VIDEO EDITING / PRODUCT DESIGN / EXHIBITION DESIGN

Impact & Empathy

TOOLS: ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS, PHOTOSHOP, FIGJAM

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Impact & Empathy is a collaborative project exploring social impact through design. My partner and I started by researching articles on Hyperakt- a purpose-driven design and innovation studio. We stumbled upon the article called, “Students Not Products.” This article highlighted child privacy violations amid the surge in online learning. Our goal was to raise awareness about the dangers of internet overexposure to children and convey the risks associated with online access.

01: Moodboard

Inspired to create a project that raised awareness, we began moodboarding our ideas. We envisioned our visual system to be:

  • Grayscale with pops of color

  • Collaged with a grainy, old texture

  • Incorporating distorted JPEG code effects

  • Featuring distorted lines

  • Embracing a modernist collage style

02: Tracks

Although we weren't certain about our specific deliverables, our goal was clear: to overwhelm our audience. We aimed to create maximalist videos packed with immense internet content condensed into just a few minutes. We believed that to leave a lasting impression, the content needed to be shocking.

After discussion, we narrowed our video ideas into 2 tracks, and jotted down ideas we had for the video:

  • Track 1- Increased Violence

    • Cool math games: search engine

    • Suggestions go more intense and intense as you scroll down

    • Happy Wheels- a violent game

    • Searching things on Google, shown violent images- going to YouTube

    • YouTube video of violent games (zoom in on violent titles)

    • Fast montages of the games going by and by, turns black, and then the next track plays

  • Track 2- Pornography

    • Goes to 123 movies to watch an innocent movie- barbie

    • Press download - opens another tab to a porn site

    • Censored porn playing and other suggestions on the side

    • Audio of mom coming in, door opening (confrontation), closes screen

03: Process

DELIVERABLE #1: VIDEOS

← NEXT PROJECT: PRICE OF PRETTY

Our process now had two steps:

  1. Creating the videos of the two separate tracks

  2. Creating physical deliverables to effectively show these videos

My partner and I decided to split the work, each focusing on a separate track before regrouping to tweak and edit the videos together. From our research, we learned that children can be introduced to digital media as early as 2 years old, and many start playing video games by age 5. Our videos simulated what it would be like for a child to navigate a computer, highlighting how easily they can stumble across violent or pornographic content. We aimed to balance the videos between being easy to follow and as overstimulating as possible.

We uploaded these videos to a cargo website, enabling us to access them on an iPad screen, which we used as the "computer screen" of our crafted setup. Check it out.. at your own risk!

NEXT PROJECT:  SIGHT OF SOUND →

05: Conclusion

What surprised us most was how desensitized we had become to explicit content. My partner and I spent hours listening to violent shooting games with gunshots, and audio of women having orgasms and screaming. Initially, we were shocked and bewildered by the content we collected. However, by the end of the project, we had grown numb to it. It wasn't until we presented our final project to our classmates that we realized the impact. They were shocked and amazed; some found it profound, while others called it traumatic. We had become the victims that we were advocating for. As ironic as it was, we had achieved our goal — leaving a lasting impression.

DELIVERABLE #2: THE SETUP

The physical deliverables included a cardboard computer, a styrofoam keyboard, and a folder with content related to violence and pornography. The computer, which housed an iPad as the "screen," was spray-painted silver for a nostalgic look. The keyboard was designed to appear "imperfect," resembling a child's handmade toy.

04: Presentation

The setting was crucial to our project. While our video conveyed an unsettling tone, the right setting amplified its impact. The presentation was placed in a small, enclosed corridor where viewers faced a wall, creating a cramped and intimate space. The desk had a fixed chair, preventing viewers from moving away from the intense scenes. From afar, the space resembled a child's room, with stuffed animals and a computer surrounded by trinkets and trash. However, as you got closer, it became more disturbing. Pornographic images were taped up, and a monitor flickered with an 18+ warning sign. A green folder on the computer contained papers needing signatures, symbolizing the influence on a child. These included references to gun violence, instructions on acquiring guns, potential victims, pornographic content, and teachers' notes.

“There was a sense of secrecy and shame in watching something forbidden. I kept trying to shift and cover the screen” — Classmate