CME 106 Survey of Digital Media

Fall Semester, 2012

Creative Media and Entertainment Program College of Communication Butler University Instructor: Place: Day and Time: E-Mail: Office Hours: Office: Phone: Textbook: Eric Esterline Fairbanks Center, Room 108 MWF 9-9:50 eesterli@butler.edu Monday and Wednesday 10-11am or by appointment JH037 940-8533 Multimedia Foundations: Core Concepts for Digital Design (Required) ISBN-10: 0240813944 | ISBN-13: 978-0240813943 | http://goo.gl/PNOQA

Course Description
This course is an introduction to the history, concepts, techniques and trends in digital media production. The course will introduce the student to the field of digital media and multimedia development and production. The focus of this course will be on a broad understanding of the technologies and theories that are shaping the production of media in the 21st Century. Students will develop a framework for understanding and using these new forms of media in a variety of settings with a variety of software. Time will also be spent developing a basic understanding of design and layout for digital media. This course serves as the foundation for the Bachelor of Arts degree program in Digital Media Production.

Course Goal
Introduce students to the core concepts and skills of multimedia digital production and digital storytelling using text, graphics, photographs, sound, motion, and video.

Learning Outcomes (Students will be able to:)

describe how users perceive, consume, produce, and distribute multimedia messages in a digital age. plan for the design and production of multimedia products using professional methods of pre-visualization and conceptual development. understand the history and evolution of computer hardware and software tools used multimedia design and production. apply theories and aesthetic principles of visual design to the presentation of digital information. Produce digital media through acquisition, design, editing, and distribution of content in various forms such as: graphics, photos, sound, and moving images.
Survey of Digital Media Fall, 2012 1

Assignment Categories & Percentages

Lab Assignments 25% - 200 points Attendance and Participation 25% - 200 points Multimedia Projects 50% (tentative assignments and point values are shown below)
Photographic Composition Project 50 points Photographic Editing Project 50 points Photo Story Project 100 points Graphic Design Project #1: Typographic Infographic 50 points Graphic Design Project #2: Photographic Montage 50 points Graphic Design Project #3: Composite Graphic 100 points Sound Design Project 50 points Video Production Project #1: 30-second TV Commercial 100 Points Video Production Project #2: 90-second TV News Story 100 Points Web Portfolio Project 200 Points

Grading
Projects are evaluated on the following dimensions of quality: Content refers to the intellectual or material substance of a multimedia project. This item attempts to answer the question Whats the point? Projects should be substantively meaningful to a definable audience. Content should be well researched, logically structured, and professionally presented. Narratives should be well written in a professional style with special attention given to grammatical excellence and industry standard scripting formats. This dimension examines questions such as: Is the subject matter and/or topic interesting to a broad audience? Was the subject well researched? Is information clearly and accurately presented? Are subjects well-suited to the topic or were they chosen merely for convenience (roommate, friend, etc.). Design refers to the degree to which a project adheres to professional principles of design. This dimension examines questions like: Were images or graphics properly composed? Was audio balanced and well mixed (voice-over, natural sound, music, and sound effects)? Was editing haphazard or thoughtfully motivated by the content and story to achieve a purposeful outcome? Complexity refers to the projects overall level of challenge. This dimension examines questions like: Did you think outside of the box? Did you work within a simple form or content structure or did you try a more creative or inventive approach? Did you stay within your comfort zone or push yourself to grow and learn? Did you put sufficient thought, time, and effort into each phase of the project (preproduction, production, postproduction)?
93-100 = A 87-89 77-79 67-69 0-59 = B+ = C+ = D+ =F 90-92 = A83-86 = B 73-76 = C 63-66 = D 80-82 70-72 60-62 = B= C= D-

0 = Incomplete

Letter grades are interpreted according to the university guidelines as published in the Academic Catalog and also in the School of Communications Professional Standards Policy.

Survey of Digital Media Fall, 2012

Course Outline
Week 1 Introduction Course overview, computer hardware skills and software basics. Read Chapter 1 (Multimedia Foundations) & Chapter 2 (The Computer) Week 2 Multimedia Planning and Design Process Developing a road map; the multimedia design and production process. Read Chapter 3 (Planning and Design) Week 3 Visual Communication and Page Design The elements and principles of design. Read Chapter 4 (Visual Communication) & Chapter 5 (Multimedia Page Design) Week 4 Static Graphics and Visual Composition Digital image formation, still photography, and image editing Read Chapter 8 (Graphics) & Chapter 10 (Photography) Week 5 Image Optimization/Web and Information Graphics Read Chapter 9 (Text) Week 6 Designing an Online Photo Gallery Read Chapter 6 (Interface Design) Week 7 Static Graphics and Photography Continued

Week 8

The Nature of Sound and Audio Processing Read Chapter 11 (Audio Production)

Week 9

The Digital Recording Process The history and evolution of audio and video recording formats and acquisition techniques. Read Chapter 12 (Sound and Video Recording)

Week 10

Audio and Video Editing Read Chapter 13 (Time-Based Editing)

Week 11

Telling stories with time-based media

Week 12

Web Design An introduction to HTML and CSS. Read Chapter 7 (Web Design)

Week 13

Web Design Continued

Week 14

Open Topics/Final Projects

Survey of Digital Media Fall, 2012

Policies
Attendance Policy
Attendance is expected. Students who need to miss class for travel related to Butler sanctioned athletics, performances, or other related academic activities are excused (with written permission). The instructor notes all other unexcused absences. If you miss more than three classes, your overall grade will be reduced by one-half a letter grade. Additional absences (five or more) will result in an additional one-half letter overall grade deduction for each absence.

Academic Integrity
Students will be expected to adhere to the standards of academic integrity as outlined in the Butler University Student Handbook, as well as the highest standards of honesty, good faith, and fair dealing. Students discovered violating those standards will be assigned a zero for the particular assignment and will face sanctions that may include further reduction in the overall course grade, failure in the course, expulsion from the course, or expulsion from the University.

Disability Statement
It is the policy and practice of Butler University to make reasonable accommodations for students with properly documented disabilities. Written notification from Student Disability Services is required. If you are eligible to receive an accommodation and would like to request it for this course, please discuss it with me and allow two weeks notice. Otherwise, it is not guaranteed that the accommodation can be received on a timely basis. If you have any questions about Student Disability Services, you may wish to contact Michele Atterson, JH 136, ext. 9308.

Copyright
This course may contain copyright protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this courses online environment and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

Third-Party Software and FERPA

During this course you might have the opportunity to use public online services and/or software applications sometimes called third-party software such as a blog or wiki. While some of these are required assignments, you need not make any personally identifying information on a public site. Do not post or provide any private information about yourself or your classmates. Where appropriate you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments posted publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments will not require you to disclose any personally identifiable/sensitive information. If you have any concerns about this, please contact your instructor.

Survey of Digital Media Fall, 2012