courses@JLR

additional notes on new devices, industry models

course's map of some media distribution platforms according to four profit models: ad-supported, subscription, pay-per-view, and publishing (purchasing an object)

Title: SpongeBob Squarepants: Soaking Up Media Convergence.

I hope you enjoy!

WHAT

You will create a 3-10 minute video that engages with the theoretical perspectives we have studied. It may use original and/or appropriated footage and take any form, including but not limited to: a video blog, a documentary, a public service announcement, a fictional narrative, an artwork, a parody, or a remix. You’ll post your videos on the course website, and we’ll go over the available resources for producing and editing them. Keep in mind that this is not a production course, and your project doesn't have to be technically ambitious to succeed. You will be evaluated based on your incorporation of course material, the originality of your critical approach, and the effectiveness of its presentation.

WHY

The goals of this assignment are to:

• learn and mobilize some technical and formal aspects of online video
• communicate ideas creatively and visually
• experientially engage with theoretical concepts through participation
• present course concepts to a general internet audience

HOW

Here are some suggested approaches to different components of the project. There is also a page on the course website compiling links to video resources. You can meet with the professor and/or visit the tech desk in Meyer Multimedia Lab (http://stucomp.stanford.edu/techdesk/hours/) for individualized guidance.

.source

You can film your own material using one of three Kodak zi8 video cameras dedicated for our class. To check one out, contact Christian at least a day in advance at cgainsley@stanford.edu (in the sub-basement of BLD 120). Remember to save your files before returning the camera: it connects a USB port and will appear like a hard drive called NO NAME (video files are in the folder DCIM). You can consult the camera manual online (http://kodak.com/global/en/service/publications/urg01034toc.jhtml?pq-path=15530).

Recording your actions on the computer screen is another way to produce original source. There are various applications that do this, and you can find a tutorial on several at the blog ProfHacker (http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Screencasting-101-the-Defi/22738/).

Alternately or in addition, you can use source material from existing online or digital video. There are many ways to find and download video from the internet, including services like keepvid.com that allow you to save videos from YouTube and other streaming sites. Before importing the files into an editor, you may need to convert them to a different format using a program like MPEG Streamclip (http://squared5.com/).

.editing

Make sure to save an extra copy of all your source before you begin editing! Keep in mind that video can take up many GBs of space.

You may choose to edit your video on your own computer or on public computers in the multimedia lab. For public computers, you'll need a way to store your files (a portable drive or Stanford's AFS – see https://itservices.stanford.edu/service/afs).

Whether you have a Mac or PC, you probably already have free video editing software on your computer. See the website for links to tutorials on Windows Movie Maker and iMovie.

Remember to save frequently and keep backups while you're working on your project!

.exporting

The process of rendering and exporting a video can take an hour or two. Your program will give you various options about format and quality. For our purposes (streaming online), saving at a relatively small size will work best. You can consult some example settings for Mac programs at http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/webvideo/exporting/.

.copyright

I recommend that you consider applying a Creative Commons license to your work (see http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/).

Since this is an educational activity offering critical commentary, you may legally use copyrighted material in your project without permission under the auspices of fair use. If you wish to take footage from a digitally protected form (like a DVD), you should be aware that the DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions stipulate that cracking encryption is illegal even for the purposes of fair use.

WHERE

Our official class platform is the video plugin on the course website. To upload, you have to first select your file and then wait for it to process in the Kaltura editor (this can take some time). Then drag the thumbnail onto the timeline and save your video (you can also do any final editing here). Kaltura has tutorial videos about the interface at http://corp.kaltura.com/userzone/tutorials. You can choose whether to make your video public or share it only with our course group.

WHEN

We will be viewing and commenting on the class’s videos at our final screening on Monday, May 24. To ensure adequate time to export and upload your project, you should plan to finish your editing by Sunday night and have a finished file of your video prepared by class time on Monday afternoon.

The class's tallied responses to a survey about their TV and online video viewing.

