TC 446: Advanced Interactive Media Design

DMAT Showcase (Entries Due Today)...

2005-05-02T06:13:00.000-07:00

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) ...

2005-05-02T06:11:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-04-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-04-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

Ok as discussed in class yesterday, the Final Project Presentations will happen on May 4th from 35pm. Here is the presentation order list again:

Team 5

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!

2005-04-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-04-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

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)...

2005-04-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-04-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

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)

2005-04-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

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)

2005-04-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

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)

2005-04-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

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.

Keyhole...

2005-03-30T05:44:00.000-08:00

A student of mine sent me this link:

http://www.keyhole.com

very cool! Whoever thought that U.S. government spy satellites would be put to this kind of use.

Final PRoject Pitch/Presentations...

2005-03-13T10:35:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,

Just want to remind everyone that you guys are doing your Final Project Pitch/Presentation tomorrow. You’ll be presenting in order – Team 1, Team 2, Team 3, etc.

See everyone tomorrow.

Cheers,

Ethan

Tueday Office Hours...

2005-02-28T05:22:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,

I just wanted to let you know that I will not be holding my regular Tuesday office hours this week. If you need to meet with me, drop me an email and we’ll figure out an alternative time.

Final Project Pitch/Proposal...

2005-02-27T08:20:00.000-08:00

Hey folks – even though we are going to be talking about this on Monday, I wanted to put it in the blog as well. If you are looking ahead in the schedule, you’ll notice that you’ve got your Final Project Pitch/Presentation due on the Monday after Spring Break.

So, to make sure everyone is one the same page about this, here is the description of the assignment:

The Final Project Pitch/Presentation is a chance for each group to present the outlines of their intended project to the class as well as the instructor. The Final Project Pitch/Presentation is made up of two parts. First, a 10 minute presentation delivered to the class on March 14th. The presentation must be made in a professional manner (the more professional and comprehensive, the higher the grade). The second part of the assignment is a document handed into the instructor (due on March 14th), outlining the group's intended project. While the contents of the presentation is up the group, the document must (at least) consist of a full breakdown of the intended concept, professional storyboards, realistic production timeline, information architecture diagram (if the concept is information based), comparison of intended concept to at least three other existing Flash/Internet applications. The pitch document is expected to be highly professional. The document (as well as the presentation) is also to be created by all members of the team.

If you’ve got any questions about the Final Project Pitch/Proposal, ask them ASAP so that there isn’t any confusion when it comes to deliver it/hand it in.

Bowing to the Inevitable Truth of Server Problems...

2005-02-27T08:05:00.000-08:00

Hey folks – you’ll remember that at the beginning of the semester, I kept on saying that e-mailing Michael your assignments was just a temp fix until I could get the issues with the CAS Class server resolved? Well, its mid way through the semester, and you are still e-mailing the assignments to Michael. I’ve pretty much given up on resolving the CAS Class Server issue, and you are simply going to continue e-mailing your Lab Assignments to Michael for the remainder of the semester.

Web Design Opportunity

2005-02-24T11:08:00.000-08:00

Hey folks – here is a possible web design opportunity on campus. If you are interested, read on:

We are looking for a web designer/developer who might be interested in part-time work to develop the overall design of our web site for the Pileus* Project, a multidisciplinary project on climate variablity which is centered in the climatology lab in the Natural Sciences building.
Web Design skills include:
Working knowledge of Dreamweaver MX, Photoshop, Illustrator or similar, imovie, audio input (itunes or garage band?); some camcorder experience desired, but not necessary. We will also be looking for a Flash designer, who has experience with databases.
If anyone is interested, please contact Jeanne Bisanz at bisanz@msu.edu

Video Game Industry Guest Speakers Sunday, February 27th!

2005-02-20T05:39:00.000-08:00

Hosted by Spartasoft in conjunction with ACM

Spartasoft and ACM will be hosting a guest lecture / QA session with members of Volition, Inc., makers of the Red Faction game series and the recently released The Punisher. The speakers include Programmer and MSU alumnus Eric Arnold, and Artist/Designer Scott Phillips. Both will be speaking about their duties and experiences at Volition, along with answering any questions students may have about what it takes to make it in the game industry.

Here is the rundown:

WHO: Eric Arnold and Scott Phillips.
WHAT: Guest lecture and QA session (come with questions!)
WHERE: Rm 147 Communication Arts and Sciences Building.
WHEN: Sunday, February 27th, at 6:00 PM.

Design Teams...

