News

Limitless: 2023 UConn Digital Media & Design BFA Senior Exhibition

Limitless: 2023 UConn Digital Media & Design B.F.A. Senior Exhibition 

 

The UConn Digital Media & Design (DMD) Department is excited to announce the 2023 DMD BFA Senior Exhibition, Limitless. The in-person exhibition is open from April 1 to April 28, 2023 in the Jorgensen Gallery at UConn’s Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, with an opening reception on Friday, March 31 from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT (with a screening of films and animations starting at 6 p.m.). Regular gallery hours are Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and prior to performances and during most intermissions. All events are free and open to the public.

Limitless features the work of thirty senior UConn DMD Bachelor of Fine Arts students from both Storrs and Stamford campuses. Exhibited artworks range from 2D and 3D animations to narrative and documentary films, mobile apps, websites, and games. The title Limitless reflects the expansive hopes of the exhibiting artists. For these students, the future has no limits. To learn more about the exhibition, visit: http://dmd.uconn.edu/bfashow

 

Exhibiting artists:

Giana Adragna (Newtown, Pa.), Jade Wedding Journal, mobile app
Agustina Aranda (Bridgeport, Conn.), Say Something, documentary short film
Nicole Bottone (Ridgefield, Conn.), Nightfall (日夜渴望), 2D animation
Willow Chau (Chester, N.H.), La Cuisine de Chau, website
Trinity Caban (New Haven, Conn.), Rooted Obsession, narrative short film
Matt Ciccone (Wallingford, Conn.), Alta’s Odyssey, video game
Dan Collette (Middlebury, Conn.), Tutti, web app
Dean Corelli (Bedford, N.Y.), Legend of Silva, video game
Josh Estevez (Bronx, N.Y.), The 9 Chambers: Tower of Doom, video game
Andy Gardner (Bridgeport, Conn.), iDriver, mobile app
Wren Halpern (East Northport, N.Y.), Camp Hemlock, 2D animation
Sergei LeFaivre (Brookline, Mass.), Story of Success: UConn Basketball, 3D animation
Walter Luciano (Stratford, Conn.), Don’t Break Your Controller, video game
Caitlin McCarthy (Easton, Conn.), Escape from the Grey, 2D animation
Parker McKenzie (Newtown. Conn.), Bird vs Evil, 2D animation
Shannon Nasution (Norwalk, Conn.), I’m Sorry for Your Loss, narrative short film
Christopher Orrico (Cos Cob, Conn.), The Ladder, documentary short film
Sarah Oxner (Shelton, Conn.), House Pets, narrative short film
Tiana Rawlings (Manchester, Conn.), Deadly Serious, narrative short film
Stephen Rivas (New Canaan, Conn.), March, 3D animation
Sandra Robel (Southington, Conn.), Reign, 3D animation
Shane Rungkagoonnuwat (Chiang Mai, Thailand), Creatures of One’s Mind, 3D animation
Madison Salvatore (Alburtis, Pa.), The Bacchus is Dead!, video game
Jack Seraphin (Fairfield, Conn.), Manila, narrative short film
Grace Smedberg (Newington, Conn.), Trespasser, 3D animation
Madalynn Stewart (Norwalk, Conn.), Augustus, 3D animation
Brenna Thorpe (Branford, Conn.), Husky Wait Time, mobile app
Yazmine Uvidia (Queens, N.Y.), I Choose You, installation
Nandita Venkat (Glastonbury, Conn.), Tender Memory, video game
Cynthia Wan (New Fairfield, Conn.), Violet, website

 

The University of Connecticut’s Department of Digital Media & Design creates future leaders in entertainment, design, business, and communications. Students study animation, film/video production, game design, web/interactive media design, digital media business strategies, and digital culture. Our commitment to experiential learning prepares our students to respond to real-world challenges, and we encourage students to find and express their voice, building from their unique background and perspective. We acknowledge that a diversity of thought and expression is needed in today’s society and see great promise in our DMD students’ abilities to make a difference in the world as future digital media content creators, distributors, and analyzers.

