Friday Soldering Session Canceled

Hello, all.

The soldering session for Friday, February 8, is canceled. The session on Monday, 12:30-2:30, is still on.

I'll have more information about your Drift 1 assignment, including instructions for those who want to go on their walks this weekend, in a separate note tomorrow.

Class Canceled, Soldering Sessions, Prep for February 11

Hello, all.

Now that UWM has officially canceled afternoon and evening classes, we will not be meeting this afternoon. We have a soldering session going on right now until 3 PM, and we will also have a session tomorrow, Thursday, 10-12 noon and Friday, 12-2 PM, both in B-18.

On Monday, February 11, Seth will lead a session during his office hours, 12:30-2:30, in B-18. You can also e-mail your Lab Instructor to see if there are any other times this week or on Monday when you can get in some soldering time. Remember to check the directory to confirm your Lab Section:

http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/08116_directory.html

Since we are missing class this afternoon, we will have to postpone our field recording practice session until Monday. At that time we will go over the operation of the MD recorder with tips on how to capture and manage your recordings.

If you feel you are ready with your microphone rig, however, and you are comfortable with your MD Recorder, then please feel free to go out on your Drift this weekend. I will be adjusting the Course Schedule to make up for the lost day, so, check the syllabus within the next few days for any changes:

http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/08116_schedule.html


Remember your assignments for this weekend:

* Review the MD Recorder Operating Guide.

* If you wish, get a head start on Audacity by checking out these links:

http://www.edhsonline.org/other/audacity/
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/index.html
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/tutorials

* Read Peterson and listen to This American Life: Mapping

* Post your Reflective Response #1 (Mapping) to one of the following readings as a comment to Mapping blog post: Cresswell, Cross, Debord, Hiss, Lopate, Lippard, This American Life (note that Joseph Hart's essay, "A New Way of Walking," is not included among your possibilities). The deadline for this Monday, February 11, 3 PM.
http://film-116.blogspot.com/2008/01/reflective-response-1.html

Have a warm and safe weekend, and we'll see you at a soldering session or in class on Monday in MUS 180 (bring your kits, batteries, MD disc, microphones, headphones!).

Glenn


P.S. We will be covering this on Monday, but if you want to get a head start, here are the steps to get your MD recorder ready to record:

Make sure you are in Advanced Mode:
* Press and hold Menu for 2 Seconds.
* Rotate jog wheel until "Option" appears.
* Press "Enter" (middle button).
* Rotate to "Menu Mode," Enter.
* Rotate to "Advanced," Enter.

Make sure your discs are in Hi-MD mode:
* Menu
* Option
* Disc Mode
* Hi-MD

Make sure your discs are in Hi-SP mode:
* Menu
* REC Set
* REC Mode
* Hi-SP

Make sure you check your Mic Sensitivity:
* Menu
* REC Set
* Mic Sens
* “High” for general ambience
* “Low” for loud situations or very close mic

Make sure you are in Manual Gain mode while recording:
* Hold down Pause (II) and press REC (+>) (“Record Pause”)
* Menu
* REC Set
* REC Volume
* Manual
* You have to do this each time you hit STOP or power up your recorder.

Soldering Session is still on for 1 PM, B-91

Hello, all.

As many of you already know, UWM has cancelled classes today until 3 PM, and we're waiting to see if they will be canceling afternoon and evening classes as well. Until we get official notice, I will assume that class today is still on.

In any case we will still be holding the 1 PM soldering session in B-91.

We will also hold soldering and field practice sessions on Thursday and/or Friday, with times TBA, depending on what happens this afternoon.

In any case, there will be plenty of opportunity to finish your mics and get a handle on how to operate the MD recorders before you go out on your Drifts this weekend.

I'll keep you posted.

Preparation for Wednesday, February 6

Hello, all.

Thanks for your patience and perseverance in soldering your microphones. Nearly all of you were able to build a finished, working stereo microphone. However, we will have an additional soldering session tomorrow, Wednesday, February 6, starting at 1 PM, in B-18. So, if you were unable to finish your mic, or you need to test your mic or fix a windscreen, please feel free to drop by.

We will meet as a class at 3 PM in B-91 before breaking out into the lab sections for a mandatory field recording practice session (we will be taking attendance). Bring your production kit, mics, Hi-MD minidisc, headphones, and fresh batteries.

Hopefully it will stop snowing by class time, but, if the weather is still really bad, we'll pick some indoor or sheltered locations. You can protect your MD recorder by wrapping it in a plastic bag and keeping it in your pocket, and your microphones should be fine for a few minutes in light snow with the windscreens, but you can also protect them with plastic bags for stationary recording.

There were some bad links on the syllabus, which led some of you to last semester's version of the syllabus. Hopefully I've fixed these errors and you'll now be pointed to the correct information. (Sorry for the confusion.)

To clarify: After you finish creating your Drift Map (preferably with a Start Point indicated), post the Tiny URL as a comment to this post on the Course Blog:
http://film-116.blogspot.com/2008/01/drift-maps.html

The deadline for this is tomorrow, February 6, 5 PM.

Remember that the Drift Map is an ongoing space where you will be documenting all of the sights, sounds, and events for all three of your Drifts. The hand-drawn map is a requirement for Drift 1 (and an option for Drifts 2 and 3) that will serve as the visual component for the sounds posted in your Drift 1 blog.

Remember to read Hiss and Westerkamp.
http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/08116_research.html

Please note that the syllabus (as well as all of the sub-pages) are being updated throughout the semester, so remember to refresh your browser when viewing the syllabus.

See you tomorrow.

Glenn

P.S. Someone left Kit #44 in B-18. I have it in my office--you can pick it up during my office hours tomorrow 10-11, or during class.

Additional Soldering Session Monday

Hello, all.

Tomorrow we will set up an additional soldering session in B-18 from 1-2:45. All are welcome.

Reminder for Monday, February 4

Remember that we meet as a group on Monday, February 4, at 3 PM in B-91. At that time Brooke Swelstad, Equipment Room Manager, will make a presentation and then distribute the Production Kits. (Bring some batteries to test out your gear.)

After the checkout procedure is complete, we will then break out in the individual labs to finish the microphone building.

If you have finished and tested your mic, then you don't have to stick around, unless, of course, you wish to invest in your karma by helping out with your peers who are still soldering.

See you tomorrow.

Glenn

P.S. Remember to keep up with your readings: Lopate, Lippard, Russolo.
http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/08116_research.html

10th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival

10th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival

Recognized as one of the best short film festivals in Movie Maker Magazine

The regular deadline is Feb 29th at $15.

Final Deadline is March 26th at $20.

Also, please note that we are considering allowing films running longer than 18 minutes, but no longer than 30 minutes. This is due to us expanding the festival beyond our normal one day event.

http://www.dirtyjobfilms.com/filmfest.asp