FILMSTUD 153A/353A

Stanford - Spring 2010

M/W 2:15-3:30 ART2

M 7-9pm (screening)

Beginning from theoretical questions about the structure of media texts and their production, distribution, reception, and regulation, this course analyzes how the collision of broadcast and broadband is reshaping the media landscape.  We'll investigate the definition of "television" and its articulation across multiple platforms, with examples including streaming video, online tie-ins, fan remixes, and web shows.  Such "convergence" involves both intensified corporate consolidation and intensified viewer participation.  As the boundary between producers and consumers of entertainment breaks down, we'll explore renegotiating the possibilities of the TV experience.

As Henry Jenkins defines it, "Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience" (http://henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html).  Television programs are increasingly distributed, promoted, consumed, and reconceptualized across "multiple delivery channels," but not only in the service of a commercial franchise's marketing demands.  In this course, we'll take up the term "Transmedia TV" as a provocation for thinking about the broader dimensions of U.S. television's present-day disintegration and reintegration.  This ostensibly familiar medium is currently intersecting with a proliferation of emerging platforms, with wide-ranging ramifications for the future of our culture's mass and grassroots video ecologies.

OBJECTIVES

This course builds a critical framework for answering the question: "How is media convergence changing 'television'?"  To this end, we will engage a range of methodological tools from media theory and cultural studies to analyze three general areas:

1. Texts: modes of representation, such as aesthetic, narrative, formal, and ideological conventions.

2. Reception: the social contexts and activities of audiences.

3. Production: the economic, technical, legal, and political configuration of the media industry.

Our goal is to become adept in using these tools to investigate the central question in its several schematic parts:

1. What are the distinctive structural and social characteristics of television?

2. In what ways is this medium changing?

3. What are the effects of this transmediation?

4. How can we evaluate these effects and their implications for the future?

In terms of more specific experience and skills, the structure and requirements of the course are devised to foster:

1. Strategies for critical viewing and overall media literacy.

2. Approaching academic work as a cumulative process with several stages, from reading for questions and contradictions to formulating and communicating an argument.

3. An active and collaborative learning environment, where students facilitate productive discussion with their peers and course mechanics and content are responsive to their knowledge and interests.

4. Familiarity with online video and web platforms as a medium for interaction and creativity, both within the class and as part of a wider public.

CLASS

Monday’s meetings will be devoted to discussion of the week’s readings, facilitated by the professor.  You are expected to complete the three assigned texts and come prepared to engage with them through comments and questions.  The collection of articles will be provided as a virtual reader of PDFs; please bring the week’s readings to class, either printed out or on your laptop.

During Monday evening screenings, we will view an assortment of artifacts relevant to the week’s topic.  For each, we will collaboratively develop a log of videos and links on a page on the course website.  All screening materials will be sourced from the internet.

On Wednesdays, one or two students will be assigned to present their original work on the week’s ideas, with another student as respondent.

To facilitate experiential learning, we will be using a dedicated website at http://edu.j-l-r.org for all course work.  This is a social network platform that supports blogs, wiki-like pages, bookmarks, threaded discussion, status updates ("the wire"), live chat, and file uploads (including images and videos).  You are encouraged, but not required, to use the site to collect and discuss relevant material outside of class (above and beyond the mandatory homework).

POLICIES

Laptops are encouraged in class, although there will be some designated laptop-free time.  You are expected to be aware of your own attention and stay focused on lecture and discussion.

Attendance at all class meetings and screenings is required.  If you have a conflict or illness that causes you to miss class, contact the professor in advance.  Grade penalties will be imposed for excessive unexcused absences.

Late work is discouraged.  Most assignments are integrated with class activities and thus do not accommodate lateness.  If you are facing extenuating circumstances and need an extension, contact the professor in advance.  Grade penalties will be imposed for unexcused late work.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated.  For more information on avoiding plagiarism and the rest of Stanford's Honor Code, see http://stanford.edu/dept/vpsa/judicialaffairs/avoiding/guide.htm

Students who have a disability which may necessitate an academic accommodation or the use of auxiliary aids and services in a class, must initiate the request with the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC), located within the Office of Accessible Education (OAE).  The SDRC will evaluate the request with required documentation, recommend appropriate accommodations, and prepare a verification letter dated in the current academic term in which the request is being made.  Please contact the SDRC as soon as possible; timely notice is needed to arrange for appropriate accommodations.  The Office of Accessible Education is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk (phone; 723-1066; TDD: 725-1067).

