Looking to Cinema for Direction: Incorporating Motion into On-screen Presentations of Technical Information    

To help technical communicators become better informed producers of interactive new media productions, this article examines how motion can be used properly to create effective interactive information systems for the computer screen. This article provides a brief analysis of how cinema works and then demonstrates how a number of cinema techniques influence new media production. The article then concludes by offering suggestions for how to effectively apply a few basic cinema techniques directly to technical communication practice.

Gillette, David. Technical Communication Online (2005). Articles>Presentations>Multimedia

Low-Cost Multimedia: Multimedia You Can Use  

You do not need multimedia. Unless you have to explain complex, abstract concepts to busy people. Unless you have to convince skeptical, sometimes hostile, readers. Unless you have to communicate to those who cannot see or hear. Or cannot read your language perfectly. Or who refuse to read. But multimedia is an easy way to waste a lot of money in a hurry. This workshop is not about how to waste money. It is about how multimedia lets skillful communicators communicate better. The secret? Guts not glitz.

Horton, William K. III. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Multimedia

Lumiere Ghosting and the New Media Classroom  

Refocusing courses around the structure of narrative and how they use theatrical forms of interaction in the presentation of complex online help and instructional systems

Gilette, David, John Elsdon and Enrica Lovaglio. Kairos (2005). Articles>Education>Multimedia

Magic iMovie

Introduces how to use iMovie 5's 'Magic iMovie' feature to capture video from camcorder and record to DVD.

Jennings, Stephanie and Jennifer Phillips. Studio for New Media (2006). Articles>Multimedia>Software>Video

Making Your First Video: A Case Study  

This paper summarizes the fundamentals learned in writing a script and helping to coordinate the production of a medium- to high-quality motivational video. New to this experience, our team worked hand-in-hand with an experienced video production company. Our video served as a companion to an environmental guidebook. The primary purpose of the video was to inspire viewers to read and make use of the guidebook in their work.

Medved, Jane E. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Multimedia>Video

Marshall McLuhan's Message for Multimedia  

Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) was more than the person of his times who coined the famous popular term 'the medium is the message.' He was also an influential thinker whose views on media are even more relevant today than they were in the 1960s. McLuhan’s ideas about 'hot' and 'cool' technologies, the power and limitations of various media, the psychological landscape of communication, and the global village are very relevant for today’s technical communicators. They contribute important ideas to the historical roots of multimedia, and as such, they are part of an evolving theoretical foundation for technical communication.

Shirk, Henrietta Nickels. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Multimedia>Theory

Meet the Future: Leveraging Multimedia for Professional and Educational Outreach  

This article, as well as the conference presentation, recounts the trials, tribulations, and ultimate triumph of a dedicated research team in the Orlando Chapter and at the University of Central Florida who parlayed an $8K STC Special Opportunities grant into 55 minutes of fully narrated, animated multimedia in support of the chapter’s and the Society’s outreach initiative to secondary education. The grant was performed by current and former technical communication students at UCF, under the oversight of Dr. Dan Jones and Dan Voss. Four research assistants contributed to the project: Cindy Hauptner, Bob Stultz, Suzanne Shomate, and John Donovan. Cindy and Bob created the immortal Shanna the Hip and Dan the Nerd.

Hauptner, Cindy, Bob Stultz, Dan Jones and Daniel W. Voss. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Education>Multimedia

Merging Business Communication with Technology: Developing Successful Multimedia Modes for Distance Delivery  

Learning no longer has to depend solely on text resources when learners have access to multimedia resources and developing technologies. The lecture is now encapsulated and available for replay and, like a novel, provides the user with direction not just destination. This paper highlights how technology adds value to the academic learning experience/environment for business communication with a focus upon televised courses, streaming videos, instant messaging and Web-based resources. Implications for the learning experience are: (1) oral and written language use become more dynamic; (2) learner outcomes are audience- and message-centered; and, (3) content instruction is analytical.

Fortune, Mary F. and John J. Staczek. Association for Business Communication (2004). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Multimedia

Mode, Medium, and Genre: A Case Study of Decisions in New-Media Design    

Recently, scholars of new media have been exploring the relationships between genre theory and new media. While these scholars have provided a great deal of insight into the nature of e-genres and how they function in professional contexts, few address the relationship between genre and new-media theories from a designer's perspective. This article presents the results of an ethnographic-style case study exploring the practice of a professional new-media designer. These results (a) confirm the role of dynamic rhetorical situations and hybridity during the new-media design process; (b) suggest that current genre and new-media theories underestimate the complexity of the relationships between mode, medium, genre, and rhetorical exigencies; and (c) indicate that a previously unrecognized form of hybridity exists in contemporary e-genres.

Graham, S. Scott. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2008). Articles>Multimedia>Genre>Theory

Multi-Track Mixing for Location Dialogue

Stereo is rarely recorded as such in the field. Instead, we record monaural sounds and wait until post-production is nearly complete to re-assign these sounds to the audience's left, right, and in-between. Until the film is edited, there is no way to know just where all of the audio elements need to end up. For instance, out on production, it might seem logical to record a car that passes from left to right in stereo, so that you can hear the 'pass by' in your phones whoosh from the left ear to the right ear.

Ginsburg, Fred. Equipment Emporium (2006). Articles>Multimedia>Editing>Audio

Multimedia and Interactive Marketing in the Digital Age  

What is interactive marketing? How is it different from traditional marketing function? What part does multimedia play in it? Who’s currently doing it and why? Does it replace traditional marketing? Will interactive marketing help companies to better market products and reach customers? These are the questions many companies and individuals are asking. During this panel discussion I will attempt to answer these questions by sharing my thesis research findings on the topic. I will also discuss the future of interactive marketing and the products that will be used to deliver it.