 

The University of Connecticut’s School of Fine Arts balances artistic and cultural legacies with the innovative approaches and techniques of contemporary art. In doing so, the School of Fine Arts serves students at UConn in both their educational and their professional development. The outstanding faculty from the four academic departments (Art & Art History, Digital Media & Design, Dramatic Arts, and Music) are committed to providing rigorous professional education and all offer undergraduate and graduate degrees. The academic programs are supported by specialized and uniquely focused showcases, stages, exhibition spaces and forums which include the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, The William Benton Museum of Art, Contemporary Art Galleries, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, and von der Mehden Recital Hall.

 

###

If you would like more information about the 2023 UConn DMD BFA Senior Exhibition, email Marcella
Vertefeuille at
digitalmedia@uconn.edu.

 

Download a .pdf of this press release.

Resilience: 2022 UConn Digital Media & Design BFA Senior Exhibition

Resilience: 2022 UConn Digital Media & Design B.F.A. Senior Exhibition 

 

STORRS, CT – The UConn Digital Media & Design Department is excited to announce the 2022 DMD BFA Senior Exhibition, Resilience. After two years of virtual exhibitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are thrilled to hold an in-person exhibition which is open from April 2 to April 29, 2022 in the Jorgensen Gallery at UConn’s Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, with an opening reception on Friday, April 1 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT. Regular gallery hours are Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and prior to performances and during most intermissions. All events are free and open to the public.  

 

Resilience features the work of 25 senior UConn DMD Bachelor of Fine Arts students from both the Storrs and Stamford campuses. Exhibited artworks range from 2D and 3D animations to narrative and documentary films, digital publications, interactive websites, and games. The title Resilience reflects the challenges and experiences of the exhibiting artists’ senior year during the transition from distance learning to in person. For many of them, this tumultuous year not only strengthened the extent of their creative process, but also brought forth new and meaningful ideas through their work. To learn more about the exhibition, visit: http://dmd.uconn.edu/bfashow

 

Exhibiting artists:

Ben Anderson (Stonington, Conn.), Evergreen, 3D animation 

Brenna Ashby (Hopedale, Mass.), Evolution, 3D animation 

Natalie Curtis (Lebanon, Conn.), The Stolen Child: Animating Poetry, 2D animation 

Megan Du Plessis (South Windsor, Conn.), Invisible Ties Oceans Apart, short documentary film

Quinn Erno (East Lyme, Conn.), Rise: Mountain Bike Documentary, short film 

Arianna Gomes (Bridgeport, Conn.), Graphicsbyari Brand Suite, website 

Colleen Green (Stamford, Conn.), ReadR, website 

Paula Guerrero (Stamford, Conn.), Gatcha!, 2D animation

Eric Laputka (Bridgewater, N.J.), Pizza Time, 3D video game 

Jon Larsen (Stratford, Conn.), Paint Knight, 2D video game 

Samir Lee (New Haven, Conn.), Esc, VR experience 

Matthew Luxeder (Prospect, Conn.), American Boy, short documentary film

Nicole Mata (Tolland, Conn.), How to Conserve Bread, 2D animation 

EJ McCabe (Bridgewater, Mass.), Cats vs Robots, 2D animation/short film 

Sofia Messerrly (Port Chester, N.Y.), Enter: Net, 2D animation/music video

Jaret Ostop (Madison, Conn.), Illusions and Witchcraft, 2D animation 

Davis Peng (Old Greenwich, Conn.), Witch of the Forest, 2D animation 

Lauren Platt (Skillman, N.J.), Starry-eyed, 3D animation 

Kevin Rodican (Yonkers, N.Y.), Scholarship, short film/music video

Heather Rutishauser (Monroe, N.Y.), Floating to Freedom, short documentary film

Emmanuel Sainville (Stratford, Conn.), L’Union Fait La Focus, 2D & 3D animation

Meira Tompkins (Dunstable, Mass.), Internship, website

Cara Tracey (Darien, Conn.), PeakBag, mobile app

Miles Waterbury (Clinton, Conn.), Nutz, 3D animation

Chaofan Yu (Jinan, China), Vista, mobile app

 

The University of Connecticut’s Department of Digital Media & Design creates future leaders in entertainment, design, business, and communications. Students can study animation, film/video production, game design, web/interactive media design, digital media business strategies, and digital humanities. Our commitment to experiential learning prepares our students to respond to real-world challenges, and we encourage students to find and express their voice, building from their unique background and perspective. We acknowledge that a diversity of thought and expression is needed in today’s society and see great promise in our DMD students’ abilities to make a difference in the world as future digital media content creators, distributors, and analyzers.

