the concept

Our focus while watching movies shifts continuously from corner to side, actor to actress, dancer to assassin, making our eyes move continuously on the screen from left to right, top to corner, etc..

What we are not aware is that the smooth/complex patterns of these focus shifts of our eyes are different in each scene/movie and posses the signature and style of the director.

"Eyes on You, Tarantino!" tries to capture and visualize these patterns by projecting the patterns on a column, and gives users the opportunity to explore the movies in reference to these patterns using a physical controller surrounding the column.

more info

Project includes two parts:

1. Tracking the eye movements of spectators with custom made eye capturing glasses, and calibration of the captured data.

2. Creating a representation for the captured patterns, in a meaningful data visualization which allows users to browse the movies in reference to these patterns.

At the first stage, I created the eye tracking glasses with a camera attaced to one lens and recording one eye. Using Processing, I wrote a code to track the position of where the eye is looking, Using this glasses and the code, I recorded the eye movements of 4 people watching the different scenes from Death Proof (Quentin Tarantino), Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock) and Hyperballad (music video from Bjork, Michel Gondry).

At the second stage, I created the installation and the visualization. I used one of the columns at ITP as the visualization medium, and build a base controller that surrounds the column. I used a knob for video switching (next/previous) to create a very simple interface for users.

More information on the project webpage.

See the project blog at itpedition.

appearances

Exhibited at:
NYU Tisch Interactive Telecommunications Program Winter Show, December 16-17th, 2007, New York, NY