Multimedia Thesis [MULT 400]
Tuesday, 2:10 pm - 4:50 pm
210 Katzen Arts Center
Randall Packer, #216 Katzen, rpacker@zakros.com
Multimedia 400 focuses on contemporary issues and techniques critical to the conceptualization, design, production and delivery of interactive multimedia. Students are assigned readings and complete a final project, introducing them to topics critical to their understanding of interactivity, interface design, networking, multi-user environments, immersion, non-linear narrative, etc. The course will overview software tools used in multimedia production for authoring, graphics, animation, sound and video. Students will complete a final project consisting of an interactive DVD, exploring areas of art, social science, politics, education, science, etc., involving them in the multimedia development process from concept to finished work.
August 30, 2005
Introduction
Review of course objectives, readings, assignments, projects, and grading.
Blogging as "hypomnemata": a medium for research, discourse, and documentation. Sign-up on Blogger.com.
Student Blogs
Nuha Alsharif
DVD as a medium for artistic, documentary, and portfolio projects. Review of past projects.
Final Project: Interactive DVD project choosing subject matter of student's own choice. Project will be designed, produced and mastered as a finished work. Each student will be responsible for conceptualizing a project that relates to an area of interest, acquiring and producing content (video, graphics, sound, animation, text), editing and authoring, cover design and final mastering. Key applications will be: Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
Reading Assignment: Janet Murray "Agency," Hamlet on the Holodeck, pg. 380
Project Assignment: Begin thinking about project ideas.
September 02, 2005
No Class
September 06, 2005
Project Conceptualization
Site visit: New Media Center (212 Hurst Hall), Justin Schauble, Director, overview of facility
Distribution of application forms for project conceputalization.
DVD Studio Pro Tutorial: Overview of artistic strategies, concept development, and technical realization for designing a DVD project.
Assignment: Begin development of project idea, prepare presentation for next week.
Reading: Alan Kay, "User Interface, A Personal View"
September 09, 2005
Visual Music
Site visit: Hirshhorn Museum
Visual Music
The Hirshhorn and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, have co-organized the first exhibition in the United States to examine the many forms of visual music, an interdisciplinary, broad-based art movement that explored the relationship of abstraction, color, and music. The presentation brings together the work of forty artists and an array of media, including painting, photography, film, light projection, computer graphics, and immersive environments.
September 13, 2005
Project Conceptualization
Discussion of Visual Music exhibition at the Hirshhorn: What is synaesthesia? How did the early abstract painting of Wassily Kandinsky incorporate musical technique? How does the animation of Oscar Fischinger and the Whitney brothers explore the relationship between music and image? What is unique about the installation by Jennifer Steincamp in its use of space?
Class discussion of project ideas: concept, technical realization, user experience, audience. How does the concept and technical realization exploit the capabilities of full motion video, graphical slide shows, and interactivity within the DVD medium?
DVD Studio Pro authoring environment continued.
Discussion of Janet Murray essay: "Agency."
Discussion of selected DVD works: Ant Farm, "Video"
Assignment: Complete application form
Reading: Alan Kay, "User Interface: A Personal View"
September 16, 2005
Lab
Go over the DVD Studio Pro Tutorial.
September 20, 2005
Critique of Proposals
Class Blogs:
Maia Gantcheva
Michael Widener
Nuha Al-Alsharif
Evan Bleiweiss
Jack Chen
Critique of project proposals (application form is due).
Overview of project design: flow chart, information design, menu sketches, list of media assets, storyboarding etc.
Presentation of interactive gaming environment, Michael Widener
Rhizome, media arts resource. We will look at the Rhizome Artbase and on-line exhibitions of media art that have been curated from the Artbase. Since 1996, Rhizome has been an active community for artists creating Net Art, Media Art, and other forms of new media art. The word "Rhizome," refers to the philosophical notion of how post-modern thought adheres to the metaphor of the rhizome, the branching roots of a tree.
Assignment: Go to Potomac Video or any video store, check out a DVD that you think has interesting or unusual content, and present an analysis of its information architecture to the class.
Assignment: Create a flow chart that shows the information architecture of your project. This involves diagramming the various sections: introduction, mainmenu, submenus, video, web links, slideshows, additional screens, etc. You can sketch out the flow chart on paper, or use a graphics program such as photoshop or illustrator. Essentially, you create boxes that indicate the various sections, lines and arrows to indicate links, and the flow should go either from the top down, or from left to right to indicate hierarchy and progression through the DVD. Keep in mind, this is a diagram-in-progress and should be considered a starting point for your design. Once you have content, the information architecture will adjust to the needs of the project.
September 23, 2005
Lab
Work on projects.
September 27, 2005
Information Architecture
Discussion of Information Architecture: organization of project content, hierarchy, flow, navigation, a virtual space that guides the viewer through the narrative. With the DVD platform, content falls into the following categories: introduction, main menu, sub menus, chapter index, tracks (movies), slide shows (stills), and transitions (movies and/or fades) between sections. Like a physical structure, movement through the information architecture of a virtual space should be logical, intuitive, engaging, surprising?, etc. It is important not to have too many sub levels (perhaps 3 maximum), otherwise the viewer will have difficulty with navigation.
Review project flow charts.
