Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Writing For Multimedia

Dear student,

The purpose of this soft syllabus online is to provide an overview and introduction to what this class is about and what you will need for the class. Complete information on the course will be available on our D2L course page when it opens on the first day of the term.

Course Overview

Course Description from PCC:

Introduces creating and adapting technical information and linear narratives for non-linear, interactive multimedia applications. Includes developing ideas into multimedia scripts, incorporating text with other media, writing narration, writing for voice-over, writing for interactivity, presenting text on-screen, and writing concisely.

Instructional Approach

Over this quarter we are using our time,  both in class and outside of class to:

• Explore methods of digital media storytelling.
• Examine how digital media is used across multiple platforms and disciplines.
• Conduct in-class activities that teach the intended outcomes of this class.

• Examine and analyze how upward trends are continuing to change how we create and experience story content.

  We will explore how media components exist outside of the digital world and how they help to tell a story.

• Create an individual multimedia project that allows students to engage in the production of a multimedia web story over the entire quarter.
• This class will be structured more as a workshop to help students work through all of the steps that are needed for them to create a multimedia project.

Lessons, interactive discussions, course reading materials, assignments, and topics are based on:

• The department’s course content and outcomes details from the catalog.  
• My personal experiences and knowledge in the multimedia field, my background in visual anthropology, and feedback from past students. 
• Topics and issues that come up in your conversations during class.

Message from the instructor:

• Tell the stories you want to tell.
• Don’t be afraid to explore your ideas: this is how we learn and grow as storytellers and content developers.
• Don’t let yourself think that your story isn’t as important as someone else’s story just because it isn’t focused on a weighty subject matter. Good and happy stories matter too. Stories that take us to different emotional heights or reach different artistic or technical heights are just as important.

Course Structure

• Remote Class Lecture 
  • We meet remotely every week, over Zoom, during our designated time for in-class lessons, demonstrations, discussions, guest speakers, and hands-on learning activities. You are expected to be in class every week.
    • Fall 2022 schedule: We meet on zoom every Thursday from 6:00-8:50 pm
    • To access our remote class, when you log into our D2L class page on the first week of class, you will see an opening message that explains how to find our Zoom link.
  • Lectures are interactive. Please come prepared to truly be present during our face-to-face times over zoom. This means having your microphone ready to turn on and the camera always on. We are a multimedia class: web cameras and microphones are expected.

• Multimedia Project: 
  • There is one project in this class with multiple stages of the project. Each student will produce a Multimedia project that uses two or more media components to explore an issue, concept, or story more deeply. This is the only thing that you are working on all quarter long outside of class. We will work on it both in class and outside of class.
• Time Commitment:
  • Remote Weekly Time Requirements
    • This is a 3-credit class that meets once a week for 2 hours and 50 minutes.
      • During this time, you will have in-class, hands-on activity sessions that are designed to be completed during class and shared during class.
      • We will have occasional guest speakers, including former students, who will share their work and talk about their process of creating stories.
      • We will work on planning your multimedia project.
  •  Assignments/Project Development
    • You can expect to spend on average 6-8 hours a week on:
      • Your multimedia project development
      • Learning any software, equipment, or web page platforms you are using for your project.
      • If you are not in class, expect to spend additional time watching the video, responding to prompts we did in class, and working on the activities we did for developing the learning skills.
        • NOTE: Please do not email me to ask what we did if you miss a class or what you can do to make up for the class: Watch the video, everything you need to know and do will be in the recorded video.

Prior knowledge needed:

• It is helpful if you have prior knowledge of using equipment, this could be a cellphone, to document stories, take pictures, record video, and or record audio.
• It is helpful if you have prior knowledge of using any editing programs for editing photos, videos, and or audio.
• It is helpful if you have experience writing outlines.
• Note: You can still be successful in this class if you do not have any prior knowledge of the above.

Software Requirements:

• We do not use specific software in this class. The software you use is up to you based on the project you are creating.
  • This class doesn’t teach software or how to use the web platforms you choose to use. However, there will be links to tutorials for commonly used software. You can expect to use some of your time learning the tools you will use. I will point you in the right direction, and I will provide some program tutorials in D2L, however, it is up to you to learn any software or techniques you are planning on using.
• If you want to use Adobe software, you will have free access to the entire Adobe Suite through a PCC license.

Digital Media Equipment List

Required Equipment List:

• Desktop or Laptop Computer for working on assignments, and remote classes.
  • Our remote class time together has in-class activities and assignments that require you to attend using a computer/laptop not a cellphone.
• External or on-computer webcam for remote class participation and presentations. (Mandatory.)
• Headphones with microphone for remote class participation
• iPhone/Smartphone/Cellphone or designated gear for taking photographs, recording video, and recording audio.

Optional Additional Equipment List for this class and other multimedia classes:

• iPhone/Smartphone/Cellphone tripod mount
• Lightweight tripod or monopod with feet
• Lav (clip-on) microphone for smartphone, DSLR, or camcorder, at a cost of $15 to $30
  • Make sure it is compatible with your device
• Smartphone video kit
  • Make sure it is compatible with your device