 

The University of Connecticut’s School of Fine Arts balances artistic and cultural legacies with the innovative approaches and techniques of contemporary art. In doing so, the School of Fine Arts serves students at UConn in both their educational and their professional development. The outstanding faculty from the four academic departments (Art & Art History, Digital Media & Design, Dramatic Arts, and Music) are committed to providing rigorous professional education and all offer undergraduate and graduate degrees. The academic programs are supported by specialized and uniquely focused showcases, stages, exhibition spaces and forums which include the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, The William Benton Museum of Art, Contemporary Art Galleries, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, and von der Mehden Recital Hall.

 

###

 

If you would like more information about the 2022 BFA Exhibition, email Stacy Webb at digitalmedia@uconn.edu.

 

Download a .pdf of this press release.

(Via UConn Today) DMD Professor’s Historically Themed Video Game Receives Industry Accolades

A Virginia mansion burned by the British during the Revolutionary War provides the setting of Professor James Coltrain’s award-winning “Blackhaven” game (contributed photo).

The historically themed video game “Blackhaven” from Digital Media & Design assistan professor James Coltrain has grabbed international praise and industry-wide attention for its narrative structure that centers on the efforts of a fictional plantation-turned-museum that attempts to cover up its past.

Three months after its July release, “Blackhaven” was one of only 47 official selections and garnered two nominations at the prestigious IndieCade Festival for best Narrative and best Impact Game, going home with an unexpected juried award for best Innovation in Experience Design.

IndieCade – described by Time magazine as the “Sundance of Indie Games”– works year-round to support independent video game developers and their pursuits, culminating with its two-day awards festival.

In giving “Blackhaven” one of their top awards, judges commended the game for allowing players to unveil “layers of personal and national history that help make pointed realizations about modern life and its roots in the past.” They also noted that “the game creates a surprising new experience by delicately balancing its detailed aesthetics and unobtrusive mechanics around this simple narrative that ties each element together into a surprising and exciting new experience.”

Coltrain was excited to see the game be received so positively noting, “Blackhaven is a slower, quieter game drawing from real historical documents, and so it’s really exciting to see it get this kind of attention.”

“Blackhaven” is the first release from Coltrain’s Historiated Games. He collaborated with students and faculty at Xavier University of Louisiana, a historically Black institution. A student script team under the direction of Shearon Roberts, an Xavier associate professor of mass communications, helped craft the game’s protagonist, Kendra Turner, a student from a historically Black institution.

In the game, Kendra, voiced by TikTok personality Darby Farr, works at the Blackhaven Hall Historical Society and discovers how it has whitewashed its slave-owning past.

Beyond IndieCade, “Blackhaven” in January received another notable recognition, an honorable mention for Excellence in Narrative at the Independent Games Festival, part of the larger industry-leadingGame Developers Conference (GDC) to be held in March. Coltrain also will speak at GDC on his experience developing “Blackhaven.”

Since its release, the game has had 30,000 downloads. It is available to play on PC for free on Steam.

“We are thrilled that James joined our growing game design program,” says DMD Department Head Heather Elliott-Famularo. “IndieCade and GDC are the top venues in the world, and IndieCade is arguably the most prestigious festival for independent games globally.”

She adds, “In a year when over 10,000 games were released for PC alone, winning the award is a remarkable achievement, particularly considering that his game studio, Historiated Games, is essentially a one-man show, and the release of ‘Blackhaven’ happened amidst a global pandemic, which brought great challenges to the production.”

“Blackhaven” is only the beginning for Coltrain and Historiated, as the game began as an offshoot of a larger project called “Cassius,” which will take players back to Blackhaven Hall during the 18th century. That game is slated for 2023, but first Coltrain will release “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” a historically accurate account for all ages inspired by painter Grant Wood’s work by the same name. It will be Historiated’s first game in virtual reality.

 

For original story, see: https://today.uconn.edu/2022/02/dmd-professors-historically-themed-video-game-receives-industry-accolades/ 

UConn SFA Professor Oscar Guerra Wins Big at Emmy Awards

University of Connecticut’s School of Fine Arts professor Oscar Guerra was a winner at the 42nd Annual NewsOscar Guerra and Documentary Emmy Awards Tuesday night. He won Best Story in a Newsmagazine for his documentary film, Love, Life, & the Virus, which tells the story of a local immigrant Guatemalan family and the impact COVID-19 had on their lives.Professor Oscar Guerra

The film aired on PBS Frontline, which also won two additional awards for its programming. Univision also aired the film in Spanish.

