fit this mold, destroys opportunity for creativity in what should be a completely collaborative process. This project seeks to rectify this disconnect by using a non-textual interface that delivers viewers’ contributions to appear alongside the original video to better balance both group’s saying power.
Press copy:
Youtube is flawed. Now whatever illicit responses might’ve arisen from this blanket statement, there’s no doubting that with such a large site, the upkeep of certain features have been prioritized over others. Thomas Fouchereaux, a New Media Senior is taking into account the features that YouTube have cast to the wind, and with the assistance of James Lavasseur, is building a site specifically tailored for one of these so called “abandoned features”, though the identity of the feature in question might surprise you. Whether you stand for YouTube’s feature Creep or against it, there’s no denying that YouTube comments, as a whole have attracted a rather paralyzing and seemingly impenetrable stigma that even Google has been unable to resolve.
Inspired by Tony Zhou’s: “Every Frame a Painting” series, instead of trying to change the collective perception of the YouTube’s community, Thomas seeks to change the very definition of comments altogether with his capstone: Comment Train
Comment Train can be many things, but one thing it is not is a video browsing site, as video isn’t even supported. Instead, any video that is uploaded is immediately converted into a series of stillframe images with the converted images being placed within their own train, if you will. Users are able to browse through this train of images, with the intent that the user will find one of the converted stillframes, aesthetically interesting enough to warrant comment. The one catch: No keyboard.
Using a non-textual interface, users are able to select their favorite stillframes as canvas for which they are able to illustrate, literally draw on the frame of any particular artistic visions, filmic techniques, or memetic materials that they so desire. Once a user has saved their comment, it becomes a part of the train and is linked to its frame of origin. Because illustration is a language in itself and users are no longer creatively limited by text, a variety of newfound possibilities can be realized: “Comment Train’s original purpose was intended to give film enthusiasts, a more open means of creating and sharing filmic technique to a mass audience, but ever since the project’s unveiling, we’ve heard people claiming the site could be used in handling everything from tracking recorded animal movement, to the extremely unlikely possibility of it being used in court to analyze video-based evidence”. Thomas and James will be displaying Comment Train on May 1st of Capstone night and invite all participants who are curious in testing out a potential remedy for the hostility that have long permeated the YouTube comment system.
Capstone Question:
How many stillframes can a train carry?