what am i talking about? creative industries have fundamentally changed in the past 20 years and...
TRANSCRIPT
What am I talking What am I talking about?about?
Creative industries have fundamentally changed in the past 20 years and have become high tech industries
Budgets are exploding, expectations are exploding, risk is exploding, time and patience are completely absent
The Academy has been slow to embrace the changes forced upon industry by the technology
The old partnership between Academy and Industry is no longer valid
Why Industry needs Why Industry needs thisthis
30 years ago, companies had a stable of internal talent, both technical and artistic, that could handle any project
Digital revolution completely overhauled both the media and the product – new tech needed new skills and talents
New technicians knew their bits and bytes, but not how to entertain or tell a story.
Human bridges to span both technical and artistic realms are in HIGH demand
Why they don’t hire Why they don’t hire kidskids
Stakes are too high to take a risk on unproductive team member
Veterans know the drill, earn their money and are low risk
Big industry is actually a very small community, veterans come with recommendations as well as a reel
Why they would if they Why they would if they couldcould
Fresh college grads work cheap
They strive to please
Willing to work long hours
Full of ideas
Least likely to take vacation, sick days, family leave
Why Academia hasn’t filled Why Academia hasn’t filled the billthe bill
Historically, the academy narrowed the focus and enriched the individual, left contextualization to industry
Academy still using antiquated concept of disciplines and career paths, industry abandoned them 20 years ago
Academy prides itself on being separate from industry, but separation may lead to irrelevance.
Enough talk, we go in!Enough talk, we go in!
An Example…An Example…
Building Virtual Worlds
Initially conceived by Randy Pausch after a sabbatical at Disney Imagineering
Originally an UNDERGRADUATE course…
Eventually birthed a Masters Program, the ETC
How was it set up?How was it set up?
Semester long class, MFW 2 hrs per day
1 Professor of record, mostly guest lectures, cross listed
Students assigned to groups of 4, given a goal
14 days to achieve that goal
Mix up the teams, new goal, 14 days
A total of 5 “rounds” then a show for the public
Who can register and Who can register and how…how…
The class must be balanced, so registration by permission only
4 groups/disciplines of students
Programmers, writers, artists, designers, technicians…
Grouped by DEMONSTRATED SKILLS ONLY
Size limited by facilities, 48 a likely limit
How it runs…How it runs…
1st week is individual with goal to establish a workflow
Instructor assigns groups, present at 7 day mark and 14
14 days later, show your work, evaluate, shuffle teams
Rounds 3 & 4 work just like 1 & 2
Round 5 teams can self form, set their own goal
Any project can be brought to jury for final show
Groups! Devilish detailsGroups! Devilish details
Groups need to be 4 students, 1 of each type
No kidding, 4 is the magic number!
Check your ego at the door
Be open to good ideas, they will likely not come from you!
You can put up with ANYTHING for 2 weeks, so NO WHINING!
Projects!Projects!
14 days total time
4 students per group
Present status at 7 day mark
Present finished piece at 14 day mark
SCOPE is KEY!!!!!!!!
Failure is OK, as long as you fail big!
LecturesLectures
Mondays are lecture days
Most are guest lectures
Relatively low level (aimed at the non majors)
Project goals usually linked to lecture topics…
Evaluations!Evaluations!
After each round, group members evaluate each other
3 evals per round, 5 rounds 15 evals total
After 2 rounds, if you have 6 negative evals, not good.
The show must go on!The show must go on!
Independent jury selects 12ish best projects for show
Students then have to make them “show worthy”
Plan A, plan B, Plan…G!
Invited guests up the ante!
Roll film!Roll film!
Discussion!Discussion!