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Spring 2013
Bailey awarded COAS Dissertation Year Research Fellowship
Ph.D candidate Rachel Bailey has been awarded IU’s College of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Year Research Fellowship. She will receive a $10,000 stipend for the fall 2013 academic semester, after which she will leave for a faculty position at Washington State University.
The Fellowship is intended to spur advanced graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences to make progress on their dissertations. The stipend replaces Rachel’s departmental funding, which is tied to work as a teaching or research assistant. This will allow her to put all her energy into finishing her dissertation by the end of the fall semester.
Competition for the fellowship is fierce. Students must be selected as a finalist in their department before their application is sent on to a larger committee within the College of Arts & Sciences. To apply, students submit an application to their home department which includes basic information such as GPA, teaching and research experience, work experience, publication record, former grants and honors and, most importantly, a concise description of the dissertation. “The description is difficult to write. There is a 500-word limit and I have written five or six drafts,” said Bailey. “As most of the evaluators come from other departments in the college, it has to introduce my ideas and research methods in a simple and clear way. For example, I need to make a professor of Chemistry understand what I am doing in these 500 words.” In addition, the description also needs to show and persuade readers that the research is significant for our society and worthy of financial support.
Departmental applications were reviewed by two members of the Telecommunications Graduate Committee. This year that responsibility went to Professors Robert Potter and David Waterman, who said that three applications were submitted to the College for final consideration. Professors Potter and Waterman also commented that all the three applicants were strong for two main reasons: The dissertation proposals were innovative and feasible, and they were part of an ongoing trajectory of high quality research that advances theory in mass communications. “In the end Rachel was the department's top ranked candidate. Her ability to clearly describe her research to an audience outside of our field combined with the public health applications of her dissertation work stood out for the committee,“ said Professor Waterman.
After departmental review, a faculty reader’s panel, which consists of 20 or more faculty from various departments and programs in the College, reviewed and ranked all applications. For the sake of fairness, faculty in the reader’s panel did not review applications from their own departments. Rankings from the reader’s panel were then sent to the College Graduate Office, which made the final decision on the fellowship awards. Rachel was the only Telecommunications student to receive the fellowship this year.
This award is an impressive recognition of the quality of a Ph.D. candidate’s work and provides an often-needed form of financial support for dissertation research. Bailey said, “The fellowship can really help you to focus exclusively on dissertation research and writing—especially for candidates who wouldn’t otherwise have funding in their dissertation year.”
Ems Wins GPSO Research Award
PhD Candidate Lindsay Ems has won a Research Award from the IU Graduate and Professional Student Organization. In a field of 77 applicants, Ems was one of ten award winners.
When asked about plans for the award funds, Ems said she intends to use it to travel to field sites across the country and collect data for her dissertation. “This summer I plan to visit a number of Amish communities to interview people about their use of digital communication technologies. The money will go towards gas, food and hotel costs as well as help me acquire the necessary technical tools I will need to record, archive and analyze my data” said Ems.
The GPSO research award is offered through a competitive process for graduate and professional students at Indiana University-Bloomington. Up to $1,000 is given to help support research expenses incurred in connection with academic research, such as travel costs related to field, archival or laboratories research, payment for research related services, and purchase of research related supplies. Expenses that are not supported are typing and duplicating of dissertations, normal living expenses, and travel costs for conferences or workshops.
2013 GPSO Research Award Winners
GPSO Research Awards
Telecom Student Game Project Selling on XBox Live Indie Marketplace
Platformer from Hell, a game designed by a group of students in T460: Projects in Game Design, is now selling on the XBox Live Indie Marketplace (XBLIG). So far it has had over 2,000 downloads and 300 purchases. It has stayed in the top 500 best-selling games of the day since launch, and is inching its way towards being one of the top 2000 best sellers on XBLIG.
Professor Ted Castronova leads the T460 class as a workshop. Students sit in design teams and act as autonomous game producers. Platformer from Hell is one of the most successful works from the T460 class. It is a puzzle platformer that looks like an old Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) or Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game. In the game you play as a man in a black tie, trekking across the perils of hell in search of a delicious sandwich. The initial idea for the game was derived from the best game mechanics in three other platformers: the spinning platforms in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island for SNES, the gravity manipulation of VVVVVV and Super Mario Galaxy, and the constant threat of death found in Super Meat Boy. Through the development process the game took on many different looks and feels. The initial idea was to make the game entirely out of platforms and surround the level boundaries with lava. This ended up being a rather stifling confinement for the game. Other changes were aesthetic: At one point the protagonist was a miner. At another, “Hell” was to be designed as a big shopping mall!
The designers faced several challenges when implementing alternating gravity and pixel hit detection. Fortunately, the team has a group of brilliant student programmers that, after many trials and iterations, found a means to get these features to work. Visual artists and sound designers also contributed greatly to the game. Thirty-five levels with five different settings caused the game assets to really pile up!
One of the biggest challenges for this group to overcome was the requirement that the game to be finished in one semester. Professor Castronova explained that students always want to make great big games. But the time and resources available to full time students make large game projects unrealistic. He encourages students to make fun, well-designed games with a small scope that can be developed, tested, and delivered within the span of a sixteen-week semester. Platformer from Hell team leader Andrew Cambron was able to conceptualize the game around some simple but interesting ideas. “He came in and said: here is a really simple idea and I think it will be fun. And everyone said: yes, let’s do that,” said Professor Castronova.
The team members were more than classmates. They developed a relationship that was described as “family.” Cambron commented, “I think (this project) opened opportunities up for students who had written off a career in videogames as a lofty dream, but rather an obtainable goal when you put in the sweat equity.”
Graduate Oshinubi to work at the FCC
Masters candidate Sade Oshinubi passed her MS exam in the past December and earned double degrees from the joint JD/MS program between the Department of Telecommunications and the Maurer School of Law. In the Fall of 2013, she will begin her position in the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) Attorney Honors Program. This is a special honor for Oshinubi. Hundreds of applicants competed for only a few available positions in the FCC program.
Since her years as an undergraduate, Sade knew that she would like to do something related to media law in the future. Upon finishing her first law internship at the FCC after her first year in law school, Sade realized that as a policy maker, she needed to have a deep understanding of the field. This spurred her to pursue the joint JD/MS degree. In the Telecommunications department, Sade focused on the business aspects of the industry and used that to see how it affects policy. “One of the most important things I have learned in this department is to know how to switch on and off different thinking-caps,” said Sade. Professor Barbara Cherry commented that lawyers and social scientists often think in very different ways. The same word does not mean the same thing to people in these two areas. Consequently, they use different languages. The joint degree bridges this and other gaps, and trains the students to be competent when interpreting for people in these two areas. This skill set has helped Sade stand out amongst other candidates that applied to the position at the FCC.
The JD/MS program requires the students to complete 79 semester hours of credit in the School of Law and 27 hours of credit in the Department of Telecommunications. The JD/MS students are either law school students who have special interest in media law, or Telecommunications students who are interested in the legal affairs of telecommunications. Many graduates go on to work as telecommunication policymakers in the government, law firms, or other industries. Some may eventually earn a Ph.D. and pursue careers in academia.
Everything Sounds
For many production students, learning about audio and sound production is supplementary to creating a fully immersive mediated experience. For Telecommunication alums George Drake and Craig Shank, audio just made sense. “It's like the quote in Good Will Hunting: 'I look at a piano, I see a bunch of keys, three pedals, and a box of wood. But Beethoven, Mozart, they saw it, they could just play.' I see waveforms as my piano,” says George.
George and Craig’s newest “instrument” of choice? A sound-focused podcast called Everything Sounds, available through iTunes. Everything Sounds is a short form series that explores the creation and perception of sounds in a variety of ways and places – media, technology, the everyday world. Audio and sound, after all, is an integral part of the everyday experience. “Primarily sound is a background sense -- it mainly accompanies our vision,” says George. “Everything Sounds is attempting to pull it forward into the foreground. But despite their own backgrounds and experiences in producing and understanding audio (George just spent the past year at Goldsmiths College in London, completing his Master’s degree in radio) their podcast isn’t designed for audiophiles. It was while in London, through a Skype conversation, that he and Craig came up with the concept for their audio-themed podcast.
Everything Sounds is designed to reinforce just that concept – that everything (even silence) has a sound. The podcast is designed to raise awareness, and respect, for this infinite orchestra around us. “What the audience takes away is up to them. […]But I at least hope they begin to appreciate the sound design while they're watching it.” To this end, they try to push the sound element as far as they can, including more than 30 sounds alone in their introduction, allowing the conjunction of sounds to tell a story.
“Craig and I don't see ourselves as journalists, we just enjoy sharing people's stories, creations and experiences. I suppose we are now, in a sense, journalists because of Everything Sounds, but we just try to tell their stories appropriately and effectively while still having a good time both on and off the mic. Essentially, our focus is to inform, educate and encouraging people to listen to everything more closely.” Each episode has a different focus in this regard, thus far covering topics such as “Foley Follies” and “Florasonic.” Because they work independently, they have no limits or restrictions other than their own restrictions, which gives them a lot of editorial control – and which means a wide range of interesting or outrageous sounds get to make their way into a podcast. “As a whole, I just enjoy making the podcast sound as interesting as possible.”
