Your own 24/7 reality show

iam is a research project by Tripp Millican . iam is a 24/7 point-of-view video, published to the web as serialized metafictional video blogs, in a layered/drill down UI, exploring narrative possiblities and new types of personal filmmaking.

The iam system creates an hybrid of personal television's reality show and scripted drama to be shared with other people. Being able to watch a piece that is not only shot in real-time but is also continuously being produced, is impossible. And trying to edit this much video is a formidable task.

So the iam system provides better summation tools and a UI suited to handle large amounts of video data: it auto-summarizes the video for the viewer, saving time and helping them understand the full video without having to watch it.

A button on the camera enables the "director" to tag moments during his/her day as "important". Software can analyze video for changes in scenery and lighting which further breaks apart video into separate scenes. By offering a stackable interface, the audience is able to quickly understand the complete content of a video in a way that was previously impossible.

iam will be presented at PASS THROUGH, the thesis exhibition by the Interactive Media Division of the USC School of Cinema-Television.

At the Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, May 7-12, 2005.