DC 380 / 480-201; Fall 2015/16
Meeting times: Thur 3-6pm (class takes place in Englewood schools – there is shuttle bus
transportation from DPU to Englewood schools and back. Transportation time is included in
class time)
Instructor: Doris C. Rusch
Collaborators: Anuradha Rana, documentary filmmaker; Kathryn Grant and research team
from DPU psychology department
Application deadline: May 22nd, 5pm
Course Description (general):
Production of short videos and digital games designed and developed by students and / or
faculty within the Digital Cinema and Game Development Program. Students will work in
multi-disciplinary teams under the supervision of faculty. The goal is to produce a complete
film / game project that is suitable for festivals and / or web distribution.
NOTE: This particular section focuses on a trans-media project, which uses a web-platform to
host short videos and games made in collaboration with Englewood students under the
mentorship of DC and GAM students and faculty. The official instructor for this course is
Doris C. Rusch (game development), but DC students are supervised by documentary film
faculty Anuradha Rana. Additional supervision and support will be granted by Kathryn Grant
and her research team from Psychology, who act as our liaison to Englewood schools and
their students.
This project will fulfill the Junior Year Experiential Learning requirement in Liberal
Studies.
Project Description
Respect is a trans-disciplinary, trans-media project that explores adolescents’ personal
experiences with bullying through the creation of short biographical videos and narrative
games, in order to raise awareness for bullying as an important social issue and its impact on
emotional and mental health.
Context: Respect is one of the first projects of the newly founded Play 4 Change lab. It is
perfectly aligned with the lab’s mission since it tackles a relevant social issue – bullying – and
leverages creative play (= film production and game design) to promote personal and social
change. It showcases the strengths of CDM by bringing together documentary filmmaking,
web design and game development on a trans-media web-platform that is the tangible
outcome of this project.
Respect further aids Play 4 Change’s declared goal of building bridges within and outside of
DePaul through the collaboration with Prof. Kathryn Grant and her research team from DPU
Health Sciences, whose mentorship project with Englewood schools provides the bigger
context for this blue light class.
Learning Goals:
This project provides unique and relevant learning opportunities the next generation of game
developers / filmmakers / trans-media content producers should not miss out on:
1) Learn what it takes to develop media for a specific purpose. It is undoubtedly hard to
make “a fun game” or film, but creating an engaging experience that needs to achieve
a goal beyond entertainment requires a whole new level of design, communication and
collaboration skills.
2) Learn trans-media production: more and more games and films are part of bigger
“narrative universes” including comics, books and movies. Screenplays are developed
with games in mind and games are made with movies in mind. This project requires
students to consider how game and film can leverage and inform each other. Thereby
they learn invaluable skills for an increasingly converging media culture.
3) Learn what it takes to be a mentor: while students are expected to be competent in
film and game production, they are not the sole creative owners. They are rather
facilitators and mentors to the Englewood students they are working with. DC and
GAM students’ task is to help Englewood students to tell their own stories through
filmmaking and game design. This requires maturity and the willingness to share
creative ownership in favor of Englewood students.
4) Utilize and push your own skills in programming / level design / concept art / 2D art
creation / animation / sound design and filmmaking, while also learning to work
collaboratively as a game development / film team for a purpose and strong artistic
vision.
5) Engage different roles and responsibilities in an exceptionally trans-disciplinary
studio environment by following design direction, creative problem-solving, meeting
regular milestones and being an effective and supportive mentor to Englewood
students.
6) Learn about getting your project “out there”: a big part of this project is to advertise,
distribute and promote the trans-media project. People need to know about the project
for it to achieve its mental health activist goal. Thus, it will be submitted extensively
to various festivals and conferences and distribution channels will be sought beyond
that. Students learn how to produce submission materials and promote their work.
Participation Requirements:
Students need to apply for this project and will undergo an interview process before they can
enroll. Successful applicants are expected to have practical game / art / sound development or
filmmaking experience. Students need to be aware that their main role on this project is to be
a mentor and facilitator to Englewood students. CDM students’ job is to help Englewood
students’ design and implement games about experiences with disrespect or tell their stories
through film clips. This requires considerable personal maturity, a desire to facilitate others
and a keen sense for the conceptually and technically feasible. Of course, there will also be
support and supervision by faculty.
Space is limited on this project and just like in any professional production an application
with evidence of previous work as well as a statement of interest are required.
2-step Application Process:
Step 1:
Complete the application form at the end of this document and e-mail it to Doris C. Rusch
(drusch1@cdm.depaul.edu) with the subject heading “RESPECT Project Bluelight”.