Everytihng Sounds is available via:
iTunes
Stitcher
Audioboo
Soundcloud
PRX
Podcast RSS Feed
Fall 2012
Robby Benson will speak at IU Cinema Tuesday 4 December 9.30 – 10.45. a.m.
Robby Benson’s talk “Life of a Story” covers the stages of a film script from story conception through development and production. Drawing on his 40 years in show business, Benson will focus on the first script he sold at age 18, the life and death of a 10 million dollar feature he was set to direct, and the success of a million dollar indie film he made with his film students while teaching in South Carolina. Q & A will follow.For information on the IU Cinema, visit www.cinema.indiana.edu.
Robby Benson Biography
Best known for starring in films such as Ice Castles, Ode to Billy Joe, The Chosen, Tribute, Running Brave, Harry and Son, in his own screenplay for the Warner Bros. basketball classic, One on One, and to a new generation as the voice of Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the first animated film ever to receive a Best Picture Academy Award nomination, Robby Benson is also a two time Golden Globe nominated actor whom has co-starred with legends Paul Newman, Jack Lemmon, Burt Reynolds, Gene Hackman, George Burns, Maximillan Schell, and Rod Steiger.
His four decades of show business versatility include producing and directing feature films and television series. Robby directed over 100 sitcom episodes and pilots, including episodes of Friends, and an entire season of Ellen. Most recently he helmed Billy: The Early Years (2009) casting actor Armie Hammer in his first starring role.
Benson starred on Broadway in Zelda, The Rothschilds, and the Joseph Papp production of The Pirates of Penzance, where he met and fell in love with his co-star, Karla DeVito.
Robby Benson has composed film soundtracks, and has been the recipient of several RIAA Gold Records for song writing, most notably “We Are Not Alone” for John Hughes seminal teenage film The Breakfast Club. Most recently Robby collaborated with Lyric Benson co-writing, arranging, engineering, and producing her debut album, Lyric’s Love Light Revolution (2012).
For the theatre, Mr. Benson wrote the libretto and score of his musical Open Heart, which debuted in New York at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre, and is published and licensed by Samuel French (2006).
Robby Benson added author to his career accomplishments with the release of his first book, Who Stole the Funny? A Novel of Hollywood published by HarperCollins (2007) and praised by the Editor in Chief of Variety Peter Bart as “an irreverent and hilarious stroll down the dark alleys of Hollywood’s TV landscape.” Who Stole the Funny? made The Los Angeles Times bestsellers list (2007).
Robby Benson’s new medical memoir I’m Not Dead…Yet! is a funny, explicit look at surviving four open heart surgeries for a congenital valve defect while continuing a dynamic creative career in and out of Hollywood.
Telecom Students' 3D work featured at GenCon Cinema Showcase
Indiana University is a top-tier school for academics and research. What many may not know is that IU is also home to one of only five 3D production programs currently available in the country.
It all started two years ago, when Department of Telecommunications graduate students Chris Eller and Sean Connelly decided to co-teach a class in 3D Production, under the advisement of Susan Kelly. The Advanced Visualization Lab, where Chris works, had been working with stereoscopic technology since 1996. With this advanced undergraduate workshop, Chris and Sean wanted to bring this technology into the hands of students who strive to be at the cutting edge of their field.
Because of the work of the Advanced Visualization Lab, IU had a big advantage over other schools teaching 3D, include big names USC and NYU. While these schools lease their equipment from big name media companies, IU’s 3D rig is all hand built, courtesy of the AVL. This gives teachers like Chris a unique opportunity to teach students about how their equipment works, and students unique access to rare resources. Under the moniker of T452, Topical Seminar in Design and Production, Chris is able to teach the class as an applied production course, meaning that he uses a combination of lecture and lab to give the students hands-on experience with the gear in the classroom as they learn how it works.
The 3D production class will begin its fourth semester this spring, but the camera and the opportunities for 3D production at IU have already garnered a variety of projects. In addition to the twenty-one short videos that have already been produced in the class, advanced students have used the gear for independent projects as well, including Chris for his thesis. But it’s some of the opportunities provided outside the classroom that makes IU’s access to 3D gear exciting. Already, the school has used the 3D rig for a number of professional productions, including an Argentinian tango troupe, the Marching 100, and the 2010 IU-Michigan game for ESPN 3D.
Through a connection he garnered at the Bloomington chapter of the Indiana Filmmaker’s Network, Chris was able to get 3D into the GenCon Cinema Showcase. GenCon, a huge, four-day long convention for gamers and gaming, takes place in Indianapolis each year. An IFN board member who works for the GenCon film fest invited Chris and IU to the convention a month before it started. Armed with four Telecomm assistants, a 3D screen, projector, computers, camera and TV, Chris and his fellow shared some of the incredible 3D work that has been produced on the IU campus. Despite a bad time slot – 10 am on Sunday, the last day of the convention – the showcase drew in larger-than-usual crowds and was well received by the convention. They’ve been invited back to the 2013 GenCon with the promise of better accommodations.
As 3D becomes more prevalent in the world of major motion picture production, the incredible opportunity currently available to IU students is apparent.
See Chris Eller’s 3D production photo gallery.
MultiVisions win the CASE Gold Award in the category Best Student Alumni Program
Our congratulations to Legene White and the MultiVisions Communication Conference! This year, MultiVisions won the Gold Award in the category Best Student Alumni Program. MultiVisions, a communication conference that takes place each spring on the IU campus, started in 1991 with only 20 students in attendance. Now, the conference is highly attended, and brings in as many as 30 working professionals for presentations and networking opportunities with current Telecommunications students. As Director of Alumni Affairs, Legene White plays a critical part in bringing successful IU alum back to their alma mater to share stories and inspire the next generation of students. However, as Legene acknowledges, it’s a collaborative effort, involving dozens of student, staff, and faculty organizers, and thousands of dollars contributed each year by individual alumni and business to underwrite each conference. According to Legene, the success of the conference each year depends on alumni who elect to return to IU for what appear to be reciprocal opportunities to meet with current undergrads. “The students who invite MV panelists are always amazed by well-placed professionals who respond that they feel honored to be invited to MultiVisions,” says Legene.
While MultiVisions has long been recognized as a premiere career planning event at IUB, it had never won any honors or awards. Legene decided that it was time to change all that. This year, she applied for the Pride of CASE V Awards, submitting an abstract this past July. CASE, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, is an international association of educational institutions. The role of the awards is to honor “institutions and individuals who demonstrate outstanding achievement in the concept and execution of advancement programs and communications.” This year, IU and MultiVisions took home the gold for achieving just that.
“To be judged by a national panel of peers and awarded the top prize, proves the quality of your work and that of MultiVisions, “says Ken Beckley, BA’62 Telecommunications and former President of the IU Alumni Association. “I don’t know of any honor in the alumni relations profession that matches a CASE Gold. You have my strongest congratulations!”
Does Moral Decision-Making in Video Games Mirror The Real World?
New Rochelle, NY, October 3, 2012—Making moral judgments is increasingly a central element of the plots of popular video games. Do players of online video games perceive the content and characters as real and thus make moral judgments to avoid feeling guilty? Or does immoral behavior such as violence and theft make the game any more or less enjoyable? The article "Mirrored Morality: An Exploration of Moral Choice in Video Games" published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers examines these types of questions. The article is available free online on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.
Andrew Weaver and Nicky Lewis, Indiana University, Bloomington, studied how players make moral choices in video games and what effects those choices have on their emotional responses to the games. In general, players tended to make "moral" decisions and to treat game characters as though they were actual people. Although behaving in antisocial ways was associated with greater guilt, it did not affect player enjoyment.
“Although preliminary, these results point to the utility of games as teaching and educational tools, as well as important tools for the assessment of behavior," says Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCIA, Editor-in-Chief of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, from the Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, CA. "These findings indicate how real the virtual world can become when one suspends disbelief and immerses oneself in the scenario.”
This article is a press release from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Publishers
IU research study finds social bullying prevalent in children’s television
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A new research study led by an Indiana University professor has found that social bullying is just as prevalent in children's television as depictions of physical aggression.
The study, "Mean on the Screen: Social Aggression in Programs Popular With Children," which appears in the Journal of Communication, found that 92 percent of the top 50 program for children between the ages of 2 and 11 showed characters involved in social aggression.
On average, there were 14 different incidents of social aggression per hour, or once every four minutes.
While physical aggression in television for children has been extensively documented, this is believed to be among the first studies to analyze children's exposure to behaviors such as cruel gossiping and manipulation of friendship.
"Social aggression was more likely to be enacted by an attractive perpetrator, to be featured in a humorous context and neither rewarded or punished," wrote Nicole Martins, assistant professor of telecommunications in the IU College of Arts and Sciences. "In these ways, social aggression on television poses more of a risk for imitation and learning than do portrayals of physical aggression."
Martins, the lead researcher on the study, and Barbara Wilson, professor of communication at the University of Illinois, conducted a content analysis of the 50 most popular children's shows according to Nielsen Media Research from December 2006 to March 2007. In all, 150 television shows were viewed and analyzed.
