AutoCut
video editor application
collaborators: Ágoston Nagy, Péter Németh
2007-08
AutoCut is a sound-based “self-editing” video application. There are many short videos shot by mobile devices. They usually stay on the hard disk or be uploaded to a video-sharing portal without any editing.
The application is entirely made with open source software, the default videos are part of the Creative Commons license. AutoCut is a free software, coming with the GPL 3 license, which gives you the freedom to modify, reuse the code under the terms. The software is made with Pure Data, an open source visual programming language, there can be found solutions in the code for handling soundtrack of the video, build graphical user interfaces, and dynamically select files. The code can be useful for the entire Pure Data community. There is also a binary for Mac OSX, for people who would like to use the program as a standalone application.
By simply tapping BPM (beat per minute tempo of the music) to the program, the user can select the basic cutting speed. The methods (jump between frames, jump between clips, cutting density) can be easily automated with buttons and sliders on the fly. To sum up a bit: we have combined professional-level power with a very simple, one-window mouse-controlled interface, to make autoCut the perfect choice for either total beginners or experienced hobbyists.
AutoCut Instrument in Kiasma, Helsinki
If you would like to know more about this project, visit AutoCut’s official site or check out at Kitchen Budapest.
KARAOKE INVADERS
sound controlled game
collaborators: Julian Abraham, So Kanno, Ong Kian Peng
2008
Karaoke Invaders is a sound controlled multiplayer game that explores the idea of using sound as an interface in a gaming environment. Basically it is a fighting game, but here the players control the game by the pitch and the volume of their voice. The setup consists of four microphones, to allow four players to play simultaneously. In the first team, one player controls the spaceship’s speed by pitch, and the other one controls the speed by volume. The second team’s members control the color and the height of the stage. The goal of the game is to avoid crashing the sound waves with the spaceship. Four computers can be used instead of four microphones as well. In this case, peripheral computers send the audio signal to the main computer via OSC. The main computer receives and analyses the signal and then generates the visual. All process was done with MAX/MSP and Jitter.
For our future development, we are trying to implement the system with various softwares, such as Processing, Puredata or Blender with the aim of making it as one complete piece, as an interactive media installation. It is going to be presented at the New Media Festival of Game and Interactivity 2008, in Prague. An other possibility is to continue to make the arcade game version which is very similar to both the installation and the mobile phone version.
Online presentation is available here.
MOING
locative game
collaborators: Simon Forgacs, Andras Szalai
2008
This is a locative community game taking place in the urban space, where the players need to find or barely avoid virtual points with they mobile phone. A central web page knows the coordinates and the type of these virtual points, also the mobile client sends its position up here. The final aim of the game can be the achievement of a grand score which can be exchanged to a grand value prize.
The system working with a web page running on a server and a mobile client. The user needs mobile internet subscription and an exterior or inner GPS module to play. The mobile client is Java based, but if the mobile browser gets the GPS data than there is no need for an installed program on the cell phone, the game can be played after the entry of a web address.
The player receive a message if an object – good or bad - get into his 15 metre neighbourhood. In the case of a bomb, if the distance decreases under 10 metres the web page detonates the bomb. The most minimal distance necessary between the mobile client and virtual star in the case of collecting points. The central webpage registers that on which coordinate what kind of objects are, in turn the mobile client sends the positions also here from time to time.
The primary aim of the game is the collection of dots. The dots lead to the final victory, symbolize vitality, and can be used as money, for example buying bombs. Bomb explosions leed to dot loss. The rest of the players may collect these dots.
aniMobil
mobile application
collaborators: Peter Halacsy, Andras Szalai
2007-08
AniMobil is animation software which utilizes mobile phone cameras to make stop-motion animation. The result can be saved as an animated gif and uploaded, as an avatar or, as a simple video to be used for example on YouTube.
The user takes pictures frame by frame with small differences between them. The last recorded image can be seen transparently on the screen in order to aid in composition. AniMobil is very simple and handy and made particularily for amateurs. With experience, more complex animations can also be made.
According to a poll made by Hungarian visual artist Razzia Cattani, small moving online objects, like animated gifs, are still very popular. Furthermore, longer animations, such as stop-motion, character- or sand-animation, are very popular on YouTube and other such sites. However, animation has always been a difficult genre, becauseit requires a lot of equipment, a professional crew, huge amounts of money or endless patience. AniMobil can be an innovative and easy to use way to create personal animations, so it can be a daily routine.
moVIA
mobile application
collaborators: Peter Halacsy, Milan Korsos, Krisztian Kristof
2007-08
Current mobile internet and GPS technology necessitates that uploaded files have a fixed destination, accesible by only the user. With this technology we can create a database that is accessible by everybody. This database can contain messages, pictures and videos, which aid in the creation of entertaining, artistic and cultural phenomena.
MoVIA is a personal, basic tourist guide on how to get by in Budapest. While cruising in the city, you can watch the videos of the best places in Budapest on your mobile device.
The videos, linked to nearby locations are in three lengths: the shortest are a few seconds long, followed by 1-2 minute videos, and 10-20 minute short films.
Currently, untill Flash Lite 3 comes out (2008 Q3), this service is only available on Nokia N95. The software prototype is ready and 40-50 short segments and 10-15 long videos have been shot.