ASSIGNMENTS

You will complete one presentation with a follow-up blog essay, one video project, and a final paper.  You will also serve as the respondent and discussion facilitator for one presentation.  Handouts with detailed guidelines for each assignment will be provided.

.presentation (scheduled individually)

1. By 10pm on Tuesday, make a discussion post outlining, in brief, some questions, conflicts and/or connections that you're interested in addressing based on the week’s readings and materials. You are also responsible for posting at least one link to a recent online article or artifact relevant to your presentation in bookmarks.

2. In class on Wednesday, give an oral presentation (no more than 15 minutes) articulating your thoughts and engaging your classmates. You and your respondent will then direct a discussion about your topic.

.blog (due one week after your presentation)

You will write up the analysis and conclusions drawn from your presentation as a 3-4 page essay on the course blog.

.respondent (scheduled individually)

You will be the designated respondent for your classmate the week before your own seminar presentation.  It is the respondent's job to read the presenter's discussion post and come to Wednesday’s class prepared with constructive questions and observations.  Sometime on Wednesday (whether before or after class), the respondent must comment online with some of his/her feedback.  You are also responsible for posting at least one link to a recent online article or artifact relevant to your presentation in bookmarks.

.video project (due in class on Monday, May 24)

Each student will create a 3-10 minute video that engages with the theoretical perspectives we have studied.  It may use original and/or appropriated footage and take any form, including but not limited to: a video blog, a documentary, a public service announcement, a fictional narrative, an artwork, or a remix.  You’ll post your videos on the course website, and we’ll go over the available resources for producing and editing them.  Keep in mind that this is not a production course, and your project doesn't have to be technically ambitious to succeed.  You will be evaluated based on your incorporation of course material, the originality of your critical approach, and the effectiveness of its presentation.  We will be viewing and commenting on the class’s videos at our final screening.

.final paper (due by midnight on Friday, June 4 by email)

For your final assignment, you will write a 7-8 page paper that draws on course texts to analyze a Transmedia TV phenomenon of your choice.  You are encouraged to expand on your work in the video or blog essay if you choose.  The professor will meet with you individually to help you develop your argument.

EVALUATION

A rubric with the criteria for assessment will be provided in advance for each assignment. 

Final grades will break down as follows:

presentation - 12 points

blog post - 12 points

respondent/facilitator duties - 12 points

video project - 24 points

final paper - 24 points

required website contributions and overall class participation - 16 points

On this 12-point scale with 100 total points, grades correspond to these point totals:

A+ = 96 and higher

A = 88 and higher

A- = 80 and higher

B+ = 72 and higher

B = 64 and higher

(and so on)

[0] convergence / March 29-31

Reading (for Wednesday - no screening this week)

o      Jenkins, Henry. "The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence." International Journal of Cultural Studies. Volume 7(1): (33-43) [available on course website]

o      Institute for the Future. "Future of Video Map of Opportunities." September 2009. (http://iftf.org/FutureofVideoMapPDF)

[1] TV on TV / April 5-7

Screening ◊ self-reflexive television episodes

Reading

o      Spigel, Lynn. "The Suburban Home Companion: Television and the Neighborhood Ideal in Post-War America." Feminist Television Criticism, a Reader. Ed. Brunsdon, D'Acci, and Spigel. Oxford University Press, 1997. (211-234)

o      Feuer, Jane. "The Concept of Live Television: Ontology as Ideology." Regarding Television. Ed. E. Ann Kaplan. Greenwood Publishing, 1983. (12-22)

o      White, Mimi. "Crossing Wavelengths: The Diegetic and Referential Imaginary of American Commercial Television." Cinema Journal. 25, No. 2 (1986): (51-64)

[2] flow / April 12-14

Screening ◊ online news

Reading

o      Williams, Raymond. "Programming as Sequence or Flow." Television: Technology and Cultural Form. Schocken Books, 1974. (86-97)

o      Uricchio, William. "Television's Next Generation: Technology/Interface Culture/Flow." Television After TV: Essays on a Medium in Transition. Ed. Lynn Spigel and Jan Olsson. Duke University Press, 2005. (163-182)

o      McPherson, Tara. "Reload: Liveness, Mobility and the Web." The Visual Culture Reader. Ed. Nicholas Mirzoeff. 2nd ed. Routledge, 2002. (458-70)

