Leveraging machine learning techniques, in the context of object-based media production, could enable provision of personalized media experiences to diverse audiences. To fine-tune and evaluate techniques for personalization applications, as well as more broadly, datasets which bridge the gap between research and production are needed. We introduce and release such a dataset, themed around a UK weather forecast and shot against a blue-screen background, of three professional actors/presenters – one male and one female (English) and one female (British Sign Language). Scenes include both production and research-oriented examples, with a range of dialogues and actions. Capture techniques consisted of a synchronized 4K resolution 16-camera array, production-typical microphones plus professional audio mix, a 16-channel microphone array with collocated Grasshopper3 camera, and a photogrammetry array. We demonstrate applications relevant to virtual production and creation of personalized media including neural radiance fields, shadow casting, action/event detection, speaker source tracking and video captioning.

Developments in object-based media and IP-based delivery offer an opportunity to create superior audience experiences through personalisation. Towards the aim of making personalised experiences regularly available across the breadth of audio-visual media, we conducted a study to understand how personalised experiences are being created. This consisted of interviews with producers of six representative case studies, followed by a thematic analysis. We describe the workflows and report on the producers’ experiences and obstacles faced. We found that the metadata models, enabling personalisation, were developed independently for each experience, restricting interoperability of personalisation affordances provided to users. Furthermore, the available tools were not effectively integrated into preferred workflows, substantially increasing role responsibilities and production time. To ameliorate these issues, we propose the development of a unifying metadata framework and novel production tools. These tools should be integrated into existing workflows; improve efficiency using AI; and enable producers to serve more diverse audiences.

Augmented Reality (AR) technology has the potential to extend the screen area beyond the rigid frames of televisions. The additional display area can be used to augment televisions (TVs) with extra information tailored to individuals, for instance, the provision of access services like sign language interpretations. We invited 23 (11 in the UK, 12 in Germany) users of signed content to evaluate three methods of watching a sign language interpreted programme - one traditional in-vision method with signed programme content on TV and two AR-enabled methods in which an AR sign language interpreter (a 'half-body' version and a 'full-body' version) is projected just outside the frame of the TV presenting the programme. In the UK, participants were split 3-ways in their preferences while in Germany, half the participants preferred the traditional method followed closely by the 'half-body' version. We discuss our participants reasoning behind their preferences and implications for future research.

The use of mobile devices during television viewing is now commonplace, and broadcasters are increasingly supplying programme-related ‘companion content’. To produce an optimal user experience, it is important to determine how the delivery of companion content affects and is perceived by the viewer — without this we risk distracting the viewer, leading to frustration and disengagement. We present a controlled study investigating how attention, cognitive load (as measured by the NASA TLX), and users’ preferences are affected by the provision of two different content delivery modes: pushed and pulled . We find that delivery mode affected the temporal distribution of gaze to the tablet, with a consistent viewing pattern for pushed updates, which attracted attention within a few seconds, and a more diverse set of viewing patterns when updates were pulled. Cognitive load was similar in both conditions, and there was no consensus as to which mode was preferred, but users showed strong, polarised individual preferences. The advantages of each delivery mode are presented as a set of recommendations for the delivery of companion content.

The increase of social media and web blogs has enabled a new generation of citizen journalism to provide new perspectives into local communities. However traditional news organisations are currently struggling to incorporate this new form of journalism into their existing organisational workflow. We present an analysis from 10 interviews with professional journalists and explore the current issues faced by professional journalists when searching for reliable and reputable local news sources as well as the perceived role of citizen journalists within a large news organisation. From this analysis we present a set of design implications for building systems that support interaction between citizen and professional journalists in order to encourage participatory news production and diversify national news perspectives.

StoryCrate [2] is a collaborative editing tool developed to drive creative workflow within a location based television production environment. The system was deployed in a real-world context, using professional production staff to produce a short film. In this paper we present an exploration into this deployment using interviews, observations and accounts from the crew. We provide an in-depth analysis of the study and the impact of StoryCrate on the crew's workflow. By providing a narrative of the deployment we describe how it was appropriated in-the-wild, and discuss considerations for designing tools to aid creative professionals in similarly hierarchical domains.

SenseCam is an automatic wearable camera, often seen as a tool for the creation of digital memories. In this paper, we report findings from a field trial in which SenseCams were worn by household members over the course of a week. In interviews with these users, it became apparent that the way in which SenseCam images were played back, the manner of which might be described as a stilted movie, affected the values that were realised within them. The time-lapse nature of the image stream led participants to romanticise the mundane and find sentimentality in unexpected places, and was particularly effective at portraying personality and play. In so doing, SenseCam images enlivened the visual recording of everyday scenes. These values influenced what the participants sought to capture and view, and have implications for technologies that might support lifelogging or the development of user-generated content.

In recent years there has been a growing interest in Urban Screen applications. While there have been several deployments of these technologies in our urban environments, surprisingly little research effort has aimed to explore the detailed material practice of people's engagement and interaction with these urban screen applications. In this paper, we present a study of collaborative game play on large urban displays situated in three city locations in the UK. The study highlights ways in which collaborative play is initiated and coordinated within the context of an urban environment. These experiences are related to physical characteristics of the architectural spaces, the people populating these spaces and the interactive properties of the game itself. The study moves on to discuss issues relating to audience and spectatorship, an inherent feature of interaction in urban environments. The issues of audience and spectatorship are discussed in their own right but also in terms of their relationship to the playing experience. Finally the study considers these interactive experiences in the contexts of being hosted by a professional compere and also with no host present. Through the study we highlight factors to consider in the design of collaborative urban screen applications.

The use of location-based technology to augment visitor experiences has received considerable attention over the years. In this paper, we take an alternative perspective on these kinds of location-based experiences by focussing on the collecting and keeping of location-based content as opposed to simply the in situ consumption of content. We describe a trial of a location-based experience at London zoo in which mobile camera phones were used to access digital content at particular animal enclosures around the zoo. Through the fieldwork we demonstrate ways in which collecting and keeping have important social values over and above simply consuming the content in situ. More specifically, the role of the collection of location-based content in identity work; in developing a sense of challenge and achievement; in defining a sense of group camaraderie; and in creating a playful sense of competition among group members. Further, we see how narratives told around the collected location-based content over time imbue it with additional value. These narratives become part of the resources through which relationships with family and friends get actively constructed. We discuss how these aspects have different design implications from the in-situ consumption model of location-based experiences and tensions this introduces.