Sonia’s Midterm Proposal: Take Two
Title: Theory or Theology: The Search for Truth in Science
Abstract:
For the past 35 years, physicists have been consumed by a problem that, if solved, would in essence be the “theory of everything”: string theory. After years of trials, experiments, and absurd mathematical calculations, the amount of evidentiary proof is at a resounding nothing. We have no data, no images, and no reason to believe it’s true; so why do we believe it’s true?
Has science become a religion rather than a science? Why would we believe something without any proof? I am studying the movement of science into a non-innovative realm, in which modern scientists are relying to much on the dogma of its elders, instead of being revolutionary and breaking boundaries. I would like to show my audience that the new face of science may actually be narrowing the job market and discouraging young students from pursuing a career in scientific research, because they do not see an opportunity to be the Einstein of the new era.
Methodology:
(I’m not really sure about this yet)
Because string theory is an excellent example of my argument, I will probably start by defining the bare bones of string theory. I will give the audience an opportunity to do an experiment in deductive reasoning, to make them understand how scientific theories are produced. From there, I will go into the development of string theory, allowing the audience to understand (non-mathematically) how string theory emerged, and hopefully they will be able to see the narrowed exclusivity of this particular theoretical argument.
The next step is to show the reader other examples of how science is losing its empirical basis. Maybe include interviews with prominent scientists as well as journalists. Present the fact that many scientists who reject string theory cannot find jobs, and therefore we are effectively blocking the progress of science. From here, I will move to address science education, and why students are turning away from scientific study due to the stagnation of scientific research. In term of scientific education, I would like to interview students and various age levels to find out how they respond to scientific study and why many of them are turning away from it.
Media Presentation and Justification:
I haven’t really addressed media in full yet, but I don’t want the presentation to be a boring one-sided scientific “powerpoint.”
After our discussion, I was considering the possibility of allowing the viewer to add to the project, that way it is constantly changing. This might indicate that it will be an online project instead of a DVD. It really fits in with my topic, because I don’t want to be talking at the audience, I want it to be a dynamic conversation, where they can put forth their own ideas while responding to my own.
I would like to include interviews in a sort of interactive format, where there are hot buttons that the user can click on to get more information or a further understand of a topic. Also, I think it would be beneficial for the sake of the string theory explanation to use an animation or visualization. I would also like to design some minor logic games using deductive reasoning to show theoretical evolution.
One of the important points of my project is to show how science is losing it’s creativity—the kind of creativity that led people to come up with theories in the first place. For that reason, I want to incorporate some interactive creative aspect to the project, where the audience can express themselves in a non-mathematical, completely creative way—I think doing that might open up some people to new ideas instead of being stuck with the old ones. This is a difficult concept for me to explain on paper, but I will try to come up with a better phrasing for it soon.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Anastasia Shepherd - next iteration of thesis proposal :)
The space for where I write random titles:
PSYCHOBIOGRAPHY
Deaf dreams/Blind dreams
Occursions?/Excursions/occurances
banality security
.... still working on these, ignore them for now.
Abstract:
I’m interested in creating an interactive art piece that mixes the genres of documentary film, animation, gaming, and expressionistic/symbolic fine arts. I would like to explore the subject of imagined realities in disobedience of social constructs in this piece. I want to visually document situations in which people physically obey societal constructs and the norms of reality, but show through interactive options that the mind is given possibilities without the limits of reality and society. An interactive web-based art piece that combines flash animation with video and traditional animation would be an optimal presentation for this thesis.
Audience:
I would like this piece to reach a more diverse audience than a gallery-style installation video would. By putting it on a website, I hope to make it possible for anyone to look at it and get something out of it. The concept is universal, therefore the presentation should allow for universality, as well. The interactive format will help a great deal in accomplishing that goal. Website-based projects democratize art and interactivity allows for a fluid and nonlinear narrative thread.