[3] overflow / April 19-21

Screening ◊ transmedia marketing

Reading

o      Dienst, Richard. "The Outbreak of Television." Still Life in Real Time: Theory After Television. Durham: Duke University Press, 1994. (3-35)

o      Fiske, John. "Moments of Television: Neither the Text nor the Audience." Seiter, Ellen et al. Remote Control: Television, Audiences, and Cultural Power. New York: Routledge, 1990. (56-77)

o      Brooker, Will. "Living on Dawson's Creek: Teen Viewers, Cultural Convergence, and Television Overflow." International Journal of Cultural Studies 4 (2001): (456-472)

[4] on demand / April 26-28

Screening ◊ digital television platforms

Reading

o      Parks, Lisa. "Flexible Microcasting: Gender, Generation, and Television-Internet Convergence." Television After TV: Essays on a Medium in Transition. Ed. Lynn Spigel and Jan Olsson. Duke University Press, 2005. (133-156)

o      Kompare, Derek. "Publishing Flow: DVD Box Sets and the Reconception of Television." Television & New Media 7.4 (2006): (335-360)

o      Lotz, Amanda D. "Revolutionizing Distribution: Breaking Open the Network Bottleneck." The Television Will Be Revolutionized. NYU Press, 2007. (119-151)

[5] web TV / May 3-5

Screening ◊ web television series

Reading

o      Bolter, Jay David and Richard Grusin. "Mediation and Remediation," "Television" and "The World Wide Web." Remediation: Understanding New Media. The MIT Press, 2000. (52-62; 184-210)

o      Hirsch, Eric. "New Technologies and Domestic Consumption." The Television Studies Book. Arnold, 1998. (158-174)

o      Mullen, Megan. "Surfing Through 'TV Land': Notes Toward a Theory of 'Video Bites' and Their Function on Cable TV." The Velvet Light Trap. 36 (1995): (60-67)

[6] user-generated / May 10-12

Screening ◊ YouTube and streaming video

Reading

o      Ang, Ien. "In the Realm of Uncertainty: The Global Village and Capitalist Postmodernity." Living Room Wars. New York: Routledge, 1996. (162-180)

o      Terranova, Tiziana. "Free Labor: Producing Culture for the Digital Economy." The Politics of Information: The Electronic Mediation of Social Change. Ed. Marc Bousquet and Katherine Wills. Alt-X Press, 2003. (99-121)

o      Andrejevic, Mark. "Exploiting YouTube: Contradictions of User-Generated Labor." The YouTube Reader. Ed. Patrick Vonderau and Pelle Snickars. National Library of Sweden: 2010. (406-423)

[7] fan production / May 17-19

Screening ◊ remix videos

Reading

o      Jenkins, Henry. "Quentin Tarantino's Star Wars? Grassroots Creativity Meets the Media Industry." Convergence Culture. NYU Press, 2006. (131-168)

o      Busse, Coppa, Hellekson, De Kosnik, Russo, and Lothian. "In Focus: Fandom and Feminism." Cinema Journal Vol. 48, No. 4 (Summer 2009): (104-136)

o      Ito, Benkler, Jenkins, Brown, Rheingold. "Plenary Session: Envisioning the Future of DIY Video." 24/7 DIY Video Summit. USC, February 2008. (http://video24-7.org/video/plenary_session.html) [video]

[8] piracy / May 24-26

Screening ◊ student projects

Reading (for Wednesday; Monday is course wrap-up)

o      Lessig, Lawrence. "RO, Revisited" and "Cultures Compared." Remix. Bloomsbury/Penguin, 2008. (36-50; 84-115)

o      Pesce, Mark. "Piracy is Good? How Battlestar Galactica Killed Broadcast TV (Part One: Hyperdistribution)." Mindjack 13 May 2005. (http://mindjack.com/feature/piracy051305.html)

final papers / due June 4 by midnight (email)

This is the course poster!