week 12 & 13 assessment

Design the packaging for a multimedia application of your choice.

week 11 -sam,daniel,sarah

When it comes to any multimedia productions, we have to apply a sequential method to approach this topic. This is because we will wrestle with crucial works that will continue. If the project involves more than an individual, then constructing a systematic structure would be a strong foundation so that each member will know their roles and production expectations.

Some of the very important start-ups are ensuring the equipment and hardware at your disposal has the caliber to produce a work good enough to gaze and wonder. Even though you are working alone, all the more serious you should be about your equipment and hardware conditions. Discs has an expiry date, hardware may need to reformat, and graphic cards may need to replace.

Some smooth starting ups would be:

-Clear both your mind and workplace of obstructions.

-Attain the best equipment you can afford for strong performance.

-Schedule and manage a good system within the place.

-Get the biggest and the best screen you can afford for the better the resolution, the better the graphics.

-Be ensured of your disk storage space which varies according to the type of work you do.

CLIENTS

When you work with clients, be sure your organization adopts a good system of communication for the flow between you can your clients. This also applies to the people you work with because miscommunication can be pretty costly and losses will slow down an organization's performance and lowers the standards. A good communication flow also ensures good rapport building between any individuals that associates with the organization.

In most cases, customers are always right, because we serve to fulfil a customer's satisfaction for their money, of course. And if we do not meet their expectations we will indefinitely suffer from their complaints and sometimes, their temper. Achieving to meet a strong standard is every organization's goal. Some ways we can do this is by keeping the clients updated, creating a scheme that helps the customer feels ensured that they are in charge of their own products. For example, when a client ask for a specific design or whatever label, the organization can foster an 'appoval seeking attitude' by asking the clients about certain changes that they may want or maybe the client have a sudden idea that wants to change their current order. So, that is how at the end of the production, the customer will achieve a satisfied feeling.

It is also critical that the client has an easy means to review your work. This means transporting of informations or projects across borders using a large scale of storage requires files such as Zip, Jaz, SyQuest and DAT. The most common and time effective method of files transportingovernight courier service.

When you purchase materials for the project, it is wise to keep track of the receipt you get and most importantly keeping them organized always. This is especially convenient when keeping track of how much money that was used in completing the project. Organizing your file names is one of the things you can avoid losing files or misplacing them when you need them the most. Make names specific to your project's structure and store the files in directories of folders with logical names. Make sure that you know the versions of the multimedia software program used with all your files so that tracking editing changes becomes hassle off.

When you have a successful project, obviously you would want to protect and have people appreciate your work. Therefore, inserting copyright statements in your project could be appropriate. But remain the codes, tricks and programming techniques accessible for study, learning and tweaking by others.

One of the last few things you should remember as a designer is that no matter what your client may say or the critiques you get of your work, take that in good spirit because it may act as an aid to your project. Expect problems beyond your control and be prepare to accept and solve them. Some of the common irritants you might go through are like having clients who are not authorized to make decision when they're the only people around, sleepless nights because of the workload, too many complicate custom-coded routines, missed deadlines and so on.

Remember, it's not all about producing a good multimedia project. Its also about having good project management through out the entire process and taking careful measures to ensure that details are looked into thoroughly. Taking such a sincere attitude towards your multimedia work will definitely result in a successful multimedia project.

week 11 -simpin,alvin,canaan

In every multimedia production, the project plan is needed to build the product. The principles for successful project management of multimedia productions are as below.

Producing

This is the first step of the multimedia productions. For the multimedia developers, this plan is doing the construction work which is the hands-on of creation. They will contend with important and continuing organizing the tasks.

Starting up

Before you start the multimedia project, many important ways that need to check up. For examples, development hardware and software, review organizational, administrative setup. These are very important to ensure your project is working before you begin to do the project. Not only this, to prepare a complete and perfect project, there are some others matters that you need to pay attention to. For example, 512 MB of RAM and 80G of hard disk storage is the least condition of doing a multimedia project. As a multimedia developers, you need to backup of critical files as you won't lost your project. You need to have the latest version of software also.