Methodology:
I am making the argument that the pressures of normality and the constrictions of physical reality are escapable through dreams, fantasies and imagined scenarios. With that in mind, humans have more freedom to impact their own “real” lives through utilizing their “waking dreams” and learning not to fear them.
By using a creative approach that mimics the decisions to conform or not conform that everyone faces constantly, I hope to show that it is unnecessary to live in your head. To make the impossible real is my goal.
I feel that many or all of these restrictions of life are self-implemented and can be overcome. Connections to other human beings are feared, shared consciousness is considered impossible, exploration is considered odd, and silliness/whimsicality and imagination are considered childish. I’d like this project to reflect how life could be different through personal revolutions. With interactivity embedded in the project, I hope to show people a set of new and accessible possibilities for life and inspiration.
The project in its final phase will consist of still shots of video taken in a variety of places, with no actors. It will resemble security camera feed. The viewer will be able to guide the mouse to hot spots that will zoom in to a piece of the scene and then give more hot spots. When explored, these will provide layers of fantastical and anthropomorphic animation and experimental sound. People’s faces will morph, regular objects will transform, and the normality and banality of the scene will be undermined. Then, the hot spots will disappear and reality will be restored. However, small changes will be made every time an animation is explored, and by the end of the project, the “real world” will be overrun with the “imagined.”
Media Presentation and Justification:
Optimally, the thesis will be presented as a website-based piece that includes flash animation, video, and traditional animation. Since the project requires interactivity to give the viewer choices and to let one explore the project on one’s own, it is necessary to have it in this multimedia format. A film would be too passive. The passivity of the video in the project will be acted upon by the viewer’s interactive choices. The piece will provide a stance that explores how the “imaginary” (unreal images that create new meanings in reality) must be utilized by the individual. The project’s philosophy is built on curiosity and choice, so this medium is ideal. The paths of the project will give the audience choices that have the potential to create a world where reality and fantasy are indistinguishable from one another.
PSYCHOBIOGRAPHY
Deaf dreams/Blind dreams
Occursions?/Excursions/occurances
banality security
.... still working on these, ignore them for now.
Abstract:
I’m interested in creating an interactive art piece that mixes the genres of documentary film, animation, gaming, and expressionistic/symbolic fine arts. I would like to explore the subject of imagined realities in disobedience of social constructs in this piece. I want to visually document situations in which people physically obey societal constructs and the norms of reality, but show through interactive options that the mind is given possibilities without the limits of reality and society. An interactive web-based art piece that combines flash animation with video and traditional animation would be an optimal presentation for this thesis.
Audience:
I would like this piece to reach a more diverse audience than a gallery-style installation video would. By putting it on a website, I hope to make it possible for anyone to look at it and get something out of it. The concept is universal, therefore the presentation should allow for universality, as well. The interactive format will help a great deal in accomplishing that goal. Website-based projects democratize art and interactivity allows for a fluid and nonlinear narrative thread.
Methodology:
I am making the argument that the pressures of normality and the constrictions of physical reality are escapable through dreams, fantasies and imagined scenarios. With that in mind, humans have more freedom to impact their own “real” lives through utilizing their “waking dreams” and learning not to fear them.
By using a creative approach that mimics the decisions to conform or not conform that everyone faces constantly, I hope to show that it is unnecessary to live in your head. To make the impossible real is my goal.
I feel that many or all of these restrictions of life are self-implemented and can be overcome. Connections to other human beings are feared, shared consciousness is considered impossible, exploration is considered odd, and silliness/whimsicality and imagination are considered childish. I’d like this project to reflect how life could be different through personal revolutions. With interactivity embedded in the project, I hope to show people a set of new and accessible possibilities for life and inspiration.
