BDC 192: Digital Media at Ryerson University

Overall, I really enjoyed the course. I thought it was a welcome break from all the “technical” aspects of the Radio and Television Program. This course does incorporate computer software and design programs, but we didn’t have to record in a studio, or conduct interviews with people in the field. This course allowed me to work independently on projects and focus on my particular skills. At first I couldn’t understand why in Radio and Television, we needed to learn about Photoshop and Flash, etc. Now that the course has finished, I understand. I really enjoyed the class. Coming straight from high school, we all have different backgrounds and skills up our sleeves. What was nice about this course was that no one expected us to be familiar with these programs already. If we were, we had a slight advantage, if not, it was no big deal; the tutorials familiarized us with everything. My favourite thing about the lecture was the neat videos Laurie showed us at the end of each class. She’d show us a PowerPoint presentation based on that week’s material. Throughout her lecture, she would show us video representations from the internet, usually from youtube. It made the material really interesting and engaging. It’s fun to see real-life examples of what is being taught. They answer the common question we all have: “how is this going to apply to us in our lives?” I really appreciated that before we were set loose to do our tutorial in the lab, we’d get a copy. Laurie would go through it with us and explain some key elements to be aware of. I liked that, first she went through it and then we would do it ourselves. It gave me more confidence to use the program, seeing what must be done and then reinforcing that through the actual page reference of the tutorial. I found that the environment in my lab class was really relaxed and calm. Everyone was very approachable and supportive. If I had a question, I could either ask the student beside me or put up my hand and Laurie would come right over.

The thing I didn’t particularly like about the course was the fact we only had a few assignments to hand in and each was worth a lot. I would have preferred handing in a few different Photoshop assignments, a few flash assignments, and a webpage assignment. I think this would allow for our creative ability to shine a bit more and we could incorporate more of the skills we learned. For example, with the Photoshop assignment, I wanted to use many different techniques but couldn’t because it would ruin my poster and make it look over done. I would have preferred to do several small assignments in Photoshop, each highlighting one or two specific techniques.

Before this course, when I thought of media, I thought of television, radio, and entertainment. Not once did I think of “Digital” media. However, since the first few weeks of this course, that has all changed. The focus of this course was Digital Media, understanding what it is and producing different forms of it. I now have a more open mind to it, and I am much more aware. I find myself walking down the street, noticing random things, (for example at Dundas Square), and suddenly thinking “Oh, look, there’s another example of Digital Media!”

The most important thing that I will be taking away from this course is a greater level of confidence concerning computer software. As I have mentioned, some programs we used in this course, I had never used before. But, I was able to understand them and use them to create great things. One of these programs is Flash. Never in my life had I used it, and everyone I talked to said how difficult it was. That worried me. However, I took it at one step at a time, downloaded a trial version on my computer and played around with it. Using the techniques and skills I have acquired, I was able to produce a mini-movie (my Christmas card.) I have more confidence in my abilities because of what I have learned in this course and the tasks I’ve had to perform. I will feel more inclined to experiment in future situations. My confidence in using new programs has increased and that is what I believe to be the most important. This confidence and positive attitude will serve me all through my life, in whatever career path I choose. I will always have to face new challenges. If I ever feel like I can’t, I’ll just think back to this course!!!!

Personal Footprints

One thing we talked about in lecture this week was “Personal Footprints.” A personal footprint is information specifically about you that appears on the internet as public information. We should always be careful what we post online (pictures, videos, contact information) because it could come back to haunt us. Many business leaders when hiring, will check up on their applicants’ footprints. If any unsuitable information appears, (meaning it’s nothing flattering about that person) then the job you want could be in jeopardy; most likely you won’t be hired. Also, you wouldn’t want photos or personal information getting into the wrong hands. The internet is so public; you don’t know who could be checking you out online. Everyone has access to that information, so you should always be careful!!

I was really curious about what my personal footprint looked like, so I ‘googled’ myself! I was disappointed that hardly anything came up, just my blog site (this one!) and a page on Facebook that my high school made up. Nothing terrible came up, so I guess I’ll be fine for future job opportunities!!! It’s fun seeing what comes up when you ‘google’ yourself, try it one day!!

Web 2.0

In lecture we learned about five characteristics pertaining to the Web. 2.0.

For each characteristic, I’ve found an example that average people not involved with the media can benefit from.

Characteristic One: Dynamic content, viewable on multiple platforms.

The IMDb (The Internet Movie Database) is a good example of dynamic content. The information on this website deals with movie stars and crewmembers. The information is updated often allowing the viewer to have current facts on their favourite celebrities. A feature of this particular characteristic is that the content can be “Combined with other pieces of information based on contribution.” The average viewer is allowed access to a few different things on this site. Each page has a display picture of the star and then other pictures of him or her on different movie sets and at premiers. The viewer can change the display picture as well as add any more pictures to the album that they may have. Secondly, if a viewer has some information pertaining to that star, and it is not included in the above page, they can click the “update” button. This allows for them to be in contact with the IMDb managers and let them know what is missing. If the content is appropriate and the managers approve, then the information submitted will be included in the next update.

