Communications Lab - #H79.2004
Mondays 9:30-12:00 and 3:30-6:00, Instructor: Marianne R.Petit
Course Description: An introductory course designed to provide students with hands-on experience using various technologies (online communities, digital imaging, audio, video, animation, authoring environments, etc.) The forms and uses of new communications technologies are explored in a laboratory context of experimentation and discussion. The technologies are examined as tools that can be employed in a variety of situations and experiences. Principles of interpersonal communications, media theory, and human factors are introduced. Weekly assignments, team and independent projects, and project reports are required.

Grading is based on successful completion of all assignments, class webjournals, class participation and attendance.

This syllabus will be updated weekly with links and notes. My office hours are Tuesdays from 10-12 / 1-3 or by appointment. (marianne dot petit at nyu dot edu)

Required Texts: Orality and Literacy by Walter Ong, Understanding Media by Marshall Mcluhan, Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

Recommended Texts: "Film Directing Shot by Shot" by Steven Katz, "Digital Foundations: Introduction to Media Design with the Adobe Creative Suite" by Michael Mandiberg

Class Urls - 9:30-12:00 Section
Class Urls - 3:30-6:00 Section

• Class introductions
• Overview of Course
• Discussion / Demonstration
  • Overview of ITP server and FTP
  • The Anatomy of a Blog
  • Welcome to WordPress
  • Demonstration of Wordpress Installation on ITP Server
  • Demonstration of Wordpress, Basic HTML, Themes, and Plugins
• Assignment:
• Install Wordpress and create a basic blog for yourself. This will be where all your assignments will be housed, so you'll want to consider the overall structure. Each week, assignments will be documented and posted here. In addition to posting each week's assignment, you will also post a paragraph summary of your process to the blog.
• Read Walter Ong - Orality and Literacy Chapters 1 - 4 (The Orality of Language, The modern discovery of primary Oral Cultures, Some Psychodynamics of Orality, Writing Restructures Consciousness.) and
• Post response to Ong on your site. Be prepared to discuss in class.
• Email me the url. (please send it one day before class so I have time to look at everyone's work before we meet)

Class 2: Monday, September 21

• Discussion of Ong Reading
• Review blogging process
• Discuss video sharing/reposting
  • The Show with Ze Frank
  • Jonas Mekas - 365 Films
  • BlipTV
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube
• Demonstration: Xacti Cameras
• Demonstration: Editing in Quicktime
• In-class Exercise: The 30-Minute Film Festival. In teams of three you have 45 minutes to create a short video that contains a simple narrative arc. Create a blip account. Upload your video. Embed it into your blog. We'll have a short film festival.
• Assignment:
• Read E.M. Forster's "The Machine Stops". Post response to blog. Be prepared to discuss in class
• See class 5: Visit The Tree Museum (http://treemuseum.org/) Post response / critique to blog.
• Using the Xacti cameras, document a project in another class. Upload it to your blog.

Class 3: Monday, September 28

• Discussion/Demonstration:
  • Basic html and resources (W3schools, HTML Validators)
  • Basic css and resources (W3schools, Firefox plugins, CSS Validators)
  • Discussion of basic php (php.net, W3schools) and Working with PHPMyAdmin
• Assignment:
• Resdesign your site!
• Read Walter Benjamin's "Art in the Age of Reproduction", Post a response to your blog. Be prepared to discuss in class.

Class 4: Monday, October 5

• Discuss Benjamin reading
Discussion/Demonstration Photoshop, Image Capture/Manipulation
• http://www.briandilg.com
• http://detouch.org/
• Microsoft Poland scandal - link 1 | link 2
• Demonstration Photoshop Techniques
• Disussion: Sequential Imaging and modern day examples, Alien Loves Predator , Demain5
• Assignment:
• Before begin working, read Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics. It is important that you read this prior to beginning. It will iinform your work.
• In teams of two, tell a story in 4-10 sequential images. Upload to your blog.

Class 5: Monday, October 12

• Critique Sequential Images
Discussion: Pixilation & Stop Motion
• View: Norman McLaren's "Neighbors" Michel Gondry/White Stripes The Hardest Button to Button
• Demonstration: Pixilation using digital stills and StopMotion using iStopMotion
• Demonstration: an Introduction to Final Cut
• Assignment:
• In teams of 2 create a 30-second time-lapse or pixilation animation.
• Upload version to your BlipTv account and embed in youru blog.
• Bring high quality Quicktime file to class.

Class 6: Monday, October 19

• Critique pixilation and stop motion animation
• Discussion of digital audio - sampling and distribution
• The story of DJ Danger Mouse's "The Grey Album" (http://www.illegal-art.org/audio/grey.html) and Negativland v. U2 (www.negativland.com) et al.
• Demonstration: Collection of sounds and the M-Audio recorder
• Assignment:
• In teams of two, begin the collection of sounds for a 1-minute sound piece (due in 2 weeks) This piece can be environmental, create space or mood, tell a story through sound.
• Read Marshall McLuhan's "Understanding Media"Chapter 1: The Medium is the Message and Chapter 2: Media Hot and Cold
• Read handouts:
  • Jonathan Lethem's The Ecstacy of Influence: A Plagiarism
  • On the Rights of the Molotov Man: Appropriation and the Art of Context
  • NYTimes: Artist Admits to Using Other Photo for Hope Poster
• On your blog, post response to the readings.

Class 7: Monday, October 26

• Discussion: Review readings and responses
• Demonstration: Basic digital audio: Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/)
• Demonstration: Soundtrack Pro
• Putting it all together.
• Assignment:
• In teams of two create a 1-minute sound piece in any of the environments we looked at. Again, this piece should can be environmental, create space or mood, tell a story through sound. Upload it to your site in mp3. Bring either the audacity or soundtrack files with all tracks to class.

Class 8: Monday, November 2

• Critique audio pieces
• Discuss storyboards, their function and use
• View: Robert Castillo's "SPIC, The Storyboard of My Life"
• Assignment:
• Read Steven Katz "Film Directing Shot by Shot" chapter on storyboards.
• Break into teams of four to plan for video project. Create storyboard in preparation of videoshoot. Be prepared to discuss in class. Upload to blog.

• Review storyboards
• Demonstration: The video camera and the basics of shooting video: audio, composition, lighting.
  Assignment:
• Assignment:
• Go out and shoot your video.

• How did your shoot go?
• Discussion: logging your footage and the paper edit - Edit Worksheet
• Demonstration: FinalCut Pro
• Assignment:
• Edit two-minute video.
• Upload version to BlipTV account and embed file into your blog.
• Bring high quality QuicktimeDV file in class.

Class 11: Monday, November 23

• Critique video pieces
• Discuss storyboards, collage animation and cutouts
• View: Jonas Odell/U2's Window in the Sky, Run Wrake's Rabbit, Miho Hatori's Barracuda, Left Channel's Blissful
• Assignment:
• In teams of two, create storyboard for one-minute animation. Upload to class site.

Class 12: Monday, November 30

• Review storyboards
• Demonstration: Basic AfterFx
• Assignment:
• In teams of two, create storyboard for one-minute animation.
• Upload version to BlipTV account and embed file into your blog.
• Bring high quality QuicktimeDV file in class

Class 13: Monday, December 7

• Critique animations
• Assignment:
• Review all your past assignments. Was there one particular area that really interested you? Was there something you wish you could do over again? Pick one area or assignment and do it over. By yourself. For next week.

• Critique final individual works.