Gibbs, Bruce R. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Multimedia>Marketing

Multimedia Doesn't Mean Multimillionaire: Keeping Costs Down  

This workshop delves into the unconventional idea that multimedia doesn't have to cost a fortune to create or implement. Using a process-oriented focus, workshop leaders will address authoring tools and equipment choices, information organization and presentation, and screen design to illustrate the power of making cost-effective decisions throughout the multimedia development process. Our goal is to teach you how to make choices, ask the right questions, and be aware of the options that affect the bottom line cost of producing multimedia applications.

Bass, David, Caroline N. McLester and Carol Nix. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Multimedia

The Mysteries of Light

Introduces lighting digital video, particularly when using the OmniPro Lighting Kit.

Bergeland, Erik and Paul Friemel. Studio for New Media (2004). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia

New Media for Technical Communicators

For more than forty years, the Society for Technical Communication (STC) has helped its members explore new ways to communicate. The theme of the STC's 41st annual conference held recently in Minneapolis, 'Explore Communication,' was therefore apt. Participants at the conference discussed new ideas for communication via computer, and charted the beginnings of STC's foray into Internet-based scholarship.

December, John A. Computer-Mediated Communication (1995). Articles>TC>Multimedia

(Novice) Audio for Television: Mixing the Basic "Event"

Here is a breakdown of how we might handle the typical 'low budget' television demo or competition, such as a local cooking show, sporting event, or how-to-do-it.

Ginsburg, Fred. Equipment Emporium (2006). Articles>Multimedia>Video>Audio

Overview of a Distributed-Hard-Drive-Based Educational Plan  

Although empirical research indicates that media selection may not impact learning a great deal, results are inconsistent and sometimes contradictory. We have done recent studies indicating that inconsistent results may be caused by the extent to which educational developers are modifying the genres within which they typically teach – e.g., converting lectures to essays and converting demonstrations to posted instruction sets. Typically, the instructional developers who significantly modify their educational genres do so because digital media (usually designed for dissemination on the Internet, CD-ROM, or DVD) preclude the large format heuristics we accept as necessary in our traditional classes. New technologies, available this year, seem to provide a solution for this problem. In recent studies, we have successfully placed traditional educational genres on very large, external and/or removable hard drives which we combine with Internet technology to overcome the bandwidth problems we faced in the past. Because this involves a unique, step-by-step process of examining educational materials, re-combining them into external drive technlologies, and then developing new distribution methods, we call the process 'Distributed Hard Drive Protocol.' This paper describes six new, protocols we have developed for educators, trainers, and archivers.

Hailey, David E. and Christine E. Hailey. Utah State University (2000). Articles>Multimedia>Instructional Design>Education

Penser "Dynamique"

Il est devenu de bon ton de parler de contenus 'dynamiques'. Que veut-on dire par là au juste? En fait, la notion de 'contenus dynamiques' peut couvrir plusieurs acceptions.

Redaction (2004). Articles>Multimedia>Web Design

Penser "Multimédia"

Basé quasiment exclusivement sur le texte à ses débuts, Internet est devenu aujourd'hui un moyen d'expression multimédia, permettant d'intégrer tout autant des textes que des images, des vidéos, des sons , des animations, des programmes interactifs, etc. Ecrire pour Internet, c'est donc exploiter plusieurs supports d'expression.

Redaction (2004). Articles>Multimedia>Web Design>Writing

Planning and Designing Multimedia  

Multimedia can add another dimension to electronic documentation (Help and manuals) and computer-based training. The process of planning and developing a multimedia project draws on new skill sets. This workshop focusses on the key role of the technical writer as writer, designer, and project manager.

Rockley, Ann. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia

Planning Multimedia Segments  

Multimedia can add another dimension of information to online documentation. This progression discusses the optimum methods of presenting information (text, graphics, multimedia) and the planning and design process.

Rockley, Ann. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Documentation>Multimedia

Podcast Metrics: A Panel Discussion

There are a number of approaches to getting meaningful data from podcast usage, each with their own advantages and drawbacks.

Federico, John, Dave van Dyke and Alex Laats. Podcast Academy (2006). Articles>Multimedia>Audio>Podcasting

Podcast: Using Video in Training and Documentation, Interview with Todd O’Neill

In this podcast, rich media specialist Todd O’Neill explains how to add video to your training and documentation deliverables. Many technical writers are intimidated by the learning curve, equipment costs, and software they think they need to create video, but actually you can create engaging videos with minimal equipment (e.g., $150 for a Flip video camera) and using software you probably already have (e.g, Windows Movie Maker or iMovie). In this podcast, Todd lays out the basics for those who know nothing about video. He explains the equipment you need, techniques for minimizing editing time, ways to publish the video online, filming techniques to focus on, and creative ways to package your video for your users.

O'Neill, Todd and Tom H. Johnson. Tech Writer Voices (2008). Articles>Interviews>Documentation>Multimedia

Podcasting and Vidcasting: The Future of Tech Comm

Advancing technology allows us to use the new technologies of podcasts (audio recordings delivered as .mp3 files) and vidcasts, or more properly, broadcast video to convey technical information. Effective audience analysis will determine whether multimedia is right for our users. We use the same correct rhetorical principles to communicate information aurally and visually as we do when creating text.

Agnew, Beth. Seneca College (2006). Articles>TC>Multimedia>Podcasting

PowerPoint Is Evil

Imagine a widely used and expensive prescription drug that promised to make us beautiful but didn't. Instead the drug had frequent, serious side effects: It induced stupidity, turned everyone into bores, wasted time, and degraded the quality and credibility of communication. These side effects would rightly lead to a worldwide product recall. Yet slideware--computer programs for presentations--is everywhere.

Tufte, Edward. Wired (2003). Articles>Presentations>Multimedia>Microsoft PowerPoint