The project in its final phase will consist of still shots of video taken in a variety of places, with no actors. It will resemble security camera feed. The viewer will be able to guide the mouse to hot spots that will zoom in to a piece of the scene and then give more hot spots. When explored, these will provide layers of fantastical and anthropomorphic animation and experimental sound. People’s faces will morph, regular objects will transform, and the normality and banality of the scene will be undermined. Then, the hot spots will disappear and reality will be restored. However, small changes will be made every time an animation is explored, and by the end of the project, the “real world” will be overrun with the “imagined.”
Media Presentation and Justification:
Optimally, the thesis will be presented as a website-based piece that includes flash animation, video, and traditional animation. Since the project requires interactivity to give the viewer choices and to let one explore the project on one’s own, it is necessary to have it in this multimedia format. A film would be too passive. The passivity of the video in the project will be acted upon by the viewer’s interactive choices. The piece will provide a stance that explores how the “imaginary” (unreal images that create new meanings in reality) must be utilized by the individual. The project’s philosophy is built on curiosity and choice, so this medium is ideal. The paths of the project will give the audience choices that have the potential to create a world where reality and fantasy are indistinguishable from one another.
Erik Gieszelmann's confused ramblings (midterm)
Title: Nonexistent
Abstract: From the warring royal courts of chess, to the business tycoon-ery of Monopoly, to the creation of stars in katamari damacy, most games come with a built in plot. Game designers are now trying to leave these embedded narratives to make a new type of game with an emergent narrative.
As seen in games like The Sims, an emergent narrative game does not have a built in plot, but attempts to produce a story based on the actions of the player. When you can make your sim become a criminal, police officer, or many other jobs, giving the player freedom not presented with an embedded narrative game.
The problem most game designers and players have with these emergent narrative games is their complete lack of structure. Whether your Sim is a cop or criminal, the world around him does not change much outside of the money he makes. Some designers try to counter this by making games like Knights of the Old Republic, and Jade Empire, embedded narrative games with multiple paths, where your actions in the game (measured with a good to evil meter) affect your path through it. Even with these multi-pathed games, you still have embedded narrative, you just have more than one.
For the purpose of seeing if it can be done, I propose a game in which no plot or story is revealed until the player's actions dictate that story.
Abstract: From the warring royal courts of chess, to the business tycoon-ery of Monopoly, to the creation of stars in katamari damacy, most games come with a built in plot. Game designers are now trying to leave these embedded narratives to make a new type of game with an emergent narrative.
As seen in games like The Sims, an emergent narrative game does not have a built in plot, but attempts to produce a story based on the actions of the player. When you can make your sim become a criminal, police officer, or many other jobs, giving the player freedom not presented with an embedded narrative game.
The problem most game designers and players have with these emergent narrative games is their complete lack of structure. Whether your Sim is a cop or criminal, the world around him does not change much outside of the money he makes. Some designers try to counter this by making games like Knights of the Old Republic, and Jade Empire, embedded narrative games with multiple paths, where your actions in the game (measured with a good to evil meter) affect your path through it. Even with these multi-pathed games, you still have embedded narrative, you just have more than one.
For the purpose of seeing if it can be done, I propose a game in which no plot or story is revealed until the player's actions dictate that story.
freddiew midterm
Abstract:
Short internet videos are a new, wildly popular, emergent form of entertainment, perfectly suited to the increasingly low attention span culture we now occupy. The sheer volume of viewership and visibility of particularly popular videos opens up a world of yet unexplored possibilities in both the commercial as well as the creative realm. The fact that many memes from viral web videos have successfully migrated from internet culture to popular culture indicates that this form of entertainment is by no means confined to the boundaries of electronic medium. As of now, there have been no prominent traditionally scholarly analysis of this new form of entertainment, perhaps owing to the difficulty in writing about a primarily visual, constantly moving medium. It is a topic uniquely suited to a multimedia based scholarly approach.
I am attempting to deconstruct the elements that comprise viral videos that achieve a degree of internet notoriety and popularity. In doing so, I hope to help my reader understand how the average web user views, processes, and in turn propagates video media that he or she encounters. My assumption behind this project is that the internet audience is, contrary to popular belief, predictable, and while trends and general tastes are certainly mercurial, there exist common elements that are in fact shared by self-created and self-propagated media.