Careful attention was given to what was portrayed in the cases of social aggression, whether the behavior was rewarded or punished, justified or committed by an attractive perpetrator.
The findings suggest that some of the ways in which social aggression is contextualized make these depictions particularly problematic for young viewers.
"These findings should help parents and educators recognize that there are socially aggressive behaviors on programs children watch," Martins said. "Parents should not assume that a program is OK for their child to watch simply because it does not contain physical violence.
"Parents should be more aware of portrayals that may not be explicitly violent in a physical sense but are nonetheless anti-social in nature," Martins added.
The vast majority of socially aggressive incidents -- 78 percent -- were verbal: words to hurt the self-esteem or social standing of another character on the program. The most common types of social aggression were insults (52 percent) or name-calling (25 percent). Other common types of negative behavior shown were teasing (10 percent) and sarcasm (9 percent).
Only about 20 percent of all socially aggressive incidents were non-verbal in nature and typically employed a mean face (36 percent) or laughter meant to lower the self-esteem of another character (31 percent). Rolling eyes, finger pointing and simply ignoring the other person also were common.
"We also coded whether social aggression was directly perpetrated at the target -- such as making a mean face -- or indirectly perpetrated behind the target's back -- such as spreading a rumor," the authors wrote. "The vast majority of socially aggressive incidents (86 percent) were enacted directly at the target. Rarely were socially aggressive incidents perpetrated behind the target's back."
While previous research has demonstrated that gossip is one of the most common forms of social aggression in real life, it was rarely seen in children's television shows analyzed for the study. Martins and Wilson concluded that gossip, due to its indirect nature, may have been seen by program producers as being too subtle for advancing a story's plot.
Editors: Electronic copies of this study are available from George Vlahakis at vlahakis@iu.edu or 812-855-0846.
Mark Bell: Authority on Online Deception
PhD candidate Mark Bell was recently quoted as an authority on online deception. The piece, which ran in the Fashion & Style section of The New York Times, is about the recent spat of falsely-reported celebrity deaths. Read more in the Telecom Grad Blog.
Grunwald Gallery Features "Media Life" Illustrations by Artist Miek van Dongen
Anyone who knows Mark Deuze knows that he is an advocate for an interdisciplinary approach o the study of media. Just take his course, Media Organizations, which explores the management of not only film and video production and game design (often considered the core of the Telecommunications production track) but also live theatre, journalism, advertising – even the music industry. Focusing on scholarly work as well as practical applications, Mark encourages students to explore departments across campus (he even provides a handy list of recommended management classes in his T505 syllabus.) However, it is latest work that demonstrates his commitment to a multimedia approach to our mediated world.
Mark’s latest book, Media Life, explores how our modern lives our lived in, rather than alongside media. What makes this particular book especially interesting, however, is the inclusion of some evocative and powerful artwork by his long-time friend, multimedia artist Miek van Dongen. Though their approaches to the exploration of media seem vastly different (Mark taking a more academic approach to researching and understanding media, Meik using a combination of drawings, animation, and video) there is no denying the commonalities in theme and idea that they each tackle in their respective fields. Miek’s imagery combines elements of both humanity and machinery that can be seen as a visual parallel to Mark’s assertion that are lives are, in fact, a mediated experience.
Continuing this unique collaboration, Mark is utilizing art galleries as the setting for his book talk, allowing both scholar and artist to use the opportunity to share the ways in which they tackle similar issues in supposedly dissimilar fields. This combination book tour and exhibition launched at the Indiana University Grunwald Gallery, and culminated in a gallery talk on Wednesday, September 12th.
Recent Grad Amy Rosenberg Finds Success in the Big City
For most Telecommunications students – undergraduate and graduate alike – studying in the Department is an opportunity to develop and hone the skills and connections necessary to make it in the field. AS 2012 BA graduate Amy Rosenberg can attest, however, it’s not just what you’re doing inside this building, but how you’re taking that knowledge outside the department that gets the job done.
Like many Telecommunications students, Amy came to IU with a different career path in mind (business, with a focus in fashion) but changed her mind after taking an introductory Telecomm class. Suddenly, she saw new ways to explore the things she was passionate about. Amy did what every great student does – she continued to explore this new found passion through several introductory courses, until deciding that the design and production track was the path for her. She immersed herself in her new found passion, taking various production courses, learning a variety of different industry standard software, and using the equipment and software resources available to all students here in the Department of Telecommunications.
What set Amy apart, however, is what did outside of the classroom. Realizing that there were more media opportunities than one department can provide, she purchased a camera and sought freelance work through local businesses, starting with a promo video for Jake’s Nightclub. Her freelance business snowballed from there, providing her with invaluable opportunities to apply her newfound skills and knowledge outside of the classroom and in the real world of media production. Using this same pro-activity and determination, Amy took advantage of her self-created contacts to find a job that would allow her to follow her dream of moving to either New York or LA. Through her leg work and passion, she found her current position with Hooligan NYC, an artist run collation of editors, designers, and directors.
Congratulations Amy – you’re a true testament to what a hardworking and dedicated Telecommunications student can achieve!
Read the Post Magazine article on Amy’s post-graduation success
"Warp Shooter" Now Available for Download on the XBox Live Indie Marketplace
Warp Shooter is the first 3-vector dual stick shooter, as one of the player's hands is always in control of a warp beacon that allows you to jump through space! Relying on this mechanic, players are left with only emergency thrusters and an assortment of lasers, death rays, rockets, and other power ups to destroy their opponents. Customize game modes and master the creative new mechanics in this all out bombastic multiplayer brawl!
What makes Warp Shooter unique is the 3 vector control scheme. It takes a couple rounds to get used to because it is very distinct from other dual stick shooters out there, and for this reason we recommend beginner players start 1 vs 1 with no power-ups on. After you are comfortable moving around and shooting, turn on some power ups, grab some friends, and discover the vast variety of game modes! The game play is quick and the battle is ever changing, offering unique strategies of attacking and defending your ship against your opponents. Each second offers a new chance to gain the upper hand on your enemies and change the outcome of the match. Death matches are fast and brutal, therefore players should expect to lose a few pilots to the arena, but hopefully not all their stock! Who will emerge victorious?
We want to continue developing this game, as this is just the vertical slice! Unfortunately, there isn't enough work incentive for our independent team with shifting schedules and time commitments to continue unpaid. If this game proves successful, we will continue to develop new game modes and xbox live matchmaking features. All profits will go toward funding student trips to the Game Developers Conference in order to help establish the Hoosier Games brand and help college stude nts pursue video game production.
Website: www.warpedcodeproductions.com
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep6PUBcc0xk
Martins & Yeshua-Katz Make Headlines with "The Pro-Ana Paradox"
For students in Telecommunications, having their work published and well-publicized is long-term goal or dream. For our very own Daphna Yeshua-Katz, it’s now a dream come true.
Daphna’s research interests focus on how marginalized people use social media to mediate their stigmas, and she certainly didn’t shy away from those interests in her recent publication. Daphna took on the controversial topics of pro-anorexia, or “pro-ana” blogs – blogs maintained and visited by people suffering from Anorexia Nervosa, a mental health illness and eating disorder. Working with Dr. Nicole Martins, Daphna conducted the study and co-authored the paper, “Communicating Stigma: The Pro-Ana Paradox,” which will be published in Health Communication. She decided to study the pro-ana community after learning about it from a seminar, “Media and the Body,” with Dr. Martins. “I decided to study this community when I realized that this is a legitimate community for its members that creates a lot of outrage in public domain but there is actually no data available about the motivations, benefits or drawbacks for being a member in it,” Daphna noted.
So far, their findings – which featured in-depth interviews with 33 pro-ana bloggers from seven countries – have been featured in international media coverage everywhere from CNN to popular women-oriented Gawker Media blog, Jezebel. Daphna and Dr. Martins worked to write a press release with the IU Press Office, who served as a sort of mediator when journalists wanted more information on the study. They also kept Daphna and Dr. Martins up-to-date on the latest coverage of their study. Daphna gave us a little insight into the experience of finding her hard work made so very public. “I worked in journalism and PR for more than 10 years so I knew how hard it can be to get a nuanced message across,” she said. “However, I knew that once it’s in the media it can be put in an incorrect context.” Daphna cites the example of one article, which titled their coverage of the study “Can Internet Heal Anorexia” – which, as Daphna points out, is not what the study is about.
So what does Daphna consider the most important take away from their findings? “The pro-ana paradox. […] [The bloggers] reported finding social support and express themselves but the blog becomes another skeleton in their closet. […] So, the blog is a becoming a double edge sword for them.” Hopefully, as researchers like Daphna and Dr. Martins continue to critically study such nuanced issues, these paradoxes will be better understood by the community at large. More about Daphna’s journey and research.
To read some of the media coverage of their study, please visit:
CNN & Time
IU Research
Jezebel
Senior Lecturer / Lecturer in Design and Production
Indiana University Bloomington’s award-winning production faculty invites accomplished, creative professionals and educators to apply for a position in Design and Production.