You should submit as much as you can of the materials below, depending on the position(s)
you’re applying for.
Step 2:
If you pass the first step, you will be invited to an in person interview. This is an opportunity
to answer more questions regarding skills and the best possible role for you. Once you passed
both application steps, you get a registration code from the instructor and you can officially
enroll in the class.
Grading:
Showing up on time, attending meetings, being a generous, supportive mentor, adhering to a
project management plan & meeting your milestones with a super positive attitude and in
collegial spirit:...................................................................................................................... 85%
Creativity, problem-solving and going beyond the call of duty:...............................10%
A 1-2 page self-evaluation uploaded to D2L by the end of the term: ………….........5%
Grading Scale:
A = 100-93
A- = 92-90
B+ = 89-88
B = 87-83
B- = 82-80
C+ = 79-78
C = 77-73
C- = 72-70
D+ = 69-68
D = 67-63
D- = 62-60
F = 59-0
Class Policies:
This class replicates the professional model and you are expected to adhere to professional
standards. Team members who do not carry their weight, repeatedly cause distractions or
generally exhibit an attitude that erodes team morale may be “fired” from the project and
accordingly fail the class.
•
Faculty interaction: The class meets during class times for regular check ins. However,
you will be required to meet beyond that and work on the games / films on your own
time. Faculty might also set up meeting times to check in with the various disciplines
as needed. We will be using project management tools such as basecamp, wiki and
Perforce /SVN to manage the project and keep everyone on track. Nothing, however,
beats face-to-face interaction. Both instructors (for the film and game part of the blue
light) will be very involved in the process.
•
A detailed development plan that specifies milestones and deadlines will be defined at
the beginning of the project. Development will be organized in bi-weekly sprints and
follows a scrum (agile development) production method, which allows for a lot of
flexibility while keeping everyone on the team on the same page.
•
Plagiarism: It is your professional responsibility to ensure that all submitted work is
your own. Please read DePaul's policy on plagiarism and other academic integrity
violations at:
http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ContributionFolder/Resources/Students/Violation
Definitions.html#aiPlagarism
•
Student rights: You have rights as a student. To learn about these rights please read
DePaul's policies for students regarding student rights, located here
http://sr.depaul.edu/catalog/catalogfiles/current/undergraduate%20student%20handbo
ok/pg51.html
•
Incomplete: An incomplete grade is given only for an exceptional reason such as a
death in the family, a serious illness, etc. Any such reason must be documented. Any
incomplete request must be made at least two weeks before the final and approved by
the Dean of the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information
Systems. Any consequences resulting from a poor grade for the course will not be
considered as valid reasons for such a request.
•
Students with disabilities: If you feel you need an accommodation based on the impact
of a disability please contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. All
discussions will remain confidential. To ensure that you receive the most appropriate
accommodation based on your needs, contact me as early as possible in the quarter
(preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted
either:
◦
PLuS Program (for students with LD or AD/HD) at
http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/plus/
◦
The office of Students with Disabilities (for all other disabilities) at
http://www.studentaffairs.depaul.edu/studentswithdisabilities/
FALL 15
APPLICATION – PROJECT BLUELIGHT
“RESPECT” Trans-media Project – Game Development / Documentary Short Films
Deadline: 5pm, May 22nd 2015
-
NAME:
-
CURRENT YEAR:
-
EMAIL:
-
WHAT ROLE ARE YOU APPLYING FOR? ATTACH RESUME.
PHONE:
GAME Team:





Producer
Designer
Artist
Sound Designer
Programmer
Film Team:





Director
Producer
Cinematographer
Location sound recorder
Editor
If you’re interested in more than one position, choose all that apply and note
preferences.
For Game and Film applicants:
-
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO TAKE PART IN THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT?
Talk about your motivation to become part of this project, your strengths, technical
ability (e.g. experience with game engines, different software), what you see as your role
on the team and what you think will be your most important contribution to the project.
(Attach 1-2 paragraphs).
Only for Game Dev. Applicants:
-
Examples to game art and animation, preferably 2D for artists.
-
Link to playable game(s) for designers and programmers
-
Game Concept Doc for designers
-
Examples of sound work for sound designers / composers
Only For Film Applicants:
-
EXAMPLES OF PAST EXPERIENCE working as a producer/soundperson (documentary
preferred). What was your most fun and most challenging experience? (Attach 2
paragraphs)
-
LINK TO REEL (Cinematographers & Editors)
(Clearly mention your role and responsibilities. Provide password, if protected)
-
LINKS TO PRIOR WORK (Directors)
(Clearly mention your role and responsibilities. Provide password, if protected)