I will distill a number of theoretical "formulas" for popular internet videos from shared elements found in popular internet videos. The core of my project would be to then test the actual effectiveness of my formulas by applying it to a number of self-created videos and tracking their popularity. As there is often an author/viewer correspondance present in these videos, I will also fabricate and assume the various personas behind each video, responding to the viewers. In this way, this might be considered an interactive video project, or more specifically, a series of short interactive video projects linked by a common thread.
While my audience is also an unwitting test subject, the real audience for this would be for the more academically minded, as they are aware of the fact that these videos are constructed with the sole purpose of achieving a high degree of internet popularity, and are also privy to the thought processes behind them.
I intend for my final delivery format to be a website documenting my thinking and process, as well as containing the various videos themselves.
Methodology:
To answer what makes an internet video popular, I will analyze commonly seen elements in popular videos, past and present, and distill them into generic formulas which I will then use as a blueprint to create videos of my own. Meanwhile, I will also document the making of process to yield insight into the thinking behind each decision. I intend to use the web video format as the primary way of presenting information, and necessarily will be also creating a webpage for the project as well.
Media Presentation and Justification:
I will be using the web video form with website to present this project. In this way, the form of the project will reflect the actual content. The personas created for each video too will interact through the medium of the video sharing websites.
Short internet videos are a new, wildly popular, emergent form of entertainment, perfectly suited to the increasingly low attention span culture we now occupy. The sheer volume of viewership and visibility of particularly popular videos opens up a world of yet unexplored possibilities in both the commercial as well as the creative realm. The fact that many memes from viral web videos have successfully migrated from internet culture to popular culture indicates that this form of entertainment is by no means confined to the boundaries of electronic medium. As of now, there have been no prominent traditionally scholarly analysis of this new form of entertainment, perhaps owing to the difficulty in writing about a primarily visual, constantly moving medium. It is a topic uniquely suited to a multimedia based scholarly approach.
I am attempting to deconstruct the elements that comprise viral videos that achieve a degree of internet notoriety and popularity. In doing so, I hope to help my reader understand how the average web user views, processes, and in turn propagates video media that he or she encounters. My assumption behind this project is that the internet audience is, contrary to popular belief, predictable, and while trends and general tastes are certainly mercurial, there exist common elements that are in fact shared by self-created and self-propagated media.
I will distill a number of theoretical "formulas" for popular internet videos from shared elements found in popular internet videos. The core of my project would be to then test the actual effectiveness of my formulas by applying it to a number of self-created videos and tracking their popularity. As there is often an author/viewer correspondance present in these videos, I will also fabricate and assume the various personas behind each video, responding to the viewers. In this way, this might be considered an interactive video project, or more specifically, a series of short interactive video projects linked by a common thread.
While my audience is also an unwitting test subject, the real audience for this would be for the more academically minded, as they are aware of the fact that these videos are constructed with the sole purpose of achieving a high degree of internet popularity, and are also privy to the thought processes behind them.
I intend for my final delivery format to be a website documenting my thinking and process, as well as containing the various videos themselves.
Methodology:
To answer what makes an internet video popular, I will analyze commonly seen elements in popular videos, past and present, and distill them into generic formulas which I will then use as a blueprint to create videos of my own. Meanwhile, I will also document the making of process to yield insight into the thinking behind each decision. I intend to use the web video format as the primary way of presenting information, and necessarily will be also creating a webpage for the project as well.
Media Presentation and Justification:
I will be using the web video form with website to present this project. In this way, the form of the project will reflect the actual content. The personas created for each video too will interact through the medium of the video sharing websites.
Pierson's Midterm Concept (repost)
Something happened to the last 2 posts I made... so here is the combined post...
