The ANNIE project

Mark Childs

The ANNIE project

• Providing access to remote experts/ remote delivery to students

• using various technologies

• in various teaching situations

• supporting drama, dance and theatre studies

ANNIE Project

Linking together UK universities and outside experts

• Universities are Warwick, Kent, De Montfort, Exeter, Queens Belfast

• Experts in Kansas, Vancouver, Frankfurt and around UK (BBC, Blast Theory and universities listed above)

Videoconferencing activitiesLocation of lecturer(s)

Location of students Technologies Used for

Frankfurt Warwick ISDN Vivas

Vancouver Warwick IP + PCs + iVisit + projection Workshop

Exeter Canterbury IP + PCs + NetMeeting + projection software demo

IP + gateway + projection Workshop

London Warwick ISDN Lecture

London Warwick IP + PCs + NetMeeting + projection Lecture

Vancouver Leicester IP + PCs + iVisit Workshop

Vancouver various IP + PCs + iVisit via dial-up Workshop

Kansas Canterbury IP + PCs +NetMeeting Supervision

Exeter and Canterbury

Videoconferencing activitiesLocation of lecturer(s)

Location of students Technologies Used for

Kent Exeter IP Viewstation Vivas

Carolina Texas IP + PCs + Yahoo + projection lecture

ShrewsburyScottish Highlands and Islands

ISDN multiway tutorials

KentQueen's College, Belfast

IP + PCs + NetMeeting + projectionexternal examination

Sections

• Introduction to virtual performances

• Telematic Performance workshops at Warwick

• Three contrasting types of workshop

• Questions raised by virtual performances

Telematic Performance at Warwick

The Telematic Performance

• Susan Kozel, Practitioner based in Vancouver

• First year students at Warwick

• Performance and Practice module

Performance space

• Physical performance space

• Virtual performance space

PCMonitorwebcamera

Hub

P

P

P

uplink

PCMonitorwebcamera

P

P

LaptopData projectorVideo cameraVideo bus

multipoint

P

P P P

screen

Audiences

• Performers can see each other on their computers

• People sit in studio and watch via projection

Activities in workshop

Discussions of concepts Online chat

Structured improvisations– Creating a virtual face and body Follow the leader

Rehearsed performance pieces

Structured improvisations

Rehearsed performance piece

Blast Theory workshop

Blast Theory

• Theatre group incorporating new technology in their work.

• Merging audience and performers

• Rationale: to make work accessible, to engage with changes in society, to reposition theatre as innovative and exciting

Warwick workshop

At Warwick students developed pieces using

• Walkie talkies

• Chat rooms

• Displayed on screen via data projector

Physical Performance workshop

Videoconferenced physical performance• Took place Friday, 8th March, 2002

• Canterbury and Exeter

• Eastern physical performance

• Performers in one half of studio

• Wall-length screen hung in centre

• Other half of group projected on screen

Why did it fail as a workshop?

• delays in setting up

• low frame rates

• image freezing and speeding up

• time lags

Why did it fail as a workshop?

• Inappropriateness of subject matter

• Selection of activities

• difficulties with communication

• difficulties with performance space

• sightlines

• inappropriate expectations

Solutions

• Include students and staff more in the explorative aspect of the project

• Use the link to demonstrate work rather than work across the link

• Make technology part of what is being explored

Telematic Performance at DMU

Differences with Warwick

• Students based at home for 2nd and 4th session

• Dial-up modems created additional difficulties

• Performance and connection from own space created different ‘feel’

Where next?

• ANNIE project finished March 2003

• Dissemination activities continue

• Possibility of transferability funding to pursue further work

Potential transferability activities

University of Wolverhamptongiving advice on tutoring of MA students based in creative and media industries via webcameras

Jubilee Arts series of videoconferenced performances

CSSDcollaborating on guidance materials, combining f2f and distance group practice

Rose Brufordadvice on distance learning writing for theatre course creating videoconferenced performances

Research Councils' Graduate School Programme

workshops on teaching via videoconferencing

University of Hertford, Connecticut collaborating on creating performanceswhatsthebigmistry collaborating on creating performancesBlissbody collaborating on creating performancesManchester Media Rich Seminar

Contacts

•m.childs@warwick.ac.uk

•http://www.warwick.ac.uk/ETS/ANNIE/