DMAT Showcase (Entries Due Today)...

Hey folks – just a reminder, DMAT showcase entried are due today!  Check out the DMAT website (dmat.msu.edu) for further info.

Post Mortem (update) ...

Hey folks – given the change in the Final Project presentation days, I’m going to be changing the due date for the post mortem.  Instead of the 3rd @ 5pm, I’m going to switch it to the 5th @ 5pm.

DMAT Showcase...

DMAT Showcase Exhibition and Awards Ceremony 2005

The DMAT Showcase Exhibition and Awards Ceremony 2005 are rapidly approaching. The event is scheduled to take place Thursday, May 6th 4:00pm-8:00pm (during finals week.) Make sure to attend the event! It is a great opportunity to see and celebrate the best projects developed by DMAT MA and BA students over the last year. This year, in addition to the exhibition, we will also have an awards ceremony at the showcase! Invite your friends and family to attend!

Submit Your Project and Win!

If you have created a medium to large-scale digital media project over the last year, please consider submitting it for exhibition in the DMAT Showcase. By submitting you have the opportunity to:

• Have your project reviewed by a panel of industry and academic judges.
• Quality projects will be chosen for exhibition at the DMAT Showcase.
• The top-three projects will be selected as “Best of Show” in Video, Audio, Web, Games, Design Research, and Overall production, as well as a People’s Choice Award. The projects will be highlighted during the Awards Ceremony.

Submission Requirements

You must be a currently enrolled DMAT student or have been an enrolled DMAT student in Summer 2004, Fall 2004 or Spring 2005. The project must have been completed between May 2004-May 2005.  You must have been a primary participant in the creation of the project. If the project has multiple authors, get approval for submission from all the authors. You can submit a project jointly with multiple authors.  The project can be something that you worked on outside of a class or something you worked on in a class. If it was done in a class, it is expected that you went above and beyond the requirements of the assignment and perhaps continued to work on and finetuned the project after the class.

Submission Details

Project:

Submissions must include the project on one of the following media formats:

• Computer-based Interactive Media Project should be submitted on DVD-ROM, CDROM, or be available on the Internet (via a Web Site). Please specify the required playback platform, MacOS, Windows, Either, or other.
• Non-Computer-based Video or Audio projects should be submitted on DVD (preferred),
• DVCAM, MiniDV, or Audio CD.
• Design research projects should be submitted as a single PDF or Word file.

Poster:

Submissions must also include a 8.5”x11” or 11”x17” poster (on posterboard) with at least the

following components:

• Title of Project
• One screenshot or frame grab from the project (if applicable)
• Authors (and email addresses)
• Brief description of the content of the project
• Brief description of production techniques or research methods
• Any awards or recognition the project has received

If the project is chosen for exhibition, the poster will be exhibited with the project.

Deadline:

The project and poster must be submitted by Monday, May 2nd at 5pm to be judged for prizes.  If you are actively working on the project, you may submit a revised version by Wednesday, May 4th by 5pm, for exhibition purposes.

Showcase Exhibition:

If your project is selected for exhibition, it is strongly suggested that you attend the DMAT Showcase Exhibition and demo your project to attendees. If you project requires sound, please bring headphones or powered speakers. (If you are unable to attend, your project will still be exhibited.)

Showcase Awards Ceremony:

If you project is a winner, you will be honored at the DMAT Showcase Awards Ceremony. The ceremony will take place during the Showcase.

Submit the project and poster to:

Brian Winn (Room 253 Comm Arts Bldg.)

For any questions, please contact Brian Winn winnb@msu.edu.

Final Project Presentations...

Hey folks,

Ok – as discussed in class yesterday, the Final Project Presentations will happen on May 4th from 3–5pm. Here is the presentation order list again:

1. 
   
2. 
   
3. Team 5
4. 
   
5. 
   
6. 
   
7. 
   
8. 
   
9. 
   

Email me with your slot preference – first come first served. Remember that you also need to hand in the Final Project group participation grade sheets (located in the resources section of the course website) by presentation day.

note: since you'll be presenting and handing in your project on the 4th, the final group participation grade sheet isn't due until then.

Brain Kicks In!

Remember when we were talking about the “Adobe digests Macromedia” thing today, and I couldn’t remember the name of the Flash clone that Adobe had released and then killed some years back.  Well, as I was out in the backyard playing with my dog and my son, it popped into my head.  Live Motion!  My brain is slow, but it always gets there in the end.

SIRS Class Feedback Forms...

Given the fact that we are nearing the end of the semester, its time to rate this class (and my teaching).  Just go the URL below and do your thing.  Remember, honest and constructive comments help improve future classes:

http://rateyourclass.msu.edu

Final Project Presentation (and stuff)...