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Title: Testing the Security of theUS
First Post - Simplified Version of Above
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Title: Testing the Security of the
Abstract: I am exploring the human cost of security as it relates the tension between security and other considerations (political, ethical, financial, and technological) in order to provide for a more secure environment. This will focus on threats that are posed to the
Methodology: I am going about this by looking at current security mechanisms that protect our travel and transport industries, air, sea, land while looking at ways to bolster support for different types of security. I am going to do this by creating an interactive tool in which users can reallocate the national security resources and then test the reallocation against simulated threats.
Media Presentation & Justification: This thesis will be an interactive tool which allows users to take the current state of security and the current budget and change different components of the security strategy be it airport security, scanning of containers being off loaded at ports or border security. The user will be able to reallocate current resources and then test them with a virtual attack. Users will be able to allocate at a high level, the entire airport infrastructure, the borders, sea ports, etc. They won't be able to boost security at LAX by 5 screeners.
This will most likely be a Flash tool with a globe which shows threats and vulnerabilities which can then be adjusted and corrected. However, I might use a Sim engine which will allow me to build an environment on top of the existing infrastructure.
It is important to use an interactive user adjustable tool for this as there is no easy way to do threat verification, validation, and modification while looking at the citizen response in a text environment.
First Post - Simplified Version of Above
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I am exploring the human cost of security as it relates the tension between security and other considerations (political, ethical, financial, and technological) in order to provide for a more secure environment.
Andy Hogan's Midterm Parte Duae
A MULTIPERSPECTIVAL PRESENTATION OF THE MANY FACES OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT: PRINCE, SOLDIER, WARRIOR
Abstract
I am exploring the many historical interpretations of Alexander the Great in an attempt to determine how ancient historians, a well as writers throughout the centuries, have looked at the body of work existing about Alexander and interpreted this to form a comprehensive picture of the man (unfortunately, without the benefit of any digital help). Of course the written word will be an integral part of this project, but Alexander will also be seen through the eyes of the sculptors, painters, and countless artists who have tried to form the visual images throughout recorded history of this enigmatic man. The primary goal of this work is to aid whoever is experiencing the total project in understanding how one of the most dynamic leaders in world history accomplished what he did and how he and his actions were later seen. As a part of this, recent work in the field of Alexandrian studies will be included which calls into question many of the ancient sources and their interpretation of certain aspects of his life, i.e. his mother, Olympias, and her influence on his subsequent undertakings, the burning of the Persian royal palace of Persepolis, and others. Simply stated, I want to produce a muti-perspectival project aimed at the academic reader (or any serious lover of history) that will have several elements of the documentary style as well. This would more than likely take shape as a DVD (much like what we saw with the Labyrinth project on Bobby Kennedy) which would engross the participant with information and various interpretations of the man, the world he lived in, what drove him to undertake what he did, how he was seen then, now, and the position he assumes in recorded history. Ultimately, this will force people to see how the sources are not in concordance and how even the simplest facts cannot be agreed upon. Moreover, while experiencing the project, the viewer will learn what various scholars (ancient and modern) claim regarding Alexander, because, in the final analysis, all that can be known about one of the most dynamic leaders in history is what we can glean from several contradictory authors.
Methodology
As stated above, and worth bearing repeating, Alexandrian studies are a paradox because nothing can truly be known about the man himself to a certainty, despite the corpus of works concerning him. Many of the sources disagree; what I would attempt to do is allow a participant to physically see where the disagreements occur and how little moments of disharmony add up over the course of the main narratives. The focus of the project would center on answering what we, as scholars, can truly know about Alexander, and then view the many ways he has been reinterpreted throughout the years based on various findings that continue to come to light. Can we only know, as most academics believe, that all we can take from the histories are what the author says Alexander did, or, can we say with any degree of certainty that he actually acted in that manner? The modern scholarship that does exist about Alexander is quite fascinating and is worth contemplating alongside the ancient scholarship as well. There is one particularly fascinating book that was recently published by Elizabeth Carney in which she completely rejects every negative interpretation of Olympias, Alexander’s mother, in the secondary sources as a misrepresentation of a strong and powerful woman who lived in a brutal time. I feel that the modern scholarship will give the project the extra component that will aid the viewer in appreciating how many ways something can be reinterpreted, which is a major portion of what I am attempting to do.
