VHH-MMSI Manual: Annotating AV-Object Relations

  • Version: v1.6
  • Date: 2022-07-05
  • Author(s): LBI (Fabian Schmidt)
  • Reviewer(s): LBI (Sema Colpan, Jakob Zenzmaier, Ingo Zechner)

1.1. Introduction

This manual provides guidance for assigning Time-based Annotations (TBAs) of relations of AV Objects (films and other moving images), whose shot boundaries have already been (automatically) detected and (manually) verified.[1] TBAs of relations are assigned shot by shot. In special cases, if necessary, relations may be assigned to frame ranges larger or smaller than the frame range of shots.

Objectives

Through TBAs, relevant parts of AV Objects (shots or other specific frame ranges including single frames) can be related to relevant parts of other AV Objects (other shots or other frame ranges) and to full Objects. In the VHH project, the annotation of Object relations follows two objectives:

  1. Providing users with the opportunity to search and find moving images related to other moving images, still images or imagetexts in the VHH-MMSI
  2. Tracing the transformative process of image migration by categorizing each type of relation with the help of the Taxonomy of Relations

1.2. Steps for annotating relations of AV Objects

Login

Search and select AV Objects

  • Direct access through link: Click or copy & paste
  • direct link provided
  • Direct access through Search Bar: Type in or copy & paste
  • VHH Identifier of item (=IDNO) or
  • file name (=Preferred Label)
  • Alternative access through Main Menu: Select “Objects”
  • Filters: If not activated by default, activate “Filters”.
  • Use the filter “With Digital Media Object” and select “Movie” (= restricts search results to items that have a moving image file (= technically: a video) attached).
  • In addition, use the filter “VHH Collections” to choose between those collections that contain moving images (“VHH Films” in particular, but also “VHH Artworks”, “VHH Oral Histories”, and “VHH Video Games”). You can select one or more collections.
  • Browse “Search Results” list and/or narrow down search results by using the Search Bar.
  • Select AV Object by clicking on entry in “Search Results” list.

Annotate AV Object

  • Item Menu: Use short cuts by clicking on “Annotate (public)” if you are an Administrator or Power User (and if you intend to make your annotation visible to all users) or by clicking on “Annotate (private)” if you are a Registered User.
  • Item Menu: Alternatively, click on “Edit” (top right).
  • In the Edit Mode Menu: Click on “Public TBAs” if you are an Administrator or Power User (and if you intend to make your annotations visible to all users) or click on “Private TBAs” if you are a Registered User.
  • Now the window is divided into 5 columns: Edit Mode Menu, Film Player, Filmstrip, Shot List and Annotations Display (f.l.t.r.). Attention: The Edit Mode Menu may be hidden if your computer screen is very small. In this case you can access it by clicking on the blue vertical bar on the far left.

For standard relation annotation on shot level

  • Navigate through film shot by shot via Shot List.
  • To annotate the selected shot, click the “copy shot” icon to copy the frame numbers of the selected shot to the “In” and “Out” fields of the Annotations Display (or use hotkey “S”).
  • Attention: Verify that the correct frame numbers have been copied by comparing the frame numbers in the “In” and “Out” fields with the frame numbers of the shot in the Shot List.
  • Click the “+Add” button to open the Annotation Categories Drop-down Menu and select “Frame Range” or “Object”.

Definition and explanation

Why do we annotate shot by shot? Shots are the basic units of films and other camera-recorded AV Objects. Shots are uninterrupted recordings with continuity in both time and space. In unedited footage, the in-point is the first frame (= image) recorded when the camera starts running, the out-point is the last frame recorded before the camera stops. In edited films, the in- and out-point are cuts set in the editing process. The frames comprised by a shot are the shot’s frame range.

For standard relation annotation, it is sufficient to use the in- and out-points of the shots displayed in the Shot List.

However, there may be special cases where it makes sense to annotate a frame range smaller or larger than the frame range of the shot.

For special cases: Annotate relations according to frame ranges larger or smaller than the frame range of the shot

  • Navigate through film or other AV Object via Filmstrip.
  • Select frame by clicking frame in Filmstrip.
  • Select frame(s) to annotate by clicking the “copy frame” icon . The frame number of the selected frame is then copied into the “In” and/or “Out” fields of the Annotations Display (or use hotkey “i” and “o” to select in-/out-points).
  • Verify that the correct frame numbers have been copied by comparing the frame numbers in the “In” and “Out” fields to the frame numbers in the Filmstrip.
  • Click the “+Add” button to open the Annotation Categories Drop-down Menu and select “Frame Range” or “Object”.