Working with Clients

To work with clients, you must be sure that the organization of project incorporates a system for good communication between you and the clients as well as among the people actually building the project. Make sure that you provide a good management to avoid endless feedback loops from the clients. On the other hand, if you provide a good project, it will build trust between you and your clients. It develops a scheme that specifies the number and duration of client approval cycles. Multimedia projects need high-capacity storage media, so Zip, Jaz, DAT should be used that the clients be able to review your works easily.

Tracking

You must organize a method for tracking the receipt of material that you will incorporate into your multimedia project. A logical names always give to the files and develop a file-naming convention specific to your project's structure Store the files in directories of folders. Version control of your files need to work on your project also. You must always make sure that use the same version to do your project. Besides, make sure that you remember where you save the files. So that you can find back your files without any problems.

Copyrights

Copyright was also one of the principles to success project management in multimedia production. A copyright statement should be included in the multimedia package to warn user against copyright violation. We have to insert a copyright statement in our project clearly and ilegally but the code and programming techniques must remain accessible for study, learning and tweaking by others

Hazards & Annoyances

We have to control our emotion and prepared to accept them and solve them. Even though you are the experienced producer and developers or you feel your product do very well but you have to follow what client’s request. That because small annoyance can become serious distractions. So as a producer we have to avoid those problems that may be encounter during the production phase such as missed deadline, too many custom coded routines and meetings, accept criticisms from clients and many more.

week 11 -adriel,nicole,amanda

There are a few factors and principles that makes project management of multimedia productions successful. The first principle or process is the whole production of the multimedia production or project. The most important or significant part of the production is the planning stage. Production is a phase when the project is actually rendered. In this production process, it is important that the storyboards are prepared, navigation maps draft out, and so forth. It is during this phase that important and continuing tasks are most dealt and monitored with.

For example, if the project is built and done by more than one person, it is very important that a management structure is established in advance. This is so that if one person is away on emergency lift or unavailable, the project partner will be able to continue the project from where is was left off. This management structure will include specific milestones that will make monitoring easier. Also, it will include production expectations for each contributor. This will act as a guideline and monitor contributors.

After the production stage comes the start up process. In the start up process, it is important to check all development hardware and software. It is important that all software is available before the start of project. Besides that, there is also the need to review organizational and administrative setup. It does not matter if you alone are handling the project because all these steps will ensure a smooth flow of completing the project.

It is also crucial to determine the capacity of your CPU and RAM- lower capacity means there will be limitations for your project size; while bigger capacity will allow you to explore more on your project and allow space for miscellaneous. Another relevant area is that are there sufficient disk storage space for all work files because these will affect your project outcome.

Another area to monitor is the time factor. It is important to keep track of the time frame given to complete the project and ensure that all management system is in place. The Gantt Chart is a good way of self monitoring throughout your project.

For every project, financial role plays a big factor. It is important the financial arrangements are secure and planned out. Should there be any emergencies, you can be rest assured that there is back up. As for clients, it is vital that you have all their contacts so that communication will be made easier. Should any problem arise, there will be room for discussions and negotiations.

To work on a successful project, one not ony have to concentrate on the project but also to have a good background communication with the clients as they are the sole provider for the financial issue on the project itself. Working with clients are not easy especially the fussy ones. Therefore, the developer will have to build good rapport between he or she to the clients they correspond to especially towards the management level in the big corporations.

In order to do so, always ask the needs and wants of the specification on the project itself. Ask in datail so you could eliminate further changes from the management itself. Another way to make sure is to develop a cheme to the management which specifies the number and duration of client approval cycles. For example, give a number of times which the management can adhere their changes to. For instance, 5 times and later after that the developer may charge them an acess fee if they want to make extra changes from then on. This step is to ensure rectifications to be done in proper timely manner and eliminate changes.

As the updated changes is done to the multimedia production by the developer. He or she will have to update the information to their clients. As the production file is huge, the developer need to think about the storage space needed for the production. For example, always have a back up copy of the project itself to eliminate any unwanted mistakes such as power shortage. Then, use software pogram such as Zip to make the file smaller. Furthermore, have a huge data storage. One prominent way to transport the files to the client as soon as possible is to courier them however with technology one would be able to update the changes through the website which the client can acess and download from the attachment provided for instance.

