Week 2.3 Earthquake Research

Ruth: Looking at how we might re-create an 'earthquake'

How can we use lighting, props, and camera angles to give an atmosphere of stress and disaster.

Below is a YouTube video of an actual earthquake in a house. To the right of this is the lights in my bedroom- we could create this effect by tying some invisible string to these and tugging them while adding manual camera shake and background sound effects.

We can look at rearranging a room and just making everything look 'off'. So tilting wall hangings, tipping over tables and chairs, tossing small room decor/rubbish on the ground etc...

Another technique we could use is camera angles. If we stayed low (eg: under a table) then we can just put 'rubble' around the small area that the camera will see, rather than trying to do an entire room.

We could also use this technique outside by placing 'damage' directly in front of the camera and having our building distant enough that the lack of actual damage is unnoticeable.

Another thing I noticed while researching is the amount of dust that always seems to be everywhere. This will be hard to recreate in any of our available set locations because of the cleanup afterwards. Therefore we'll have limited severity of the earthquake we're simulating. A minor earthquake will create enough of a scenario for us to display the advantages of our product while still being achievable with our limited video skills. However, if we decide to go for extra dramatic effect we could look into digitally recreating this 'dust' effect in an overlay?

Some more earthquake videos I found interesting:

- Ruth

Gen: Emergency apps research

New Zealand Civil Defence has a National message alert that can reach compatible mobile phones. A specific area that is at risk can be targeted where all the phones are activated with a loud penetrating warning sound. The message will indicate the current situation, what you need to do and who is sending the alert. 

The New Zealand Red Cross have the Hazards App where you receive notifications for a variation of disasters near you or around the country. Your phones GPS automatically finds your location and you are also able to set it to other locations for friends and family members living elsewhere. There are a number of settings to customized what you get notified about. The app also contains a variety of information on how to the reduce risks and be informed in the event of an emergency. 

Additionally, good feature is it can notify friends and family via text or messenger that you are safe. This could be a possible feature that could be included in our app when they are outside of the building.

   

The GoodSAM (Good Smartphone Activated Medics) is an emergency responder app originally from the UK that is now available in New Zealand. The app is connected to the St Johns and Wellington Free ambulance alert systems. Near registered CPR certified individuals are notified for when they are nearby people who may be suffering cardiac arrest. The app emits a loud sound to the members when there is an emergency. It is stated that almost immediately CPR can save double the amount of lives, as often emergency services do not arrive in time. The could relate to our responder part of our VR simulation where the proffesional recieves a beeping sound and the location of the nearest victim.

https://vimeo.com/197525859

“Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time. In New Zealand about 2000 people per year are treated for cardiac arrest and only approximately 15% survive. Survival is largely due to the quick actions of bystanders initiating help within the first few minutes. For every minute without CPR or defibrillation, survival decreases by 10 percent,”- Wellington Free Ambulance Medical Director, Dr Andy Swain 

- Gen