2005-02-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

Ok folks, here are the design teams:

Team 1

Sean Kavanagh ( kavana17@msu.edu)
Jennifer Fritzler ( fritzler@msu.edu)
Chris Covington ( coving16@msu.edu)
Patric Bowen ( bowenpat@msu.edu)

Team 2

JJ Chandler (chandl15@msu.edu)
Amanda Flowers ( flower49@msu.edu)
Jared Riley (rileyjar@msu.edu)
Michael Mulholland (mulhol11@msu.edu)

Team 3

Lei Bao (baolei@msu.edu)
Jay Lau (laujay@msu.edu)
Lulu Li (lilulu@msu.edu)
Thomas Charno (charnoth@msu.edu)

Team 4

Chase Kotyk (kotykcha@msu.edu)
LeAnn Kim (kimleann@msu.edu)
Jaeho Kang (kangjaeh@msu.edu)
Tom Lilley (lilleyt1@msu.edu)

Team 5

Stanley Park (parkstan@msu.edu)
John Ellenich (ellenich@msu.edu)
Niels Garlick (garlickn@msu.edu)
Nicole Salerno (salernon@msu.edu)
Nathan Rathburn (rathbun3@msu.edu)

Team 6

Greg Mercer (mercerg1@msu.edu)
Bill Meikka (miekkawi@msu.edu)
Jason VanHevel (vanheve2@msu.edu)
Jonathan Jiskra (jiskrajo@msu.edu)

Team 7

Andres Galarza (galarzaa@msu.edu)
Sylvia DeWitt (dewittsy@msu.edu)
Brandon Hahn (hahnbra1@msu.edu)
Ray Schelhas (schelhas@msu.edu)
Kevin Schopieray (schopie4@msu.edu)

Team 8

Haley Kimbrue (kimbrueh@msu.edu)
John Miller (mill1027@msu.edu)
Howard Chen (chenhowa@msu.edu)
Kiran Belankar (belankar@msu.edu)
Josh Kluesner (kluesne3@msu.edu)

Team “wow, is he ever going to work hard”

Andrew Fort (fortandr@msu.edu)

If your name isn’t on the list, that means that you didn’t hand in your design team survey form. Do so ASAP or you’ll be a group of 1 – and thereby responsible for creating a final project that would normally take a group to produce.

Type in Assignment 2...

2005-02-16T07:58:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, apparantly, there is a bit of a type in the Assignment 2 directions:

As with the previous exercise, the text bubble should occupy its own label (which must be appropriately labeled).

this should read:

As with the previous exercise, the text bubble should occupy its own layer (which must be appropriately labeled).

Blogs...

2005-02-11T18:19:00.000-08:00

Hey folks – I’ve finally gotten around to updating the course website with all of your blog URLs. I would strongly suggest that you check the list out and make sure your blog is there. If it isn’t there, that means that you haven't sent me your URL (which you should do immediately if you want to receive credit for any future IDMs) or your original email got lost (in which case, if you can forward the original email to me, you’ll get credit for all of the IDMs to date).

Interested in Documentary Films?

2005-02-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

From the MSU Documentary Film Club:

The MSU Doc Films club is back this semester with some interesting projects, experienced undergraduate and graduate students and contacts for video production. We need your help not only for guidance and support but also to inform any of your students. We are looking to recruit and expand our current membership to all of those who are interested in Video production, documentaries or experience. Please pass this information to any of your students who are interested in video or looking for experience outside of class.
Our next informational meetings will be Thursday, February 17th -- 7:30 in Rather Hall Lobby and Monday, February 21st at 7:30 -– in Rather Hall Lobby (Check in B 129 Rather)
If you can help our group in anyway please email us at docfilms@msu.edu

So, if you are interested in Doc films, drop them a line.

Bitmap/Pixel Fonts

2005-02-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

I’m going to be talking about Pixel/Bitmap fonts in class today. Here are some links to font houses where you can download (either for pay or for free) pixel/bitmap fonts:

http://www.fontsforflash.com

http://www.miniml.com

http://www.minifonts.com

Enjoy.

Design Team Survey Forms - Due Monday!

2005-02-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

Hey folks – I just wanted to remind you that your Design Team Survey Forms are due on Monday. They aren’t to be handed in on Wednesday (lab) – just so you know.

Tuesday's Office Hours...

2005-02-06T11:16:00.000-08:00

Hey folks – my office hours are going to be slightly truncated this week. Instead of 11–3, they will be 11–1:30. As usual, if this doesn’t work for someone, feel free to drop me a line and we’ll arrange an alternate time.

Use an Agregator to Read TC446's RSS Feed.

2005-02-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

Don’t know what RSS is? Don’t know how to aggregate an RSS feed? You are definitely missing out. As I’m running 3 separate course blogs this semester (and some of you are in more than one of these classes), I thought it might be helpful if I were to point you in the direction of a nice RSS/Aggregation primer.

For those who don’t know, RSS feeds automatically bring updated information straight to your desktop. You can monitor news, job listings, personals, and classifieds. More and more sites offer feeds (including all of the course blogs I’m running this semester), which you can identify by a small button that says either RSS or XML. However, if you click one of these links, you will most likely get a page full of code in your browser. To properly read the feed, you need an RSS reader.

