MULTIMEDIA - OVERVIEW / INTRODUCTION

Lecturer: Engr. Jon Alvin L. Macariola

WHAT IS MULTIMEDIA?

Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun (a medium with multiple content forms) or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms.
Multimedia includes a combination of text, audio, still images, animation, video, and interactivity content forms.

Multimedia is usually recorded and played, displayed or accessed by information content processing devices, such as computerized and electronic devices, but can also be part of a live performance.

The term "rich media" is synonymous for interactive multimedia. Hypermedia can be considered one particular multimedia application.

ELEMENTS OF MULTIMEDIA

Examples of individual content forms combined in multimedia:

TEXTS

STILL IMAGES

AUDIO

ANIMATION

INTERACTIVITY

VIDEO FOOTAGE

Categorization of Multimedia Multimedia may be broadly divided into linear and non-linear categories. 1.Linear active content progresses without any navigational control for the viewer such as a cinema presentation. 2.Non-linear content offers user interactivity to control progress as used with a computer game or used in self-paced computer based training. Hypermedia is an example of non-linear content.

Multimedia presentations can be live or recorded. A recorded presentation may allow interactivity via a navigation system.

A live multimedia presentation may allow interactivity via an interaction with the presenter or performer.

Major characteristics of multimedia

Multimedia presentations may be viewed in person on stage, projected, transmitted, or played locally with a media player. A broadcast may be a live or recorded multimedia presentation. Broadcasts and recordings can be either analog or digital electronic media technology. Digital online multimedia may be downloaded or streamed. Streaming multimedia may be live or on-demand. Multimedia games and simulations may be used in a physical environment with special effects, with multiple users in an online network, or locally with an offline computer, game system, or simulator.

A lasershow is a live multimedia performance.

Enhanced levels of interactivity are made possible by combining multiple forms of media content.
Online multimedia is increasingly becoming object-oriented and data-driven, enabling applications with collaborative end-user innovation and personalization on multiple forms of content over time.

Usage

USAGE

A presentation using Powerpoint. Corporate presentations may combine all forms of media content.

Virtual reality uses multimedia content. Applications and delivery platforms of multimedia are virtually limitless.

Information Kiosks

Other Usage of Multimedia

Multimedia finds its application in various areas including, but not limited to: 1. advertisements, 2. art, 3. education, 4. entertainment, 5. engineering, 6. medicine, 7. mathematics, 8. business, 9. scientific research and 10. spatial temporal applications. Several examples are as follows:

Other

Creative industries use multimedia for a variety of purposes ranging from fine arts, to entertainment, to commercial art, to journalism, to media and software services provided for any of the industries. An individual multimedia designer may cover the spectrum throughout their career. Request for their skills range from technical, to analytical, to creative.

Commercial
Much of the electronic old and new media used by commercial artists is multimedia. Exciting presentations are used to grab and keep attention in advertising.

Entertainment
Multimedia is heavily used in the entertainment industry, especially to develop special effects in movies and animations.

Structuring Information in a Multimedia Form Multimedia represents the convergence of text, pictures, video and sound into a single form. The power of multimedia and the Internet lies in the way in which information is linked.

Multimedia and the Internet require a completely new approach to writing. The style of writing that is appropriate for the 'on-line world' is highly optimized and designed to be able to be quickly scanned by readers.

Structuring Information in a Multimedia Form (2) A good site must be made with a specific purpose in mind and a site with good interactivity and new technology can also be useful for attracting visitors. The site must be attractive and innovative in its design, function in terms of its purpose, easy to navigate, frequently updated and fast to download. When users view a page, they can only view one page at a time. As a result, multimedia users must create a mental model of information structure.

Structuring Information in a Multimedia Form (3) Patrick Lynch, author of the Yale University Web Style Manual, states that users need predictability and structure, with clear functional and graphical continuity between the various components and subsections of the multimedia production. In this way, the home page of any multimedia production should always be a landmark, able to be accessed from anywhere within a multimedia piece.

3 TYPES OF INTERACTIVE PROGRAMS

3 Types of Interactive Programs

Linear presentation where the author decides what order the information is presented in.

3 TYPES OF INTERACTIVE PROGRAMS

A branching program -- where the user has some control from a group of choices.

3 TYPES OF INTERACTIVE PROGRAMS

Hypermedia program -- where the user has complete control over the pace, order and content.

Hypermedia structure would be much more interesting to navigate through than a linear or branched one.

W
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NE ED ED
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Multimedia Tools

A multimedia authoring tool is a software program that brings all of your elements together into a finished product ready to be used.

Heres a site that will help you determine the appropriate media to use for your project:
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/authoring/ handbook/cs-media.html

Setting Up a Multimedia Production Department Personnel Productivity Equipment Space

Personnel
The person in charge of a multimedia production department would be a Multimedia Developer who has experience with all aspects of video, computer, print, and sound production. He or she should not only supervise production but also contribute in the tasks involved in production.

Multimedia Production Team

Here are for some personnel arrangements and suggested starting salaries for a multimedia production team: A]

Multimedia Developer(40k+) /|\ Audio/Video Tech Intern(10k+) | Computer Graphics Intern(10k+) | 2 Half-time student workers(5k each/yr)

B] Multimedia Developer(40k+) /|\

Audio/Video Technician(22k+) | Computer Graphics Specialist(22k+)

/|\ Audio/Video Tech Intern(10k+) | Computer Graphics Intern(10k+) | 2 Half-time student workers(5k each/yr)

C]
Multimedia Developer(40k+) / | \

/ Programmer(33k+) \ / | \

/ Multimedia Specialist(28k+) \ / | \

Audio/Video Technician(22k+) | Computer Graphics Specialist(22k+) / | \

Audio/Video Tech Intern(10k+) | Computer Graphics Intern(10k+) |

2 Half-time student workers(5k each/yr)

Productivity
Another Multimedia Developer100% Multimedia Specialist100% Audio/Video Technician80% Computer Graphics Specialist 80% Audio/Video Intern35% Computer Graphics Intern35% Student Worker30%

Typical Services of 1 Multimedia Developer

Production of small projects Provide technical advise and assistance Provide quick turn-around multimedia assistance for walkin traffic Consult with and plan multimedia projects with instructors and administrators Production of large projects

Equipment Issues to be considered when choosing equipment:

Digital vs. Analog Prices Computer Biases and Compatibility Portability Own vs. Renting or Sharing System vs. Piecemeal Consumer, Industrial, Corporate, Broadcast, or Movie Quality

Space (about 30 x 20 for 6 persons)

Multimedia Production Internet Resources

http://www.shawmultimedia.com/multimedia/resource_page. html

USING THE PITCHBOOK TEMPLATE

About the Template

Conferences
There are a large number of multimedia conferences, the two main scholarly scientific conferences being: ACM Multimedia; IEEE ICME, International Conference on Multimedia & Expo.