Responsibilities: The ideal candidate will teach undergraduate and graduate courses in digital media production with an emphasis in any two of the following: game development; interactive design; visual effects; and digital video editing. He or she also will be expected to produce high-quality work in the candidate’s area of specialization as well as engage in departmental and university service.
Qualifications: The ideal candidate will possess a postgraduate degree, an excellent portfolio of work and a strong commitment to teaching and mentoring students.
Applicants should submit a letter of interest summarizing their qualifications for the position, a CV or resume, three letters of reference, and a portfolio of work. Send applications and direct questions to John Walsh, Senior Lecturer, Department of Telecommunications, Radio-TV Center, 1229 E. 7th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-5501. He can be reached by phone (812) 855-6840 or email at jdwalsh@indiana.edu
Indiana University Bloomington’s Department of Telecommunications hosts an active media production division offering concentrations in digital cinema production, documentary, interactive arts and game development. Located in beautiful Bloomington, Indiana, the campus boasts many distinguished programs in a dynamic academic community.
Start date is August 1, 2013. Review of applications will begin November 30, 2012 and will continue until the position is filled. Salary is negotiable. Indiana University is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. We strongly encourage applications from women and minority candidates as well as from two-career couples.
"Fields of Indigo" & "I am Ai, We are Ai."
Two installations by Rowland Ricketts with Sound by Norbert Herber
"Fields of Indigo" is a collaboration between textile-artist Rowland Ricketts and sound artist Norbert Herber, this installation leads visitors through the process of making indigo, a dye historically derived from a variety of plants including Polygonum tinctorum, also known as “dyer’s knotweed.” Indigo, which for centuries created desires for bright blue cloth around the globe, has long been identified with Japan, where Ricketts trained in the dyers’ shops of Tokushima. In his work, Ricketts focuses on the corporeal acts involved in the dye’s production; color is imbued with the memory of movement. Thus, through sound and video collage, the movements of visitors in the gallery will illuminate how indigo is grown, composted, decomposed, and concocted into a pungent dye. As visitors tread on the indigo, separating leaf from stem, they take part in the winnowing that initiates the plant’s decomposition.
Sounds emanating from the gallery were collected at various sites, threading connections among them: Ricketts’ farm and studio, Indiana University’s Hilltop Garden and Nature Center, the Student Sustainable Farm in Champaign where the indigo in the Krannert installation was grown and harvested, and the fields and dyers’ shops in Tokushima, where Ricketts has developed the I am Ai project as part of the 2012 National Cultural Festival. This event celebrates the local indigo tradition, while reinventing a craft largely abandoned. Fields of Indigo embodies transformation: a sensuous domain, displaced from a tilled field and juxtaposed with the deep surfaces of dyed cloth, which embody both a history of work and the generative force of seed.
I am Ai, We are Ai in Tokushima, Japan is a public art project designed and directed by Rowland Ricketts that celebrates the history and future of indigo in Tokushima by creating both visual and physical connections between the indigo growers, processors, dyers, and end users who together comprise this ongoing tradition.
Professional dyers throughout Japan who use the indigo grown and processed in Tokushima were invited to dye lengths of cloth to what they consider to be the most meaningful shade of blue. Over 200 of these blues, born of the Tokushima soil and dyed throughout Japan, have been gathered for a homecoming in Tokushima where they are visiting sites of historical significance to indigo production before being incorporated into a large-scale installation. The installation is at a warehouse along the banks of the Shinmachi River, on which all of the Awa Indigo exported from Tokushima historically travelled on its way to dyers throughout the country. The I am Ai, We are Ai installation highlights these blues to present the straightforward beauty of Awa indigo, something that truly speaks for itself. Dried indigo plants piled on the floor will give presence to the material roots of these blue cloths in the fields of Tokushima. An evolving sound work by Norbert Herber will give voice to Awa indigo’s immaterial substance – the process and history that give it meaning, and the eternally evolving nature of this tradition.
See a time-lapse video of the installation process
Listen to the sound streams
August 14: Seeking Tenure-track Assistant Professor
Indiana University’s Department of Telecommunications seeks a tenure-track Assistant Professor with expertise in either the area of media economics, law & policy or media industries & management. In accordance with the makeup of the current departmental faculty, potential applicants may define media industries broadly, including the internet, broadcast, cable, broadband, games, advertising, or social media. The successful applicant should hold a terminal degree and present a promising program of scholarly research using social scientific, economic, legal, or historical methods. Candidates must also be able to teach effectively in the department’s undergraduate and graduate programs.
We offer B.A., M.A., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, and joint M.S. / M.B.A. and M.S. / J.D. degrees in conjunction with the Schools of Business and Law. Undergraduates can also pursue certificates in New Media and Interactive Storytelling and in Game Studies. Our Institute for Communication Research provides support for faculty research including assistance with stimulus design/creation and data collection using an array of methodologies (psychophysiology, focus groups, personal interviews, and computer-assisted survey/experiment administration). We also have state-of-the-art digital audio, video and multimedia production facilities. Salaries, fringe benefits and research and teaching opportunities are consistent with peer research institutions.
Current research faculty include experts in media psychology and sociology, media economics, political communication, organizational communication, digital games, and media law, policy and technology. Creative faculty emphasize digital and analog media production and digital gaming and interactive storytelling. More about the department, and our faculty and programs can be found at http://www.indiana.edu/~telecom/.
Applicants should submit (1) a cover letter summarizing their qualifications for the position and explaining how they will add to, supplement or complement existing department strengths, (2) a current vita, (3) selected research publications, and (4) evidence of effective teaching. Three letters of recommendation should be submitted directly by recommenders.
Direct questions and applications to Michael McGregor, Professor, Department of Telecommunications, Radio-TV Center, 1229 E. 7th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-5501. He can be reached by phone (812) 855-6295, via e-mail at mcgregom@indiana.edu or by fax (812) 855-7955.
Start date is August 1, 2013. Review of applications will begin October 26, 2012 and will continue until the position is filled.
Indiana University is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. We strongly encourage applications from women and minority candidates as well as from two-career couples.
Spring 2012
April 17
Professor Annie Lang has been honored with the highest academic rank available at Indiana University, that of Distinguished Professor. According to an IU News Report, Lang "has developed a pioneering model that seeks to illuminate how the human motivated cognitive system automatically interacts with all types of mediated content."
Lang will be one of four to receive the rank of Distinguished Professor at a ceremony April 20.
April 5
Joseph Toth wins Provost Award for Film
Department of Telecommunications graduate Joseph Toth has been named one of six recipients of the 2011-12 Provost's Award for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity for his work in sound design on the student production Nathan and the Luthier.
According to an IU press release Toth worked as the sound engineer, dialogue editor, Foley artist, sound designer, composer, and music editor for the 52-minute film, which was the first student film shown at the IU Cinema.
Toth is a December 2011 graduate from Lebanon, Indiana and credits the Department's Senior Lecturer Norbert Herber for being "a constant source of artistic inspiration and technical guidance."
Student winners of the Provost's Award for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity receive a certificate and $500. Their faculty mentors receive a commemorative pin, $500 in research funds for personal use and $500 to support future mentoring of undergraduates.
Interim Provost Lauren Robel will present the award to Toth and the other recipients at the IU Bloomington Honors Convocation at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 15, at the IU Auditorium.
March 7, 2012
TV Linked to Social Aggression in Girls
Martins publishes results after surveying over 500 elementary school students - The January 2012 issue of Human Communication Research features results from a survey conducted by Assistant Professor Nicole Martins on over 500 students in grades K-5. The study was designed to determine whether watching socially aggressive content on television is related to children's use of social aggression during interpersonal interactions in the classroom.
Defining social aggression non-physical aggression which is nonetheless damaging to an individual's self-esteem or social standing, Martins first conducted a content analysis of the television shows children watch the most, coding them for social aggression that was either direct (e.g. ignoring someone in the room) or indirect (e.g., rumor spreading, backstabbing). This allowed Martins to generate a list of 6 TV shows high in social aggression, 6 high in physical aggression, and 6 filler shows that contained little aggression at all. Students from two schools were then asked in personal interviews to report how often they watched each of the shows. They were also asked a series of questions designed to address how often they used social and physical aggression in their personal interactions. For example, children were asked "How often do you make mean faces at another kid to hurt their feelings?" and "How often do you push or shove another kid at school?"
Results show a positive relationship between the likelihood of watching socially-aggressive television shows and the use of social aggression in school, but only for girls and not for boys. Martins discusses several possible reasons for this finding, including data from the survey suggesting that girls may be more attracted to watching television programming that contains examples of social aggression.
The abstract of the journal article, which Martins wrote with Barbara J. Wilson of University of Illinois, can be found here.
February 28, 2012
Telecom students make Dean's List - Each regular semester the College of Arts and Sciences recognizes those students whose semester GPA qualifies them for the Dean's List. Eligibility requirements include completion of at least 12 graded credit hours in each semester under review, and earning a minimum of a 3.700 semester GPA. The Department of Telecommunications would like to recognize and congratulate our students who made the fall 2011 Dean's List.
