Week 5

Each of the groups should by now have a considerable resource of research. It's time to get together and plan the content of your EPK. You need to keep the content of your website relevant and concise. Discuss and agree the best topics for your site so that going forward; you have a plan of each page - then you can begin to write your content - this is your main task for this week.

Next week, you should have draft text for each page, which the allocated group writer can coordinate and refine, whilst the rest of the group begin on the website design and pulling in your images.

You have 3 weeks (including this week) left for your projects, with the final EPK websites ready for presentation and evaluation the week after the october break. Its approaching the time to pick things up and bring it all together.

Q: We can't find enough research material for our website?

A: You need to broaden your search. Look up individual artists / performers / demonstrators / films / venues. If you still can't find the info you need to concentrate on what you do have. Create a podcast, photo gallery - collect tour dates etc.

Test Formating

Task 3 – Compare Blogger and another site of your choice that allows you to post and edit text.

Have a look at Blogger.com. You should be familiar with this site by now. It is a blogging site, allowing you to post, edit and format text.

Take the tour of the site features and see what else you can do with Blogger.

Try the search feature, look at a few examples and use the various tools.

Now look up another text formatting site of your choice.

Have a look at its strong points and compare the two.

You will now write a short review of both sites, discussing the main features and comparing the sites, features and differences.

Week 4

Each member of your group will have been allocated a role - Design, Content Research, Media (Images, Videos, Sound Bites) Research, Writer and Project Coordinator. 

You should now be working on your group research today. Find relevant materials for performances, venues, shows, reviews, back ground information, other EPKs & websites for inspiration, colours, layouts etc etc.

Having had a look at your diaries and research to date, most of you have not produced enough information - some of you haven't yet added anything to your blogs. These must be kept up to date - a diary entry for each class recording what you have done - individually and in your groups, plus all your research - including links to your group research and findings.  

Team Projects

Project 1

STILL BREATHING – 2 FaCeD DaNcE Company

Who are they?

The 2 FaCeD DaNcE Company are a group of dancers who fuse break, street and contemporary dance together.

What’s going on?

They are performing “Still Breathing” at the MacRobert Centre, Stirling on 9th October 2009.

The Team - Louise, Robert, JoAnne, Alan

Project 2

INSANE IN THE BRAIN – Bounce

Who are they?

Bounce are known for creating high energy, imaginative street-dance theatre.

What’s going on?

They are performing “Insane in the Brain” based on “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” at the MacRobert Centre Stirling from the 29th to 31st October 2009.

The Team - Jamie, Dawn, Adam, Kayleigh

Project 3

RENT – Youth Music Theatre Scotland

Who are they?

Youth Music Theatre Scotland is a young company of performers aged from 12 years old.

What’s going on?

They are performing “Rent” at the Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline on 17th to 23rd October 2009.

The Team - Ryan, Eta, Rebecca, Abigail

Project 4

TEEN SCREEN

What is it?

Teen Screen Weekend is a series of events which allow young filmmakers the chances to take part in exciting workshops and screenings including Sonic Arts and Script to Screen Masterclasses.

When’s it all happening?

Teen Screen takes place on the 1st and 2nd of November 2009 and is part of the Discovery Film Festival for young people, held in Dundee.

The Team - John, Fiona, Karen, Emma

Video Sharing

Task 2 – Compare You Tube and another video sharing site

Have a look at youtube.com. This is a video sharing website.

Take the tour of the site and see what you can do with YouTube.

Try the search feature, look at a few examples and use the various tools.

Now look up another video sharing site of your choice.

Have a look at its strong points and compare the two.

You will now write a short review of both sites, discussing the main features and comparing the sites, features and differences.

Shortcut Alternative to Grab

A quick alternative to using Grab is to use your keyboard shortcuts. This gives you less control, though is much quicker and easier.

Hold down the Command+Shift+4 buttons and then the Space Bar will let you capture things like a window, widget, menu or icon and save it as a file to your desktop.

Task 1 - Photosharing

Task 1 – Compare Flickr and another photo sharing site

Have a look at flickr.com. This is a photo sharing website.

Take the tour from the front page and see what you can do with flickr.

Try the search feature, look at a few examples and use the various tools.

Now look up another photo sharing site of your choice.

Have a look at its strong points and compare the two.

You will now write a short review of both sites, discussing the main features and comparing the sites, features and differences.

Notes - Using Grab

You can get a screen shot using “Grab”

Click on the spotlight (top right hand corner) and type GRAB. Click on the grab application.

On the Capture menu, choose Window and click on the window that you want the screenshot from.

Now Click on File and Save As.

Grab saves the files as a .TIFF format. This is good for printing, though not much use for blogger. You now need to convert the file to a jpeg.

Drag your saved file icon onto iPhoto in the dock. It will launch iPhoto and import your image.

In iPhoto click on File, Export then change the format from Original to Jpg.

You can now upload this file to Blogger by logging into blogger and creating a new post.

Writing Your Diaries

Your diary entries do not need to be long, I am not looking for a novel.

Keep them short and to the point.

You should state – what you have done in your class, what you have learned, what you need to do for next class. It is important to mention when you have worked with others and what you participated in / contributed with the group.

Welcome

Welcome to the class blog for Access to Creative Industries Students (YCACA) at Forth Valley College, Clackmannan (2009/10).