Characteristic Two: User contribution (User generated content or user generated value)

“YouTube” is exactly what characteristic two describes. This site is in fact user generated. Anyone is eligible to post videos that they have created. When you upload one, there is a spot to write a little blog-type post on your particular video, which is available for everyone to see. Once people view your video, they can communicate with you and with other people who have watched it too. They can add text comments, video responses or “honour” the video. Viewers can add it to their favourites file, share the video, flag it, or add it to their playlist. A list of videos that are related and made by the same person is also available to view. Youtube remembers the types of videos you watch and so on the home page, there are always videos that are “Recommended For You.” You can also view a collection of videos that are being watched “Right Now,” as well as ones that are “Most Popular.”

Characteristic Three: Social Media

Internet dating services such as Match.com allows for social media. Social media provides opportunities for socializing, connecting, and sharing. On match.com everyone gets a profile where they can write about themselves and about the person they’d like to meet. As many as 26 photos can be uploaded. Members can have access to photos and view their ‘type’ in their particular area. On this site, members can socialize with others, connect with other singles, and share photos and intimate information with whoever they want.

Characteristic Four: Online Applications

We used to buy software at Future Shop or Radio Shack, but now more and more software is available online to download. For some, there is a cost; others are free. One example is Adobe products from adobe.com. It’s easy to go to the website and download the software, assuming the connection is safe. The trend of buying and installing computer software off the Internet is increasing; more websites are allowing you to do that. At adobe.com, you can find any Adobe program (Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, etc.) and buy it. What Adobe does is, it offers you the choice of delivery method. You can choose to download (it will download to your computer), or if you’re not comfortable downloading off the internet, you can have it shipped to you. If you are not sure about buying it, you have a third choice: download a free 30-day trial. I have opted for the latter choice, not only for Photoshop, but also for Flash and Dreamweaver. Everything is done off the Internet, nothing in a store. You click ‘download’ and the software installs itself on your computer. It’s very convenient and takes a total of about ten minutes.

Characteristic Five: Harnessing Collective Intelligence

This involves tagging certain content on web pages, videos, bookmarks, songs, photos, etc. One site that does allow you to tag elements is Facebook. Here, you can become a subscriber to a person’s profile. It’s like tagging them, so every update, comment, anything they do will show up on your home page. Also, Facebook allows you to tag pictures and videos of yourself that will then appear on your personal profile for everyone else to enjoy too. All the tagging is done by you, or your friends. By doing this, it’s easier to share information with others, as well as to organize and display information that’s personally related to oneself.

The Favrin's Christmas Card

The Favrin’s Christmas Card

Flash Artist Statement

By: Katie Favrin

My idea was to make an interactive Christmas card. The only problem was, I couldn’t figure out exactly what I wanted to have in the card. I knew I wanted a Christmas theme with Christmas music. Since it’s a family Christmas card, I wanted to make the main feature my parents and myself. I finally decided that I’d incorporate the viewer by asking questions and using text to ‘converse’ (i.e. “Who’s the best Santa?”). I then decided to add in moving presents and a Christmas message, in both Italian and English. Since my father’s family comes from Italy, the card becomes more personal and meaningful to them. I wanted to include a bit more drawn animation so I included Santa at night in the snow. After all, Santa is the main Christmas icon. I also thought this was a nice way of ending the card; the viewer gets a wave from Santa. My main goal was to make a Christmas card that I could send to my family and friends this holiday season.

My target audience is everyone celebrating Christmas. However, this card is more meaningful to those who know my family and me. Thus, the main demographic for this card would be my friends, family, and colleagues.

In the beginning, I used Photoshop to make the card’s background (my parents and I) standing beside the Christmas tree, in front of the fireplace. The original picture was of my younger cousin standing in his family room, so I Photoshopped him out of the picture and added my parents and me. Also, the tree in the original photograph (my aunt’s) looked a bit small and bare, so I Photoshopped our Christmas tree into the picture. I then added the “Posterized” effect to make it look a bit more interesting and less “perfect.” That also gives contrast to the sharp images I added later (Santa hat, presents, Santa). I then merged all the layers together and flattened the image, creating a nice JPEG, which was easy to import into Flash. Once in Flash, I made that my background picture and drew in the Santa hat. I made the Santa hat jump from one head to the next and included text. This incorporates the viewer and makes it a little more interactive. To add in the presents, which I drew in Flash, I created Motion Guides and used Classic Tweening. I made the other two presents movie clips and tweened them, so they’d change colour and blink - just like Christmas lights. This also puts more emphasis on the fact that “the winner gets a present and two more as well.” From that, I made the picture of my parents and me, shrink and twirl out of the picture. Again, I did this by adding a motion guide and classic tweening. I then added a holiday message, both in Italian and English. At this point, the carol “Jingle Bells” has finished playing, and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” is playing in the background. “Jingle Bells” is upbeat and fun, which is why I put it with the changing of the Santa hat. “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” is more serious so I thought it would be appropriate when I’m wishing the viewer a Merry Christmas, and when Santa is waving goodbye. I was able to download the Christmas songs from the itunes library at school, but due to their lengths, had to edit them on Audacity and re-export them as a WAV. File. I thought it would be beneficial to include some more drawn animation, so that’s when I got the idea to include Santa waving in the snow. I traced that picture of

