Technology Guide for Media Production (PRELIMINARY DRAFT)

Transcription

1 Technology Guide for Media Production (PRELIMINARY DRAFT) Dr. Franc Feng Dr. Stephen Petrina September 2010/2013 University of British Columbia Master of Educational Technology Program

2 Technology Guide for New Media Design and Production This guide provides an overview of some of the more important aspects of technology in ETEC 531. The guide begins with an explanation of the technical and critical features of the media production assignments. A comparison of possible media production techniques is provided in a table format to help you pick and choose the format that suits your needs and interests. Please refer to the ETEC 531 Copyright Primer for an explanation of copyright issues that may arise in your media productions and to the Digital Literacies Guide for an overview of our expectations for MET students. Please review these sections as you prepare for your productions and complete the requirements for the Master of Educational Technology graduate program. Focus questions: We begin by discussing three sets of questions in terms of how they relate to your experience. We will elaborate on these key questions as you carry on your discussions as the course unfolds. Technical: Do I need prior experience to produce New Media? What is New Media? Is it necessarily moving, or can it be static? Does it have to be a movie? Does it involve a high threshold of learning a steep learning curve? Can anyone learn to produce New Media through a introductory course? Can one learn how to produce New Media in a single course? Is it possible to learn technology in an online environment? How long does it take for one to learn how to produce New Media? Does one need to learn all formats in order to produce New Media? How many types of New Media are there? Does the duration of the production matter in assessment? How might one create New Media that critiques itself? Critical: What might be involved in the production of New Media? How might we produce New Media that would count as critical? What constitutes critical production? Do critical New Media productions always have to involve theory? What might be some ways we can bring theory to bear upon our productions? What about the standpoint of the producer? Should s/he take a position or stand in her/his production? Does s/he have to take a position in order for the piece to count to be deemed as a critical production? Creative: How do I balance the Technical, Critical, and Creative aspects of media production? What if I feel I am much more creative than technical? How do I draw inspiration from my creative capacities to fuel the critical and technical capacities? Perhaps if I script or storyboard first, this will allow my muse to flourish and shine. Can I script comedy? Can I script tragedy? Can I script or storyboard faction (fact + fiction) or do I have present factual information? Can I do a mockumentary? Can I add my own music as a soundtrack? Can I incorporate my visual art productions into my MP? 3

3 Preliminary Discussion As we indicated in our introductory , here is one of the keys to the course. It is a mode of communication that we are still in the process of developing in response to what we learned from our students in this exploratory course in New Media Production and Critique. The two focus questions above capture the fundamental concerns of students: 1) Can s/he learn to produce New Media without prior background? and 2) What is required to produce a critical production? Aware that many of you are concerned over your ability to produce New Media and the associated learning curve and time requirements, we produced this document as a proactive piece to primarily address the technical questions, although technology involves much more than a technical-empirical dimension. Our intent behind this technology guide is to alleviate your concerns around technology through a cross-sectional survey of multiple methods of producing new media: As you glance at the tables below, you might notice applications you are already familiar with. As indicated, if one is familiar with Microsoft Powerpoint, one can already create a New Media production; a priori knowledge of Microsoft Powerpoint allows you to create a rudimentary piece with all the principles of New Media. It is our hope with the technology guide that you can feel confident; have the requisite background to begin seeing new possibilities perhaps eventually comfortable enough to attempt multiple techniques, increasing your technological literacy. With respect to the second set of focus questions, for now think of how your reading will bring critical edge to your production as you explore the themes from the readings that speak to you. Think also that you are not merely splicing images together, that your production critiques an issue from the text as you connect theory with production, bringing examples and theories to support your contributions. With the foregoing discussion in mind, please find below an introductory survey of eight common methods or techniques to produce New Media. As for the answer to some of the above questions, you do not need an extensive background. If you have worked with Microsoft Powerpoint, you are ready for your first assignment. You will note that most of these methods are software-specific as opposed to hardware intensive. You do not need to become familiar with all these methods select methods that work for you, pacing yourself as you proceed. If you have tried and simply cannot get your application to work do not worry, you can always send your work to us, as other students have and we help with the troubleshooting or conversion. We are here to facilitate your learning. 4

4 Input Software Cross comparison of New Media production techniques Method Considerations Output General Tips Software Microsoft PowerPoint and OpenOffice Impress Create slides & automated slide show Animating your presentation has the appearance of dynamism. You will need to create effects, necessary transitions, and the titling and credits. Powerpoint slides.ppt Make sure you time your slides. Be aware of bugs, e.g. your web-based presentations only works with Internet Explorer. *Note: In the Mac version, the ppt show can be exported as a Quicktime movie MS Photo Story Create automated slide show Can seamlessly sync audio with slides as it prepares and generates a video; two audio tracks allow for voice-over music and slides..wp3 As shipped, will not import ppt slides; however, can insert images used to create ppt slides. Insert images with their original resolution. Simulates panning and zooming effects. Javascripts Insert your work into the appropriate routines. You might find scripts that are more suited to your ideas by searching the web. Java-based operations. Although requiring no hardware, you will likely need a degree of familiarity with scripts. 5

