mavcgc

[mavcgc]

SHIPPING ENVELOPE

In order for the package to be shipped, we had to consider shipping envelopes. This black foil envelope stood out since it reflected the opaque sleeves used to carry photographic paper and film and was therefore relevant to the theme of our project. We also considered vacuum packing our package as a nod to NASA packaging but felt that it would not work as a standardised identity.

Below, example of vacuum packaged artefact. Interesting textures that allows the audience to make out the shape of the shirt contained in the package.

We also applied our identity to a sticker format as a way to seal the envelope

[mavcgc]

TICKET AND CHARACTER PROFILE

Although the coded message could potentially be standardised, we felt that the participant’s ticket and character profile ought to be tailored to the chosen film; in our case: Gattaca. The themes explored in Gattaca being space pursuit and the crucial role of DNA in a distant future, we decided to produce a ticket/character profile which would evoke medical and DNA records (from its layout to the chosen font) and would have the potential to become a keep-sake. To do so, we studied lab/medical records designs/layout and ID papers.

1. Idea one - Typewriter font might be difficult to read - The information provided might not all be necessary since most of it is already present on Secret Cinema’s website

2. Idea two - Typewriter font might be difficult to read - The layout is not quite resolved yet, information seems cramped - DNA (helix) stamp

3. Idea three - Typewriter font is clearer and easy to read - The layout is more spacious, which gives the reader the visual space to take in what they are reading

Making: We chose to screenprint our ticket/character profile as a nod to vintage cinema tickets which used to be printed on heavier paper. We also used silver aluminium foil to keep our identity consistent throughout the whole project (silver screen) and underline the opulent qualities of the artefact.

[mavcgc]

OUTER BOX PACKAGING

Since our design contains many individual pieces, we thought it was important to contain them within a sleeve or box. We looked at silver pouches (silver screen reference) to begin with but found that they were not structured enough. 

We then agreed to be to produce a display box. Within it, the participant would find the acrylic layers, the projection box as well as a small torch. Each individual slot is dedicated to an object. The lid is engraved with the logo and the mirror acrylic is a reference to the silver screen.

Making:

In the creative process, we looked at further packaging design:

Understated yet intricate and unusual design that evokes a sense of luxury.

[mavcgc]

TEST TWO

After defining the limits of our first test, we adjusted our design so the distortion induced by the acrylic panels would be lessened. With only one slot instead of two, the coded message should be more readable.

The distortion issue seems to be resolved, the coded message can be read effectively in a dark room using a torch (which we are thinking of providing as part of our package)

[mavcgc]

SC ORDER CONFIRMATION

As we want to keep the invitation fairly cryptic and concise, we have designed a template email that each participant would receive when purchasing their ticket. The email would contain information on the procedure to follow once their invitation package arrives.

Transcript: Dear guest, WELCOME TO OUR SECRET WORLD!You will shortly receive a package containing information about the event you have chosen to attend. Unfortunately, it will not be that simple. As the details of our events are strictly confidential, you will be required to solve a code encased within the package in order to reveal the date, time and meeting point of the show. Here is a clue to help you on your mission: once you have cracked the code, surround yourself in darkness and make use of the device provided. Also contained in your secret package will be your ticket alongside your character profile. Please dress appropriately for your assigned occupation and look out for clues to the film you will be watching. Remember… TELL NO ONE. SC Please note that if you are unable to solve the code, we will send official details to you nearer the event date via email. Below, a gif that could be sent out nearer the date (participant can therefore access to the event details and understand the code if they were unable to solve it)

[mavcgc]

FIRST TEST

After sketching and working out different ways of making our acrylic box, we selected two designs which seemed most successful. Below, our first test.

Illustrator file, ready to be cut:

Making:

Problems related to test one:

The distortions due to the gaps between each acrylic slide are too great to unable the viewer to read the coded message.

[mavcgc]

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES DEFINED

To create an interactive invitation or ticket for Secret Cinema with a format which could be applied to all events and reflect the spirit of the brand.

The invitation will provide practical information as well as producing emotive connotations relating to the nostalgia and sense of community attached to cinema.

Semiological methods will be used to represent aspects of cinematic experiences throughout the design of the product.

[mavcgc]

DISPLAYING THE CODE

After discussing our project with Curatorial Practice Ben Parry who worked on one of Secret CInema’s events in the past, we feel that our invitations have the potential to be quite expensive to produce since the event itself is high-budget. Therefore, we began to think of ways to produce our artefact out of acrylic panels, which have the advantage of offering a wide range of colours (varying from matte, glossy, frosted to transparent) that can be layered on top of each other. We started to imagine and design a box in which the audience would be required to place each acrylic panel in order to then project the coded message onto a wall using a torch lamp. Being in complete darkness would be required, which would emphasise the cinematic experience. Rough sketches: 1. Idea one - Too fragile/flimsy - Does not frame the slides (reference to cinema)

1. Idea two - Still no frame but do offer a ‘screen’ like panel to project onto (however, wall might be more effective)

1. Idea three - Fragile/flimsy - Poles to link each panel (still issue with framing)

4. Idea four - Frame as a reference to cinematic language - Each panel fits in a slot - Sturdy structure - We might encounter issues with the acrylic being separated by a few millimetres since the projection might appear too distorted

5. Idea five - Frame - One slot for all panels might prevent too much distortion

[mavcgc]

INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE

Eager to provide an interactive experience to the Secret Cinema attendees around the world, we began to experiment with projections since we thought it would be a relevant (cinema screen) and engaging way to decipher the coded message.

