Entering a New Reality

This year I took on a placement with Belfast’s Extended Reality Festival, a new addition to the annual Belfast Film Festival, which introduced the public to a selection of works utilising virtual and augmented reality. I was brought on to work alongside Festival Director Deepa Mann-Kler to help create online engagement with the event and encourage young people to get involved. Reflecting on my experience with the XR Festival, there’s a great deal I’m proud of as well as a lot I would tackle differently. The model of reflection outlined in Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning[1] breaks down reflection into an experience, thoughts and feelings during said experience as well as thoughts and feelings when reflecting on that experience. Using this technique, I will assess how well I tackled the challenges I faced during my work placement.

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[1] Boud, Keogh & Walker, 1985. (Pg. 70)

The idea of undertaking this role intimidated me. I was plagued by the typical female anxiety that my prior experience didn’t qualify me for a role I felt I’d blagged my way into. The first challenged I faced was to think about how I could improve the marketing strategy for this project I asked myself, being a young person, what sort of content entices me to attend an exhibition or showcase? Immediately my first thought was social media. The event already had a large online presence but one form I felt could extend the event’s reach was the use of TikTok.

Sigh.

I know, TikTok is one of those corners of the internet resented by much of the public and believe me, I can understand why. However, its reach is undeniable when targeting young people. My placement provider initially questioned the benefits of using TikTok when the event already had an online presence but was keen to engage an array of ‘diverse stakeholders’[2] particularly young people with an interest in AR or VR filmmaking. I started a TikTok account on behalf of the festival, and to try and create some momentum around the event I edited a short trailer for the festival to feature on the page.

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[2] Allen, Johnny, et al, 2022. (Pg. 90)

At the time I remember feeling nervous: Can I reach any new followers? Will any of those followers attend the festival? But I still felt confident that ‘owned media’[1] like TikTok was a necessity when connecting with young audiences. The page did gain a following and I continued to post advertising material up until the day of the event. Looking back on this tactic on one hand it is difficult to ascertain the success as attendees were not asked to reveal where they had seen the event advertised. But overall, the online engagement and interest would suggest that this was a positive move this is also something that impressed my placement supervisor as it demonstrated my initiative and my ability to work independently. Given some time to reflect on my use of this medium, I am proud that I felt confident to suggest my own idea even if others doubted it’s importance. It was a great opportunity to get to take responsibility for some of the festivals marketing, this was something I enjoyed, and I hope showcased our event to a wider audience.

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[3] Kaufman &Horton, 2014. (Pg. 90)

I met with my placement supervisor on a weekly basis over zoom. Initially I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to amass the 100 hours required. Voicing this concern to my supervisor, she asked if I would be willing to assist with the task of contacting students from local schools to try and include them in the festival. This task proved difficult, schools were hard to contact without an ‘in’ with staff and I was unsure how to make my emails any more persuasive. Considering my ‘reflection-in-practice’[4] I had begun to feel like I had hit a brick wall. With the help of my supervisor, we did find an interested party from a local college. Passing this onto my supervisor we were able to offer 20 of their students access to the first session of the festival. This task was definitely the biggest feat of my work experience. I had no idea the logistics that surrounded school trips and often felt unsure of how to contact staff. Looking back on this experience now, I would definitely contact subject leads directly rather than school or college administration teams and I think I would feel far more confident emailing and communicating with companies and individuals in a professional manner.

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[4] Jasper, 2003. (Pg. 5)

The final task of my placement was to help out on the day of the festival. This role involved helping festival goers with equipment and making sure everything ran smoothly to give the best experience possible. On the day I was apprehensive knowing very little about the inner workings of VR and AR. We were given a brief tutorial on how to work the headsets, I began feeling more and more out of my depth. The technical language was all unfamiliar to me and a wave of panic began to set in. During the first session I felt useless, each time a technical problem occurred I’d have to plead with the technicians to solve any issues. However, as these things do, the more sessions went by the more confident I became. By the final session of the day I was able to handle the equipment confidently. Looking back on this experience, I would definitely try and experience the VR headsets as a customer before getting involved in a project like this, if I could have the same knowledge that I ended the day with from the start of a project I would definitely be better prepared to assist others who may be experiencing the technology for the first time.

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Overall, when I look back on my experience volunteering with the Belfast XR Festival, there is a great deal I feel I accomplished. My confidence and skill when it comes to taking the lead and working independently on projects have grown immensely. I feel I’ve learned a great deal about VR and AR filmmaking but also from Deepa, my placement supervisor, I have seen what it takes to direct a successful festival which has been a wonderful learning experience.

For all its challenges and learning experiences, this is a reality I am glad I stepped into.

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Bibliography

Allen, Johnny, et al. Festival and special event management. John Wiley & Sons, (2022)

Boud, D., Keogh, R., & Walker, D. Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning (1st ed.). Routledge, (1985).

Jasper, Melanie. Beginning reflective practice. Nelson Thornes, (2003).

Kaufman, Ira, and Chris Horton. Digital marketing: Integrating strategy and tactics with values, a guidebook for executives, managers, and students. Routledge, (2014).