First Scenario - "Ubiquitous Studio" (2062)
- a Continued Growth Scenario
Imagine you are walking down the street of Singapore. The year is 2062, and though you don't speak the local languages, you have no problem interpreting your surroundings or navigating the urban terrain. You have spent the last couple of months preparing for this trip by watching portions of the vast archive of 2d and 3d animations that have come from the SE Asia region during the past 40 years. Cross-cultural literacy is one of the most important traits currently taught in education, and due to the vastness and depth of many global cultures, training is taught from an early age. Animation because of its appeal to children, and its potential to express imaginative broad ideas, was chosen by the UN's Cultural Education Institute (UNCEI) as the medium of choice through which to launch its newest learning series. By funding animation studios and schools in every member nation, distinct cultures were given the opportunity to tell the stories that define the social identities of their peoples. The collection has grown to well over 50,000 feature length films, and an additional 130,000 animated shorts. It is available via the global information network free of charge. Using this vast database you have researched many of the Cultures that now live and thrive in Singapore, but you have paid particular attention to the animation from two national groups, Bhutan and New Calcedonia.
Once considered a doomed political experiment, the nation of Bhutan and its Gross National Happiness Index has recently become the major influence for structuring governance and economic models. India, Cambodia, Canada, The South American Union of Nations, and the North African region have already transitioned to this form of governance and it appears that the majority of the world's political groups will follow suit. The emergence of the state of New Calcedonia, while not a huge event in itself, became a beacon of hope and inspiration for many indigenous peoples looking to establish themselves within the new global world. The UNCEI funded animation studio in New Calcedonia was the first established in the small island nations of Oceania, and quickly grew to be one of the most influential storytelling studios of the World. Gathering the best artists, and story tellers from the hundreds of cultures littered among these thousands of islands, the New Calcedonia school has since grown to be one of the largest and most successful studios in history. The studio has produced nearly 200 full length animations per year for the past decade, and the variety and endearing qualities of their stories are though to invoke some kind of magic power as they have become infectious to both yougn and adult audiences.
The collection of animated features aimed at adult demographic audiences is quite impressive. Though 2054 marked the beginning of a decline in adult feature production that has since continued, the library is still quite extensive as many studios of the European Union and Central America focused on this form of entertainment for nearly 50 years. The creation of the "Spanime" content empire was based on an idea borrowed from the original use of animation by Japanese film makers (ie. Otomo, Miyazaki, and Takehata) -- make them for audiences with mature tastes, informed views, and broad interests. Due to the proliferation of the Spanish language across the Americas, and into W. Europe, it seemed only natural for workers rights social justice organizations to utilize the language in the production of its first political films ( Rio Sangre, 2011, and Estamos Latinos 2012). The amazing success of these political films, created the necessary framework for the creation of nearly 25 feature length production studios across the region. Noted works of the SOL studios had such a global appeal (once translated), that the "Spanime" industry has thrived and is responsible for nearly 42 percent of the adult themed content currently in circulation. However, the establishment and subsequent success of similar studios in India and NE China have become ever more influential in this market, and that is why you find yourself in Singapore 2062.
It has been your job, as a Studio Patchwerk analyst and production designer, to research the adult audiences of SE Asia and Oceania, the most populous area of the planet. You have been sent on this mission because Studio Patchwerk, considered one of the great pinnacles of 3D content creation, is developing its newest user interface for its globally popular KeiTarI, Augmented Reality. And this is how Studio Patchwerk stays on top-- thoroughly researching the cultural and aesthetic values of social environments where their software is most widely used.
Studio Patchwerk is a highly elite collective of the world's best 3D designers, animators, and programmers who have been credited with rearranging the urban environment. Their initial creation of 3D animated characters for the use on mobile devices in 2009, went unnoticed by many and was considered a brief novelty content at the time. However, Bittle the bonobo, one of the numerous characters developed by the early Patchwerk group quickly became a hugely popular success for the mobile device users of developing Asia. This popularity spread virally across the globe and launched the "Patchwerkers" into the global culture spotlight. Coincidentally, Motorola the ex-supergiant of the telecommunications industry, was releasing its first version of mobile augmented reality devices and the popularity of Bittle was used to push the device. A seemingly dissolvable juncture became one of the most significant mergers of our current world. Bittle is the icon of choice for all users of the Augmented Reality devices, and Patchwerk Software is used on over 92% of global devices. You are responsible for coming up with Bittle 5.0 concept designs this brings you back to your own augmented reality.
As you peer down the street, signs translate themselves, and your new knowledge of SE Asian culture enables you to see some of the subterfuge within the street's shops and vendors. Suddenly you own little Bittle pops up next to you and gestures that you follow him across the street to a jump station that will take you to your next destination...the Grand Park of Singapore, a hive of commerce and social interaction. The best place to research the people your product speaks to.
Following a Bittle is easy, safe, and timely -- before you know it you are at your destination. As you approach the park you suddenly become aware of your Bittle's magnetic pull toward an area of the green space. There, you see gathered a number of other Bittles, all dressed differently and representing their own user in the "free icon" space.This meeting area allows each user's graphic envoy to socialize and share information about who they represent and what their plans are for the remainder for the day. It has been described by one old crone as a dog park for your cyber-self.
As your Bittle socializes, you can do your research and interact with the other people in the space. The number of animated advertising icons and slogans running across the Park is limited to only 1 per cubic meter, and the relative peacefulness of this environment as opposed to the higher density areas of bouncy company trademarks affords you some time to survey the rest of the Park goers. It is a beautiful day, and you are a happy animator in the world.
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