Media Presentation & Justification
First and foremost, I find that most people can’t make their way through the ancient corpus of works about Alexander, much less make the distinctions among the different traditions that they hail from. Even academics find actively keeping that information in mind and in an organized fashion to be a challenge. Trying to guide most people through the visual representations is easier by far. There is a rich and varied body of visual interpretation including incredible sculpted busts of the man, both as warrior and civilian, ancient statues, coinage, medieval illuminations, and a host of art from the Renaissance through the 19th centuries. By combining the two elements of the written and the visual, interest in the subject would be greatly bolstered. Moreover, by making the sources painfully obvious via tabs or citations of some sort, people could literally see the similarities as well as the discrepancies side by side. I haven’t decided beyond the historically accepted artistic representations of Alexander if any cinematic projects deserve to be spliced into the project proper, but some (such as certain portions of Oliver Stone’s Alexander) do capture certain moments which are in concordance between sources. As stated above, I want to do this on a DVD somewhat in the same comprehensive method as the Labyrinth project viewed on Kennedy. I truly believe that this could be a fascinating experience wherein the viewer could learn in one place about the many aspects of the man. Keep in mind, though, that this knowledge would not be presented as “this is what Alexander did”; it would be “this is what Arrian or Curtius said Alexander did”. From that basis, and after experiencing the project, I would allow the participant to make their own decision as to whether the source serves a more literary purpose (Callisthenes says Alexander did this and there remains some degree of suspicion as to its historical veracity) or a more historical purpose (Alexander did this and Ptolemy reported it). This needs to be done in a multimedia format because of the efficiency in assimilation and presentation of the information. I would attempt to arrange the project in such a way that the person experiencing it would be able to guide their learning in fields that interest them.
Abstract
I am exploring the many historical interpretations of Alexander the Great in an attempt to determine how ancient historians, a well as writers throughout the centuries, have looked at the body of work existing about Alexander and interpreted this to form a comprehensive picture of the man (unfortunately, without the benefit of any digital help). Of course the written word will be an integral part of this project, but Alexander will also be seen through the eyes of the sculptors, painters, and countless artists who have tried to form the visual images throughout recorded history of this enigmatic man. The primary goal of this work is to aid whoever is experiencing the total project in understanding how one of the most dynamic leaders in world history accomplished what he did and how he and his actions were later seen. As a part of this, recent work in the field of Alexandrian studies will be included which calls into question many of the ancient sources and their interpretation of certain aspects of his life, i.e. his mother, Olympias, and her influence on his subsequent undertakings, the burning of the Persian royal palace of Persepolis, and others. Simply stated, I want to produce a muti-perspectival project aimed at the academic reader (or any serious lover of history) that will have several elements of the documentary style as well. This would more than likely take shape as a DVD (much like what we saw with the Labyrinth project on Bobby Kennedy) which would engross the participant with information and various interpretations of the man, the world he lived in, what drove him to undertake what he did, how he was seen then, now, and the position he assumes in recorded history. Ultimately, this will force people to see how the sources are not in concordance and how even the simplest facts cannot be agreed upon. Moreover, while experiencing the project, the viewer will learn what various scholars (ancient and modern) claim regarding Alexander, because, in the final analysis, all that can be known about one of the most dynamic leaders in history is what we can glean from several contradictory authors.
