Michele Ingari wins emergency preparedness video contest

Congratulations to Michele Ingari, a senior at the University of Delaware, for winning the Office of Campus and Public Safety's emergency preparedness video contest on “Emergency 101: Preparing College Students.” Ingari, who is majoring in communication and foreign languages and literatures with a minor in interactive media, won a $250 cash card as the grand prize winner.

We emailed Michele to get her reaction on winning the contest, and this is what she said:

“To be completely straightforward, I could not have made my winning video without the Student Multimedia Design Center. I don't have a tripod or a video camera, I have a slow laptop instead of a fancy Mac, and I certainly don't have the necessary software or studio space to record a video. I made my entire stop motion movie in the multimedia design center using all their equipment. I was introduced to the resource through one of my art classes three years ago and, since then, I've used it every single semester. The studios are great for shooting videos, practicing presentations and completing projects. For this video and others, I've used the sound-proof studios to record perfect sound bites without any background noise and, as a DJ at the campus radio station, I've actually found the microphones incredibly impressive.  Basically, without the Student Multimedia Design Center as a free resource to UD students, I could not have entered, let alone won the emergency preparedness video contest.”

To view Michele’s video and read more, go to this UDaily article.

Followup VideoTraxx -Royalty Free Video Clips avail...

I forgot to mention where they are located: in our office near where the
laptops are stored. The DELCAT record just says to ask at the desk.

VideoTraxx -Royalty Free Video Clips available for Checkout

It can be tough to find free (and legal) video clips to use and to recommend to users. We have had the VideoTraxx 1 film & video library by Digital Juice in our training room for awhile, but have recently given it a record in DELCAT so that it can be checked out for 4 hr. In Library Use. The collection of 34 DVDs contains clips of anything from sports, to people, to landscapes, to history. There is a print index located inside the binder of DVDs as well as a DVD index. Clips can be opened and saved for import into your favorite video editing software.

--Shelly

TABBLES

Are you looking for a better way organize the files on your computer. . . ? Check out this new document management software:

Tabbles

CELTX

Do you enjoy making films? Have you ever had difficulty organizing everything on paper? If so, then you need a digital program designed to help you organize your thoughts, create screenplays, storyboards, and even design scenes shots! Check it out:

Celtx

Out my Window --use of 360 video

Out my Window showcases the possibilities of new media. 360 video from
YellowBird (same company that Google uses for Street View) is used. I
also suggest reading the Director's Statement (small text link at the
bottom) for some insight into the project.
Think of the new possibilities in terms of storytelling and interactivity...

http://interactive.nfb.ca/#/outmywindow

Shelly

Office Alternatives

Looking for a free alternative to Microsoft Office. . . ? Try one of these:

Lotus Symphony

Oracle Open Office

Student video contests

For all you budding student film makers out there: there are several video contests to submit entries to, especially considering the prizes involved!

The University of Delaware Office of Campus and Public Safety is offering a video contest for students to submit videos up to two minutes long that address the topic of “Emergency 101: Preparing College Students." The video will be posted on the Emergency Preparedness website and shown in seminars and other events. The winner will also receive a $250 cash card. The deadline for submission is 4 p.m. on Friday, November 19.

The Sparky Awards, organized by SPARC, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, is sponsoring a student video contest about the importance of open sharing of ideas and information. Contest categories include: best animation, best speech, best remix, and people's choice. Entries can be created individually or in teams. Prizes include: an iPad, if the creator is an individual; iPhones, if the video is a creation of a two member team, and iPods, if the video is a creation of a three to six member team. The deadline to submit is May 26, 2011.

EDUCAUSE is conducting a student video and poster contest about information security awareness. The contest is sponsored by CyberWatch, the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), and Chapman University. Winners will receive cash prizes.


Posters and videos must explain information security problems and specific actions college and university students can take to safeguard their computers, mobile devices, or personal information. There are two categories of videos: videos of two minutes or less for use in training or instruction, and 30-second public service announcements. Posters should be submitted separately. The deadline to submit is March 11, 2011.

Google Chrome Experiments: Arcade Fire's The Wilderness Downtown

There's been a lot of fanfare over the development of HTML5, which will make it easier to incorporate multimedia features that had previously been dependent on third party plug-ins (like Adobe Flash), among others. Google has been a big proponent of the development of HTML5 standards, and has encouraged experiments using its Google Chrome browser, which is HTML5 compliant.

