PROSCENIA NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

The Proscenia Newsletter is now a monthly publication featuring regional and national events,news about media and technology,topical features,and employment listings. It is a free online resource for those working in multimedia design and production.
    This is the newsletter's archive. Our current issue can be accessed at proscenia.net/news. We suggest that you bookmark the Proscenia Newsletter URL and and check often for the latest news.
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January, 2003

01-05-03 Networking. Networking is an effective technique for putting your ear to the rail and hearing about possible opportunities coming down the line. The discussion provides links to a variety of tips to help you plan strategies for getting in touch with job and career information.

01-12-03 Creativity. Discovering new ideas comes about by being engaged in the exploration of processes, techniques, concepts, and analyzing the work of others. This discussion links the reader to several online resources to enhance one's own creativity.

01-19-03 OpenEar Update. Status report on Proscenia's current CD Rom project for children.

01-26-03 Extended Learning. The professional field in which we have chosen to work requires that one constantly set aside time for learning new products and techniques. Here are some online resources to encourage your continued learning.

02-02-03 Copyright. This issue's feature helps the multimedia producer understand some of the legal issues related to the use of copyright materials.

02-09-03 Funding. An overview of funding resources for the production of film, video, and multimedia.

02-16-03 Festivals: I've made my film. Now how do I get it seen? Once you've made a film or produced a multimedia product, how do you get it know by the public and distributors? This discussion explores various ways to exhibit your work.

02-23-03 Getting Involved In Professional media Organizations. Joining an organization is the best way to get yourself involved with the professional media field. Through your participation in an organization you become known and you meet others and the network grows by which your talents become known.

03-02-03 Photo Search Engines. How to find reference images for illustrative purposes.

03-09-03 Browser Compatibility Issues Why some web pages work and others don't.

03-16-03 eBook Development. The electronic book (eBook) is an emerging form of communication and is generating a burgeoning ePublishing industry. Learn more about this field as it relates to multimedia production.

03-30-03 Storyboard Artist. Storyboard artist tell a story through the use of sequential images with consideration for scene detail, character continuity, camera angles, special effects, etc. Storyboards are essential tools for planning film, video, and multimedia presentations.

04-06-03 Sound Designer. Sound design is the process of creating the swish of a light saber, altering the rich voice of James Earl Jones' voice into that of Darth Vader's menacing sound,, and all those other wonderful sounds we have come to expect from films like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and every other sonic experience we have in the theater today that comes from the imagination of the sound designer.

04-13-03 Infographics. Infographics is a specialized area that may appeal to those who are interested in taking complex ideas and making them easily understood through graphic design.

04-27-03 Writing for Media. The first challenge of writing for multimedia is to break away from one's traditional orientation in the use of text. Schooling has taught us that a piece 8.5 x 11-inch of paper is to be filled with the printed word. Yet, the computer screen is not another piece of blank paper.

05-04-03 Digital Cinema. The way that films are being distributed is changing. Soon theaters will be using digital projectors and software instead of traditional film technology to show the latest feature in your local theater.

05-11-03 Micromovies.The micromovie provides both a challenge and opportunity in the age of the Internet and digital cinema.The challenge is to communicate in sight and sound an idea, story, or experience in a very short period of screen time.

05-18-03: Careers in Game Design. Game design requires many different types and levels of expertise. It is by nature a team based multimedia effort. We take a look at careers in gaming and some general online resources that explore career options in this growing field of entertainment.

05-25-03: Professional E-Mail. Here are ten things one might consider before posting an inquiring about a job, sending out a resume, asking for assistance, seeking resources for a project, or any other situation in which your professional image is formed by the way you present yourself by e-mail.

06-01-03:Demo Reel. One of the most important tasks you will undertake in your job search is the creation of a demo reel. A demo reel is your audio and visual calling card. It tells the potential client or employer about your skills in just a few short minutes of viewing time.What you present and how you present it will reflect directly on you and may potentially affect whether you get work or not.

06-08-03: Digital Storytelling. Storytellers have been those who have best provided insight into our deepest truths. Today, many storytellers work in digital media.

06-15-03: Virtual Reality. Imagine visiting a web site featuring a beautiful Hawaiian beach scene of surf, sand, and swaying palms. All of this is possible using virtual reality (VR) software such as QuickTimeVR (QTVR) offered by Apple and compatible with all computer platforms.

06-22-03: Using Copyrighted Music.When it comes to using copyrighted music in a commercial production there is a whole set of concerns that a producer needs to address.

06-29-03: No publication for this date.

07-06-03: Apple announces new products.