Methodology
As stated above, and worth bearing repeating, Alexandrian studies are a paradox because nothing can truly be known about the man himself to a certainty, despite the corpus of works concerning him. Many of the sources disagree; what I would attempt to do is allow a participant to physically see where the disagreements occur and how little moments of disharmony add up over the course of the main narratives. The focus of the project would center on answering what we, as scholars, can truly know about Alexander, and then view the many ways he has been reinterpreted throughout the years based on various findings that continue to come to light. Can we only know, as most academics believe, that all we can take from the histories are what the author says Alexander did, or, can we say with any degree of certainty that he actually acted in that manner? The modern scholarship that does exist about Alexander is quite fascinating and is worth contemplating alongside the ancient scholarship as well. There is one particularly fascinating book that was recently published by Elizabeth Carney in which she completely rejects every negative interpretation of Olympias, Alexander’s mother, in the secondary sources as a misrepresentation of a strong and powerful woman who lived in a brutal time. I feel that the modern scholarship will give the project the extra component that will aid the viewer in appreciating how many ways something can be reinterpreted, which is a major portion of what I am attempting to do.
Media Presentation & Justification
First and foremost, I find that most people can’t make their way through the ancient corpus of works about Alexander, much less make the distinctions among the different traditions that they hail from. Even academics find actively keeping that information in mind and in an organized fashion to be a challenge. Trying to guide most people through the visual representations is easier by far. There is a rich and varied body of visual interpretation including incredible sculpted busts of the man, both as warrior and civilian, ancient statues, coinage, medieval illuminations, and a host of art from the Renaissance through the 19th centuries. By combining the two elements of the written and the visual, interest in the subject would be greatly bolstered. Moreover, by making the sources painfully obvious via tabs or citations of some sort, people could literally see the similarities as well as the discrepancies side by side. I haven’t decided beyond the historically accepted artistic representations of Alexander if any cinematic projects deserve to be spliced into the project proper, but some (such as certain portions of Oliver Stone’s Alexander) do capture certain moments which are in concordance between sources. As stated above, I want to do this on a DVD somewhat in the same comprehensive method as the Labyrinth project viewed on Kennedy. I truly believe that this could be a fascinating experience wherein the viewer could learn in one place about the many aspects of the man. Keep in mind, though, that this knowledge would not be presented as “this is what Alexander did”; it would be “this is what Arrian or Curtius said Alexander did”. From that basis, and after experiencing the project, I would allow the participant to make their own decision as to whether the source serves a more literary purpose (Callisthenes says Alexander did this and there remains some degree of suspicion as to its historical veracity) or a more historical purpose (Alexander did this and Ptolemy reported it). This needs to be done in a multimedia format because of the efficiency in assimilation and presentation of the information. I would attempt to arrange the project in such a way that the person experiencing it would be able to guide their learning in fields that interest them.
Elissa's Midterm Proposal Part II (?)
Only the amazing Beth (thanks!) commented on my draft, so I have no idea where to go with this! I guess I'll just keep it like it is for now because it makes sense to me...
Title(s)
Internet Killed the Radio Star: The transition of marketing mediums in the music industry or How's It Going to Be: the future of music marketing or Carry On My Wayward Son: the transition of marketing mediums in an ever-changing music industry
Abstract
Music marketing was a static issue until the digital age. I will be exploring how it has evolved over the past 50 years and the avenues the field must take to be successful in the future. This is important because standard marketing and promotional techniques need to continue to adapt to the digital market and not rely so much on traditional methods like radio and print. While these are still viable mediums, they should no longer be considered the primary avenue of music marketing in this complex digital world. For instance, websites like purevolume.com and garageband.com allow for bands to market themselves, but how to market these websites to potential users - both bands and fans? In researching this topic, I will uncover types of marketing that are effective in reaching unique market segments and demographics, and demonstrate methods that could be effective in targeting these groups in the future. This will be based upon market research and interviews with professionals in both the music and business fields. The best way to present both the past, present and future of this field is to use an experiential format, where the "reader" can travel through a sample marketing campaign using both old and new methods, and decide at the end which was more effective to them. This project will be useful to both artists interested in promoting their music and to companies who represent music and other media.
