THE CHALLENGE
MTV: Hack The Gig: Music fans’ current digital interface with live performances is generally passive and flat. Using the provided exclusive stems, recorded especially for the Music Tech Fest, invent completely new ways for audiences to experience a filmed concert. The winner will get to develop their project with the MTV UK Digital Media team
MY ENTRY (it won!)
I had 24 hours to create something – and this is what I made:
Absorb more data in Less time! Welcome to my ADHDTV concept (Always Deliver Heavy Data*)! Innovative ways to consume content – especially music content – with a real emphasis on the viewer/listener being able to directly influence what they are being shown.
It’s a bit rough and ready (anything is with 24 hours’ continuous work) and of course these are just concepts that would benefit from a design approach and a bit more development of these ideas. The prize: develop this further with the MTV team, something I’m really excited about.
My concept (which hit me at 0330 after much caffeine) consists of the following premise:
We are bombarded with information and there’s loads of ways to filter it. But what if we want to have it all? Watch everything, listen to everything? Why not say goodbye to curation and discretion, and instead drink from the firehose – and say hello to
Always Deliver Heavy Data TV or ADHDTV*
As it’s aimed at the ultra-connected, two-screen viewing ‘high consumption on mobile’ uber-trendy crowd, I’ve also come up with a hipster term that makes me both proud and disgusted with myself. “Non-Linear Sideways-Relevant Transmedia”.
The basic premise is that the viewer is able to take a much more active role in the content they are served. This can be done through the following interactive modes. I mocked up each of these in Final Cut Express on my rather wobbly MacBookPro. For the audio manipulation I used Logic Studio 9.
VIEWER MODES
ALL KILLER
Press a button to go straight to the chorus / hook.
INVERSE DJ / BLURRED LINES
If the artist is being interviewed and you like the background music, toggle the volume between the interview and the music underneath. Could even swipe up or press a button (say, the spacebar) to transition to the music video attached to the background music.
OVERLOAD ME
Plays at 1.5, 2 and 4x speed without changing pitch. Listen to ALL the music!
PEER PLEASURE
Bits that other people have marked as good, much like highlighting a favourite section of text. People can skip to the bit that most people marked as pleasurable.
EXTRAS SERVED instead of Searching
As well as song by the artist, the option to switch to remixes, songs that sound really similar, fan-made footage or tributes on youtube – but in time (quantised to the beat) so the listener doesn’t experience ‘jarring’.
ANTISOCIAL
With this option engaged, viewers will only see clips of the artist talking about their music – any mention of social media, events, fan interaction or non-musical content won’t get viewed. Can also work the other way around.
NB MTV provided the video : the Artist’s name is Kwabs.
Links:
http://www.musictechfest.org
http://www.mtv.com/uk
http://www.kwabsmusic.com
*I am reliably informed by Adam John Williams that this is known as a ‘Backronym’
LJ Rich 