“It was already an honor the be nominated in two different categories, but the win feels amazing! Love, Life & the Virus is simultaneously a story of uncertainty and hope, darkness and light, but above all, what happens when people come together and support each other. Miracles do happen!” said Guerra. “And I am grateful to share this win with my family, my Frontline team, and UConn.”

“All of us at UConn are very proud of Oscar and his achievement,” said Dr. Carl Lejuez, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. “This transformational film makes an important statement about an immigrant family’s experience in the Covid era, giving a voice to those who are marginalized in our society and disproportionately affected by the pandemic. It’s also a great example of why community engaged scholarship and creative work among our faculty is so important to our role as a research University for the State of Connecticut.”

In Love, Life, & the Virus, Guerra follows the family as mother, Zully, is admitted to the hospital due to her COVID-19 diagnosis and pregnancy with her second child. Her husband, Marvin, and son, Junior, also contract the virus. With the entire family ill and unable to care for the baby, they turn to Junior’s teacher who agrees to care for the newborn. Cameras follow the family through every step of their lives as the Stamford community rallies around the family until they eventually reunite.

Guerra Productions Team

“Oscar’s Emmy win is huge and comes at a wonderful moment for our young Digital Film/Video Production major. Just last year, we announced a new Human Rights Film and Digital Media Initiative, partnering with our Human Rights Institute at UConn, and this is evidence of the quality of our program and the kind of impact we intend to have on the medium – and in society,” said DMD Department Head, Heather Elliott-Famularo. “Oscar’s dedication to human rights filmmaking and our ongoing partnership with PBS Frontline are integral to this future.”

Guerra and his team are currently working on their next film which focuses on the aftermath of the Trump Administration’s Zero Tolerance immigration policy and family separation. This is a collaboration between UConn, Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and PBS Frontline.

As seen on Broadway World.

Unraveled: 2021 UConn DMD BFA Senior Exhibition

Graduating BFA seniors from the University of Connecticut Department of Digital Media & Design are excited to showcase their senior project work in the virtual exhibition Unraveled. The online exhibition launches Wednesday, April 28, 2021 at http://dmd.uconn.edu/bfashow. In addition, an online screening featuring film and animation premieres will take place via YouTube on Friday May 7, 2021 at 7pm EDT at http://youtube.com/uconndmd. Unraveled is presented by UConn Digital Media & Design (DMD) and the Virtual Jorgensen Gallery at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts. All events are free and open to the public.

Unraveled features the work of 22 senior UConn DMD Bachelor of Fine Arts students from both Storrs and Stamford campuses. Exhibited artworks range from 2D and 3D animations to narrative and documentary films, digital publications, interactive websites, and games. The title Unraveled reflects the feelings and reimagined workflows of the exhibiting artists’ senior year. Everything they may have planned – or thought would be – became “unraveled.” For many of them, this tumultuous year not only influenced the trajectory of their projects, but also the subject of their work. 

 

The exhibition includes work by the following students:

Simone Alston (Greenwich, Conn.), Glittergirl Online, 2D animation

Andrea Blanco (Stamford, Conn.), Amor, Sabor, Esfuerzo, short documentary film

Destin Brown (New Haven, Conn.), An Artist’s Struggle, 3D animation

Meaghan Doherty (Enfield, Conn.), Viscid Xenogenics, 2D video game

Isaiah Edwards (New Haven, Conn.), BLACK SATURATION, short film

Nicole Ellis (Vernon, Conn.), I Try to MAGIC a Plant!!!, 2D animation

Mackenzie Fox (Stony Point, N.Y.), Through a Glass, 2D video game

Sophia Galante (New Haven, Conn.), Sleight of Hand, 2D animation

Alisia Gruendel (Branford, Conn.), Balter, 2D animatic

Katelyn Jepsen (Norwell, Mass.), Flecks, 3D modeling/2D animation

Cassidy Keller (Sandy Hook, Conn.), Where I Call Home, 2D animation and video

Jake Limone (Norwalk, Conn.), Abductee, narrative short film

Lynette Muse (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Oh,Chickens!, 3D animation