Methodology
This project is making an argument that music marketing needs to get more creative in order to reach its target audience, and suggesting ways in which it can succeed in this endeavor. I want to speak with those that currently work in the marketing field to get their opinions on how marketing has changed since they began working, and also uncover their marketing processes. I would also like to speak with those that work in related business fields such as advertising, public relations, and artist management to see what they feel are the best ways to adapt their contributions to ensure that new music marketing is successful. Obviously the most important aspect of this project however will be market research on various market segments - consumers and musicians alike and their respective demographics. I also want to research and do some case study-type work.
Media Presentation
I am seeing this project as an interactive "click and learn" journey through the history of music marketing, and then have it turn into a visualization of a discussion about where the industry is today, and the results of the market research into current techniques. Then I want to have the user experience some marketing techniques and at the end, judge which were more effective to them, and once they choose, have that lead into an explanation of the positives and negatives of each way, going from the oldest model to the newest idea for the future of marketing. Then at the end I would like to present again a visualization of a summary of ideas for the future. The project will flow much like a paper but will have varying ways of using multimedia in each segment (interactivity, visualization, experiential, etc.) to keep it interesting. Marketing is itself not a subject that can be adequately described on paper, as very little marketing is done on paper. You must have multimedia to show the complexity of the subject, and especially in that this project relates directly to music, which obviously can only be heard in order to experience it.
Title(s)
Internet Killed the Radio Star: The transition of marketing mediums in the music industry or How's It Going to Be: the future of music marketing or Carry On My Wayward Son: the transition of marketing mediums in an ever-changing music industry
Abstract
Music marketing was a static issue until the digital age. I will be exploring how it has evolved over the past 50 years and the avenues the field must take to be successful in the future. This is important because standard marketing and promotional techniques need to continue to adapt to the digital market and not rely so much on traditional methods like radio and print. While these are still viable mediums, they should no longer be considered the primary avenue of music marketing in this complex digital world. For instance, websites like purevolume.com and garageband.com allow for bands to market themselves, but how to market these websites to potential users - both bands and fans? In researching this topic, I will uncover types of marketing that are effective in reaching unique market segments and demographics, and demonstrate methods that could be effective in targeting these groups in the future. This will be based upon market research and interviews with professionals in both the music and business fields. The best way to present both the past, present and future of this field is to use an experiential format, where the "reader" can travel through a sample marketing campaign using both old and new methods, and decide at the end which was more effective to them. This project will be useful to both artists interested in promoting their music and to companies who represent music and other media.
Methodology
This project is making an argument that music marketing needs to get more creative in order to reach its target audience, and suggesting ways in which it can succeed in this endeavor. I want to speak with those that currently work in the marketing field to get their opinions on how marketing has changed since they began working, and also uncover their marketing processes. I would also like to speak with those that work in related business fields such as advertising, public relations, and artist management to see what they feel are the best ways to adapt their contributions to ensure that new music marketing is successful. Obviously the most important aspect of this project however will be market research on various market segments - consumers and musicians alike and their respective demographics. I also want to research and do some case study-type work.
Media Presentation
I am seeing this project as an interactive "click and learn" journey through the history of music marketing, and then have it turn into a visualization of a discussion about where the industry is today, and the results of the market research into current techniques. Then I want to have the user experience some marketing techniques and at the end, judge which were more effective to them, and once they choose, have that lead into an explanation of the positives and negatives of each way, going from the oldest model to the newest idea for the future of marketing. Then at the end I would like to present again a visualization of a summary of ideas for the future. The project will flow much like a paper but will have varying ways of using multimedia in each segment (interactivity, visualization, experiential, etc.) to keep it interesting. Marketing is itself not a subject that can be adequately described on paper, as very little marketing is done on paper. You must have multimedia to show the complexity of the subject, and especially in that this project relates directly to music, which obviously can only be heard in order to experience it.
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