NYWIFT Shout out to AI!

For the past six months, New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) has been using AI students and facilities to assist in their archival project. The organization is filming senior members to recall their first experiences in the broadcast and feature industry, to pass onto future members. Check out the article below to for more details into the project and students involved!

NYWIFT Article - AI Student Involvement

Alpha Channel Entry Form

Here is the link for the Alpha Channel Entry Form: * Link will NOT work in room 533.
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1F9o3AKNfAsQjNvc1lvQ3Q0amc

1. Click on the link
2. Go to FILE and then DOWNLOAD then WORD
3. Download the file and save to your own media (thumb drive, hard drive, e-mail to yourself)
4. Rename File under your name - Example - EveOkupniak.docx
5. Fill out the form. Instruction are on the form. READ THE ENTIRE FORM.
6. E-mail Eve Okupniak the final form or submit the document with your entry. Email - gokupniak@aii.edu

Any questions, e-mail Eve Okupniak gokupniak@aii.edu
Because of the holiday weekend, Eve will NOT be answering e-mails after 4pm on Friday. If you e-mail her over the weekend, she will not respond until Tuesday May 29th.

DFM Student Meeting - Thursday!

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TED James Cameron

This TED talk is James Cameron right after the success of AVATAR. Despite what you may think about Cameron, he has an interesting point of view regarding his passions and approach to filmmaking. Enjoy!

Edit Fest NYC! Coming Up!

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Part Time Job Event this Wednesday

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Alpha Channel SP12

1. Fill out the entry form on the Faculty Drive or Follow this link for more info - http://ainycvpstudents.blogspot.com/2012/05/alpha-channel-entry-form.html
2. Create a folder with your name.
3. Copy your project and your completed entry form in the folder. We only accept .mov files. Make sure this file plays in QuickTime Player.
4. Deadline extended till Tuesday May 29th at 9pm.
5. Winners will be notified on Monday June 4th.
6. Online ticket sales will be posted after the winners are announced.

TED Talk - J.J. Abrams

Another TED Talk! This one is from JJ Abrams. He discusses the importance is mystery in storytelling. Check it out!

SU12 Schedule NOTICE

DFM Cancelled the following classes due to low enrollment -
DF122 Cinematography and Lighting Section B (Tuesday Night 6-10p) - All students from that section were switched to Wed Night 6-10p
VP203 Advanced Lighting Section A (Wednesday 8:15 - 12:15) - All students were removed.

* NOTE - If you would like to shoot with the AGAF100 Camera next quarter, it's important that you sign up for this class. I can reopen the section if six more students sign up for VP203 as their elective course. To get on the wait list, please meet with Dave Nash or Eve Okupniak. 

TED: Andrew Stanton

TED stands for Technology Education and Design. It's an intellectual symposium that introduces forward thinking people to the rest of the world. Over the next week, I will be posting talks from filmmakers on the site. The first one comes from director Andrew Stanton (WallE, Finding Nemo, John Carter). He discusses storytelling and it's role in our lives. Enjoy!

Using Effective Team Communication

Communication is one of the most critical elements to the success of any team project. Whether you have three members or thirteen, information needs to be gathered and disseminated to members accurately and timely. In our globalized, technology-focused society, organizations are adapting to the change in times and redefining how communication takes place. International organizations must find ways to connect with each other from miles away. If the headquarters is in Texas and smaller chains exist in France, how else could project coordinators, managers, developers and designers communicate across countries without technology?
Smaller, local teams can benefit from applying this principle for their own projects. Technology can create ease with communication and sharing information. Here are a few free options you can use:

1.      Skype: Skype is a simultaneous chat messenger, video software and Internet phone. You can connect online and host digital face-to-face meetings or block out the visual and hold a conversation on the computer. Site: www.skype.com

2.       Free Conference Calling: Teams can benefit from this service by taking advantage of its phone options. Creating an account is free and the host receives a number. Give the number and guest code to visitors and you can have hundreds of people call in to the meeting. This system is great for teams large and small in scale. Site: www.freeconferencecalling.com

3.       Slideshare: Slide Share is becoming the Facebook of PowerPoint presentations. Team members can create PowerPoints, upload them on to the site and allow for other members to view them and provide feedback. Site: www.slideshare.net

4.      Facebook: Already a well-known technology, teams can use the social site to create an open or closed group that focuses on the project. Facebook’s prime benefit for teams is its immediacy; you can set up your account to buzz your phone or remain synced. When your team posts, you can know almost immediately. Site: www.facebook.com

Trent Rhodes
Student Employment Advisor
trhodes@aii.edu

Summer Specials!