Lucas Ainsworth
Margo Andrews
Lauren Bartniski
Pavel Belyayev
Alyssa Bierman
James Black
Alexandra Blackwell
Alex Blakley
Christine Bock
Senia Borden
Brittany Bradley
Laura Caldie
Quintin Caldwell
Min Gu Chun
Bryan Cohen
Ross Crooks
Nathan Crowder
Joseph Denney
Matthew Dillman
Justinian Dispenza
Laura Dorman
Ashley Eastwood
Samantha Estes
Taylor Fregeau
Michelle Funk
Andrew Funkhouser
Jacob Gabbard
Ashlee Garwood
Anjona Ghosh
Rachel Graham
Mallory Hart
Jill Hawley
Julia Haynes
Zachary Herndon
Jillian Hershman
Carlyn Hill
Kaitlin Hiquet
Chengcheng Huang
Brock Kauffman
Lisa Kaufman
Matthew Keeley
Carly Leonard
Yu-Fang Lin
Xia Liu
Jack Long
Cameron Lopez
Laura Markou
Daniel (DJ) Marks
Matthew McCarthy
Luke McCord
Dolly Meckler
Jackson Michel
Heidi Mitchell
Melissa Moeller
Aaron Moreno
Lauren Morton
Charles Myers
Jessica Myren
Sam Nadell
Kathleen O'Connor
Christa Pantaleoni
Shanta Parasuraman
Ryan Paulsen
John Pochop
Amy Pottenger
Stephanie Rothman
Aaron Ryan
Kaitlyn Schneider
Jennifer Scott
Abigail Silbert
Rachel Staky
Michelle Sweeney
Carys Tanner
Kimberly Tyner
Nancy Tyree
Brandon Walsh
Graham Walsh
Xingzhu Wang
Deana Ward
Tyler Wardrop
Javon Washington-Brown
Cara Weaver
Adam Weiner
Stephanie Weiss
Sydney West
Brittany Wetzel
Kylee Wierks
Jedidiah Wilcox
Lindsey Wilder
Matthew Wisniowski
Andrew Wolin
Aaron Wray
Lauren Wright
Asset Zhalmaganbetov
# # # #
Fall 2011------------
October 20, 2011
Join Legene White, Director of Alumni Affairs for Telecommunications, for the “We Are IU” event in New York City on Tuesday, November 1.
The evening is being hosted by our very own Telecommunications alumnus Paul Caine, BA’86, Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of Time Inc. It’s a great chance to network and discover other Hoosiers in NYC.
Join IU President Michael A. McRobbie, our new Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Larry Singell, and IU alumni and friends for a celebration of our extraordinary university. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine will be served. See the details and register by October 28 at http://iuaa.imodules.com/we-are-iu-nyc.
The party continues later in the week for Telecom grads! A dinner is being planned for Thursday night when we can mingle informally and trade business cards with fellow alums. Details still TBD, so email Legene at whitell@indiana.edu if you’re interested and watch the IU Telecom Facebook for details. Food and drinks will be “Dutch treat.” Invite your IU friends.
October 19, 2011
Faculty and Graduate Student Present at the Telecommunications Policy Research Conference
Two faculty members and a graduate student presented their research at the 39th Annual Research Conference on Communication, Information, at the George Mason University School of Law in Arlington Virginia September 23-25.
Professor Barbara Cherry presented The Rise of Shadow Common Carriers: A Legacy of Deregulatory Broadband Policies as part of a panel entitled "Regulation of Broadband Markets."
Professor David Waterman and Doctoral Candidate Sung Wook Ji presented Online v. Offline Media in the U.S.: Are the Media Shrinking.
According to its website the "TPRC is an annual conference on communications, information, and Internet policy that brings a diverse, international group of researchers from academia, industry, government, and nonprofit organizations together with policy makers. It serves two primary goals: (1) dissemination of current research relevant to current communications policy issues around the world; and (2) promotion of new research on emerging issues.
TPRC covers the full range of legal, economic, social, and technical issues on national and international information and communications policy, including: wireline and wireless telephony, radio and television broadcasting, cable- and satellite-delivered communication, Internet communication, technological convergence and its regulatory implications, intellectual property, electronic commerce, communications privacy and security, computer crime, and economic development. The breadth of coverage, connections between researchers and policy makers, and diversity of conference participants make TPRC unique. TPRC aims to remain the premier venue for innovative and influential communications policy research."
September 28, 2011
Managing Media Work recognized by AEJMC’s Media Management and Economics Division
The Media Management and Economics Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annually presents The Picard Book Award to a publication recognized as outstanding in the area of media management and economics. This year the award is named for one of the leading scholars in the field of media economics — Dr. Robert Picard. This year, the selection committee recognized Mark Deuze’s Managing Media Work as the Picard Award winner.
Selected comments from the nomination letters include:
- “This is an outstanding textbook that provides timely, relevant and thought-provoking chapters dealing with current and future trends in the management of media and creative industries. As the nature of media changes, there are inherent changes in the management of "work" -- this book addresses some important issues facing managers across a diverse field of media industries.”
- “The book is certainly timely and important from a professional perspective, as it offers insights on how workers and managers can more effectively cope with a rapidly evolving (or transitioning) media. This also gives it high value for educators in professionally-oriented programs, where the insights and advice the various chapters provide, can be incorporated as appropriate in classes and training, giving students a better idea of what they will be facing in the world of media work. Perhaps even giving them some better strategies for managing their careers.
Congratulations to Mark Deuze for this honor and his outstanding scholarship in media arts & sciences.
Read Deuze’s blog reflections on winning the award.
Graduate Students and Faculty Present Media Psychology Research in Boston
Doctoral students Matt Falk, Lelia Samson, and Rachel Bailey presented their research to the Society for Psychophysiological Research at their 51st Annual meeting in Boston September 14-18. Below is a list of studies presented representing a sample of recent research conducted in the Institute for Communication Research in the Department. Abstracts of the work were recently published in Psychophysiology.
- Bailey, R. L., Rubenking, B. E., & Lang, A. (2011). The influence of trait motivational reactivity on the formation of motivated congnitive states: Flow, presence, and transportation. Psychophysiology, 48(S1), 103.
- Bailey, R. L., Rubenking, B. E., & Lang, A. (2011). An overtime comparison of motivated cognitive states: Flow, presence and transportation. Psychophysiology, 48(S1), 103.
- Falk, M. A., Potter, R. F., & Wells, T. M. (2011). Investigating if repeated exposure to complex auditory structural features leads to habituation of the orienting response. Psychophysiology, 48(S1), 71.
- Rubenking, B. E., Bailey, R. L., & Lang, A. (2011). Individual differences in motivational reactivity influences orienting. Psychophysiology, 48(S1), 71.
- Samson, L., & Janssen, E. (2011). Sexual arousal to same-and opposite-sex stimuli in heterosexual and homosexual men: The impact of directing attention to sexual and nonsexual stimulus content. Psychophysiology, 48(S1), 71.
September 16, 2011
Faculty Position Available in the Department of Telecommunications
Indiana University, Bloomington
Lecturer / Senior Lecturer in Media Design & Production
Indiana University’s Department of Telecommunications seeks a non tenure-track Lecturer or Senior Lecturer for a position in media design and production. Applicants should hold an M.A., M.S., M.F.A., or Ph.D, and have extensive experience and proficiency in video design and production. Additionally, the ideal applicants will have some experience with new media design, such as 2D or 3D animation or game programming and design. Candidates must be able to teach effectively in the department’s undergraduate production and design track. Our production facilities include a lab with more than 40 audio and video workstations and a 2,800 square foot multi-HD camera television studio (http://www.indiana.edu/~telecom/facilities/production.shtml).
We offer B.A., M.A., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, and joint M.A. or M.S. / M.B.A. and M.A. or M.S. / J.D. degrees in conjunction with the Schools of Business and Law. Undergraduates can pursue certificates in New Media and Interactive Storytelling and in Game Studies. Our Institute for Communication Research provides support for faculty research including assistance with stimulus design/creation and data collection using an array of methodologies (psychophysiology, focus groups, personal interviews, and computer-assisted survey/experiment administration). Salaries, fringe benefits and research and teaching opportunities are consistent with peer research institutions.
Creative faculty emphasize many aspects of contemporary media production, including documentary, cinematography, mobile application development, web development, gaming, interactive storytelling, and screenwriting. Research faculty include experts in media psychology and sociology, media economics, political communication, organizational communication, digital games, and media law, policy and technology. More about the department as well as our faculty and programs can be found at http://www.indiana.edu/~telecom/.
Applicants should submit (1) a cover letter summarizing their qualifications for the position and explaining how they will add to, supplement or complement existing department strengths, (2) a current resume or vita, (3) a portfolio of work, including a reel of relevant creative work and (4) evidence of effective teaching. Three letters of recommendation should be submitted directly by recommenders.
Direct questions and applications to Edward Castronova, Professor, Department of Telecommunications, Radio-TV Center, 1229 E. 7th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-5501. He can be reached by phone (812) 856-5981, via e-mail at castro@indiana.edu or by fax (812) 855-7955.