One such experiment is The Wilderness Downtown. Google teamed up with indie rock band Arcade Fire and director Chris Milk to showcase an interactive music video that shows off some of what HTML5 can do. You simply type your childhood address into the site, and the browser opens up to images of your childhood neighborhood (through Google Map's API) all within the musical backdrop of "We Used to Wait." It's definitely a multimedia experience worth checking out.

To look at more Google Chrome experiments, check out http://www.chromeexperiments.com/.

2010 University of Delaware Technology Fair

Stop by the 2010 University of Delaware Technology Fair on Tuesday, October 19 from 11am-2pm at the Trabant University Center Multi-Purpose Rooms.

Various technology stations will be set up to provide visitors the chance to ask questions and have hands on demonstrations with emerging technologies. The Student Multimedia Design Center will have a large booth showcasing the different equipment we have available, as well as learn more about the services we provide. Although the fair is geared towards faculty, students and staff are welcome to stop by.

History Happens Here! Flickr Project

The National Archives has an exciting project going on in which people are encouraged to download and print out historic photographs from the National Archives and combine them with their current locations, all within the same frame. Here's a more detailed description of the project, as well as project examples.

iMovie 09 Tutorials

iMovie 09 is one of our most popular video editing software programs, and we often get questions at the desk related to it. It's a good program to start with if you've never edited a video before; the platform is easy to use and intuitive for the most part. Although we've just finished with our iMovie 09 workshops at the Student Multimedia Design Center, you can still learn how to use iMovie by looking through Apple's iMovie tutorials online. The tutorials are short and focused, with clips on how to import, organize, and edit your videos, how to enhance your videos, and how to publish and share your videos. They are well worth a look if you're interested in video editing and learning how to use iMovie.

Import, organize, and edit video.

• Getting Started with iMovie
• Importing Video From Your Camera
• Enjoying and Organizing Your Video
• Marking your Favorite Video
• Stabilize Shaky Video
• Trimming Edits Between Video Clips
• Adding Photos to Your Movie

Enhance your movies.

• Adding Background Music to Your Movie
• Adding Titles to Your Movie
• Cropping and Rotating Your Video
• Adding Transitions Between Video Clips
• Adding Theme Titles and Transitions
• Adding Sound Effects to Your Movie
• Add Video Effects
• Adding a Voiceover to Your Movie
• Slow Down, Speed Up, and Reverse Video
• Create Picture-in-Picture Effects
• Add Animated Travel Maps

Record and share movies.

• Record Video with Your Built-in iSight Camera
• Publish Movies to Your MobileMe Gallery
• Publish to YouTube

Digital Narratives

If you have a multimedia project that you're working on and you're a bit stuck on how to approach it or what to do next, I always find it helpful to look at other similar multimedia projects to get inspiration. If you're doing ethnographic research and need to put together a multimedia presentation of some sort, two sites (among many) come to mind.

The first is One in Eight Million, which are multimedia narratives put together by the New York Times. In a city as large as New York, it can seem easy to get lost in the crowd. One in Eight Million gives a snapshot into the lives of individual New Yorkers-- in images and narration that are simple yet powerful at the same time.

The Places We Live also takes an ethnographic approach in looking at how people in various locations around the world live. There is an interactive multimedia element to the digital narratives that is memorable and unique-- the use of ambient sound and photographs feels quite intimate and authentic.

If you come across any other multimedia based sites that would be good sources of inspiration, let us know!

Timberland

Timberland, the boots, shoes, clothes and gear company has recently updated its presence on the Internet. The company has employed some interesting multimedia elements to create a very active and interactive website. Check it out:

http://www.timberland.com/

of special interest is this page:

http://earthkeepers.timberland.com/

Career Services Video Contest

Consider submitting a video to the second annual Career Services Center Video contest. This year’s theme is What Can Blue Hen Jobs do for U. The deadline for submission is Friday, November 5, 2010, and there are prizes for the first, second, and third place winners ($600, $300, and $100 cash cards, respectively). The top three videos will be posted on YouTube and the Career Services website. For more information about the contest, including instructions on how to enter, go to: http://www.udel.edu/CSC/videocontest.html.

