Abstract :
Utilizing the same technologies pioneered by the embedded journalists in Iraq,
the University of Central Florida (UCF) teamed up with TracStar, Inc to create
a small-scale, satellite-based expedition transmission package to accompany a
university film and digital media professor into parts of Utah and the Moab
Desert that had a historical significance to AmericanWestern Films. The expedition
took the group to many locations where scenes from John Wayne and
John Ford movies were filmed. Students along on the trip camped out and
suffered similar tough conditions as did the original film crews, experienced the
wilderness, and participated in lectures and interviews with locals, who supported
the films and acted as extras and stunt persons. The project brought a
live experience back to the university campus in which students personally
interact firsthand with the people, places, things in as real a manner as what
the remote travelers encountered.
This article presents details about the experiences of the first implementation
of the live broadcasts from the remote desert and the reactions of focus groups
to the experience. One group watched archived broadcast, convinced that they
were live. Their impressions and reactions were recorded and analyzed and
compared to those who were part of a control group. Conclusions and recommendations
for future trips are introduced