Akari Ohashi (Lexington, Mass.), out/o, 2D animation

Gillian Partyka (Summerville, S.C.), The Eastern Tower, 2D animation

Jakub Pirog (Stratford, Conn.), JR SPECS: The Come Up, short documentary film

Carlos Rivera (New London, Conn.), Mount Tolkien: “Out of Time,” 2D animation 

Michael Russell (Madison, Conn.), My 2020 Process Book, multimedia book

Dana Santillana (Waterford, Conn.), Spiraling, 3D animation

Josh Stanavage (Colchester, Conn.), Take a Walk, mobile website

Marcella Vertefeuille (Ashford, Conn.), Personality, 2D animation

Anthony Zor (Bethel, Conn.), Lost Souls, narrative short film

 

The University of Connecticut’s Department of Digital Media & Design creates future leaders in entertainment, design, business, and communications. Students can study animation, film/video production, game design, web/interactive media design, digital media business strategies, and digital humanities. Our commitment to experiential learning prepares our students to respond to real-world challenges, and we encourage students to find and express their voice, building from their unique background and perspective. We acknowledge that a diversity of thought and expression is needed in today’s society and see great promise in our DMD students’ abilities to make a difference in the world as future digital media content creators, distributors, and analyzers.

 

The University of Connecticut’s School of Fine Arts balances artistic and cultural legacies with the innovative approaches and techniques of contemporary art. In doing so, the School of Fine Arts serves students at UConn in both their educational and their professional development. The outstanding faculty from the four academic departments (Art & Art History, Digital Media & Design, Dramatic Arts, and Music) are committed to providing rigorous professional education and all offer undergraduate and graduate degrees. The academic programs are supported by specialized and uniquely focused showcases, stages, exhibition spaces and forums which include the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, The William Benton Museum of Art, Contemporary Art Galleries, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, and von der Mehden Recital Hall.

 

###

 

If you would like more information about the 2021 BFA Exhibition, email Stacy Webb at digitalmedia@uconn.edu.

 

Download a .pdf of this press release.

“Turning Point” 2021 DMD MFA Thesis Exhibition

The 2021 Digital Media & Design Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition showcases innovative work in digital media. 

MFA Exhibition Banner

The University of Connecticut’s Department of Digital Media & Design is delighted to announce the 2021 MFA Thesis Exhibition Turning Point, viewable online and in-person starting March 31, 2021. The in-person exhibition runs through April 9 at the William Benton Museum of Art at 245 Glenbrook Road, Storrs, CT. Museum hours are Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM and 1:00 to 4:00 PM on Saturdays. The online exhibition opens to the public March 31 at https://dmd.uconn.edu/2021mfashow/. A live virtual event featuring screenings and discussion with the exhibiting artists will be held Friday April 9th at 5pm EDT. All events are free and open to the public. 

Turning Point invites viewers to experience a varied range of digital media by graduating Digital Media & Design Master of Fine Arts students. The exhibition features 2D and 3D animations, UI/UX interactions and designs, digital games and virtual reality. Turning Point represents two years of research, creativity, development, experimentation and production.

Exhibiting artists: Emma Atkinson (Baldwinsville, NY, USA), when we were, Virtual Reality Video Game; Yucheng Hang (Yangzhou, China), CyberTown, Interactive Educational Platform; Hongju “Hannah” Lim (Hwajeong, South Korea), Ensemble, 3D Animation Short Film; Wenchao Lou (Shandong, Qingdao, China), Memory · Home · Food, 2D Cooking Game; Claudia Nunez (Lima, Peru), As You Wish, 2D Animation and Pitch Bible; Renoj Varghese (Orange, CT, USA), Microinteractions in Chatbots, Interaction Design. 

The Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media & Design within the School of Fine Arts at University of Connecticut (UConn) is a customized, two-year graduate program where students work closely with dedicated faculty in the development of their own independent creative practice. Situated within a top-25 public research university, UConn’s Digital Media & Design Department operates at the intersection of fine art, technology, science, and the humanities. The program is designed for applicants with a demonstrated background in digital media/design who want the opportunity to intensely pursue advanced education and research in their specific area of expertise or in an interdisciplinary capacity drawing from more than one area within the digital media space. Situated in the School of Fine Arts, DMD faculty and students have the opportunity to engage in collaborative projects with both industry partners and top researchers across the university. 

