Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Instructions for Bio & Abstract Upload
Dear Seniors:
As a reminder, we need you to get your bios and abstracts onto this server so the designer (that we are engaging at present) can begin work as soon as we have the details in place.
You are asked to submit Word files with your text (no more than 200 words) and then upload a picture that's 800x800 and in .tiff format. Please create a folder with your name so all your work is grouped together for those unfamiliar with our program. You can use Cyberduck, the ftp platform on the lab machines if you do not have an ftp client. We will start with the bios and work on the abstracts last so we can get recent screen shots et cetera. Below is the diagram the tech folks made for us:
(I had to remove this picture since it had the password and login and therefore was not secure. Janein however, sent it to all of you in an email 7-10 days ago so check your inbox or ask Janein to resend to you--thanks!)
As a reminder, we need you to get your bios and abstracts onto this server so the designer (that we are engaging at present) can begin work as soon as we have the details in place.
You are asked to submit Word files with your text (no more than 200 words) and then upload a picture that's 800x800 and in .tiff format. Please create a folder with your name so all your work is grouped together for those unfamiliar with our program. You can use Cyberduck, the ftp platform on the lab machines if you do not have an ftp client. We will start with the bios and work on the abstracts last so we can get recent screen shots et cetera. Below is the diagram the tech folks made for us:
(I had to remove this picture since it had the password and login and therefore was not secure. Janein however, sent it to all of you in an email 7-10 days ago so check your inbox or ask Janein to resend to you--thanks!)
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Erik Gieszelmann's abstract and bio
Sliding Agency:
A study of the balance between
system and agency in game design
While the author would argue its classification as a “game,” Sliding Agency is a game simulation that allows the audience to dip their collective toe into the waters of game design. It does not give the audience complete creative control, but allows the audience to make one of the many key decisions a game designer must make when creating a game.
While a player is running the simulation, it initially seems to the player that he or she is playing a simple side scrolling platformer. The addition of a slider at the bottom of the screen (or in the case of the wall screen, the screen itself) changes the experience from a simple game to a study in game design. The slider allows the player to dynamically alter the balance between system and agency in the game they are playing.
Agency is the feeling of control over their environment that the audience feels while playing a game, and system is (in this case) defined as the amount of control the game has over the same environment. System can be alternatively defined as the set of rules that the audience allows to control their actions during play.
The author hopes that the addition of this slider to an otherwise unremarkable platformer will encourage the player to inadvertently discover how system and agency interact in this game, and by extension, any game he or she plays, and bring the player to a greater understanding of the intricacy of game design.
About Erik Gieszelmann
Erik Gieszelmann was born November 8, 1985 in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended St. Louis Priory High School before moving to Los Angeles for the undergraduate study of computer science with an emphasis in games at the University of Southern California.
As a senior in the aforementioned major, Gieszelmann has worked on several game projects since enrolling at USC. Examples include That Dam Game, a beaver inspired puzzle game, and Errantry, an innovative new take on story-telling in games, using the Wii remote to implement a gesture system which allows the player to take direct control of the narrative of a story. Gieszelmann’s most recent game-related project is Sliding Agency, a game simulation that allows the player to explore the delicate balance between agency and system in game design.
Aside from game projects, Gieszelmann is a presidential scholar at USC and enjoys playing video games for “research purposes,” making fun of his housemates, and writing, directing, and acting in his sketch comedy troupe, the Big Game Hunters.
A study of the balance between
system and agency in game design
While the author would argue its classification as a “game,” Sliding Agency is a game simulation that allows the audience to dip their collective toe into the waters of game design. It does not give the audience complete creative control, but allows the audience to make one of the many key decisions a game designer must make when creating a game.
While a player is running the simulation, it initially seems to the player that he or she is playing a simple side scrolling platformer. The addition of a slider at the bottom of the screen (or in the case of the wall screen, the screen itself) changes the experience from a simple game to a study in game design. The slider allows the player to dynamically alter the balance between system and agency in the game they are playing.
Agency is the feeling of control over their environment that the audience feels while playing a game, and system is (in this case) defined as the amount of control the game has over the same environment. System can be alternatively defined as the set of rules that the audience allows to control their actions during play.
The author hopes that the addition of this slider to an otherwise unremarkable platformer will encourage the player to inadvertently discover how system and agency interact in this game, and by extension, any game he or she plays, and bring the player to a greater understanding of the intricacy of game design.
About Erik Gieszelmann
Erik Gieszelmann was born November 8, 1985 in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended St. Louis Priory High School before moving to Los Angeles for the undergraduate study of computer science with an emphasis in games at the University of Southern California.
As a senior in the aforementioned major, Gieszelmann has worked on several game projects since enrolling at USC. Examples include That Dam Game, a beaver inspired puzzle game, and Errantry, an innovative new take on story-telling in games, using the Wii remote to implement a gesture system which allows the player to take direct control of the narrative of a story. Gieszelmann’s most recent game-related project is Sliding Agency, a game simulation that allows the player to explore the delicate balance between agency and system in game design.