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Grappling with Groupthink

Working in teams can be a challenging and fulfilling experience. Ultimately you want to see your project successfully complete. At times this can pose a conflict: are you willing to compromise on your ideas, give in to others’ or stand up for your contributions? Whether in a team of two or twenty-two people, there exists the potential for groupthink to manifest. Groupthink is the “tendency of the members of a group to yield to the desire for consensus or unanimity at the cost of considering alternative courses of action” (Business Dictionary, 2012). When groupthink is present, individual members do not share their best ideas; they tend to supplicate their creativity to a dominant person or idea in the group. Members shut off their reasoning, critical thinking and imagination. The team prefers to just get the project done, at any cost, rather than produce high quality. One looks to the other for confirmation, often a leadership figure in the group. Teams benefit from leadership but not at the cost of reducing members to “yes people.”

To avoid groupthink:

1.    Learn how to facilitate rather than dictate: Some teams may have several “leaders” depending upon the skills involved in the project. One may be a superior planner while another is best at creating a particular design. Tap into the talents of all project members. Be open to listening to others’ feedback and search for ways different member contributions can support the goal.

2.    Invite the silent: You may have different temperaments in the group. Some are more assertive and outspoken while others prefer to think and observe. The introverts may have rich information to share with the group from their ability to see the whole picture. Invite them to contribute when you sense they have something to share.

3.    Develop the brainstorming skill: The purpose of brainstorming is to generate as many ideas as you can without editing, reducing or judging them. Hold frequent brainstorming sessions with your project team. This can become practice for accepting initial ideas and contributions without criticism or turning someone’s thoughts away. The team will be more likely to share in an open, creative environment.

Trent Rhodes

Student Employment Advisor

11 Beach Street, First Floor

New York, NY 10013

212-625-6036

trhodes@aii.edu

Summer Quarter!

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Also, We are offering VP203 Advanced Lighting. All Cinematography students in their 5th quarter and beyond should apply.

B AND H TODAY

Please come down to the TV studio today to see the B&H Tradeshow! Check out some great gear, prizes and free lunch!

Cloud Editing

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Hey Guys this is Dan.

Google just came out with another new service called Google Drive. Google Drive is a service on the Internet that allows you to put any computer file on an online server. The service allows you to access your files on any computer. It’s almost like DropBox. Now, Google added a few extra things that allow you run software on the browser. A Video Editing software company WeVideo is a cloud base software that is using Google's technology. They came up a way that you can edit your film by using your video files on the Internet. All your videos files are stored on the Internet in Google Drive. Well your wondering why I’m bringing this topic up. Well, we could see the near future that we don’t have use external drives to edit your films.  WeVideo sounds like a great product and it's free. Yes a free editing software. But there are problems with the software. They only offer the free software as a basic level with 1 GB of storage, 360p resolution, and your limited to a 15-minute export per month. You can upgrade your WeVideo account to the commercial level. But you’re still limited. You only get 100 GB of storage, 720p HD resolution, and 300 export minutes per month. Oh yes, the commercial level is $79.99 a month. It’s not really worth it to spend your money to replace your Final Cut Pro or Avid. Plus we don’t have the Internet bandwidth to handle that much data. Lastly, you also have a risk of some one hacking into your account and steeling your footage. We could see Final Cut Pro, Avid and Adobe using a cloud-based system in a few years from now. This technology could replace your hard drives, and you don’t have to worry about it crashing. Lastly, another feature that is interesting with Cloud-Based editing is “Live Stream Editing.” This feature allows you to edit in one pace, wile your director or producer is in another city. Its almost like Skype. For example, you can edit in New York City, as your Director is looking at the cuts in London. Its like the director is sitting in the cutting room with you.

Check out the video below and see what you think about this technology

B&H Event NEXT WEEK

FREE PIZZA LUNCH!

B&H will be hosting an event with several vendors in the TV studio next Monday May 7th from 11am to 2pm. Please join us in checking out gear!