07-13-03: Apple announces winners of QuickTime movie awards

07-20-03: It's The Story. It is the telling of a good story that attracts and holds an audience. It is a story that contributes to making your commercial, web site or any other media effort a success.

07-27-03 Using Search Engine Information: What information can be gained by studying the searching habits of Internet users? Here is just a sample of the information one can find.

08-03-03 Motion Graphics : Motion Graphics is a specialized field within graphic arts that concentrates on the design of moving image sequences such as titles, charts, graphs, diagrams, and other support illustrations that require movement.

08-10-03 Interface Design : A short column this week in which 7 basic tips for more effective web site interface design are suggested.

08-17-03 Copyright : How to copyright your audio and visual work; Interview with designer Todd Kesterson; Second Story studios featured.

08-24-03 Outsourcing: Many companies with in-house media staff will outsource production work to individuals or smaller agencies with specialized services such as animation or 3D computer graphics. Outsourcing is the transfer or delegation of a particular project or task to an external service provider.

08-31-03 Web Access : An accessible website facilitates easy access to content by those individuals who may have primarily visual but also auditory or other physical restrictions. Developing an accessible site is not difficult if one builds the site with accessibility in mind.

09-07-03 Interview: Preparing for the job interview is featured in this week's discussion section.

09-14-03 Copywriter: One of the professional areas given little attention by multimedia academic programs is that of copywriter. Most copywriters are trained in journalism or advertising. However, in this digital age the copywriter is taking on new importance in the area of multimedia design and communication

09-21-03 Digital Cameras: Selecting a digital camera requires understanding some new concepts about photography without film.

09-28-03 Drawing : Learning to draw facilitates the communication of visual ideas with other multimedia professionals. It also enriches life providing another way of thinking about problem solving.

10-12-03 Image Searches :Locating images on the Internet can be easily done using one of five different search strategies.

10-19-03 Internet Sounds :Finding Sounds on the Internet. Sometimes we need reference effects and music to serve as placeholders in the design of a soundtrack for a web page or multimedia product. Unless one has immediate access to a licensed audio library the testing of aural ideas is difficult.

10-26-03 Summer Intern :What is it like to spend your summer as an intern on a the set of a feature film? Find out when Nat Flynn-Ryan tells his story as a Production Assistant.

11-02-03 Faux Websites : Fake websites can be a problem for those searching for valid information. On the other hand many are humorous and fun to explore.

11-09-03 Shane Ross: An interview with Hollywood film and video editor Shane Ross.

11-16-03 Media Specialist: You do what for a living? The changing role of the media specialist

11-23-03 Kennedy: Remembering November 22, 1963 - How the media have changed

11-30-03 Don Hunter: The University of Oregon's Museum of Natural History and University Libraries will preserve the works of 89-year-old multimedia pioneer Don Hunter.

12-07-03 Maya Tutorial I: Feature includes a Tutorial by Keith Legg on Maya 3D software

12-14-03 HDTV: HDTV High Definition Television is Here

12-21-03 Westerkamp: Adapting Music for Feature Film. An interview with Hildegard Westerkamp and the use of her compositions in Gus Van Sant's feature film "Elephant".

12-28-03 Documentary Filmmakers: Nine who made a difference: Early Documentary filmmakers.

01-04-04 Media Literacy: The (Multi) Literate Media Designer. What intellectual skills are required of today's producer of digital text, visual, and audio work?

01-18-04 Graphic Novel: What is the Graphic novel and why is it important to media designers?

02-01-04 Pictures for the Web. The feature this week takes a look at ways to best prepare images for web distribution.

02-15-04 May Tutorial II . Maya artist Keith Legg's second Maya tutorial discusses how to set-up a rotating tank tread effect that conforms both to a path animation curve and the ground it rolls over.

03-01-04 New Grads Speak out. In their own words - three recent graduates of multimedia programs discuss the conflict between the dreams formed in school and the reality of the world of work.

03-14-04 Model Releases . Photo or model releases provide legal protection for both the photographer and the subject. When, where, and how to use photo releases is featured in this issue's discussion section.

05-02-04. Marketing A Web Site . How to market your web site. Product branding.

05-16-04. Learning to See -Seeing to Learn. Explores learning to see and seeing to learn - the unique human ability to give meaning to visual experiences. Random Links provides information on Audio Drama, an art form born of classic radio that is finding new life on tape, disc, and the Internet.

