Steve Anderson

In one of the more unexpected turns that my week could have taken, I spent the morning at the Disney Channel's headquarters in Burbank watching Creative Commons chair Joi Ito suggest ways that Disney-ABC could embrace a progressive attitude toward copyright and its alternatives. The room was packed with a full spectrum of Disney employees, including lawyers, managers, technologists, marketers and creatives, with others conferenced in from Disney offices as far away as Seattle. The concept of Creative Commons was entirely new to some, while others confessed to having downloaded CC licensed music for personal use. When Eric Faden's all-Disney mashup A Fair(y) Use Tale was mentioned, heads nodded all around the room (even though it was mis-identified as "that Lawrence Lessig video"). Overall, the reception was positive and welcoming, as Joi explained why Disney should view Creative Commons as neither communism nor anarchy, but a sound business model for engaging fan communities and the potentials of user generated content. He also offered to send lawyers and technologists from CC to meet with their counterparts at Disney to see what kind of partnership might be possible. An all-Creative Commons channel as part of the Disney-ABC network? Disney content released under CC licenses to encourage fan remixes? I'm sure stranger things have happened, but I can't think of any right now.

Posted by at 9:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The USC School of Cinematic Arts and Disney-ABC are pleased to announce the official launch of Project Remix! Currently enrolled USC students who are interested in competing for cash prizes and the chance to have their work appear on ABC.com have just one month to put together their best remixes of Disney-ABC content. You heard right: for the purposes of this contest only, USC students are being allowed to show off their creativity by remixing original materials from Disney-ABC.

Each entry must be submitted to one of the following six categories: Music video (such as Spectacular Spectacular), Mashup (like This Place Sucks), Cut-up (see 2005 State of the Union), Algorithmic remix for example  Tasting Rachel Ray), Remix Trailers (like Shining) and the catch-all category of Freestyle.

You may submit as many times as you want, to as many categories as you want. Just remember that some categories are likely to be more competitive than others, so choose carefully.

Disney-ABC has given this project extraordinary freedom to make use of their intellectual property. Please use your good judgment and keep in mind the goals of the contest as you decide how to remix it. You may obtain media from any legally available source -- no questions will be asked about where you got your materials.

Not only is this a chance to win $$$$$ but it is a truly unique opportunity to demonstrate your talents to some enlightened minds inside Disney who have made this contest possible. You will be allowed to include your work in your portfolio, but you can't distribute it online. In other words, please don't jeopardize your participation in this competition by putting your work up on YouTube!

All entries are to be submitted as full resolution Quicktime files on DVD (clearly labeled with the creator's name and email address) no later than 5:00PM on Monday November 26th to the Institute for Multimedia Literacy, located at 746 West Adams Boulevard, a few blocks north of the main campus.

A google group has been set up as a forum to discuss Project Remix, ask questions, share ideas and so forth. We will also use this group to send out updates, answer questions and let you know about the results of any requests for material.

For additional information please visit the Project Remix website at:
http://iml.usc.edu/remix or the Project Remix Google group home page and sign up for the group.

Posted by at 1:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The USC School of Cinematic Arts is pleased to invite applications to a new, interdivisional, practice-oriented Ph.D. program in Media Arts and Practice (iMAP). The program is designed for students wishing to pursue parallel interests in the theory and practice of Media Arts, combining innovative art practice with leading edge scholarly research. Drawing on the strengths of each program within the world-renowned School of Cinematic Arts (Production, Critical Studies, Writing, Interactive Media, and Animation and Digital Arts), iMAP seeks to define and promote a new generation of scholar-practitioners who merge historical and theoretical knowledge with creative and critical design skills. http://cinema.usc.edu/imap

Currently in its first year, Media Arts and Practice offers a small number of highly talented and motivated students the opportunity to substantially design an individualized course of study, aligned with their own interests and skills. The core iMAP curriculum consists of three foundational courses in Design, Practice, and Theory, plus a professionalization seminar devoted to exploring emerging movements in media technology, theory and practice. Beyond this, students have unprecedented freedom to pursue their own specialization by drawing on the course offerings and faculty of the University of Southern California and utilizing the resources of the School’s state-of-the-art digital production facilities.

Students enter the Media Arts and Practice program with a variety of backgrounds in the arts, sciences, humanities and technology. We seek students with a broad range of interests and abilities who are capable of working across traditional boundaries of scholarship, design, programming and media production. Applicants should demonstrate their potential to succeed in a rigorous, hybrid, creative/critical environment and an interest in exploring new directions in scholarly research and creative practice.

Students may begin the program with either a master’s degree (MA, MFA, MS) or bachelor’s degree (BA, BFA, BS). Admission is based on the following:

• GPA
• GRE Scores
• Personal Statement
• Writing Sample
• Media Portfolio
• Three Letters of Recommendation

The admissions committee favors application materials that indicate a diverse background in media production, critical studies, design and/or programming. The committee is also interested in experiences and activities that show a continuing or recent involvement with hybrid forms of new media-based scholarship. All materials must be submitted by December 1, 2007 for Fall 2008 admissions. For additional information please see or contact imap@cinema.usc.edu

Faculty Steering Committee

Steve Anderson
Anne Balsamo
Scott Fisher
Anne Friedberg
Kathy Smith

Affiliated Faculty

Bruce Block
Todd Boyd
Peter Brinson
Tracy Fullerton
Eric Hanson
Norman Hollyn
Perry Hoberman
Aniko Imre
Priya Jaikumar
David James
Jeremy Kagan
Kara Keeling
Marsha Kinder
Andreas Kratky
Akira Mizuta Lippit
Curtis Marez
Tara McPherson
Michael Naimark
Christine Panushka
Michael Renov
Ellen Seiter
Sheila Sofian
Michael Taylor
Richard Weinberg
Holly Willis

Posted by at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Vectors has just launched its 5th issue devoted to the theme of "Difference." This is one of the best Vectors issues ever, featuring "Killer Entertainments" by Jenny Terry, an intense, up-close view of the Iraq war from the cameras of troops, and "Blue Velvet: Re-dressing New Orleans in Katrina's Wake" by David Theo Goldberg and Stefka Hristova, which looks at the history of New Orleans. Check it out at http://www.vectorsjournal.org

Posted by at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hold onto your mouse ears! In an unprecedented move, Disney-ABC is inviting students in the USC School of Cinematic Arts to participate in a remix contest using selected materials from Disney-ABC television shows and online content from the website ABC.com. This is not a joke! This is a real challenge with real cash prizes for the best remixes in six categories including Music Videos, Mashups and Remix Trailers. Winners in each category will receive a cash prize and their work will appear on ABC.com. Details are still forthcoming, but a representative from the Digital Media Group at Disney-ABC will be on campus next Wednesday Oct 10th at 5:00PM in the Zemeckis Media Lab (RZC 201) to answer all your (many, many) questions and expressions of incredulity. The times they are a-changin'.

Posted by at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)