Josh Clavir
Education
- University of Toronto - Undergraduate Philosophy (Partial)
- Toronto Metropolitan University - BFA - Film Studies
Email Address
Specialization
Advancing Live-Action Room Escape Games: Augmenting Narrative and Adding Replay Value
Biography
I am a passionate storyteller with a professional background in media. Since I can remember, I have been telling stories. This has lead me to work in multiple mediums, but my focus has been primarily in cinema. I completed my degree in film studies at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2010, and before that I was studying philosophy at the University of Toronto. My area of specialization in philosophy was epistemology. I found studying the theories behind knowledge claims fascinating because of how it relates to the way we construct our own personal narratives. However, while attending U of T I felt the overwhelming desire to hone my creative storytelling skills and work in cinema, so I made the shift to studying film.
While studying film, I was able to develop technical skills and strong relationships with my colleagues that allowed me to launch a successful career in media. Halfway through my undergraduate degree I was offered a job as a multimedia producer at the boutique digital agency Spinglobe. In this new position I was tasked with helping to create and manage all of the digital projects the agency undertook, these ranged from websites, digital videos, and animation. Between my studies and this new position I came to understand the different ways content can be distributed and shared online, and how this would impact the way a story could be told.
Since graduating in 2010, I have started my own production company and have continued to produce creative projects for a wide range of platforms, from websites, to theatrically released films playing on screens across Europe and North America. I have been able to travel to film festivals all over the world from Dubai to Cannes, and engage with different audiences. I have also received multiple awards for my work; from having a film I produced named to the Toronto International Film Festival’s Top Ten list for 2011 to winning best short film at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Furthermore, I have worked to fundraise and build audiences for many of my projects through digital and social media campaigns, events, and promotions.
Why Digital Media?
Through my experiences I have come to value the fundamental shift in traditional media towards digital media and its effect on the way we engage with and build audiences. Specifically, I feel that the connections between gaming, cinema, and social media will continue to grow and collide in the digital media world and this will create incredible opportunities to tell stories in new and more meaningful ways.
Research
Major Research Project
Advancing Live Action-Room Escape Games
For this project I chose to create the initial plans for a Live-Action Room Escape game that seeks to overcome the following limitations:
I. Replay Value: Currently, it is not possible to replay a LARE game.
II. Limited Use of Narrative: The use of narrative techniques is very limited and the games often lack a cohesive story.