However, when enquiring about getting our acrylic panels lasercut, Tim Wright expressed one concern: why would the audience need to shine a light on the panels since they might be able to just read them? To counter this issue, we came up with 3 more ‘fake’ panels which would challenge the attendees further. Because the puzzle would be more difficult to solve, the viewer would be rewarded by projecting the right combination onto the wall. Fake panels:

[mavcgc]

SC IDENTITY CONCEPT

We started to experiment with morse code, simple shapes and deconstruction for Secret Cinema’s alternative logo and identity. We felt that the current branding of Secret Cinema could be improved: although we assumed that the leaves were used to represent camouflage, the identity does not feel so relevant and resolved.

- Morse code and too many different shapes might become confusing and hard to decipher

- Not quite successful, the shapes being too different, the identity would lack consistency

- Raw sketch of another potential alternative identity worth exploring, using a grid to structure each letter form

- Simple vertical/horizontal lines that can easily be deconstructed and used in a very interactive and playful way - Labyrinth like (secrecy and potential for code) - Square/rigid aspect which evokes film frames

We have started to design the possible layout of the coded layers which put together would reveal the date, time and the event meeting point, we chose Gattaca as a potential film. We are now thinking of ways to display these. The format could potentially be standardised and applied to other films while the ticket itself could be reflective of the film’s distinctive qualities? (Gattaca: space, DNA, identity) Therefore, we chose the meeting point to be an old disused NASA launch complex in Florida.

Slide design:

Test using acetate, although we are thinking of using acrylic for the finished artefact (distortion might be an issue)

Illustrator files ready to be cut:

[mavcgc]

Cinematic Themes and Semiotics

When considering the design elements of the artefact we want to create, we have been looking at how we can translate themes associated with cinema into our design using semiotics.

Projection

We both agree that one of the main symbols and techniques used within cinema to evoke a sense of nostalgia and provide a universal denotation of cinema itself is projection. We like the idea of using interactive light and shadow in our project and have decided to build our design around this.

Silver Screen

We used the connotations associated with the term ‘silver screen’ when considering our colour palette. We want to create a luxurious feel but without using silver in the bulk of our design. This is why we have chosen to add accents of silver to our design and use a monochrome colour palette with a smooth, shiny texture to reflect light and create a sleek yet opulent design.

Frames

Since 1927, the standard frame rate for film has been 24 fps. With this in mind, we have been considering how we can apply this element to our typography. We want to avoid the cliched art deco font themes many cinema companies use today. Instead, we are going to opt for a square typographical design to create a new logo which is a reference to the cinema screen and frames.

Canisters

With reference to the packaging design, we have been looking at film containers and how they are stored. We considered adapting a movie film canister into a form of packaging but have decided against it as we feel it is too obvious and literal and we prefer the idea of the square, angular design to represent the screen and frames throughout the design to keep it consistent.

[mavcgc]

SECRECY AND CODED MESSAGES

After clearly defining our aims and objectives, we are interested in finding out more about coded graphics since our project revolves around secrecy. 1. Stefan Sagmeister + MADE YOU LOOK - Trompe l’oeil qualities (hidden photograph) - Interactive and surprising - Sense of perspective/angle and secrecy (’made you look’ only appears when the spine is bent in a certain way)

+ SIDE SHOW - Trompe l’oeil (the word "SIDE" changes into "SHOW" by turning the letters "I" (becoming "H") and "E" (becoming "W")) - Reveal and conceal - Interactive and well-thought out identity

2. Morse code - Rectangle and dots - Visually striking and cryptic

3. Acrylic installations  - Transparent layers always for relief and composition

[mavcgc]

DREAMLANDS EXHIBITION NYC

http://whitney.org/Exhibitions/Dreamlands

When researching immersive cinema experiences, we came across an exhibition which ran from October 2016 to Februrary 2017 called Dreamlands in New York. Below is some of the information introducing the exhibition. The website has a plethora of information we can consider in designing our product.

Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art, 1905–2016 focuses on the ways in which artists have dismantled and reassembled the conventions of cinema—screen, projection, darkness—to create new experiences of the moving image. The exhibition will fill the Museum’s 18,000-square-foot fifth-floor Neil Bluhm Family Galleries, and will include a film series in the third-floor Susan and John Hess Family Theater.

The exhibition’s title refers to the science fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft’s alternate fictional dimension, whose terrain of cities, forests, mountains, and an underworld can be visited only through dreams. Similarly, the spaces in Dreamlands will connect different historical moments of cinematic experimentation, creating a story that unfolds across a series of immersive spaces.

