Research:

My initial thinking is to take this project in a digital direction. I am particularly drawn to the artificial and cold nature of video game graphics, particularly in games such as 'Grand Theft Auto', 'Metal Gear Solid', 'Just Cause' and 'Garry's Mod' etc.

I am also drawn to the possibility of creating storytelling within these games by not playing the game as intended, e.g., not following the in-built storyline and creating your own narrative through exploration.

After recently having watched 'Grand Theft Hamlet', I also feel very inspired and moved by the personal and social relationships that can be built through the online multiplayer worlds within video games. To meet somebody only as a digital person, with moments of their physical and real life finding their way into conversation:

With this as an initial aesthetic point of interest, I began to research further. The work of multidisciplinary artist 'Klein' and her 'YouTube' channel in particular, resonating with me. I find  her channel to be really interesting in its presentation and approach to world building. With seemingly unrelated videos and unfinished series culminating in a broad tapestry of themes surrounding: trauma, identity, loneliness and friendship etc. 

I really enjoy the diversity of her work and the terminally online presentation of it through 'YouTube' and countless other,  self-made websites:

I am especially drawn to the idea of building the foundations of a longer-lasting 'YouTube' channel, which I could continue to grow in a loose and incremental fashion as I develop as an artist. I have always been fascinated by random, algorithmically recommended, low-subscriber, and view-count 'YouTube' channels, especially with how personal they can be; acting as a brief and highly filtered look into somebody else's life who you don't know. With the creator being able to present a highly focused version of their world. 

The 'YouTube' channel of artist 'Dean Blunt', showcases this format through a diversity of digitally archived video work, that lends itself to his musical output. I am inspired by how both 'Dean Blunt' and 'Klein' approach this medium as a way of consolidating the themes of their aesthetic work:

With this as a point of reference to the overall aesthetic and conceptual inspiration for the world I am looking to build, I began to think about what the narrative I am trying to communicate through this medium is.

Some of the themes present within my work so far have included: historical revision, transport poverty, family, inequality, tabula rasa, and austerity.

Werner Herzog's 2019 film 'Family Romance LLC', has influenced my line of thinking on how I could potentially present themes in a way that balances storytelling and also documentary. With several moments of the film feeling like an unsettling hybrid of drama and documentary. Allowing the director to bring to light particular themes in a nuanced way:

In terms of how this approach could inform my own audio-visual practice; I intend to expand on the world and themes, through an exploration into the interview format. Talking with people via online gaming platforms about the physical world and getting their perspective on the current times we are all in. 

From there, creating the blend of narrative and documentary by scoring these interviews and stitching the in-game screen recordings to archival media that builds on these themes further. 

The music videos of 'Slauson Malone', highlight how I could expand on the footage I source in-game through handwritten and hand-drawn overlays, archive footage, and freeze frames. Culminating in a fast-paced, video collage that builds on the themes of his music. I feel this presentation could also enhance my thematic intention surrounding historical revisionism by scribbling over and editing archive footage to the point where meaning is altered or detached entirely:

After creating the 'obj' file, getting the object into 'Garry's Mod' involved using the programme's 'Crowbar' and 'VTFEdit' to decompile the files and then recompile them within 'Garry's Mod'. 

The result:

Despite the results resembling the photos I was uploading to the A.I system, they felt incohesive amongst the in-game world. In order to do this as I had envisioned, learning 3D modelling would yield the best results, however, that felt like too much of an undertaking at this stage. 

Instead, I was keen to create a 3D avatar of myself that I could play within the game. I went about this initially by trying to 3D scan myself - I could then rig this in 'Blender' later on. To do this, you had to take a series of photos in clear and consistent lighting in a complete 360-degree rotation. I tried executing this using a variety of software, with the most successful outcomes happening when using 'IN3D' and 'Meshroom':

From here, I was keen to start assembling and curating some of the visuals. I recorded an array of footage, exploring different maps within the game. As I am focused on laying the foundation for a longer-standing series, I felt it was more appropriate to capture the scale of the world, establishing its atmosphere on a macro rather than micro level:

Following this I began to experiment by adding in footage that I had collected over the years on 'YouTube' , which felt fitting to the narrative. I also re-filmed these clips to match the grain of the rest of the sequence. From here, I started to experiment with what music might work:

At this stage, the sequence felt a bit empty.  I was keen to make the archive footage I had collected more cohesive with the gameplay footage I had recorded. 

I decided to play further into the collage nature of the video and began to print out different stills from the sequence. Drawing, writing, and vandalising them. I then scanned these images back in and started to edit them into the sequence. Resampling them over and over by changing the exposure, colour, and contrast levels as well as the scale and position: 

The direction this video ended up taking was a lot further away from what I initially had in mind and it felt inappropriate to include any stills with my character in the sequence. 

I also felt that there should be a prologue to this montage and a proof of concept as to what could follow.

For the prologue, I decided to do a scripted narration of my character telling a rambling story about a dream he had of what the world used to be like. I took a similar approach to this video, combining archive footage with in-game recordings, this time however, letting the visuals breathe by not drawing over them. I also picked the archive video material with a lot more intention, making sure it matched the dialogue where possible.

(Video entitled: 'is-this-new-york-enys1')

Here is the playlist of the archive footage I ended up cutting up:

Finally, to conclude this initial exploration into building a visual world, I wanted to try and create a proof of concept for what might come after the montage. Looking at how I could present the world on a micro level. I went about this by interviewing a friend of mine in 'Garry's Mod' and chopping up the interview to create a vague monologue that thematically tied into the world. I then approached the visuals in a similar manner, layering the gameplay footage with archive footage from 'YouTube', before overlaying the sequence with printed stills and drawings. 

(Video entitled: 'is-this-new-york-groundzeroA1')

Here is the playlist of the archive footage I ended up cutting up:

Final Project: