Final Mic Building Session

Hello.

Tomorrow (Monday, February 16) we will have our final mic-building
session. We should be able to consolidate all of the activity in B18,
and we should have everything set up by 2 PM, if not sooner.

If you have finished building your microphones and windscreens, and
everything works fine, then you do not have to attend class tomorrow.

The Labs will then meet Wednesday in the Lab rooms for the mandatory
Field Practice sessions.

Production Kits, Mic Building, Drift 1

Hello, all.

Thank you for your patience yesterday with the microphone building. I
wish we had an unlimited supply of soldering wands and other equipment,
but we have to do our best with what we have. Remember that we will
have most of Wednesday and all of next Monday to finish your microphone
rigs.

We meet Wednesday, February 11, at 3 PM sharp in B91. Brooke Swelstad,
Equipment Room Manager, will visit our class to distribute the FILM 116
production kits. Bring new or freshly charged batteries so you can test
out the MD recorder and camera. After the kits are distributed and all
of the contracts are signed, we will return to the Lab rooms to continue
building microphones.

Between now and Friday, you will need to make some decisions about your
Drift 1 walk. Pick a starting point and a Drift Strategy and post to
your Drift 1 blog. The deadline for this is Friday, February 13, 9 PM.
Check the Drift 1 page for more information:

http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/116_drift_1.html

Check the Course Directory to make sure you have the correct URL for
your Drift 1 blog:

http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/116_directory.html

Okay, we'll see you all on Wednesday.

Microphone Building begins tomorrow!

Hello, all.

Tomorrow (Monday, February 9) we meet in the Lab Rooms for the first
round of the Microphone Building sessions. Please note that Lab 4 with
Heidi Spencer has moved to B-68:

Lab 1, B-91, Emir Cakaroz
Lab 2, B-18, Sean Kafer
Lab 3, B-75, Joe Sacco
Lab 4, B-68, Heidi Spencer

You can confirm your Lab by checking the Course Directory:
http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/116_directory.html

Remember to bring these supplies you purchased at Riverwest Film and Video:

* two Rapid 35-0190 Mic Capsules
* one stereo mic cable with 1/8" stereo plug
* two alligator clips for attaching windscreens
* one pair of enclosed headphones for testing mics
* Optional: swatches of faux fur for a fancier windscreen
* Optional: soldering wand

You can review the mic building demo, if you'd like:
http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/soldering_demo.pdf

Also, if you are interested in constructing a fancier windscreen, watch
this instructional video from a former 116 student:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rkv0P40rt8

Remember that I have extended the deadline for posting your Soundwalk
responses (including your answers to the 11 questions, overall Soundwalk
map, sound/body map, and sound log/notes) to next Sunday, February 15.

But, you should probably get started now on creating your Drift Atlas
and posting your materials. Remember to use the Drift Atlas URL that is
linked beside your name on the Course Directory. You will be copying
just this portion of the URL: flast116 (first initial, last name, 116)
and pasting it into the URL box on Blogger.

Please review the Blogger Tutorial for assistance:
http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/116_blogger.html

And the link to the Drift Atlas page:
http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/116_atlas.html

I've added links to the Course Directories from previous semesters to
the Tutorials page, so you can review the work of past students:
http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/116_tutorials.html

Also, here are specific examples of Drift 1 blogs:
http://egrycan11601.blogspot.com/
http://kprobst116drift1.blogspot.com/
http://mmorton11601.blogspot.com/
http://lsmith11601.blogspot.com/
http://bdavey11601.blogspot.com/
http://www.jamesstukenberg0711601.blogspot.com/
http://www.tobystaffanson0711601.blogspot.com/

And here is a nice treatment of Drift 1, even though his map thumbnails
link to MP3s rather than to larger versions of the maps (remember, each
field recording must be linked through a separate line of text, not by
clicking on the image thumbnail):
http://www.samkarow0711601.blogspot.com/

Okay, we will see all of you tomorrow.

Mapping Lecture

Hello all.

We meet tomorrow (Wednesday, February 4) in B91 for a lecture on
mapping. I will talk about artistic and experimental cartography, and
show examples of maps and images I hope will inspire you when you are
creating and editing your Soundwalk and Drift maps. I'll also go over
the structure of your Drift Atlas blogs.

I also hope to give you a preview of what to expect next week when we
start building our microphones. Needless to say, by now you should have
paid a visit to Riverwest Film and Video to pick up your supplies. If
not, go there soon!

See you all tomorrow.

Microphone Building, Production Kits

Hello, all.

Thanks for your patience with the microphone building sessions. We're
trying to make the best of the equipment that we have, and our goal is
to get as many of you finished with your microphones by the end of the week.

We will meet Wednesday as a class in B91. At 3 PM sharp, Brooke
Swelstad from the Equipment Room will give a short presentation, and
then you will receive the Production Kit you will be using this
semester. After that is done, then the labs will reconvene and the
microphone building will continue.

On Monday, September 22, the lab instructors will lead their sections on
a Field Recording Practice Session, while I will remain in B18 with the
soldering gear for any last-minute adjustments. Of course, you are
welcome to go out on your Drift 1 walk(s) this weekend if you feel
ready, but if you want to wait until we go over the use of the Minidisc
recorder on Monday, then that is fine as well.

Thanks, also, for the Soundwalk responses on your Research Blogs. I
checked them all, and even though I haven't yet been able to read
through each one carefully, I was impressed with what I saw so far.

Also, remember to keep up with your readings (please note that I've
corrected the bad links to some of the articles). The reading schedule
is posted on the Course Schedule:
http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/116_schedule.html

And the list of readings is covered on the Research page:
http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/116_research.html

That's it for now. I'll be out of town the rest of the week, but I will
be keeping up with my e-mail, so drop a line if you have any questions.

Soundwalk Response

Hello, all.

Just a reminder that your Soundwalk Responses are due today at 5 PM, and
are to be posted to your new Research Blog, and NOT as a comment to a
post on the course blog.

Here is the Research page with the Soundwalk questions:
http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/116_research.html

And the Course Directory:
http://www.glennbach.com/film_116/116_directory.html

Tomorrow (Monday, September 15) we begin our microphone building, so
plan on going directly to your specific lab room so that we can make the
best use of our time. Check the Course Directory if you still don't
know which lab you are in. There is a copy of the directory posted on
my office door (MIT B-60). (Remember to bring all of your supplies!)

See you all tomorrow.

Blogger Demo, Rain Delay, Class Still Meets!

Hello, all.

Yes, it's raining. Yes, we will postpone the soundwalk until Wednesday.
Yes, you still need to attend class this afternoon.

I will demo Blogger and how to get your Research Blog up and running,
and I will also go over the new and improved PantherFile and how to post
images to your blog. [We meet at 3 PM in B91.]

We will also screen some examples of previous student work, as well as
listen to some field recordings.

Because the soundwalk has been moved to Wednesday, that pushes the first
soldering session to Monday, September 15. I heard from Xav at
Riverwest Film and Video, and the audio cables should be back in stock
within the next day or two. So we should be good to go for Monday.

Getting Ready for Microphone Building

Hello, all.

We hit the ground running tomorrow. Riverwest Film and Video is open until 11 PM tonight, so if you haven't yet picked up your supplies, do it soon.

Remember to sign up on the Technical Forum by Wednesday, June 25:
http://www.freeforum101.com/forum/index.php?mforum=06116filmforum

In order to post your responses to the Survey, you will need to create a Google account. Complete the survey and post it as a comment to this post on the Course Blog by Thursday, June 26, 1 PM:
http://film-116.blogspot.com/2008/06/film-116-survey.html

Please review the Soldering Demo. Since we have such a small class, I can demo while you follow along with your own mics. If all goes well, we should be able to finish and test everyone's mic rigs by the end of class tomorrow.
http://tinyurl.com/ych42s

If you have a chance, read: Hart, Joseph. "A New Way of Walking."
http://www.utne.com/2004-07-01/a-new-way-of-walking.aspx

I'll see you all tomorrow.