Santa in Flash and coloured him in. In order to make the presents look really colourful, I used complementary colours. I made Santa’s hand a movie clip, moving it up for a few frames and down for another few frames; I tweened it, so it would move. For the snow, I drew splotches of white on the background and moved them around a few times. By adding a tween, I made the snow look like it was falling. I turned all my pictures and elements into symbols and created a new layer for everything. I added an end action, so my card would not do loops. I added a “Replay” button so the viewer has the option to watch the card again by a click of a button rather than having to re-load it.

I have never used Flash before. I knew I’d run into some problems, and I wasn’t sure I’d remember how to do everything we were taught in lab. Both Santa’s arm waving and the snow falling caused me some trouble. I downloaded all of our tutorials and read through them until I found my answers. Tutorial 3, which explains how to make the wings on the bee move, helped me with Santa’s arm. I am quite pleased with the result. I don’t think the action looks unnatural. One problem that I hadn’t anticipated, occurred with the “Replay” button. I already knew how to import and make buttons, so I didn’t think that section would be an issue. Originally, I had “Play Again.” I made the lights on the tree appear, when the mouse rolls over the button; when the button is clicked, a star appears at the top of the tree and the wording changes from black text to yellow. However, when I attempted to preview my work, the word “Again” would disappear. It was the strangest thing! The lights, the star and the changing of the text colour were all fine, but the word “Again” would not appear. I even made the text its own layer and changed everything into symbols; nothing helped. So, without wasting any more time, I redid the text and this time wrote one word: “Replay.” As you can see, it works fine.

I’m very proud of my final product, especially because this is my first experience using this program. I think my parents will enjoy watching my card, and it works for my particular demographic as well. I realize that Flash really isn’t that hard to manipulate, but a lot of patience is needed. I think it’s really neat to be able to animate both still photographs and hand-drawn images. The next time, I think I might try to do something more complex, since I feel I now have a good understanding of the techniques.

Reflection:

From showing my flash animation in class, I was able to get some constructive criticism, and hear how I could make it better. I learned that it’s not the best thing to mix photographs and hand drawn images; always be consistent. So, next time, I’d probably try drawing the picture of my parents and me, allowing everything to be cartoon-like. Basically, that was the only thing I was told. People thought it was a great idea to do a Christmas Card and make it personalized. I was amazed at some other students' works. They looked quite complex, with a lot of detail and many moving elements. I thought the haunted house one was really cool. The thing I liked best, was the fact you went in the door, and viewed everything through a little circular beam of light, until you hit the light switch. I thought it was really creative, and turned out very well. I noticed there was a current theme running through the projects. Death and blood were very common, perhaps because these assignments were due just after Halloween?? Or was everyone just expressing their feelings on Flash?? HAHA J

Games

I was never much of a video games player. I occasionally played a Mickey Mouse game at my friend’s house but that’s it . My parents never got me hooked on that kind of entertainment. However, I did play computer games, ranging from Titanic to educational mathematics games. I have always been one for board games though. Every night at the cottage my parents and I would play a variety of board and card games.

I found it really interesting to learn the stats on games and gamers. I have many friends and family members who love playing both computer games and video games. My aunt and uncle, who are in their 50’s, are addicted to the Wii; whereas my twelve year old cousin is addicted to Xbox. Here are some of the stats that I learned from the lecture:

-The average game player is 35 years old

-In 2009, 25% of games were over the age of 50

-97% of teens aged 12-17 play computer, web, or portable consoles

-50% of teens played “yesterday”

-5% are playing “right now”

Overall I don’t have a problem with games. Some can be more educational than others. They are a great way to just let loose, relax, and take your mind off real life issues. They can also be a good way to socialize at parties-have competitions. At my friend’s birthday party one year, we all got into teams and had a mini Wii competition. However, it has been proven that people tend to take the more violent video games more literally than they are supposed to and make them into real life. The car chasing, shooting, killing, that’s fantasy. We cannot let these video games influence our real life.