If you don't have video equipment or editing software, no worries-- just come to the Student Multimedia Design Center and we'll help you with every stage of the video editing process. Check out a video camera, tripod, microphone, and external hard drive, and use one of the studios or computer labs to edit your video in iMovie, Final Cut Pro, or Windows MovieMaker. If you have questions, come to the service desk and we'd be happy to help.

For the curious, here are the winning videos from last year's contest...

A Fair(y) Use Tale

A Fair(y) Use Tale, a very short film by Professor Eric Faden of Bucknell University, takes an informative and humorous look at fair use and copyright using clips from Disney movies.

Camera Reviews

If you are looking to purchase some new multimedia equipment check out these great sites for reviews/comparisons.

http://snapsort.com/
http://www.testfreaks.com/

Nitro PDF

Looking for a great way to create PDFs without spending a lot of money? Try Nitro PDF Reader . . . it's free.

http://www.nitroreader.com/

Free Audio Links

In light of the last post on copyright, fair use, and online video, I've put together a list of some free audio links that may be helpful for your multimedia projects. Many of the links contain music that have Creative Commons licenses- a "copyleft," if you will. Most of the sites provide free downloads of music that you can then remix and reuse in your projects.

ccMixter is a "community music site featuring remixes licensed under Creative Commons where you can listen to, sample, mash-up, or interact with music in whatever way you want." Download a clip or two, sample and remix it, and upload it back into ccMixter so that others can hear-- and potentially remix-- your work.

If you're looking for music to include in your film, podcast, or other multimedia project, also check out dig.ccMixter. There's music geared for podcasts, film, dance, and even commercial projects. Because all of the clips are liberally licensed under Creative Commons, "you already have permission" to use them in your projects. According to the site, "one out of six uploads to ccMixter are used in a YouTube video, flickr moving image, podcast, compilation album and thousands of other places all over the web."

The Free Music Archive contains a compilation of high quality legal downloads that you can use in your multimedia projects. What makes the site unique is that all of the musical selections have been hand-picked by established audio curators.

The Free Sound Project is a collaborative database of sounds that are licensed under Creative Commons. Unlike the other sites listed here, the Free Sound Project focuses on sounds, not songs. So, if the audio that you captured of the buzzing bee, cityscape, woman's laugh, or any number of sounds just isn't cutting it, you can check this site out to see if there's something that could work with your project.

Jamendo is another collaborative database of songs that are licensed under Creative Commons. The songs are "free, legal, and unlimited" and are arranged by artist, album, genre, etc.

Open Source Music contains a compilation of soundtracks from various contributors who make their music available as Public Domain MP3's. The site views music as a "programming language to be used in an open source context."

Like Open Source Music and the other sites listed here, Opsound is "an experiment in applying the model of free software to music." Contributors are encouraged to upload their musical work to the site, licensing their work under Creative Commons. People are invited to download, share, remix, and reimagine.

A Simple Sound includes a library of "original sound scores to accompany works of film, choreography, theater, radio and all other mediums, and music made specifically for dance educators to use in the classroom." Although the sound tracks are not free, they are reasonably priced and are geared toward the type of video or other multimedia projects you may be working on.


Although the copyright landscape might look dire at times, especially in regards to music and video, there is a growing movement of musicians and creators who realize the value in sharing their work and making it free for others to build upon-- which is at the heart of any creative impulse. So go ahead--check these sites out, download a few tracks, and start creating. Or better yet, create your own soundtrack using sound editing software such as Garageband or Audacity-- but that's another post for another day...

Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video

Knowing when and how you can use copyrighted materials can be complicated and unclear-- which is why it's so important to understand what your rights are and how you can use fair use to your best advantage. The Center for Social Media at American University's School of Communication has put together a clear and informative document explaining the principles of fair use as they apply to online videos. They also give examples of videos that make good use of fair use principles in incorporating copyrighted materials.

As a rule of thumb: when using copyrighted works, make sure that your use is transformative (you're using the copyrighted work to critique, comment, or otherwise make something new out of something old), proportional (you're not inserting an entire film in your video), and credited (make sure you give credit to the original source).