Relating a frame range

Selecting “Frame Range” in the drop-down menu opens a list in a dialog window.

  • Search in the “Frame Range” list: Enter the name of the film (or other AV Object) that contains the frame range in question into the Search Bar.
  • Choose the film (or other AV Object) from the search results by clicking the “Select” button. A new window will pop up that shows all shots of the film (or other AV Object).
  • Select a shot. To annotate the selected shot, click on “copy shot” icon (in the lower left of the window) for copying the frame number of the selected shot to the “In” and “Out” fields of the Annotations Display.
  • Click “Select Frame Range”. A new dialog window will pop up (displaying “Select Vocabulary Item”) that shows both selected frame ranges as thumbnails.
  • Define the direction of the annotation by either clicking “Use left label” or “Use right label”.
  • In case the (second) selected range is the source, click on “uses” (ignore “has basis” and “has representation”).
  • If the (second) selected range is the target, click on “is used in” (ignore “has basis” and “has representation”).
  • Click on “Ok” to save annotation.
  • Note: The annotation will be automatically stored at both ends of the relation. (If you select “uses”, “is used in” will be stored for the other frame range and vice versa.)
  • Click on the “publish” icon within the newly created annotation to make this annotation available to other users.*

Relating a frame range in Split Screen Mode

In the Split Screen Mode, the VHH-MMSI allows for opening a second window that is connected to the first one and helps to make annotations between two frame ranges or between a frame range and a full Object (such as still images in the collections of VHH Artworks, VHH Internet Memes, VHH Photographs, and VHH Video Games). This approach works best with a large monitor or a setup with two screens and with the windows arranged side by side.

  • Search and select a film as explained above and click on the “Second Window” icon on the very right of the entry. This opens a second window that looks and functions like the first one.
  • Search and select another film (or other AV Object) in the main window as explained above.
  • Open the frame ranges in question in both windows and click on “copy shot” icon for copying the frame number of the selected shots to the respective “In” and “Out” fields of the Annotations Display in both windows.
  • Click the “+Add” button to open the Annotation Categories Drop-down Menu and select “Frame Range” in the main window. A new window will pop up (displaying “Select Vocabulary Item”) that shows both selected frame ranges as thumbnails.
  • Define the direction of the annotation by either clicking “Use left label” or “Use right label”.
  • In case the selected range (the one in the second window) is the source click on “uses” (ignore “has basis” and “has representation”).
  • If the selected range (the one in the second window) is the target, click on “is used in” (ignore “has basis” and “has representation”).
  • Click on “Ok” to save annotation.
  • Note: The annotation will be automatically stored at both ends of the relation. (If you select “uses”, “is used in” will be stored for the other frame range and vice versa.)
  • Click on the “publish” icon within the newly created annotation to make this annotation available to other users.*

Relating a full Object

Selecting “Object” in the drop-down menu opens a list in a dialog window.

  • Search in the “Object” list: Enter the name of a relevant Object into the Search Bar.
  • Choose an Object from the search results by clicking the “Select” button. (Note: consult VHH-MMSI Manual: Entering New Object if the Object you are looking for is not yet available in the list.)
  • Click on the “publish” icon within the newly created annotation to make this annotation available to other users.*

Taxonomy of Relations

Once a relation to another frame range or a full Object has been established, you can categorize the relation by annotating categories from the Taxonomy of Relations.

  • Click the “TOR” icon for opening the Taxonomy of Relations dialog.
  • Choose the relation in question.
  • Click on “Ok” to save annotation.

The annotation is then added to both items automatically.

 

 

* Note: Instead of publishing each annotation individually, bulks of annotations may be published by opening the Bulk Editing Menu  and selecting “Publish manual TBAs”. This operation will be applied to all TBAs listed in the Annotations Display. You may change the TBAs listed by applying one or several of the Filters on top of the Annotations Display.

[1] If automatically detected shot boundaries still need to be verified, refer to the VHH-MMSI Manual: Editing Shot Boundaries.