Participation Type
Performance
Presentation #1 Title
Appalachian Culture: Music and Microbrews
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Technical requirements and runtime outlined in the "special requirements" section.
Summary:
This presentation explores Appalachian community storytelling through 360-degree virtual reality video, giving the audience the unique opportunity to explore two Appalachian traditions from an immersive first-person perspective: sustainable farmhouse brewing practices and Old-Time music performance.The VR documentary short that resulted from the effort is an example of an innovative approach to Appalachian nonfiction narrative storytelling and preservation, and gives its audience a unique opportunity to experience and appreciate two Appalachian traditions firsthand.
The researchers set out to explore the viability of documenting Appalachian tradition through VR and explore the sense of place felt by an audience. To test sense of place, the researchers debuted the experience in the primary setting where the documentary was shot and verbally assessed participants' responses upon completion.
The purpose of this project was twofold: explore the use of VR in documenting Appalachian tradition, and give its audience an immersive, experiential look into ongoing efforts by locals and local businesses to keep the farmhouse brewing and old-time music traditions alive and well in Athens, Ohio.
Utilizing 360 video production technology, this project provides an inside look into the brewing process from beginning to end, as well as into the lives of the musicians who preserve and pass on the old-time music tradition through weekly jam sessions at the brewery. It follows the brewmasters through the brewing process itself, and features interviews with old-time musicians. The piece finishes by putting the audience in the center of an old-time jam, hosted weekly inside the brewery.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Presenter 1:
Aaron Atkins is an Appalachian native and community journalist. He earned his master's degree in communication from Virginia Tech, where he explored community journalism and media convergence, as well as media effects. He is now in his final year as a Ph.D. student and teaching fellow in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. His focus is on media effects, integrating emerging technology into news production and pedagogy, and community journalism.
Presenter 2:
Franklyn Charles, originally from the Caribbean island of Dominica, received his bachelor's degree in communication from the University of South Florida in 2011, and was accepted afterward into the Communication and Development master's program at Ohio University, where he focused on media usage for development - specifically using documentary video production to engage and educate citizens of marginalized communities in finding resources vital to them. Franklyn is now a Ph.D. candidate in the Ohio University School of Communication's Media Arts and Studies program, working on his dissertation. His research interests include digital storytelling, music for social change, and social media use among diaspora communities seeking social change.
Appalachian Culture: Music and Microbrews
Technical requirements and runtime outlined in the "special requirements" section.
Summary:
This presentation explores Appalachian community storytelling through 360-degree virtual reality video, giving the audience the unique opportunity to explore two Appalachian traditions from an immersive first-person perspective: sustainable farmhouse brewing practices and Old-Time music performance.The VR documentary short that resulted from the effort is an example of an innovative approach to Appalachian nonfiction narrative storytelling and preservation, and gives its audience a unique opportunity to experience and appreciate two Appalachian traditions firsthand.
The researchers set out to explore the viability of documenting Appalachian tradition through VR and explore the sense of place felt by an audience. To test sense of place, the researchers debuted the experience in the primary setting where the documentary was shot and verbally assessed participants' responses upon completion.
The purpose of this project was twofold: explore the use of VR in documenting Appalachian tradition, and give its audience an immersive, experiential look into ongoing efforts by locals and local businesses to keep the farmhouse brewing and old-time music traditions alive and well in Athens, Ohio.
Utilizing 360 video production technology, this project provides an inside look into the brewing process from beginning to end, as well as into the lives of the musicians who preserve and pass on the old-time music tradition through weekly jam sessions at the brewery. It follows the brewmasters through the brewing process itself, and features interviews with old-time musicians. The piece finishes by putting the audience in the center of an old-time jam, hosted weekly inside the brewery.
