Spring 2006 Course Schedule
English 5/678 Multimedia Theory and Production
This schedule is subject to change based on student needs

Discussion of course themes (including short writing)

Discuss reading & multimodality

Activity: Read and discuss Kairos "Prosumer" article

Discuss readings

Activity: Look at Revisions curriculum and other pedagogical material for incorporating multiliteracies

Read on CD:
Cope & Kalantzis- “Multiliteracies: The Beginnings of an Idea”

New London Group- “A Pedogogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social Futures”

Read on CD:
Cope & Kalantzis- “Designs for Social for Social Futures”

Write:
A short reflection on what arguments these articles have in common and how they address the concept of multimodality

Activity: Acoustic Ecology Soundstudy

Read online:
Tagg- “Reading Sounds”

Read & Listen:
Choose three sites from listing at www.acousticecology.org/soundscapelinks.html

Write: 1-2 page reflection on what you found and listened to

Activity: Look at available foley & FX sounds in Soundtrack Pro to create short audio narratives without words

Find an overview of the application and the basics of using it by clicking here.

Week 4- Sound, Narrative, and Audio Production

Discuss Audio Narratives

Assign audio podcast project

Discuss audio recording options

Activity: Listen to sample podcasts

Listen:
“This American Life”10/15 episode- “20 Acts in 60 Minutes”
and EITHER
11/25 episode- “New Beginnings: 10 Years of This American Life” OR 7/22 episode- “A Little Bit of Knowledge”- all available at www.thislife.org/pages/archives/archivemain.html#05

Write:
1-2 page reflection on the kinds of modal elements (sound effects, voiceover, music, background sound) you hear in these and how they contribute (or not) to the narrative(s) of the episodes

Discuss Audio Stories

Demo of creating Podcast using Soundtrack Pro

Form project teams and begin brainstorming audio documentary project ideas

Listen to other documentary podcasts through iTunes for ideas:

• Radio Diaries
• Transom
• Radio Pie
• Sound Portraits
• PeopleTalk
• Hearing Voices
• Indie Feeds: Big Shed
• American Radio Works
• This Denison Life
• Podcast Alley Directory
• Odeo Podcast Directory

Listen:
Pick two stories (from different categories) at http://www.radiodiaries.org/

Listen:
One story (you choose) from http://www.storycorps.net/listen/

Listen & read email comment:
“Street Dogs”
http://www.transom.org/shows/2001/
200108.shows.streetdogs.original.html

Read online:
“Podcasting with Soundtrack Pro” parts 1 & 2
http://maczealots.com/tutorials/podcasting/

Week 5- Audio Production

Design Center training

Read online Policy Guide for volunteer consultants for the Design Center

Read the online Training and Reference Support Manual for volunteer consultants for the Design Center

Discuss reading

In-class audio editing

Read in Kress & Van Leeuwen book:
Chapter 3 “Production”

Read on CD:
Koppelman- “Bullets, Explosions, Music, People”

Write:
A short reflection on how the two readings relate (or don't) to the activities you are engaging in for your audio documentary project

Listen to draft audio projects

Peer feedback on projects

Discuss production obstacles and questions so far

Due:
Complete draft Audio Documentary Podcast projects

Discussion with Media Production video specialists about lighting, taping practices

Read on CD:
Gianetti-
“Chapter 1: Photography”
“Chapter 4: Editing” (pages 133-168 & 181-206 only)

Video editing workshop on iMovie

• Using iMovie for Storytelling
• Importing video into iMovie
• Using sound in iMovie
• Creating title screens and transitions in iMovie

Overview of additional features in Final Cut Pro

Read/Watch/Use:
iMovie Tutorial:
http://www.apple.com/support/imovie/tutorial/index.html

Due:
Final Cut of Audio Documentary Podcast projects on CD

Written Production Reflection and Justification

Tape & Chart presentation to be taped in class for pilot project

Discuss readings

Watch opening & select scenes from Cold Mountain

Activity: Use video editing software with original footage from Tape & Chart session

Read on CD:
Koppelman-
“Running on the Fault Line”
“Give Me a Reason Not To”
“Scenes I Can Cut”

Discuss reading, narrative, & interactivity

Activity:
Read/use “Letting Dylan Go” at http://extras.denverpost.com/multimedia/interactive
/Dylan/1218dylan.html

“Dear Robert Darling” at http://cball.usu.edu/mtu/works/dear_robert/index.html

The Mercury Menace at
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/
broadband/chi-mercuryhtmlstory,0,3799369.htmlstory

Smuggling in Indian Country at
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2006/02/18/
national/20060219_SMUGGLE_AUDIOSS.html

The Beat Experience (on CD)

Read on CD:
Manovich- “Chapter 1: What Is New Media?”