Start date is August 1, 2012. Review of applications will begin November 4, 2011 and will continue until the position is filled.
Indiana University is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. We strongly encourage applications from women and minority candidates as well as from two-career couples.
July 7, 2011
Indiana University students competed to see who could make the best five minute film in a week. The campus winners advanced to compete against students from over 75 other universities nationally and internationally. Over 75,000 students received equipment to compete in the contest.
Sparks, the Indiana University Best Picture winner, received the distinction of International Best Picture Finalist. The other Top 5 Best Picture Finalists were from Emory University, NYU, and UCLA. Winners were announced June 25 at the Campus MovieFest 2011 International Grand Finale held at the Warner Bros. Studio in Los Angeles, CA. Director Gesumino A. Rulli, cinematographer Edward Wu, producer Chelsey McKrill, writer Sophia Parkison, and sound engineer Joseph Toth represented the Sparks team. In their film, Chip the cyborg discovers the key to his happiness after the ups and downs of receiving his first heart.
Gesumino also received Campus MovieFest's Lifetime Achievement award for leading the Bright Cat Films: An N'Ovation Production Meow Company in entering a total of 10 films in the 3 years of the CMF competition at Indiana University. His CMF film honors include this year's Top 5 International Best Picture Finalist, Top 16 National Best Picture Finalist and National Golden Tripod award for Editing in 2010, Regional Finalist in 2009, and 2 entries in the debut Campus MovieFest 3D contest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChRs0J5H2og&feature=player_embedded
Two other Indiana University films "Clean Streets" and "Hopeless" were among twenty-three films recognized as 2011 Top Film Finalists.
"Clean Streets", directed by Charlie Mattingly and Charlie Myers, was Indiana University's Best Comedy winner. "Hopeless," produced by Trevor Fischer, Thomas Price, and German Tabor, was the Golden Tripod Award Nominee for Best Cinematography for IU.
June 24, 2011
Over Memorial Day weekend many of the faculty and graduate students from the department were traveling, but not on summer vacation. Rather, they were en route to Boston for the International Communication Association to present their latest research. Eighteen papers were presented across a total of 5 divisions. Doctoral student Rachel L. Bailey, doctoral candidate Gayle Marks, and faculty member Annie Lang were a member of a research team that received a Top Paper designation in the Information Systems Division for their work exploring the impact of individual differences in motivational activation and personal experiences with people with mental illness on the processing of fictional presentations of characters with mental illness.
The titles and authors of the presented works are listed below.
Information Systems Division
Gender Difference in Emotional Rating of Naked News - Soyoung Bae & Annie Lang
An Overtime Comparison of Flow, Presence, and Transportation States – Rachel L. Bailey, Bridget E. Rubenking & Annie Lang
The Effects of Trait Motivational Reactivity and Personal Experiences on Processing Messages about Mental Illness – Rachel L. Bailey, Annie Lang, Gayle Marks, Sungkyoung Lee, Bernice Pescosolido, & Jack Martin (Top Paper Award)
Measuring Motivation Activation in a Virtual World: Predicting Individual Differences of Appetitive and Aversive Measures – Mark W. Bell & Annie Lang
When Does Coactivity Actually Mean Coactive? Applying the LC4MP to the Processing of “Poignant” Messages – Justin Robert Keene & Annie Lang
Empathizing and Systemizing Media Violence: A Dual-Control Approach – Lelia Samson & Robert F. Potter
Are there Desensitizers and Sensitizers? Examining Physiological Responses During Violent and Nonviolent Games as a Function of Players’ Motivational Activation and Prior Violent Exposure – Satoko Kurita & Annie Lang
Exploring the Influences of Biologically Based Traits and Attitudes on Decisions to View Arousing Content – Bridget E. Rubenking, Annie Lang & David R. Ewoldsen
Psychophysiology as a Paradigm for Investigating Dynamic Mental Processes Engaged by Mediated Messages – Annie Lang
Resources Available to Message Processing: Redundancy, Structural Complexity, and Emotional Content – Sunkyoung Lee & Annie Lang
Testing Resource Allocation to Encoding Information During TV News Viewing – Sungkyoung Lee & Annie Lang
You Can Do It: Creating A Psychophysiology Lab of Your Very Own – Robert F. Potter
Motivational Reactivity, Implicit, and Explicitly Measured Attitudes' Influences on Substance Use and Quitting Behaviors – Bridget E. Rubenking & Annie Lang
Visual Communication Studies
The Effect of 3D Film Shorts on Presence, Arousal, and Visual Recognition – Soyoung Bae, Christopher E. Eller, Annie Lang, & Justin Robert Keene
Mass Communication
The Sexual Propensities of Young Adults: Does Media Use Matter? – Lelia Samson & Maria Elizabeth Grabe
Journalism Studies
Credibility and Key Events: A Priming Model of News Evaluation – Erik P. Bucy & Paul D’Angelo
Dissent at a Distance – Mark Deuze
Good Grief: The Influence of Social Queues on Hostility and Strategy in a Multiplayer Game – Travis Leigh Ross & Andrew J. Weaver
May 25, 2011
As a Vietnam Veteran, Department of Telecommunications Professor Ron Osgood finds every Memorial Day a chance to reflect on those who have served and died in foreign wars. This year, though, Memorial Day is even more meaningful as it sees the national distribution of his feature-length documentary My Vietnam Your Iraq by the Public Broadcasting System. The production tells the stories of eight families made up of two generations of military servicemen and servicewomen—parents who served in Vietnam and their children currently serving in the Iraq war.
Three years in the making, Osgood originally submitted My Vietnam, Your Iraq to the weekly PBS independent film program Independent Lens hoping for the series to be selected and distributed to the hundreds of stations that carry the series. Although not chosen by Independent Lens, the show was praised by the producers...so much so that they forwarded the film directly to programmers at the Public Broadcasting Systems suggesting it be offered to local PBS stations to independently schedule into their programming mix. PBS agreed and soon stations from Bloomington to Los Angeles to New York will be broadcasting the show. See how PBS describes the program to their affiliate Program Directors, and watch a trailer, here.
“To be recognized by PBS for a documentary you’ve worked so hard on is, obviously, a tremendous honor for any filmmaker,” says Osgood who is hoping that after the documentary airs in markets across the country many schools and libraries will want to incorporate it into their classrooms. Osgood says the show is a way “to stimulate discussion that may help...better understand the emotions and anxieties families are forced to deal with.”
Osgood recently received another honor for the project. At the end of April came word that My Vietnam Your Iraq was nominated for a regional Emmy Award in the Documentary category. Osgood is already an Emmy-winner, receiving the award in 2003 for his John Mellencamp documentary Trouble No More.
Osgood’s work on My Vietnam Your Iraq has made him realize there are many stories to be told by participants in the Vietnam War—stories from both sides of the conflict. He is currently working on a web-based project entitled “The Vietnam War/The American War: Stories from All Sides” which will allow participants from both countries to upload memories in a variety of multi-media forms. That project was recently recognized by an IU New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities Award.
April 27, 2011
The hard work of Design & Production students will pay off with silver screen debuts at the IU Cinema. Tuesday night May 3rd features student documentaries, most originating in Ron Osgood’s T435 Documentary Production course. One of the docs, A Four-Wheeled Fascination, produced by Telecommunications Masters Student Mary LaVenture, explores women’s roller derby from its early history to the present day. LaVenture’s production was recently screened at the Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival—an honor you can read about on the IU Telecomm Grad Student Blog.
Wednesday night May 4th features fiction and experimental work developed by students in Jim Krause’s T351—Field and Post-Production, T356—Studio Production, and T436—Digital Video Cinematography courses.
Screenings start at 7pm on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
The week of student work kicks off Sunday at 6:30pm with ten 3-D productions from the spring section of T452—3D Storytelling. The course is one of the first three in the country teaching undergraduates the added complexities of telling stories with 3D cameras (the other two are at NYU and USC film schools). 3D Storytelling was first taught last fall by the Department’s Susan Kelly and two Masters students--Chris Eller (Telecomm) and Sean Connolly (Informatics).
During the course students must conceive, pitch, write, shoot, and edit their own original stories. But, thinking about telling stories with 3D technology is like learning a whole new language. According to Kelly,
When class started students realized they were back in grade school, learning an entirely new language of visual storytelling. Everything they had been taught about creating three dimensional space within the two dimensional world of the film frame was exploded with the introduction of the second camera to the shooting and editing process. The learning curve was steep as new technologies and new ways of conceptualizing story space was introduced.
Come see what resulted once the students moved down that learning curve with the 3D screening on Sunday night. The screening is free, but tickets are required. Tickets are available during business hours at the IU Auditorium Box Office or at the IU Cinema 30 minutes before the screening.
April 13, 2011
When Indiana University senior Jacob Sherry graduates in May, the Herman B Wells Scholar will have already completed a goal few people ever achieve: the premiere of his first feature film.
Nathan and the Luthier , a 52-minute coming-of-age story about a man making peace with his upbringing in the wake of his father's death, opens April 26 at 7 p.m. at the IU Cinema. This is the first student-produced feature film being shown at IU Cinema. "We intend to dedicate one evening each semester to premiere a student feature," said Jon Vickers, director of the cinema. "The production values in Jacob's film rival anything that you would see from a major film school. This premiere will be one of four nights dedicated to student films in the cinema this semester."
