Principles of Digital Media ME9HP

Staff Chris Lane - Module Convenor Anne Robinson - Part time lecturer Sally Mould - Part time lecturer

Module Aims  To provide students with a detailed understanding of the contexts and practices of multimedia;  To introduce them to the production of a multimedia project;  To develop awareness of the communicative possibilities of multimedia.

Outline of Syllabus Introduction to the module History and development of digital media technology Overview of digital media tools Theorising digital media - identity, community, gender and race The digital divide - regional and global perspectives Digital Media - concentrations of ownership and independent production

Syllabus - continued Theorising digital media - communication, narrative and interaction Market trends in digital media applications and services Digital media, design, creativity and aesthetics Careers in digital media

Syllabus - continued Overview of Photoshop Environment and Tools Understanding image resolution, mode and size Introduction to Using Photoshop Creatively Painting Tools Using Layers Working with selections and paths

Syllabus - continued Masks and Alpha Channels Compositing Working with type in layers Filters Image Ready Automation of actions Creating interaction

Learning outcomes: On successful completion of this module post-graduate students will be able to:  Assess and select the appropriate tools to produce a multimedia project;  Create a small multimedia project;  Critically analyse the current issues and future developments in multimedia and electronic publishing

Teaching and learning methods: Teaching methods include lectures and on-line interactive learning material, tutorials, seminar discussions and computer lab sessions. Students will be expected to attend lectures and take part into on-line activities as well as comment on their readings.

Assessment instruments: a) An interactive image series presented on CDROM (Weighting 50%) b) A 2,000 word essay critically assessing the context of multimedia developments (Weighting 50%). Coursework deadline: January

Study hours: Students will study for a total of 150 hours on this module made up in the following way: –Timetabled lectures, seminars and workshops: 30 hours –Self-directed study, including Online work: 78 hours –Preparation for assessment: 37 hours –Private review of assessment after receiving feedback: 5 hours.

What is digital media? 1. A new means of media production A new kind of medium that allows the user to interact

What is digital media 2. ?

Maths

Collection of academic theoretical traditions Sociology Computer Science Philosophy Design

Technology

A method for storing, transmitting and reproducing information

Lifestyle mlhttp:// ml

Software

Political force

Bodily transcendence

Driver of creativity

Historical period

Industrial sector

Economic paradigm

Genre in story telling

Set of media production tools

Distribution system

New medium

Interactive multimedia

Bits (rather than atoms)

What is digital media? 3. Not analogue media So what is analogue media?

Analogue information is … Continuous Stored as a physical arrangement of atoms that have an analogous relationship to the original information

Digital information is … Quantised symbolic Sometimes stored through the presence or otherwise of an electical charge in an atom Sometimes as an arrangement of atoms where the arrangement has only a symbolic reference to the original information

Visual qualities of Analogue and Digital Analogue –Noise and distortion –Continuity –Deterioration on reproduction Digital –Quantisation –Pixelation –Resolution

Analogue wave

Digitised wave

Digitised wave - higher resolution

Digitised wave - even higher resolution

Photoshop for beginners Starting a new image Painting Rubbing out

Photoshop for more experienced students Using filters to emulate digital and analogue visual language Mosaic filter (a digital effect Noise filter

The brief for today Create a self portrait using photoshop’s painting tools or Create a self portrait using photoshop’s painting tools, image’s taken from the web and filters to emulate visual attributes of bother digital and analogue images

Twenty minutes before the end of the session Show each other what you have made Take a look in the other rooms

Recommended reading NEGROPONTE, N. (1995). Being Digital. Random House. TANNEBAUM R. (1998). Theoretical Foundations of Multimedia. W.H. Freeman and Company. CHAPMAN, N. & CHAPMAN, J. (2000). Digital Multimedia. John Wiley & Sons. PLANT. Sadie. (1997). Zeros and ones : digital women and the new technoculture. Fourth Estate. Weinmann, E. Lourekas, P. (2002). Photoshop 7 for Windows & Macintosh: Visual QuickStart Guide, Peachpit.