To learn more about RSS readers, check out this link:

http://www.download.com/How-to-read-RSS-feeds/1200-2001-5123544.html

note: one of the easiest aggregators to use is actually built right into Firefox. The feature is called Live Bookmarks, and it allows you to read RSS feeds directly from within your browser. To find out more about Firefox’s Live Bookmark feature, check out this link:

http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/live-bookmarks.html

Lab Assignment #1

2005-02-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

Hey folks – I’m still trying to get info from the CAS tech folks as to whether we can use the CAS class storage for uploading your lab assignments. Until then, I’m going to have you email your first lab assignment (which is due at the beginning of your lab section) to Michael (leesan26@msu.edu). So, all you need to do is send the .FLA file (which is generated when you use the Save command). You don’t have to export it to .SWF format (which some of you might already know how to do, while others do not).

Depending on what info I get back from the CAS tech people, this may be the regular method of submitting your assignments – though we’ll have to see.

2005 IDEAS Festival

2005-02-04T06:55:00.000-08:00

Announcing the 2005 Indiana Interactive Digital Environments Arts and Storytelling (IDEAS) Festival. IDEAS is a competition and juried show of interactive entertainment, 3D, 2D, aural, virtual, animated and still creative work which will be held April 23, 2005 at Indiana University – Bloomington, Indiana. This year we are accepting entries from Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Minnesota,and Pennsylvania.

Go to our website www.ideasfest.org for more information. Contact Elena Bertozzi ebertozz@indiana.edu with questions.

Possible Web Design Opportunity w/ Earth Share of MI

2005-02-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, I was just contacted by someone with Earth Share of MI inquiring as to whether a student might be interested in working with them on either updating or recreating their current website. Beyond that, I don’t have any additional information (i.e. is there cash involved). If anyone is interested, give me a yell and I’ll put you in contact with the person who sent me the email.

Feb 4th Seminar Open to Students - ChildrenÃÂs Software: Reinventing the Magic

2005-02-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

Children’s Software: Reinventing the Magic

MSU alum and 20 year entertainment industry veteran Rob Martyn will talk about the current state of the children’s software industry, it’s glorious past, and what it may take to put magic back in to this industry, what the future could hold and how to get there.

About the Speaker

Rob Martyn has been in the interactive and online industries ever since his outstanding education in the College of Communications at Michigan State University. His career reflects areas of pioneering as well as areas of commercial success. He worked at North America's first commercial online service at Knight-Ridder Newspapers, managed the first commercial persistent world environment at America Online, and produced Living Books for Broderbund, one of the seminal products in early multimedia. In his 20 year career, he has managed production organizations responsible for some of the most highly branded products in the game industry, including EA Sports, The Sims and SimCity. He's currently engaged in trying to infuse magic back into children's software.

11am-noon in CAS room 151

Design Team Survey Form

2005-01-30T06:23:00.000-08:00

Hey folks – as you know, the major project for this class is group based. In an effort to make sure that each team has a nice balance of skills, I’ll be forming the groups myself. In order to do that, I need to get a good understanding of your skills, experience, etc. This is where the Design Team Survey From comes into the picture. Its located in the Resources section of the course website. Just fill it out online (its a PDF file), print it out, and then hand it in to me no later than Feb 7th. From there, I’ll put the teams together.

So, if you’ve got any questions, don’t hesitate to give me a yell.

Woops - Reading Assignment Mistake

2005-01-28T07:08:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,

On the course website, I listed next week’s reading assignments as Chapters 4, 6, and 6.

No, you don’t have to read Chapter 6 twice – it should have said Chapters, 4, 5, and 6.

Sorry for the mix up.

Welcome to TC 446

2005-01-10T06:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the TC 446 blog. Here you'll find all out of class annoucnements - Online resources, great Flash sites, schedule changes. If I have to cancel a class, you'll find it here. If the class schedule changes, you'll find it here. So, its in your best interest to check this blog on a regular basis.

TC 446: Advanced Interactive Media Design

DMAT Showcase (Entries Due Today)...

Post Mortem (update) ...

DMAT Showcase...

Final Project Presentations...

Brain Kicks In!

SIRS Class Feedback Forms...

Final Project Presentation (and stuff)...

Bonus Blog...

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

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

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

Keyhole...

Final PRoject Pitch/Presentations...

Tueday Office Hours...

Final Project Pitch/Proposal...

Bowing to the Inevitable Truth of Server Problems...

Web Design Opportunity

Video Game Industry Guest Speakers Sunday, February 27th!

Design Teams...

Type in Assignment 2...

Blogs...

Interested in Documentary Films?

Bitmap/Pixel Fonts

Design Team Survey Forms - Due Monday!

Tuesday's Office Hours...

Use an Agregator to Read TC446's RSS Feed.

Lab Assignment #1

2005 IDEAS Festival

Possible Web Design Opportunity w/ Earth Share of MI

Feb 4th Seminar Open to Students - ChildrenÃÂs Software: Reinventing the Magic

Design Team Survey Form

Woops - Reading Assignment Mistake

Welcome to TC 446

Feb 4th Seminar Open to Students - ChildrenÃÂs Software: Reinventing the Magic