5 PC executable file Creating an.exe file The idea here is to create your work in a software and then export your work as an exe file.exe file. It is faster to run as it is pure machine code. Remember your work will be platform specific (i.e. PC). Animated gif Creating an animating gif You will require animated gifs creating software.gif Frames are combined for an animation effect. Some learning involved. Flash animation Creating a Flash animation You will require the Macromedia software that you can download for evaluation purposes.swf There is also a learning curve here. Animation software Creating an animated file You will require an application like Jasc. When rendering the output since the process is very memory intensive, as much as you are able, refrain from operating other software. You have an option of output in a number of formats. You will not require a camcorder to produce movie files like.avi. Also remember, if you are on the web at the same time and your computer is trying to protect at the same time, it will greatly hinder compiling time. MS Producer PPT to animation & movie conversion This is a piece of freeware from Microsoft that allows you Special output format created by Microsoft free software. Download the software from the Microsoft site. We include a tutorial in our Technology Workshop. 6

6 to export your PowerPoint files as animation. Camvista Video capture The technique involves creating your work and transferring it to video. Special format You will need to familiarize yourself with the requisite software. GeoVid Video Capture The technique involves converting slide shows to video..avi,.mpeg If your ppt show does not have an audio track, be sure to turn the GeoVid Audio capture off. File size may be up to 200 times larger than original! Impatica PPT to Video Conversion The technique involves converting slide shows to video Embeds player in.html file Trial version will leave a slight trace. Excellent results. Microsoft Windows Movie Maker 2.1 Video editing (raw video, slides, etc. to digital video) The technique involves creating digital video from a range of files Can export edited video to tape or to.mpeg,.mp4,.mov,.avi, etc Windows Movie Maker 2.1 is easy to use, one can build your movie with basic drag-and-drops. Designed to share your movie via the Web, e- mail, or CD. Works with third-party software to convert your movies to DVD, movies can also be saved back to tape for playback Apple imovie 09 Video editing Standard Mac software for producing movies A range of media formats are available for output:.mpeg,.mp4,.mov,.avi, etc Part of a suite of product, can save movie to DVD older version could do more, newer version moved imovie capabilities to Final Cut Pro, tutorials more details available at: support also available online at: 7

7 Final Cut Pro 7 High End editing software for movie production Professional production tool on Mac A range of media formats are available for output;.mpeg,.mp4,.mov,.avi, etc expanded family of software with broad format support, offering seamless collaboration with comprehensive editing tools, offering incredible effects and transitions, with open, extensible architecture and digital cinema workflows, more details found at: Keynote 09 Multipurpose software Not formal media tool, software works as conversion tool for range of formats Older version of Keynote can export in flash format Powerful easy to use presentation tool offering dazzling effects for hi quality productions, with powerful graphics tools, animations and effects, that outputs compatible files for sharing: Adobe Premier Pro CS Create movie in various formats Professional production tool on Mac/Pcs from Adobe A range of media formats are available for output:.mpeg,.mp4,.mov,.avi, etc Edit natively in a range of formats, flexible powerful editing tool, responsive, with tools for improving production workflow, with broad format support, trial version is available at: Adobe Captivate 5 Capture slides for video presentation Professional production tool from Adobe A range of media formats are available for output:.mpeg,.mp4,.mov,.avi, etc Create with optimized user interface, with property inspector and multiple document interface, comes with rich range of animation effects, multivideo support and synchronization, with asset library, community help is available, details can be found at: Prezi Innovative, stunning presentation tool with macro/micro lens to create unique tours, etc. Allows unique presentation with zooms in for details and zoom out for macro view for details. Prezi format is exportable it can be captured and played in flv on Youtube Go to Step by step tutorial available online for all levels at: (learn in 15 minutes!) support forum available, educational emphasis, support for educators 8

8 Hardware (to be continued) Input Hardware Method Considerations Output General Tips Camcorder DV direct Equipment considerations, lighting, sound, zooming in/out, directing, timing, organizing, etc. DV, DVD Be prepared to set aside some time for tutorials. While this is a direct method, be prepared to edit since you likely will shoot more content than you require. Make sure you factor in the editing and compiling time. Hardware Capture equipment Capture cards either external or internal Speed, transfer rate and capacity considerations Variety of formats, can be used to convert format As there are several options for saving your compressed movie files, prepare to experiment with a range of formats for ideal resolution and file size Summary - The idea here is to gloss over the basics: to give you an overall idea of the possibilities of employing software or hardware, and familiarize you with associated considerations, as you compare the options. Note also that there are utilities available to convert your file format from these output formats. We will provide relevant links and examples. Please also consult the Technology Workshop. For all of these methods, we will help you to bridge your literacy and transitions. This guide will be revised periodically through the course, adapting to your learning needs we appreciate your feedback on this innovation. 9