Selfe- “Students Who Teach Us”

Crawford-
“Chapter 2: Interactivity”
“Chapter 3: Interactive Storytelling”

Class Cancelled- Instructor at workshop

Last Day to Withdraw with a W

M 3/20-F 3/24

Class Cancelled for Spring Break

Directions for Interactive project

Flash demo & workshop part 1

Crash Course in Flash handout (courtesy of Matt)

Handout on Flash and Usability (courtesy of Matt)

Introduction to Flash and the interface

Read on CD:
McAdams-
“Chapter 1: A New Form of Storytelling”
“Chapter 2: What Flash Brings to Online Media”

Flash demo & workshop part 2

Basic animation, tweening, symbols, and relation to the timeline

Planning Flash Project Handout (courtesy of Matt)

Creating and Using Graphic Elements part 2 (courtesy of Matt)

Flash Animation Handout part 3 (courtesy of Matt)

Directions for Final Course Paper

Read on CD:
McAdams-
“Lesson 1: Drawing Tools”
“Lesson 2: Animation”
“Lesson 4: Buttons”
“Lesson 5: Making Buttons Do Things”

Flash demo & workshop part 3

Sample interactive narratives in Flash

Importing and working with assets

Creating slideshows

Bring in assets (images, text, sound) for project

Read in Miller Book:
“Chapter 1: Interactive Storytelling”
“Chapter 2: Backwater to Mainstream”
“Chapter 3: Moving Towards Convergence”

Write:
A short reflection piece on McAdams and Miller readings and what you learned/still want to know about Flash and how the application supports interactive storytelling possibilities

Flash demo & workshop part 4

Adding complexity to slideshows

Read in Miller text:
“Chapter 4: Interactivity and Its Effects”
“Chapter 5: Old Tools/New Tools”
“Chapter 7: Structure in Interactive Media”

Look at online:
Flash examples

In-class workshop time for working with Flash and/or on interactive projects

Write:
One paragraph brainstorm about the subject of your final paper.

Tour:
Media Production Lab

Observe:
Game lab students in session

Read in Miller text:
“Chapter 6: Characters, Dialogue, & Emotions”
“Chapter 8: Blending Entertainment with Other Goals”
“Chapter 9: Tackling Projects for Children”

Discuss readings

Look at/use/discuss Tom Clancy examples- book, film, video game

Read in First Person text:
Perlin- “Can there Be a Form between Game and Story?”

Zimmerman- “Narrative, Interactivity, Play, & Games”

Mountfort- “Interactive Fiction as Story…”

Pearce- “Towards a Game Theory of Game”

Write:
Short reflection on video games, narrative, and interactivity based on readings and/or your experience with this

Discuss readings and in-class examples

Lab time for working on Interactive Projects

Read in First Person text:
Jenkins- “Game Design as Narrative Architecture”

Laurel- “Ludology”

Eskeinen- “Towards Computer Game Studies”

Aarseth- “Genre Trouble”

Walker- “How I Was Played by Online Caroline”

Bring all Interactive Project materials to class

Visit to Learning Game Lab in Knox Hall

Directions for Multimodal Video Game Analysis

Read on CD:
Crawford-
"Chapter 7: Simple Strategies that Don’t Work”
“Chapter 8: Environmental Strategies”

Due:
Working draft of Interactive Project

Discuss Game Lab experience

Discuss readings

Read on CD:
Frasca- “Videogames of the Oppressed”

Gee- “Situated Learning”

Spector- “Ion Storm’s Deus Ex”

Write:
In-class reflection memo

Meet to share final Interactive Projects on Tuesday, May 9th at 3:30.