Unit 2-3 Entertainment

After completing this unit, you will be able to:

• Understand how multimedia is transforming the entertainment industry by moving from passive to interactive art forms.
• Recognize how multimedia techniques are being used to create cinematic special effects.
• Question the ethics of digital cinema.
• Understand how realistic and violent video arcade games have become.
• Recognize how virtual reality is making interactive environments more immersing and persuasive.

Reading

Read chapter 5 of the Multimedia Literacy textbook to study the concepts covered by this unit.

Online Activities

Much of the innovation in multimedia sound and graphics originates in the entertainment industry. There is intense competition among cinematographers and video game producers to deliver the most dazzling and engaging special effects. Interactive movies appearing on CD and DVD encourage the user to influence the story or play a role in it. Research and development in virtual reality are providing new visualization, mobility, and tracking devices that immerse the user so completely that the simulated experience seems real. The following online activities reinforce these concepts and bring the reading to life:

• One of the more interesting multimedia effects is called morphing, a computer graphics technique in which one image is transformed into another in a seamless, uninterrupted segment. The Multilit Web site links to several online examples of morphs that you can view for free.
• Toy Story is a Disney film produced by Pixar, which is probably the most innovative 3-D animation company in the world. If you have not seen Toy Story or its sequel, Toy Story II, treat yourself by viewing it. While you watch the film, remember that every single frame was computer generated. Follow the Multilit Web site links to Toy Story and other examples of animation.
• Video games have come a long way since Pong and PacMan. Advances in computer graphics have replaced stick figures and cartoonlike drawings with actual photographs of scenes and characters digitized on multimedia computers. Digital audio has made video games more realistic by providing instant access to recordings of the actual sounds made by characters and objects in the game. New input devices use lasers and 3-D mice to let the user interact more intimately with objects on the screen. Follow the Multilit Web site links to learn about the latest advances in video games.
• Virtual reality (VR) refers to the use of a computer to immerse the user into a simulated experience so authentic it seems real. VR systems often use special hardware to enhance the experience, including visual displays (monitors, head-mounted viewing goggles, periscope booms, and direct eye scanning), tracking devices (data gloves, joysticks, body suits, or infrared tracking), and mobility devices (motion platforms, treadmills, stationary bicycles, trackballs, and flying mice that let you move in a 3-D space). Follow the Multilit Web site links for examples of virtual reality experiences and products.

Assignments

One of the major assignments in this course is the term paper that you will write on a topic of your choosing related to a multimedia trend or issue in your chosen field. The other large assignment in this course is the multimedia application that you will develop and publish to the Web, again on a topic of your choosing. If entertainment is your field, it is possible that the readings in this unit will help you decide upon one of these topics. After you choose your topics, remember to respond to the assignments that ask you to tell your instructor what topics you have chosen:

• A major part of your grade in this course is determined by a term paper that you write on a topic of your choosing related to a multimedia trend or issue in the field of education or communications. Your paper must be about six pages long and contain at least six bibliographic references if you are taking this course for undergraduate credit, or about twelve pages long with at least twelve references for graduate credit. Before you write the paper, you need to have your topic approved. Please tell what your paper is going to be about. Say why you have chosen this topic, tell how you plan to research it, and indicate how the writing of this paper will help you achieve the goals you had for taking this course. Your instructor will respond by writing a comment on this assignment to let you know if your topic is approved.
• The largest part of your grade in this course is determined by the multimedia application that you will create. Your application must have at least seven screens if you are taking this course for undergraduate credit, or at least fourteen screens for graduate credit. Before you develop the application, you need to have your topic approved. Please tell what your application is going to be about. Say why you have chosen this topic, and tell how you plan to design it. Describe your intended audience, tell how they will use your application, and indicate how developing this app will help you achieve the goals you had for taking this course.