UConn’s School of Fine Arts balances artistic and cultural legacies with the innovative approaches and techniques of contemporary art. In doing so, the School of Fine Arts serves students at UConn in both their educational and their professional development. The outstanding faculty from the four academic departments (Art & Art History, Digital Media & Design, Dramatic Arts, and Music) are committed to providing rigorous professional education and all offer undergraduate and graduate degrees. The academic programs are supported by specialized and uniquely focused showcases, stages, exhibition spaces and forums which include the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, The William Benton Museum of Art, Contemporary Art Galleries, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, and von der Mehden Recital Hall.

(Via UConn Today) ‘Amplifying Black Voices in Hollywood’ Debuts DMD Speaker Series

A focus on topics ranging from lack of Black representation on writing staffs to the distorted perspectives of TV crime dramas.

 

 

UConn’s Digital Media & Design Department will host the inaugural event in its Diverse Perspectives in Digital Media & Design: 2021 Speaker Serieswith “Amplifying Black Voices in Hollywood” on Friday, Feb. 19 from 1 to 8 p.m., via Jorgensen Digital Stage.

The one-day summit will feature conversations with Black leaders from various sectors of the film industry, and will examine its changing landscape by exploring efforts to increase diversity in all aspects of Hollywood including screenwriting, development and production, producing and directing, and visual effects and post-production.

Participants will include:

• Romany Malco, actor/director of “Tijuana Jackson: Purpose Over Prison” on “Fighting for Equity in Hollywood.”
• Kristen Marston, culture and entertainment advocacy director at Color of Change Hollywood, on “How the TV Crime Genre Normalizes Injustice.”
• Alan Mayo, president of Orion Pictures, on “Authentic Storytelling at the Studio Level.”
• Numa Perrier, director of “Jezebel,” on “Creating Content for underrepresented Voices in Digital Media.”
• Chris White, visual effects supervisor at WETA Digital, on “The Value of Inclusion in Visual Effects.”

Last year, Color of Change Hollywood released its second major study on how the paucity of people of color writing scripts and in leadership roles in the film and television industries contributes to miseducation about the criminal justice system and makes racial injustice acceptable. The report, “Normalizing Injustice,” examined 26 different scripted series focused on crime from the 2017-2018 season broadcast on both networks and streaming platforms.

Producers of “The Rookie” have implemented suggestions based on recommendations in the “Normalizing Injustice” report from Color of Change Hollywood. (ABC.com Photo)

The 2020 report found more than 80% of the producers, known as showrunners, as well as at least 81% of writers were white, while only 9% were Black. In three of the series, all of the writers were white. The data was similar to the organization’s 2017 study of television and film writers, “Race in the Writer’s Room,” which examined all episodes from all 234 original scripted comedy and drama series on 18 broadcast, cable, and digital platforms from the 2016-2017 season. That study found two-thirds of shows had no Black writers and more than 90% of all shows had white showrunners.

“We are working in an industry that has not been built for Black people and people of color and so essentially it’s functioning as it was intended to function,” says Marston. “There’s a lot of people who are working in the industry who are continuing to do things the way that they’ve always done things because that’s what’s worked for them. Hopefully we’ll see a bit of change in this coming year, given everything that’s happened in the past year.”

Marston says events similar to the UConn summit can contribute to creating change because, even if people are not in the entertainment field, consumers hold “a significant amount of power,” and can use their knowledge about industry issues to hold industry leaders accountable to improve their practices.

“Normalizing Injustice” examined for the first time how crime shows can problematically affect viewers because more crime shows — more than 60% of prime time programs — were on the list of the Top 100 most watched shows than shows from any other genre, and had a higher total viewership than any other type of program. Among the concerns identified in the study, crime shows often:

• Make heroes of people who violate our rights
• Present the powerless as those who actually manipulate the system most
• Present momentary flash of remorse about killing or wrongly jailing as all the accountability that’s need
• Turn racism into a joke, a prompt for eye-rolling
• Frame objections to illegal and immoral behavior as laughable ignorance of the naïve who don’t know “how things really work on the streets.”

“We know that Americans’ perceptions of crime are very much at odds with the reality of crime in America,” the report says. “As just one example, while the crime rate has dropped precipitously over the last 20 years, the number of people who say that there is ‘more crime in the U.S. than a year ago’ has steadily risen.”