Using Squared 5 to convert video file formats

Squared 5 is a free video conversion software program for Mac and PC that can convert many types of video file formats to other video file formats-- great if you have video files that you want to view on your iPhone, for example. It's also a useful tool to download and convert YouTube or Google videos, which are often .flv (Flash Video) files that some video editing software programs may not recognize. You can easily convert the video files to Quicktime so that you can edit them using iMovie, for example.

Stroome: "Mix it up. Mash it out."

Stroome is an online video editing tool that's a mix of YouTube with editing capabilities, social networking, and mash ups. It's a new site that went up this summer, so it's still relatively untested, but it has exciting possibilities. You can sign up for a free account, upload video clips, and edit them all within your web browser-- there's no need to download any software. You can also find collaborators to share your work with and edit and add to existing videos. According to the site, it's the world's most collaborative video editing community. If you have a moment, check it out!

AdobeFlash at the EDGE

The word "flash" may conjure up different meaning(s) to different people. While most understand that video on the web has something to do with Flash, they are unaware of the power behind the actual Flash program. To better understand this power you have to see it. And the best place to see it is on the EDGE.

Animated History of Poland

I was reading through the American Libraries weekly bulletin this morning and they linked to this incredible animated history of Poland. It is a very powerful use of animation to represent actual events in the history of a nation. Check it out. . .

Pamela

If you have ever wanted to record or manage your Skype calls or video conferences but did not know how then this program is for you. . .

http://www.pamela.biz/en/

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LIVEBRUSH

LIVEBRUSH

"Livebrush is a drawing application. It employs an easy-to-use brush tool that reacts to your gesture. By combining simple motion controls with brush styles, Livebrush offers a fun and unique way to create graphics."

Give it a try.

http://www.livebrush.com/

Underwater Multimedia Tools

If you are looking for the latest in underwater multimedia tools, check out what Liquid Image has to offer.

http://www.liquidimageco.com/products/cameras/index.html

Open Source Software

If you are looking for alternatives to buying software, try going the open source route. For all things open source visit: SourceForge.net

SilverDocs Festival in DC -end of June

http://silverdocs.com/event/about-silverdocs/
Celebrating the art and business of documentary storytelling, the Conference creates a hothouse environment that connects filmmakers, educators, broadcasters, business leaders, distributors, private and public media, and funders from both established and emerging media markets.

Book Design

I was asked today for advice about book design. There are some great sites "out there" that give helpful hints for creating your codex. There are also sites that allow you to design and publish your very own work. Here are a few links:

http://www.blurb.com/
http://www.lulu.com/publish/books/?cid=us_home_nav_bk
http://www.bookdesignonline.com/

Fancy new disk drive. . . for 1956.

Well, in 1956 this first ever disk storage unit (hard drive) weighed 2,000lbs and had a 5MB storage capacity. . . now that's fancy. It is really amazing how far technology has come.

IBM 350 disk storage unit

[ http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/storage/storage_PH0350A.html ]

File Storage and File Sharing

There are a number of places "out there" where you can share and store computer files. Out of the many options, here are three that may be of interest because of their free space options:

Microsoft offers file storage and share capabilities through SkyDive and Windows Live--upto 25GB free. Check it out here.

Dropbox also has free file storage and sharing capabilities. They offer 2GB for free and you can purchase up to 100GB. See it here.

4Shared offers 10GB of free space and up to 100GB if you purchase. See it here.

Save Money on Printing Web Pages

Buying printer ink can be expensive. To limit how much you print from web pages HP has created a great little tool for selecting only the parts of a page you really want. The tool is called Smart Web Printing and is available for free from HPs website:

http://www.hp.com/global/us/en/consumer/digital_photography/free/software/smart-web-printing.html

The tool also has a handy interface for exporting to PDF.

Smart Web Printing is currently compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, Internet Explorer versions 6, 7, and , and Firefox (before version 3.6).

USB 3.0

In the world of technology things are always moving, growing, expanding, increasing . . . and, well, changing.

Data transfer rates are increasing with the introduction of USB 3.0, which is about 10x faster than USB 2.0. While this sounds significant, and it is, there are other things on the horizon that are even faster.

Intel is working on a new technology they are calling Light Peak. Utilizing optical cables, Light Peak will start with a bandwidth of approximately 10Gb/s with the potential for up to 100Gb/s within the near future. Now that's fast. . . !

