Purdue digital cinema contest gives students chance to hit the big screen

The Digital Learning Collaboratory, a collaboration between Purdue Libraries and Information Technology at Purdue, known as ITaP, is accepting entries through March 31. All entries for the fourth annual competition will be shown publicly on the big screen during an April 20 awards ceremony at the Wabash 9 Theaters.

Because last year's entries played to a packed house, two screens may be used this year, said event coordinator Jody Reigel.

Local radio station B 102.9 will be present at the event. Corporate sponsors will donate prizes, including advanced digital moviemaking equipment and software, to top entrants. Awards will be given for both live-action and animated shorts ranging in length from 30 seconds to seven minutes.

The Digital Learning Collaboratory will conduct a series of movie-making workshops throughout February and March. "Editing with iMovie and iDVD" will take place from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 15) at Stanley Coulter Hall, Room 183. A soundtrack-creating workshop, "Making Music with GarageBand and iTunes," will take place at the same time and location on Feb. 20.

"We are trying to blend information seeking and critical thinking with the use of technology," said David Eisert, educational technologist with ITaP's teaching and learning technologies department. "We have them thinking about the overall package, including story, plot and the means of translating that to moving pictures."

Participants can register for the workshops online. E-mail updates are available by signing up for the mailing list on the Digital Learning Collaboratory's homepage. The films can be on any topic or genre but must have been created by a Purdue student enrolled during the fall 2005 or spring 2006 semesters.

Movie-making equipment, including cameras, tripods and editing facilities, are available free of charge to students through the Digital Learning Collaboratory.

Purdue is one of only a few universities to make supercomputing time available to undergraduates, a tool necessary to effectively utilize the digital rendering techniques needed to produce state-of-the-art animation, said Bart Collins, director of digital content for teaching and learning technologies.

The competition provides non-paid acting opportunities as well. A casting call to pair directors with scripts and actors will take place at 6 p.m. Monday (Feb. 13) at the Digital Learning Collaboratory in the Hicks Undergraduate Library, Room B-853.

Writer: Jim Schenke, (765) 494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu

Sources: David Eisert, (765) 494-4209, eisertd@purdue.edu

Jody Reigel, (765) 496-6788, jody@purdue.edu

Bart Collins, (765) 496-3685, bcollins@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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