The exhibition will be the most technologically complex project mounted in the Whitney’s new building to date, embracing a wide range of moving image techniques, from hand-painted film to the latest digital technologies. The works on view use color, touch, music, spectacle, light, and darkness to confound expectations, flattening space through animation and abstraction, or heightening the illusion of three dimensions.

Dreamlands spans more than a century of works by American artists and filmmakers, and also includes a small number of works of German cinema and art from the 1920s with a strong relationship to, and influence on, American art and film. Featured are works in installation, drawing, 3-D environments, sculpture, performance, painting, and online space.

Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art, 1905–2016 is organized by Chrissie Iles, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Curator.

[mavcgc]

CINEMA STATISTICS

Detailed online article about cinema attendance in the world’s leading countries. The years covered by the study range from 2002 to 2012 and show a noticeable decline in yearly admissions in both Europe and the US.

Finally, the article also provides potential explanations regarding the causes of a gradual disinterest in cinema screenings (such as home movie theatres and online streaming services such as Netflix...)  Could cinema attendance be improved through more immersive and interactive services? https://thenextweb.com/media/2013/09/20/the-future-of-cinemas/#.tnw_gZnk5Y3r

[mavcgc]

OTHER IMMERSIVE CINEMATIC EXPERIENCES

We have been researching the immersive cinematic experiences which exist today:

EDIBLE CINEMA

Manifesto Highlights:

Edible Cinema: see the film, taste the film

Edible Cinema is a collaborative effort between Soho House and unusual event specialists Teatime Production.

At a typical Edible Cinema screening, each audience member will find a tray of small numbered containers on their allocated seat, each of which holds a canape sized serving or mini cocktail. After a short introduction the film begins, during which the food-matched moments are signalled by a screen-side light box, which illuminates the package number that should be opened and enjoyed.

Our menus focus less on literal interpretations of food shown on screen and more on environment, specific words and overall feelings. For example, a scene in Pan’s Labyrinth where characters ran through a pine forest was matched with Pine Smoked Popcorn, giving pine aroma and flavour while also delivering the ‘crunch’ of feet on the needle laden forest floor.

In Some Like It Hot, Sugar’s attempt to overcome Junior’s ‘frigidity’ on the yacht by covering him in alcohol soaked kisses was served up in perfectly apt style as a lightly powdered, rose tinted turkish delight with an almost liquid centre and a strong flavour of champagne. ‘Bubbles’ were provided by a light dusting of popping candy.

BACKYARD CINEMA

What once started as a homemade project in Dominic’s very own back garden has grown to be one of London’s most recognised and sought after alternative cinema experiences. Backyard Cinema is now a roaming, theatrical, cinema that shows a wide selection of films in a variety of iconic, unusual and immersive locations both in and outdoors around London. Often creating a physical world surrounding the movie using in-depth set builds, actors and live music, each show becomes a unique evening out, whilst staying true to its original ethos: somewhere cool you can watch your favourite films with great food, drinks and all your mates.

‘Romeo and Juliet’ movie event held in a chapel

UNERGROUND CINEMA

“TAKING CINEMA OUT OF THE CINEMA”

About:

Underground Cinema is a secret live immersive film screening event held in undisclosed locations throughout Melbourne & Sydney. It could happen anywhere; a warehouse, a forgotten ballroom, a carpark. We believe that predictable is boring - so we've made our locations secret and we're keeping the films' identity a mystery too - just to keep you guessing.

We're not about your average multiplex experience. Arriving at our locations is like walking onto a film set, with live performances recreating elements of the film you're about to see. The team here at UGC believe that sometimes you have to shake things up a bit and have a little fun doing it. Who we are isn't all that important. What we are doing is taking cinema out of the cinema and inviting you along for the ride. You in?

‘Dream’ movie event:

SECRET CINEMA

As a result of our in-depth research, we have found that Secret Cinema appears to be the leading organisation in global immersive cinema events.

[mavcgc]

SECRET CINEMA

Last week, we were introduced to Secret Cinema, a company which aims to provide an immersive spatial experience in carefully selected buildings worldwide (therefore reaching out to a wide range of film enthusiasts around the globe). To do so, they create participatory worlds where the boundaries between performer and audience are constantly shifting and merging. With this in mind, we wanted to explore the experience as a whole and create an artefact which would bare practical and emotive purposes. Because the company dedicates most of its budget on the actual event, we thought it might be interesting to consider what happens beforehand. We emailed Secret Cinema through their contact form on their website to ask for information about their ticket and invitation design but unfortunately, we did not get any response. 

Brazil:

28 Days Later:

Back to the Future:

[mavcgc]

SENSORY AND INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE

1. Materials, process, print Informative book about materials, process and printing techniques and their potential for sensory experiences as well as meaning-making qualities. The publication also offers advice on packaging design.

2. Playful graphics`

Book dedicated to interactive design and sensory experiences that provides the reader with detailed case studies of engaging and daring design.

3. Alexia Roux Le quotidien des tranchées: Black ink and an earthy odour are used to replicate the surroundings of the WWII trenches while the message appears clearly when dipped in the solution.

Feu de bois sur sa fin: Each post-it note has been sprayed with the scent of burnt fire wood so the viewer’s olfactory senses are triggered as they walk past.