Sherry is completing a double major in telecommunications and filmmaking (through IU's Individualized Major Program), a combination he settled upon as the ideal blend for gathering the skills and collaborations he needed to become a filmmaker.
Growing up in New Orleans, the home-schooled Sherry played French horn
and piano, and even toured with an international youth circus for a
couple of years as a high-wire walker. He didn't have a television at
home until he was 16. "I did watch movies, but certainly not as many
movies as the average kid, and different movies than what the average
kid was watching," said Sherry, who instead of Disney movies and
slasher flicks watched films such as The Philadelphia Story and
Casablanca.
Film seemed a logical place to combine his passions of storytelling, reading and writing. "Filmmaking is a powerful storytelling medium that combines writing with visuals, with music, with acting, with all of these other mediums to form this really powerful hybrid art form," he said.
The idea for Nathan and the Luthier began as a thesis project for the
Individualized Major Program, under the tutelage of Sherry's IMP
adviser Susan Kelly, a senior lecturer from the Department of
Telecommunications.Sherry initially pitched a rough idea to Kelly just before the start
of the 2010-2011 school year. Once he began to translate his basic
idea for a moody, character-driven story to a script, "he ripped his
hair out," joked Kelly, who had to tell Sherry to scrap his first
attempt and start over. ("I think she said, 'I see what you're trying
to do, but it's not working,'" Sherry said.) He was eager to put in
the work required to make the script flow, spending hours muttering
lines to himself aloud at his laptop to see if the dialogue sounded
natural.
"Before he even had a script, he wanted to have his film premiere at IU Cinema," Kelly recalled. "He said, 'If I do this, I will force myself to make something good.'" Through the filmmaking process, Kelly said, she saw her student learn first-hand how an independent filmmaker is the vision keeper, whose energy and concept keep the cast and crew invested and energized. "He had a huge crew of people who stuck with him and tackled a mature topic in a beautiful way," she said. "He's willing to assume risks and is rewarded by seeing his vision realized. It's brilliant to see. As an educator and teacher, I'm thrilled by him."
Sherry loves "road movies" and films that show the progression of a character. From the idea of a violin being rebuilt, he eventually created the story of the protagonist's return home after his father's death. The character connects with his mother and rebuilds the violin his father smashed when he was a child, working in the shop of a crotchety violin maker who is working through issues of his own. Even after writing four drafts of the script, hearing the actors say the lines during rehearsal led to even more changes in the script ("Writing is rewriting," Kelly said. "He learned that.")
Sherry said that as students, he and his peers recognize that they'll have to work for free to build reels and portfolios, but that he knew it was asking a lot for actors and crew to arrive at 7 a.m. and leave at 7 p.m. for the first month of shooting. "But they did it. For me, it was important to realize that if I can communicate a vision and get people excited about it, they will feel ownership and pour their hearts out -- the cast, the crew. One of the hardest parts and also the most rewarding parts was figuring out how to get that momentum going and keep it going."
Among many other things, the filmmaking process included the hiring and overseeing of an extremely talented but unpaid crew and actors; gaining song rights from Carrie Newcomer and Krista Detor; borrowing a rural farmhouse at which to shoot the film; procuring two "junker" instruments from a violin maker friend in New York; coming back from winter break 10 days early for a solid week and a half of shooting; working late into the night to shoot a flashback (only to scrap a scene that didn't work); raising money; and renting space at a local violin shop.
Sherry gives his cast and crew "95 percent of the credit" for the film. "That's one of the things I love about film," he said. "You don't make films by yourself, you make films as a collaboration. Here, we formed a community where there wasn't one before, and people got to know each other who probably wouldn't have met otherwise."
While films should be entertaining and fun, Sherry said, filmmakers have the responsibility to tell important stories that make a difference in the world. "I think film affects and grabs people in a way that no other medium can."
WHAT: Nathan and the Luthier, a new film by IU senior Jacob Sherry
WHEN: April 26, 7 p.m.
WHERE: IU Cinema
TICKETS: This is a free but ticketed event. Tickets are available at
IU Auditorium during box office hours (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m.) or, if tickets are still available, in the IU Cinema lobby
30 minutes prior to the screening. Tickets to free screenings at IU
Cinema are not available online; limit four tickets per person.
About Jacob Sherry
Sherry recently returned from seven months in New Zealand, where he
interned with South Pacific Pictures, New Zealand's largest film and
television production company. While abroad, he traveled to the Cook
Islands to co-direct a feature-length documentary about a total solar
eclipse visible from the remote island of Mangaia. Sherry's recent
accomplishments include writing and co-directing Two Juliets (for
which he won the Advanced Fiction award at IU's 2010 Multivisions
Media Showcase) and working as a crew member on Sylvester Stallone's
The Expendables. After graduation, he plans to continue his work as
co-founder and director of Color Blind Pictures, an independent
production company.
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April 4, 2011
MultiVisions Communications Conference Connects Students with Media Professionals
Over 200 students attend this year’s MultiVisions Communication Conference in the Department of Telecommunications. Celebrating its 21st year, the annual event gives students pursuing media careers a chance to interact with industry professionals, many of whom are IUB alumni anxious to return to Bloomington in the spring!
According to Legene White, Department of Telecommunications Director of Alumni Affairs and the staff organizer of the event,
MultiVisions is a fantastic experience to see college students develop the confidence to greet and host prominent professionals for the day and then to continue that mentoring relationship. The conference is a “sure bet” every year thanks to the tremendous support of IU alumni and friends who support MultiVisions with their attendance, financial sponsorship, and on-going friendship with Telecommunications.
This year the theme of the conference was “Don’t Gamble on Your Future,” and featured twenty-six professionals as panelists including:
- Angelo Pizzo, screenwriter (Hoosiers, Rudy)
- Stanley Nelson, Emmy-winning film producer (Freedom Riders—2010 Grand Jury Nominee @ Sundance Film Festival)
- Ann Rysenga (BA Telecom) VP/Director of Sales for McGavren Guild Media
- David Neustadter, Creative Executive for New Line Cinema
- Tara Martino (BA Telecom), Senior Publicist, Universal Pictures
- Charlie Hoyt (BA, MS Telecom), Sound Designer Publications International, Ltd., Chicago
- Sean Smith (BA Telecom), President, Third Street Attention Agency, Indianapolis
- Alana Salata (BA Telecom/CMCL), Associate Producer, E! Entertainment Hollywood
- Carolina Correa (BA Telecom), Field Producer/Editor, NPR, New York City
- Jon Dilling, (BA Telecom), Senior Editor, Turner Studios/TBS, Atlanta
As always, the entire event was planned and organized by student volunteers...this year Chaired by seniors Jared Solow and Margaret Aprison. Plus, a new piece of student involvement was added this year, with students moderating most of the panel sessions. White was pleased with the decision to have students take on that high-visibility role as well, “I think this has started a new MultiVisions tradition,” she said.
Another favorite aspect of MultiVisions was the informational interviews which offer students the chance to chat with visiting professionals one-on-one.
MultiVisions wraps up on a creative high note with the announcement of the media showcase winners in categories ranging from audio and video production to game design.
Students interested in helping plan next year’s MultiVsions conference should look for a call out in the late part of Fall Semester.
Comments from students attending MultiVisions:
“I had an amazing time, learned a lot and improved my networking skills enormously. I can't wait for next year.”
“This was my first year attending this great networking tool. Being able to meet contacts that actually want to meet kids and who are go-getters such as myself, honestly helped so much motivate me to do great things.”
Comments from MultiVisions panelists:
“I like mentoring college kids who are motivated and eager to start their careers. It reminds me why I like doing what I do. It’s refreshing to get a little hero worship once in a while. It can be a grind out there and having young eager faces take such an interest in what I do motivates me keep going in what is a pretty cool job.”
“MultiVisions is a fantastic way to make a real difference for these students as they prepare for their careers. I don’t know if I’ve experienced a more satisfying way to give back to IU and Telecom. You know you’re making a huge impact.”
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April 7, 2011
Department of Telecommunications senior scriptwriter, Paul Mattingly, wins national exposure with his script My Life, the Video Game.
For the next few days, if you spend time with Department of Telecommunications senior Paul Mattingly, he will likely offer you a Sprite. That’s because in late November Paul and his brother Tim wrote a screenplay for a 10-minute film called My Life, the Video Game and submitted it as one of hundreds of entries to the Sprite Refreshing Film series. When he saw the poster for the contest in the department, only a few days remained before the submission deadline. But apparently Paul works well under pressure because the piece was selected as one of six produced by Dreaming Tree Films at select cities across the country. Sprite also promised that each selected script would be cast with a celebrity to star in the film. Paul thinks he got the best on both counts-- since his film was shot in New York City and stars Christopher Gorham of ABC’s Ugly Betty and USA’s Covert Affairs.