Tracking the workload of the project is another successful way to make sure everything is done in order and in detail as time passes very fast and a dateline on the project could be easily missed out on. One easy way is to develp your name file project to the maximum 8 characters provided which associates with the topic of your project. For the larger project ensure that you have equip yourself with the latest update on the software programming you are using to enhance better quality project. For example, Creative Suite which was launched recently.

The next step of making multimedia productions successeful would be the process of copyrighting. In fact, any form of work whether is be an idea, or a project needs copyrights as they are the safety measures for people who want to make sure their ideas and works are not copied and tampered with by anyone wanting to do so. A person's idea may be good in that it is creative and is getting the interest of clients but if intellectual properties like these are not inserted with a copyright statement, one will risk losing that property to another and make all their hard work go to waste.

All forms of production have their setback and difficulties. Multimedia productions are no exception. To have hazards and annoyances are only normal and what makes multimedia productions, in fact any other productions, successful is the ability to overcome them, manage them, and even learn from them. But should they be allowed to fester and continue to hinder the production, they may very well be things that makes the whole process fail. These hazards and annoyances may be both big and small, and they may come in a wide array of forms. Some examples would be uncooperative co-workers who just cannot accept constructive criticism and so they become insulted and under perform in their task. To solve this, managers should have one-to-one talks with workers like these and try to convince them that they have to accept criticisms well and that it was given for their own good and for the good of the team.

Clients may also be a problem as they can sometimes be very fussy and demanding. They may ask for changes and amendments at a wrong time and the way to avoid this is by stating in the clause or contract that should changes be made to the production, extra charges will be incurred. This will discourage them from having too much of their own way and will then give managers and producers of the production less trouble and more time to finish their work. All-nighters, or people who have the tendencey to fail to get enough sleep can also present a hazard. Because of their lack of sleep, they will be unfocused and very unproductive and the way to amend this would be to give a warning to them that should they continue on with their late nights, their position in the team will be in doubt. This can also be applied with deadlines if workers fail to meet them.

week 11 assessment

Discuss the principles for successful project management of multimedia productions.

week 10 assessment

Create a simple storyboard of a computer game.

week 9 -sarah,daniel,samuel

First of all multimedia content is known as content that defines what the project is all about. It can be practically anything about the elements of multimedia. However, when acquiring rights to using multimedia content, there are certain copyrights and red tapes to go though if you want to use them for your own purpose.

Since the late 1980s, investors in the multimedia marketplace have been quietly purchasing electronic rights to the basic building blocks of content such as, films, videos, photographic collections and textual information bases. Preexisting content can come from a variety of sources be it pictures from your friend’s computer or from a stock house or image bank offering hundreds of thousands of hours of film and video or still images, available for licensing for a fee.

Besides that, there are certain copyright law issues, which the Malaysian Intellectual Property Law consists of three sections them being copyright, patent and trademark. Basically anything tangible can be copyrighted and it can be done by one’s self. Patenting is more abstract like intangibles such as technology and methodology. Trademark though is for protecting logos company names, mottos, etc.

One of the main issues users tend to neglect is when using somebody else’s multimedia project. Before touching anything that doesn’t belong to you, you must first obtain permission from the owner of the copyright. If you fail to do this, you may find yourself being sued for copyright infringement. This is a serious matter as the consequences are taken seriously by the court of law.

In the area of ownership, let’s say you have a friend who’s creating a multimedia project but at the last minute you also contribute to it. In the law, you may have the copyright ownership of a joint ownership. However, if you’re under the category of “work made for hire”, as an employee what ever you do belongs to the employer if the work fits the requirement. Nevertheless, to meet the definition of a work made for hire, several factors must be weighed to determine whether the individual is legally an employee of an independent contractor.

Some of the things that fall into the work made for hire category are works that are part of a motion picture or other AV work, translations and supplementary works. For example, the English subtitles you see in a Chinese drama TV series doesn’t involve rights belonging to the subtitle editor. As for an independent contractor, the copyright ownership work solely belongs to the person unless the work is specially ordered or commissioned for use and qualifies as a work made for hire, in which case the copyright belongs to the entity commissioning the work.

When developing a project, it is wise to obtain rights and take precautions first just in case you get tied up in law issues you don’t wish to be in. You may be able to negotiate outright ownership of copyrighted material. If the owner still doesn’t want to give up or sell ownership rights, you’re still entitled to licensing the rights to use the materials.