06-06-04.Children's Web Sites. Feature Section explores the growing demand for web sites designed for children who have become an important audience for digital information and entertainment. Random Links explores the Flip Book, a simple form of animation that is enjoying a renaissance as a marketing resource

06-20-04 What do media designers earn? Feature Section explores the income level of media professionals. Also: The computer as window on the world - chasing summer and winter around the planet Random Links: Drawing and Illustrating Using Flash

07-04-04 Creative Commons . The Creative Commons. This week's feature section looks at the creative commons process that allows one to share their work for a variety of uses with others and yet remain protected by copyright agreements.

07-18-04 Andries Deinum . The life of film educator Andries Deinum is featured as well as a section on the role of film and video editors.

08-01-04 Director of Photography . The weekly Feature examines the role a Director of Photography (DP) plays in the making of a film or video production. And, Random Links examines the photo essay.

08-22-04 Andrew Collins . Photojournalist Andrew Collins is featured.

09-05-04 Photo assignment . This issue features an article on the practice of photographic skills by limiting oneself to a specific area in which to look, see, and photograph. Also, a look at Portland, Oregon as a city focused on the creative industries.

09-19-04 Creating a Basic Animation in Macromedia Director Describes two of the most common methods used to create basic animation effects in Director and may be helpful if you are just beginning to explore some of Director's advanced animation capabilities, or if you are starting to make use of Lingo scripts in your movie.

10-03-04 Web images. Includes 12 basic tips for preparing images for the web.

10-17-04 Internships. Internships are an important part of the learning process for multimedia, film, and video students. Our feature looks at the advantages of taking a credit based or paid internship to gain work-place experience.

December, 2004. How To Remember Potential Client Names. Explore techniques which may remember the names we need know.

January, 2005. Machinima. Machinima is a relatively new art form that is gaining the attention of the media as a "sign of things to come". This article provides an introduction to this medium.

February, 2005. The View From Above. Satellite photographs from space provide stunning evidence of the destructive power of tsunami waves on the landscape and lives of people. The photographic image is indeed a powerful tool for communication.

March, 2005. Photo Assignment: The Playground Revisited. Revisit a Photo Assignment first discussed in the September, 2004. The goal then and now was to see what images could be discovered within the constraints of a small playground. The season and angle of the sun have changed and new images can be found with the eye and camera.

April, 2005. Open Your Ear Lids. Learning to listen is a critical skill that many media designers fail to learn. Consequently, sound design is often the weakest element in a multimedia production.

May, 2005. Free and Legal Production Software. If you can't afford all that expensive production software for word processing, photo, video or audio production, what do you do? Don't despair. There is a variety of free software available on the Internet that will get you started with surprisingly good results. This month's article, Free and Legal, explores four software packages designed by experts and made available for free.

June, 2005. Managing and Archiving Your Digital Media. This month's feature by Ken Loge discusses ways you can safeguard your work and streamline your workflow to minimize pitfalls.

July, 2005. Loop Film Revisited. The once popular use of short film loops used to illustrate rules, process, or techniques through moving images, again holds promise as web based instruction and training develops. The technology has changed making a once promising pedagogical use of the moving image more practical today than ever.

August, 2005. Along the Analogue to Digital Highway. We live in a time when it seems most everything has become digital. But it wasn't that long ago the world was basically analogue. This month's feature looks at the technology that has been left along the road to the future.

September, 2005. Desktop Publishing. One of the rapidly growing areas of employment is that of desktop publishing. This month's feature looks at this field as a career option for students pursuing studies in media design and computer graphics applications.

October, 2005. SIGGRAPH: A Post Conference Report. SIGGRAPH is an annual gathering of computer graphic and media professionals from around the world. It is one of the largest conferences on the subject of digital media and it is an event most designers should attend at least once in their lifetime. This month, Proscenia's Ken Loge discusses the value for designers in attending a SIGGRAPH event.

November, 2005. How do I get my independent film or video screened. Now that your film or video production is completed, how do you get it seen and eventually distributed? This month's feature looks at options for getting that indie film off the shelf and onto the screen.

December, 2005. Developing a mission statement for your project. Being able to effectively articulate the purpose of a project facilitates the convincing of others that an idea is worth their consideration. This month we look at the topic of writing effective goal statements that clearly state your project's mission.

February, 2006. Writing for interactive media. Interactive writing requires more than the mastery of a language. A knowledge of hyper-text and the basics of multimedia production are also necessary skills as author Ken Loge explores in this informative article.

March, 2006. Protect Your Hearing. This issue examines the problems caused by excessive abuse of our ears by loud noise in our environment and our studios.

Subscriber Notes:

The mission of this newsletter is to share news and views with the multimedia community. The use of copyrighted material must be cleared with copyright owners. The Newsletter Discussion Topic section is copyrighted by Proscenia Interactive© 2005. Proscenia Interactive is not responsible for content found at linked sites.

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