Discussion of narrative descriptions. We have discussed narrative structures used in interactive media: rhizomatic, branching, labyrinthine, etc. We have discussed the role of the viewer in first person (as found in games). The narrative can have a "voice" that carries you through, either in spoken or textual form. The narrative can consist of a portrait of an individual, group, society, culture, consisting of interviews. A narrative can take "journey" form, in which the viewer travels through an actual space in location and time. A narrative can be mysterious or in "puzzle" form, in which the viewer has to figure out how to navigate and explore the work. A narrative can be entirely abstract, experiential, an immersion in imagery, sound, movement, light, and space.
Discussion of Alan Kay, "User Interface: A Personal View"
Assignment: menu design. Sketch out (on paper or in photoshop), menu designs for main menu, submenus, and slide shows. Since you probably don't yet have content, sketches should be confined to layout and typography, indicating titles, buttons, etc., and should give a sense of design and proportion.
September 30, 2005
Lab
Work on projects.
October 04, 2005
Menu and Interactivity Design
Guest Artist: Nobumichi TOSA, President Maywa Denki Digital Art/Performance Goup, Japan
Menu and Interactivity Design: user interface, layout, buttons for menus, submenus, chapter index, and slide shows.
Storyboarding: interactive, non-linear narrative; scripting video and linear elements.
Midterm Assignment Guidelines
Due: Tuesday, October 18th
The creation of charts and interface sketches is an integral part of the design process of creating a multimedia project. This is where you create ideas and design concepts that will later be developed in the production process. The following comprise the design packet that you would use for a proposal or present to a client. They should be professionally done with enough detail to clearly convey the content and design of the project.
(1) Application Form - update the original application to indicate changes in the work, new detail since the original document was created.
(2) Flow Chart - this shows the information architecture of your project. Flow chart involves diagramming the various sections: introduction, mainmenu, submenus, video tracks, slide shows, additional screens, etc. Use a graphics program such as Photoshop or Illustrator to create the chart. Essentially, you create boxes that indicate the various sections, lines and arrows to indicate links, and the flow should go either from the top down, or from left to right to indicate hierarchy and progression through the DVD. Keep in mind, this is a diagram-in-progress and should be considered a starting point for your design. Once you have content, the information architecture will adjust to the needs of the project.
(3) Interface Sketches - each menu (main menu, submenu, etc.) should be sketched out in Photoshop or Illustrator, showing design concept, placement of titles, buttons, graphics, video, etc. You should generate or photographic relevant project material to give a sense of the design, though this is by no means should be considered a finished piece. Establish typographical styles, order/hierarchy of buttons and interactivity, return arrows, borders, etc.
(4) Storyboard(s) - For video material, including interviews, documentary, narrative pieces, etc., create a simple storyboard(s) that outlines the sequence of events, dialogue, texts, locations, camera shots, sound, music, etc. This provides a rough guide for shooting and editing, and will be updated during the production process.
On Tuesday, October 18th, each student will give a 15-minute project overview, using the project materials for presentation, followed by discussion and critique. I want all the materials to be handed to me in printed form. Save a duplicate for yourself and keep in your notebook. Projects will be graded according to the concept, clarity of information, ability to articulate the nature and quality of the work. This packet will be your roadmap for production that begins after the 18th.
October 07, 2005
Lab
Work on projects.
October 11, 2005
No class
Fall break.
October 14, 2005
Lab
Work on projects.
October 18, 2005
Midterm Critique
Critique of design sketches:
- updated Application form (optional)
- flow chart (updated)
- mainmenu prototype (with button interactivity)
- list of assets (breakdown of video material, still images, sound, etc.), complete as text document
- storyboards
- class presentation: Be prepared to give status report on project to class.
Please hand all material in printed form.
Assignment: Create a detailed assets list of all material needed to complete the project, including menus, slideshows, and video tracks. Next week we will discuss graphics production for DVD Studio Pro.
October 21, 2005
Lab
Work on projects.
October 25, 2005
Project Management / Graphics Production
The mechanics of production management, scheduling, and tracking.
Recommended schedule:
Review of production schedule for remainder of semester:
October 25 - Content production (design revisions finalized)
November 1 - Content production (video captured)
November 8 - Content production (graphics and menus)
November 15 - Content production completed
November 22 - Input into DVD Studio Pro
November 29 - Thanksgiving
December 6 - Beta version, labels
December 13 - Final Critique / designed in case
DVD Graphics production, sizing, typography
October 28, 2005
Lab
Work on projects.
November 01, 2005
Graphics Production II
Additional techniques for layered and unlayered menus in DVD Studio Pro.
November 04, 2005
Lab
Work on projects.
November 08, 2005
Video Editing & Compression
Suggestions for optimized use of video material, control of time, layering and processing effects.
Technical issues in video compression: DV, MPEG-2, .aif sound files.
November 11, 2005
Lab
Work on projects.
November 15, 2005
Critique
We will have a critique of projects-in-progess. Have your materials ready on your firewire drives for viewing, including: all screens, menus, etc., video material, slide show material. The work does not yet need to be integrated in DVD Studio Pro. The goal of the critique is to be sure projects on are track, your work on narrative and flow is developing well, and that graphics, video, and audio material are the correct dimension and format for import into DVD Studio Pro.
November 18, 2005
Lab
Work on projects.
November 22, 2005
Lab
Lab session as I will be out.
November 25, 2005
No Class
November 29, 2005
Site Visit
Visit to Arlington Arts Center to view Mori.
December 02, 2005
Lab
Work on projects.
December 06, 2005
Finalize Projects
Work on projects.
December 09, 2005
Lab
Complete projects.