Hey folks,

Well, the end is almost here.  You are going to be doing your Final Project presentations next class.  The presentations should be no less than 10 minutes a piece (thought longer is certainly acceptable).  The order in which the design teams will present will be determined on a first come first served basis.  Just email me with your presentation preference (see below), and I’ll fill the list in as the requests come in:

I’ve also uploaded the Final Group Participation Grade sheets to the website (in the Resources section).  You need to download it, fill one for each of your team members, and then hand them in to me on the last day of class (next week). 

Bonus Blog...

Hey folks – I’m offering up a bonus blog.  If you’ve gotten a 0 or partial mark on one of your regular blogs, this bonus blog will replace that mark.  If you’ve done ll of your blogs, don’t bother with this bonus blog as it won’t get you any extra credit.

Just do a regular review of the following website by Friday @ 5pm:

http://www.xmission.com/~ncognito/

Make sure you put “Bonus Blog” in the title of your entry.

Flash Demos 8Ball (i.e. Flash 8)

Mike Downey & Mike Chambers have demoed 8Ball (the code name for the next version of Flash) at Flash in the Can.  Here are some pics:

http://www.flashant.org/index.php?p=332&c=1

1 Credit Class: Sounds, Images + Interactivity (April 22, 23, 24)

Hey folks,

I’ve been talking about the 1 credit class that Norbert  Herber is going to be teaching here next week.  There are still spots open.  so, if, after reading the description below, any of you are interested in registering, send me an email.

 

Introduction & Background

 

It is essential for interactive designers and developers to have several channels of communication with their audience. Traditionally, the visual channel has been given the most attention. The recipe for immersion has relied on graphical wizardry in favor of creating an experience that is visually compelling and engaging. What is missing is this same kind of attention and focus on the audio components of an interactive experience. In the whole of interactive media this channel has been largely neglected. The audio elements and overall aural design of the interactive experience have not been fully considered.

 

Only through the thoughtful planning of interactive sound structures will there be the kind of audio and graphic synergy that enables the immersive experience to reach its full potential. This course aims to explore the concepts and techniques that bind the picture + sound relationship in an interactive environment.

 

Course Information

 

An understanding of audio and its relationship with images is essential to the success of an interactive production. The course will approach the material from both theoretical and practical perspectives. To discover the intricacies of this relationship, students will study the following topics:

 

• audio-only media: radio theater and other spoken word productions
• film music: role of music in cinema and film music techniques

Though interactive media is relatively young, there are traditions that are vital to the field. While traditional media provides a foundation for the picture + sound relationship, it is also essential to understand how audio is used in contemporary interactive media. Students will consider:

 

• audio in computer games (classic and contemporary)
• audio in CD-ROM based media
• audio on the Internet

 

Careful study and consideration must also go with practical application for a full understanding of the interactive audio development process. Students will have the opportunity to work with contemporary digital audio and media authoring tools to practice implementing the techniques they study and develop individually. The experience of creating interactive sound schemes will bring their studies full-circle from

analysis to implementation.

 

Objectives

 

Introduce students to the power of audio as a means of communication and storytelling, and allow students to explore the interplay between sound and on-screen images

Provide students with a framework for thoughtful consideration of audio in an interactive environment Explore various techniques of implementing an interactive audio design concept in the context of an interactive media production

 

Recommended Skill Set

 

Students are expected to have a working knowledge of digital audio, and contemporary tools for computer-based recording and editing. Musical training or the ability to sing/play an instrument can be helpful, though not necessary. Students should be familiar with Flash-based multimedia development and have at least an intermediate-level knowledge of ActionScript or similar OOP language.

 

Summer Class: The Social History of Digital Games (TC391)

If anyone is interested, I’m teaching a class this summer called The Social History of Digital Games (TC391).  Here is the descriptions:

In 1952, A.S. Douglas wrote his PhD degree at the University of Cambridge on Human-Computer interaction. Douglas created the first graphical computer game - a version of Tic-Tac-Toe. The game was programmed on an EDSAC vacuum-tube computer, which had a cathode ray tube display. The rest, as they say, is history. 50 years later, video games are a multi billion dollar industry, and have become worthy of mainstream attention and scholarly study.

The Social History of Digital Games is an introductory survey course designed to provide student with an opportunity to explore the foundations, development, and current state of interactive entertainment as well as the interactive entertainment industry. The course will take a socio-historical approach to the subject, exploring not just the lineage of game technology, genres, and trends, but the impact that the industry had on society and vice versa.

If anyone has any questions about the class, give me a yell.