Read more about USB 3.0 and Light Peak from the links below:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/186566/usb_30_finally_arrives.html

http://techresearch.intel.com/articles/None/1813.htm

http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/04/15/intel-predicts-light-peak-to-replace-usb-3-0/

3D TV

Thinking about watching a movie on a 3D LED TV. . . ?

Samsung has posted a warnings page on their site cautioning people about various "health risks" associated with 3D TV. So you are aware, read more about it here.

“Be A Martian”

People adding value to Mars imagery via multimedia tools.

read more about it here:
http://blogs.archives.gov/aotus/?p=144

Be a Martian here:
http://beamartian.jpl.nasa.gov/

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iTunes Alternative

doubleTwist

Have you ever tried using a non-Apple MP3 player in iTunes. . . ? There are alternative MP3 programs that will synch to numerous different players. Check this one out: doubleTwist

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Image Composite Editor

From the research department of Microsoft comes an updated version of the Image Composite Editor (ICE). ICE is an advanced panoramic image stitcher. The latest version has an option for sharing your panorama interactively through Microsoft's Photosynth. Check both of these out:


ICE
Photosynth

Blu-ray going up!

The Blu-ray Disc Association has announced two new media specifications: BDXL™ (High Capacity Recordable and Rewritable discs) and IH-BD (Intra-Hybrid discs). The BDXL version will allow for 128 GB on a write-once disc.

See the April 2 Press release, go here.

AUDIO

StoryCorps

Story Corps utilizes technology to "provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives."

http://storycorps.org/

Digital Photography School

"Discover how to use your digital camera with our Digital Photography Tips. We are a community of photographers of all experience levels who come together to learn, share and grow in our understanding of photography."

http://digital-photography-school.com/

Photography: BBC Masterclasses

The BBC offers photography "classes" downloadable as PDFs.

Check them out here.

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Free Music Archive

"The Free Music Archive is an interactive library of high-quality, legal audio downloads. The Free Music Archive is directed by WFMU, the most renowned freeform radio station in America. Radio has always offered the public free access to new music. The Free Music Archive is a continuation of that purpose, designed for the age of the internet."

Check it out here

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Myoats

Myoats is a place where you can create simple or complex designs, shapes and patterns. The designs that you create can be:

• Downloaded as an image.
• Downloaded as a transparent png.
• Saved to your personal account, which allows for editing and re-saving.
• Made into a wallpaper.

Give it a try here.

Universcale

Nikon has created an interesting multimedia presentation to help define scale.

Check it out here.

TechQuest

Information Technologies has recently launched a new site called TechQuest. "This site is a technology forum where students can post technology related questions and receive answers from other students or just discuss technology topics."

Check it out here

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP

Happy Anniversary Photoshop! 2o years strong and better than ever . . .

20th

When people think of the word "multimedia" the old synapses in the brain may transmit thoughts about sites like YouTube or Vimeo. While sites like these have a lot of videos, to see real multimedia in action you go to the pros. Check out the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's website.

NASA

In particular, check these out:

NASA PlanetQuest
NASA Education

The birds are now FREE . . .

The great browser based graphic editing suite Aviary has announced that it is going to set the birds free. . . read more here.

See http://aviary.com/

Wireless Printing

IT is in the process of introducing wireless printing to its sites around campus. This will allow any UD student or faculty member to print with their laptops. All they need to do is install the printer driver onto their computer before printing. The following link explains the installation process for the driver:

http://www.udel.edu/sites/printing/index.html

Now, IT has not started promoting this feature yet, but it has been tested here at SMDC and it does work.

Delaware The Musical

Delaware: The Musical

UD Admissions counselor Avi Amon, known for his recent YouTube video "Reading Season," is in the process of creating musical about Delaware for prospective and admitted students. It is going to be amazing! Check out the link above to see the UDaily article about the project, or check out the facebook page, Delaware-The Musical. This is a really cool project going on right now, and all students are encouraged to participate! Dancers, singers, and performers are needed, as well as students who just want to be a part of the fun.

A LITTLE blue symbol is carrying big implications

A Little ‘i’ to Teach About Online Privacy

"Trying to ward off regulators, the advertising industry has agreed on a standard icon — a little “i” — that it will add to most online ads that use demographics and behavioral data to tell consumers what is happening."

read more here:
New York Times, January 26, 2010

Adding a video to Blogger