War of the Worlds was a perfect choice to set out to accomplish this goal. It’s a piece that I’m familiar with and felt comfortable manipulating to achieve a purpose. Initially dozens of ideas came to mind and I wanted to use the physical world combined with the digital world in a way that the user could have a multisensory experience. The seemingly boundless attachment of cell phone users and their devices became an inspiration for the project and I sought out to take advantage of this. I came up with a story that could be experienced through sight, sound and through the physical interaction of user and mobile device. When the three experiences come together the total story could be achieved, engaging the user in the War of the Worlds reality.

The reality follows the story of the Martian invasion of Earth beginning in 1938 and the first reactions of hostility and fear of the humans. It follows different perspectives of the takeover through short pieces that progress chronologically through the original work. The story then turns to the human acceptance of the invasion realizing the possibilities the Martians present in bettering the world and the human population. The story ends with a message from the newly cohabiting Martians and their goal for humanity.

I was inspired by Marshal McLuhan’s notion of the “medium is the message.” There are certain aspects of every technology that are unique to that technology. For instance, a big part of my story goal was to take advantage of the intimacy of one on one interaction a user has with a mobile device. It pulls the users focus and integrates them in the story. McLuhan would note that this personal experience could only be achieved through the use of the mobile device. I also integrated Aurasma augmented reality into my software so that the mobile device becomes a gateway of experiencing a deeper digital story. As the use of Aurasma progressed, early 20th century propaganda posters and early comic book art in aesthetics influenced me. The bold colors combined with simple lines and minimalist images allowed for Aurasma to be fully explored. Augmented reality allows for something to be changed and expanded by a mobile device. It adds another level of information that gives the reader a new way of visually interacting with their world. My project fits into the larger context of previous augmented reality works by combining the use of image manipulation with additional story elements. Each of my posters corresponds to a moment in the audio story and with the use of Aurasma it achieves full user participation.

Augmented reality and the creation of it was new for me. Previously I didn’t know that the effect could be achieved so simply and create such startlingly fluid results. I began with the skills I have in graphic design and made use of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create the posters, or trigger images, and the overlay images that appear in the Aurasma viewport. Aurasma offers a unique tool for storytellers and at a small learning curve to allow anyone to begin to develop stories that can be told across the platform. Using it as a tool to create a comic book pop art effect gives a new possibility to the way we experience visual images. Imagine whole comic books that can be experienced in multiple ways through augmented reality. In the future the technology may allow real time manipulation of the overlay so that it becomes even more interactive and responsive to human interference. As part of my project I also included a social aspect. Expanding the story into its real effect on social media. Creating a relevant YouTube search feed on my website the, videos become additional information on the subject to the story. The world becomes part of the experience. Using social media as a tool allows existing content to take on a new context and become part of something new.

My initial vision was sweeping, large and detailed and as I began to create the different parts of the project I found some ideas I felt attached too didn’t fit with the project and required replacing or to be let go all together. I also discovered many different tools that made the project better and helped establish continuity with the story of my base audio. I found myself organizing the project as though I was writing a movie. I had multiple story boards and sketches of ideas and I found myself ordering and reordering them till they established a cohesive link. I created numerous checklists and enjoyed the satisfaction of accomplishing the individual parts of the project.

I hoped to achieve a cohesive story of Martian and human cohabitation on this earth that made use of mobile technology to fully immerse the audience in the story. I hoped to achieve a product that engaged the audience and elicited wide eyes of interest and I hoped to get people more interested in the technologies that I used. Augmented reality will become a great story telling tool in the future and anything to get people thinking of new and creative ways to get people interested are fantastic. The power of a transmedia piece is that each piece can stand on its own and is enhanced by the other parts to make a larger story.

Since the creation of this piece I have expanded my knowledge of augmented reality and it has become a big part of my education. In September 2013 I was named the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance University Fellow for Washington State University Vancouver. I have established a student team that is creating a mobile gallery built entirely around the benefits of augmented reality. This incredible opportunity is also the inspiration for many other ideas including an augmented reality platform of my own design currently in development. I’ve been floored by the power of the technology and the opportunities that have arisen because of one project. This piece marks the beginning of a long road of entrepreneurship for me and my ability to manipulate a powerful technology that I hope becomes a key component in the future technology market.