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Web Media Assignments FAQ

This version was saved 12 years, 11 months ago View current version     Page history
Saved by Tama Leaver
on April 29, 2011 at 2:33:51 pm
 

(FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions)

[Short link to this page: http://bit.ly/web207faq]

 

Assignment 1: Essay

QN: What's the difference between primary and secondary readings?

ANS: Primary refers to material that has already been pre-selected and provided (core and deeper readings) and secondary refers to other material you have found for yourself. In finding secondary readings, you need to do research and find appropriate material beyond those readings/viewings already provided.

QN: Can I just focus on one element of the area (eg just TiVO, or just social gaming)?

ANS: No. The essay is an overview of the area/field/industry you're examining. You can, of course, use examples which illustrate these changes, but they need to be tied together in such a way that you're giving a broader picture, not just focusing on one tool or narrow example.

QN: Can I just write about convergence (or just write about digitisation)?

ANS: No. The question asks that you "analyse what impact digitisation and convergence have had on your chosen media platform" so you need to address both (reminder: it's much easier to do this if you define both terms in your introduction!).

 

Assignment 2: The Pitch

QN: Should I wait for the feedback from my Pitch before starting my RWMC?

ANS: NO. You should be working on your RWMC as soon as your Pitch is submitted (or earlier if you like) BUT the important thing, in both your Pitch timeline, and in reality, is to leave enough time to incorporate and act on your tutor's feedback.  You will get your Pitch feedback one week before your RWMC is due, so ideally you'll have close to a finished version by then, and any tweaks or changes suggested in your Pitch feedback can then be incorporated.

QN: Do I have to share my Pitch publicly (or with the other students in the unit)?

ANS: You're welcome to share some or all of your Pitch with your peers (fellow students) but there is no requirement for you to do so.

QN: Do I have to refer to unit readings in the Pitch?

ANS: Yes. You must refer to unit readings in your Pitch, since this is the space in which you explain how the thing you're planning to make is building on ideas from the unit - hence references to unit readings, which is the main way you can indicate that in academic work.  In the actual RWMC itself you don't necessarily need to directly quote from readings in the production, unless it suits the format of your RWMC to do so.

QN: Can we plan to use actors or others to help with our RWMC?

ANS: As long as you're "the director" and that they're simply acting according to your script and control that'd be okay.  Be sure to outline how you'd be using actors in your A3, of course. Essentially, they can provide labour, but not creative input.

QN: Do I have to include a storyboard/script/thumbnail sketch, etc?

ANS: Ideally, you should provide us with as much information as possible. The more you tell us, the more we can respond to.  So a script if you're doing a vuideo would be a good idea, as would a story board for an animation and so forth.  These can be included as appendicitises, so they don't have to count as part of your work limit.

QN: What's Fair Dealing?

ANS: In short, Fair Dealing is a series of exceptions or circumstances under which copyrighted material can be re-used. Since giving precise answers about Fair Dealing is close to legal advice, clear material is hard to find.  However, for an accessible overview of Fair Dealing in Australia, check out the 'Fair Dealing' pages 83-93 in the Blog, Podcast, Vodcast and Wiki Copyright Guide for Australia (PDF).

 

Assignment 3: Reflective Web Media Creation

QN: Does it have to be exactly 3 mintues?

ANS: No, it must be 3 minutes or less.  It cannot run longer that 3 minutes (or take more than 3 minutes to view/experience/play it).

QN: What formats can the RWMC be?

ANS: We've deliberately made the parameters quite broad, so you can choose pretty much any format that cna be viewed/experienced/heard/etc in 3 minutes or less. However, the RWMC CANNOT be an ESSAY or essay-like (ie it must be some sort of rich media).  Video, audio, animation, flash, infographics, elaborate annotated slideshow, Google maps informational mashups, etc, are all formats that could be acceptable. Your best bet is to come up with THE IDEA for your RWMC in your pitch first and then figure out which format will best suit your idea.

QN: Can we make changes to our RWMC that aren't in the Pitch?

ANS: Ideally you'll stick to the Pitch, and any feedback from your tutor about your Pitch, as closely as possible. Once the Pitch is done, you can't substantially change your project, but there will always be minor tweaks here and there, but you don't need to document these as such. The Pitch is like a production contract - you've said what you want to achieve, and outlined a path there. If the path has to vary a little to achieve the same goal, that's okay, as long as the goal or output is what you'd initially described. On a technical front, say you're doing a 3 minute video, then ideally you would have done a 5 or 10 second test run with the program(s) you're intending to use, so you can gauge whether it's the right tool for you. Of course, it is possible, albeit unlikely, that someone will hit a major technical issue; if this really means that someone can't complete the project as they pitched it, then it'd be best to contact your tutor asap. In some cases, people might outline the tool they expect to use, but also indicate one or two others that might be 'back up' tools in case the preferred one doesn't do what you expect it to do. This could be flagged in your timeline, for example, as a testing and review stage - something I hope most people are including.

QN: Do I have to cite all the media in my RWMC.

ANS: Yes.

QN: Can I give a generic attribution (eg "All photos from Flickr under a CC license')?

ANS: NO. You'd never just say 'this idea came from books in the library' and the same is true for media. You need to cite each media element, even if that's hundreds of elements (keeping in mind, you might use a separate page or, say, the YouTube description field to do this rather than have 90 seconds of credits in a 3 minute video).

 

Assignment 4: Web Diaries

QN: Do I have to record every instance of every media form I see in my one-day media diary?

ANS: No, you need some detail, but not every instance. For example, if you're using five different media tools at work, note that between 7.30 and 10.30 you shifted between email, skype, twitter and whatever else doing x y z type of tasks.

QN: How will I know what's going to happen in 5 years time?

ANS: You won't know exactly, but you can make an informed estimate. Each reading paints a picture of media and cultural change - in doing so it suggests something about what 'typical' looks like today. There is no absolute clear picture of today, nor will there be of 2015. But we can extrapolate a ROUGH picture from the trends we see evident today, which we have spent most of this unit discussing. You won't be omniscient about 2015, but you should be able to make extrapolations (or, if you prefer 'educated guesses') about what it may be like, on the basis of the trends (eg convergence of devices, social spreadability, and so forth) discussed in the unit.

QN: Does the reflection section have to have an introduction and conclusion?

ANS: It has to have a clear narrative flow - an introduction and conclusion are the easiest way to achieve this, but if you can structure your writing in a different way which achieves this aim, that's fine too.

 

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