PBDS 668.185 Multimedia: Syllabus

The schedule may be revised during the semester. Changes will be announced in class and on this site.
January 30	Introduction to the course View Chris Marker's La Jetée in class Ulrich chapter 1 ("The Flash Editor")
February 6	Assignment 1 is due Brenda Laurel, from Utopian Entrepreneur (photocopy) View "Nosepilot" at www.nosepilot.com Ulrich chapters 2 and 3 ("Creating Simple Graphics," "Modifying Simple Graphics")
February 13	Janet Murray, from Hamlet on the Holodeck (photocopy) Markku Eskelinen, "The Gaming Situation" at www.gamestudies.org/0101/eskelinen/ Ulrich chapters 8, 9, and 16 ("Frame-by-Frame Animations," "Animation With Motion Tweening," and "Delivering Movies to Your Audience")
February 20	Assignment 2 is due Manovich pp. 18-55 ("How Media Became 'New'") Ulrich chapters 4 and 5 ("Complex Graphics in a Single Layer," "Graphics in Multiple Layers"); chapter 6 is optional
February 27	Peer responses to Assignment 2 are due Manovich pp. 116-32 ("The Operations") Ulrich chapter 11 ("More Complex Animation Tasks")
March 6	Manovich pp. 132-160 ("The Operations," continued) Ulrich chapters 12 and 13 ("Interactivity with Simple Frame Actions," "Interactivity with Objects")
March 13	Manovich pp. 161-176 ("The Operations," concluded) Ulrich chapters 14 and 15 ("Adding Sound to Your Movies," "Introducing Complex Interactivity")
March 20	Assignment 3 is due Scott McCloud, from Understanding Comics (photocopy) Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watchmen chapters 1-3 Chun chapters 1 and 3 ("Building Complexity," "Getting a Handle on ActionScript")
March 27	No meeting: spring break
April 3	Peer responses to Assignment 3 are due Moore and Gibbons, Watchmen chapters 4-12 Chun chapter 2 ("Video and 3-D")
April 10	Manovich pp. 212-244 ("The Forms") Chun chapters 4 and 5 ("Advanced Buttons and User Input," "Managing Flash Communication")
April 17	Assignment 4 is due Manovich pp. 244-286 ("The Forms," concluded) Chun chapters 7 and 9 ("Controlling the Movie Clip," "Controlling Information Flow")
April 24	Peer responses to Assignment 4 are due Manovich pp. 309-35 ("The New Language of Cinema") Chun chapters 8 and 10 ("Controlling Sound," "Controlling Text")
May 1	Chun chapter 11 ("Manipulating Information") Discuss Christopher Nolan's Memento (screening arranged if necessary)
May 8	Assignment 5 is due View excerpts from Mike Figgis' Time Code and discuss
May 15	Peer responses to Assignment 5 are due

Meetings and Readings