Since posting the 60-second “Simulating History” video on Youtube and our website, I have turned my attention to exploring the manner in which our work may be expressed through a short documentary. Having generated some questions with our brief “teaser”, I am now focusing more on the ideas and the practices of The Simulating History Research Lab.
Simply put, our work in the lab is to employ technology for the purposes of learning and teaching, and our way to reach others with this message is shaped by my understanding of technology as inherently liberating (McClean, 2007)[1]. For example, working with a high-performance nonlinear editing system such as Final Cut Pro and its Motion application is indeed liberating in the sense of gaining more audiovisual eloquence. McClean rightly describes the technological power of visual effects in filmmaking as liberating — the virtual camera (computer generated camera effect) opens the door for different ways of expression. Another example that I have experienced closely is connected to Final Cut Motion, with its wide array of options available for controlling and combining layers of different media into one video segment.
Having the ability to restructure media components in real time and virtual space augments the message’s communicative power, rather than just increasing the levels of interaction. These new, liberating tools help us release our imagination, and communicate our thoughts more compellingly.
[1] McClean, Schilo. T. (2007) Digital Storytelling: The Narrative Power of Visual Effects in Film. Cambridge: The MIT Press.