Amateur vision and recreational orientation: Creating live video together

Abstract

We explore the use of a live video broadcast system by a group of collaborating amateur camera operators to film an event on networked cameraphones. Using a detailed interaction analysis of their physical interactions and orientations to the work of others, we examine their choice of camera angles and positions in their filming as they attempt to provide interesting visual content and a coherent narrative. Our findings illustrate how users adapt their behaviour as co-ordination problems occur by drawing from a set of everyday visual practices (‘amateur vision’). The findings also show how the specifically temporal aspect of live video requires extended attention on its production, and that this is at odds with the ‘recreational orientation’ of amateur film crews who simultaneously participate in events for their own enjoyment and film them on behalf of other viewers. Implications for the design of collaborative live broadcast media are made, focusing on approaches to interaction design that augment users’ visual practices and combine allowing users to look on behalf of others while experiencing places and events themselves.