Paul got to travel to The Big Apple for the shoot and said it provided him with a fantastic behind the scenes look at how the process works. “I knew from my telecom classes that basically once a writer finishes a script, that’s it…it’s not theirs anymore,” he said. “And that was true for the most part. However, early in the shoot, a fellow film maker and I were able to bring attention to a relatively big continuity error that nobody else caught. After that, the director asked me to follow him around to look for continuity stuff and ask various opinions. I had never really seen how a director works, and he was incredibly talented.”
Until April 11th My Life, the Video Game is competing against the Chicago Refreshing Film with viewers able to vote for their favorite by text message. “You can vote up to 500 times per day, and we can get an extra 25 votes for each code you use underneath Sprite bottle caps when you text in,” Paul says. That’s why you can expect to be handed a Sprite if you see Paul in the next few days! And, of course, he’ll want you to visit the website to watch his film and vote. (Paul even got to make a cameo appearance in the film…so at least go and see if you can spot him in it!)
If My Life, the Video Game is one of the regional winners, Paul and Tim’s film will go to the next round, where public voting will continue, and a panel of industry experts will judge the movie on various merits. If the film wins that round, it will premiere at a major film festival.
Good work Paul, and good luck!
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March 29, 2011
Doctoral candidate Asta Zelenkauskaite has been selected as a participant in the Fourth Annual Summer Research Institute for the Science of Social-Technical Systems. The Institute brings together “advanced doctoral students, post-doctoral scholars, and pre-tenure faculty… to build a new cohort of faculty
and graduate students who are interested in research on the design and interplay of the social and technical that spans levels of individuals, groups, organizations, and larger communities.”
Zelenkauskaite, who is interested in issues concerning emergent technologies and the social practices that evolve around them, will attend the Institute in the first week of June. More details on the program can be found here.
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March 24, 2011 - Masters Student Explores Linguistic Features of Teen Chat Rooms
Many people may think that the language teens use in chatrooms to be really informal, breaking most typical rules of linguistic formality. Department of Telecommunications masters student Sanja Kapidzic finds that is not the case. In recent research conducted in collaboration with Professor Susan Herring (SLIS), Kapidzic found that, on average, there were only 2 instances of non-standard linguistics per chat message. Plus, most of these were arguably mild: lack of capitalization and common abbreviations like "LOL."
The work was presented at the 62nd Annual Georgetown University Roundtable in Languages and Linguistics. Kapidzic, S. & Herring, S. C. (2011) Gender, innovation, and non-standardness in teen chat language. Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, March 12, 2011.
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Fall 2010
December, 2010 - Brown Bag: The Editors Panel
In a panel discussion moderated by Professor Rob Potter, the four journal editors in our department – Erik Bucy, David Waterman, Harmeet Sawhney, and Annie Lang – shared reflections on their editing work and gave advise on what it takes to get published. They covered extremely wide territory, touching on almost all facets of journal publishing. Video of the entire discussion will be made available later. This blog post focuses on only some of the advise they gave to graduate students, mainly on one thread in the conversation.
David Waterman, who just completed a 6-year tenure as the coordinating editor of Information Economics and Policy, advised students to take advantage of the mentoring opportunities, both formal and informal, within the academy. In his words, “it’s useful to ask your advisors and mentors for help. You learn a lot by going through this process.” In effect, the nuances of journal publishing can be best learned in the apprentice mode. The grad students need to engage faculty beyond the classroom setting and seek out such opportunities.
Erik Bucy, currently the editor for Politics and the Life Sciences, advises students not to be hesitant to submit. Politics and the Life Sciences, he said, has published exceptional undergraduate work before, and grad students should not doubt the quality of their own research. “Don’t be afraid of submitting,” Erik said. ”Don’t think you’re out of the game.” At the same time, he pointed out that there is no point in submitting underdeveloped manuscripts, as that only burns up the research communities resources in terms of reviewers’ time. The winning combination then is to create good works and then not be afraid of facing reviewers’ scrutiny.
Annie Lang, editor of Media Psychology, suggested that selecting the right journal for your work is crucial to getting published. “Be sure you’re submitting something that’s in the scope of the journal,” she said. Annie urged the grad students to direct their energies to making their papers substantive, as opposed to perfect. According to her, pre-occupation with the latter leads to immobility and focus on the former to advancement with the review-revise-review-revise of the peer review process ironing out the imperfections. She went on to provide advise on how to respond to reviewers’ comments.
Harmeet Sawhney, editor of The Information Society, said it is also important to understand the texture of the journal. The Information Society, which covers a wide range of topics from artificial intelligence to the digital divide, is flexible about methodology but insistent about a significant conceptual contribution. He says, in a journal like this, conceptually strong articles are essential because “the appeal of the published article needs to go beyond the sub-speciality the researcher is working in to the broader audience.”
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October, 2010 - Paul Caine wins Distinguished Almuni Award
Paul Caine, BA’86 Telecommunications, was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by IU’s College of Arts and Sciences. The presentation was made at the College’s annual Recognition Banquet on October 15, 2010. Paul is President and Group Publisher of Time Inc. Style and Entertainment Group. He’s in charge of 6 leading magazines and their websites, including People, InStyle, Entertainment Weekly, and Essence. Paul makes a point of keeping in touch with IU and Telecommunications. In 2007 Paul taught an intensive 1-credit weekend course, “The Business of Magazines.” Although he works in a world of celebrities, Paul remains very much down-to-earth. His integrity and work ethic are an example to others who hope one day to achieve his level of success.
September 27, 2010 - 3D at IU Telecom
“An Ancient Pond,” a stereoscopic 3D short film project by MS student Chris Eller, wrapped up its filming over the weekend. The project’s shooting finished on Sunday with cast and crew recording final scenes in the IU Arboretum and in Telecom’s own Studio 5. “It’s a film about power, assassination, revenge, and innocence,” says Chris, who is filming “An Ancient Pond” as part of his final project, which will eventually include two other shorts in 3D. “This is the first project that Telecom has really been involved in. This has been in pre-production for three months.”
In addition to shooting his own work, Chris is also helping Professor Susan Kelly teach T452: 3D Storytelling. The course,
Chris Eller edits 3D video footage for "An Ancient Pond."
a pioneering one in the country, immerses 12 students in semester-long advanced 3D production work. The students were selected on the basis of an application process, and the high demand led to the addition of another course in the spring. Chris is hoping to develop a course design for future 3D production classes through a special T540 project this semester.
Chris says that producing 3D film is really interesting because it presents unique challenges. “There’s the added complexity of the 3D camera rig. The two cameras have to work together,” he says. From a production standpoint, Chris says he’s gaining a new awareness for the techniques involved in capturing the magic of 3D. “You have to be much more conscious of how you frame. You have to reconceptualize everything, but then there’s a new sense of realism,” he says.
The finished product of “An Ancient Pond” will be viewed in the soon-to-be completed IU Cinema, which will be 3D-ready when its renovations are finished. Chris is also helping IU Cinema gather 3D content through both grad and undergrad projects. The IU Cinema’s grand opening gala will be in January.
Grad student Chris Eller makes adjustments to the stereoscopic 3D camera.
For the future, Chris has several other 3D projects planned. On the agenda for upcoming months are a thriller/comedy involving zombies and a documentary on the art of bookbinding.
In addition to talking with us this week, Chris was interviewed for a pair of 3D-themed stories in the Indiana Daily Student for the Weekender section. You can view one of the stories through the IDS website here:
http://www.idsnews.com/news/weekend/story.aspx?id=76926
September, 27, 2010 - Graduate Student, Kiersten Kamman Edits for FCLJ
Many of our graduate students spend time writing papers with hopes of submitting them to journals or conferences, but one student, Kiersten Kamman, actually gets to tackle the job of editing for a journal. Kiersten, who is currently working towards a joint degree in Telecommunications and Law, is the Senior Articles Editor for the Federal Communications Law Journal (FCLJ), housed on IU’s campus at the Maurer School of Law. Kiersten’s job involves reviewing and selecting the content for three annual publications and sending them to article editors.
Graduate student Kiersten Kamman edits for the Federal Communications Law Journal.
The FCLJ is entirely student-run with one main faculty advisor and oversight from the Federal Communications Bar Association. IU Telecom’s Professor Barb Cherry has helped with the journal in the past. The journal publishes articles on communications law, intellectual property law and IT, and related topics. Around 70 students on staff review legal and policy analyses, papers on FCC decisions, and social scientific articles with policy implications. “Net neutrality is a hot topic right now, and we’re currently working with an essay about using social science research to make policy. We try to stay at the cutting edge of policy decisions,” Kiersten says.
For Kiersten, her work in the Telecommunications Department has added a unique approach to her studies in law. “Having a strong background in the academic social scientific side has helped me understand a lot of policy decisions that have been made,” she says. Kiersten also spent last summer interning at the Federal Communications Commission headquarters in Washington, D.C., where she realized that having knowledge of both Law and Telecommunications really helped. “I worked on a lot of children and the media issues, and there policy research is based on social scientific data, so I was glad I could help,” she says.
Kiersten hopes to further make the most of her dual degree, aiming to head to D.C. eventually. “I’d really like to work for the FCC or for a communications law firm in the area,” she says of her future.