Aside from game projects, Gieszelmann is a presidential scholar at USC and enjoys playing video games for “research purposes,” making fun of his housemates, and writing, directing, and acting in his sketch comedy troupe, the Big Game Hunters.
Monday, February 4, 2008
John Visclosky's Bio
And here's my bio, open to critique. Remember though, we're critiquing the bio, not my crappy life itself.
John Visclosky Bio
John Visclosky is a Junior at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, working toward his Bachelor’s Degree in Film & Television Production. He is an adept writer and cinematographer with a fine grasp of many different media formats, including film, television, print media, and numerous forms of internet-based communication. Visclosky also harbors a keen interest in broadcast and print journalism, the performing arts, and marketing/public relations.
Visclosky has worked as a Production Assistant at Complete Pictures, a small commercial production company in Washington, D.C. specializing in political ads and PSAs. He has also served as an Intern and Production Assistant at HGTV, and plans to pursue a career in filmmaking as a writer, director, or actor.
John Visclosky Bio
John Visclosky is a Junior at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, working toward his Bachelor’s Degree in Film & Television Production. He is an adept writer and cinematographer with a fine grasp of many different media formats, including film, television, print media, and numerous forms of internet-based communication. Visclosky also harbors a keen interest in broadcast and print journalism, the performing arts, and marketing/public relations.
Visclosky has worked as a Production Assistant at Complete Pictures, a small commercial production company in Washington, D.C. specializing in political ads and PSAs. He has also served as an Intern and Production Assistant at HGTV, and plans to pursue a career in filmmaking as a writer, director, or actor.
John Visclosky's Abstract
So, here's my abstract for my thesis project.
“The Reunion”
John Visclosky
The Reunion is an innovative—but light-hearted—new webisode series that aims to combine narrative, stylistic, technical, and marketing commonalities shared by pre-existing web serials, such as Red Vs. Blue or Getting Away With Murder. As the segments are released in weekly installments on YouTube, they will be supplemented by an accompanying blog-site detailing every facet of each episode’s creation.
By following the formation of the series from inception to publication, the project attempts to reveal functional marketing tactics, and effectively establish a paradigm for future webisode success. The thesis further aims to serve as an academically viable teaching tool that will instruct upon both the creative process and a developing new form of media.
The series revolves around the various members of a family who are coming together for one fateful weekend at an annual family reunion. Shot in a mockumentary style—with shaky hand-held camerawork, first-person documentary style interviews, and an improvisational script—the project will adopt a quirky, off-color sense of humor. Each episode will be no more than five minutes in length, and will be packed to the bursting point with jokes, innuendos, and oddball relatives.
The main character is Ben, a normal guy who hates his job as a greeting card writer, and who constantly yearns for something more. The main dramatic thread of the series will be Ben’s attempted love affair with the token girl next door, Jen. The two were childhood friends, but have not seen one another for quite sometime. When they meet again at the reunion, Ben finds that Jen is newly single. As he begins to romantically pursue her, we learn more about the other members of Ben’s family, including his steadfast and stalwart cousin Claire, his newly gay brother Dan, his desperate cousin Suzie, and her non-English speaking fiancé Alejandro.
The Reunion is a multi-disciplinary exercise that will combine elements of technically sound filmmaking, creative story telling, and shrewd, innovative marketing.
“The Reunion”
John Visclosky
The Reunion is an innovative—but light-hearted—new webisode series that aims to combine narrative, stylistic, technical, and marketing commonalities shared by pre-existing web serials, such as Red Vs. Blue or Getting Away With Murder. As the segments are released in weekly installments on YouTube, they will be supplemented by an accompanying blog-site detailing every facet of each episode’s creation.
By following the formation of the series from inception to publication, the project attempts to reveal functional marketing tactics, and effectively establish a paradigm for future webisode success. The thesis further aims to serve as an academically viable teaching tool that will instruct upon both the creative process and a developing new form of media.
The series revolves around the various members of a family who are coming together for one fateful weekend at an annual family reunion. Shot in a mockumentary style—with shaky hand-held camerawork, first-person documentary style interviews, and an improvisational script—the project will adopt a quirky, off-color sense of humor. Each episode will be no more than five minutes in length, and will be packed to the bursting point with jokes, innuendos, and oddball relatives.
The main character is Ben, a normal guy who hates his job as a greeting card writer, and who constantly yearns for something more. The main dramatic thread of the series will be Ben’s attempted love affair with the token girl next door, Jen. The two were childhood friends, but have not seen one another for quite sometime. When they meet again at the reunion, Ben finds that Jen is newly single. As he begins to romantically pursue her, we learn more about the other members of Ben’s family, including his steadfast and stalwart cousin Claire, his newly gay brother Dan, his desperate cousin Suzie, and her non-English speaking fiancé Alejandro.
The Reunion is a multi-disciplinary exercise that will combine elements of technically sound filmmaking, creative story telling, and shrewd, innovative marketing.
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