Marston says an example of the report resulting in change can already be seen in programs like “The Rookie,” whose creative team worked with Color of Change Hollywood to adjust its season.

“There have been a lot of creators who have really understood what we were trying to do,” she says. “We’re not trying to tell them how to do their work or tell them what stories to write. We’re just there to be a solution oriented partner along the way.”

Upcoming programs in the Diverse Perspectives in Digital Media & Design: 2021 Speaker Series will include “Bl(x)ck Rhizomes: A Digital Public History Praxis,” on Feb. 22; “Women in Animation” on Feb. 26, and “Representations of Religion in Film” on March 5 with other programs being scheduled.

“Amplifying Black Voices in Hollywood” is presented by UConn’s Department of Digital Media & Design, in partnership with Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts and the H. Fred Simons African American Cultural Center

This summit is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required. To register and for more event details, visit the DMD Diverse Perspectives site.

Article From UConn Today

Election Night Live Social Media Analysis

UConn DMD Election Night Live Social Media Analysis

Tuesday, November 3 at 5:30pm

Join us on Election night from 5:30pm-6:00pm EST for a live broadcast from the UConn SMACC (Social Media Analytics Command Center). Faculty and student researchers will discuss critical election issues, analyze real-time social media trends, and make some predictions. Watch it live on Youtube.

 

Our Digital Media & Design student analysts have been following the presidential race and related topics on social media and will be monitoring real-time data on election day. With Americans breaking early voting records in key states across the country, will this election prove to have the highest voter turnout in American history? What will we know on election night?

 

Topics up for discussion include:
  • Sentiment analysis of both presidential candidates
  • Swing states such as Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Arizona
  • Key Senate races in Arizona, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Maine
  • The Vice Presidential Debate and how one moment can go viral (the fly)
  • Russian influence and bots in social media
  • The proliferation of fake news regarding COVID-19
  • Conversations about white supremacy and militia groups in America

 

The research team includes Assistant Professor In-Residence John Murphy and DMD students: Ryan Young, Christina McDonnell, and Rosalie Garcia. Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of Middle East Studies, Jeremy Pressman, will also talk about Foreign policy under Trump or Biden during the Election Night broadcast.

 

Follow us on Twitter @UConnSMACC on and after Election Day to see how social media data provides unique insights beyond traditional polling data. To learn more about the kinds of election-related data we've been analyzing, visit: https://smacc.lab.uconn.edu.

 

 

Contact John Murphy, with any questions at jmurphy@uconn.edu.

When You Vote, You Make A Difference.

When America Votes, UConn SMACC Listens.

DMD Student Creates Platform to Support Mental Wellness and Connection During Pandemic

Refreshr

DMD undergrad, Jamison Cote, was recognized by NBC Connecticut for creating an online platform where students can send and receive personalized encouraging videos during these tough times. Along with his classmate, Alex Kim, the two students set out to help their peers cope with the stressors of college life during a pandemic by creating a new platform called Refreshr. 

Refreshr invites college students to fill out a form with basic information such as what school they attend and a fun fact about themselves. Once the form is filled out, Kim and Cote randomly match the student with another student. Each student records and receives a short video of encouragement. It works similarly to getting a pen pal.

Read more on NBC Connecticut.

(Via UConn Today) DMD Faculty Named in Multiple SCHARP Awards

OVPR Funds Five Projects in the Arts & Humanities

(Via UConn Today) DMD Faculty Named in Multiple SCHARP Awards
image via UConn Today

Congratulations to the DMD faculty who have received UConn OVPR SCHARP awards!

Professor Heejoo Kim (PI) was awarded $8,000 for “The Loom,” a collaboration with Co-PI’s Helene Kvale (Dramatics Arts), Tanju Ozdemir (DMD), and Simon Hutchinson (Univ. of New Haven).

DMD professors, Tom Scheinfeldt and Greg Colati are Co-PI’s on a $50,000 Breakthrough Award with Mark Healey (PI) (History) and Greenhouse Studios Colleagues for, “Bibliohack Plus: an integrated, low cost, open source digitization tool kit and workflow for the global south and underserved areas.”

We are really proud that two of the five university-wide awards involved DMD faculty research! SCHARP awards aim to support innovative works of scholarship and creative activities in the arts and humanities that have the potential to transform a field of study, impact the common good, or chart a new direction in scholarly, creative, or artistic development.          

Read the full article via UConn Today.