Meet the candidates- Digital Media

Digital Media
#1

As many know, I have announced I will be running for Digital Media Chair. Digital Media elections are this weekend on Sunday 5/19 at 3pm. I would encourage everyone to show up.

Since 2015 when I became a member Digital Media has a history of being a not very active committee. I want to see this trend finally end. Digital Media as a committee can support many of the other committees as well as Makerspace as a whole.

While Vice Chair under Daniel, an opportunity arose to shoot a video of the strandbeest team. It was an incredibly short deadline, but I made it happen. This video was dispersed by Multicam across all their social media channels. Due to the short deadline, this couldnā€™t be a committee project, but I would like to organize more shoots like this. Working hand in hand with PR, I believe we can drastically change how potential members hear of us. I also recognize that many of our members would rather not be in the shot, so rest assured, if the committee is shooting, you will not only know beforehand, but also have the ability to not be included.

In the expansion, Daniel and I not only received more square footage, but also were approved for an audio booth we requested. I would like the opportunity to work with expansion to see this completed. This has the opportunity to not only enhance our current capabilities, but to also attract new people into our committee. Not only could musicians have a space to record, we could also do voiceover recordings.

Recently, there have been some committee meetings that have not been scheduled. I believe Digital Media should be pushing to do more live streams. Our monthly committee meetings will be live streamed, as well as board meetings.

We have an amazing and highly enthusiastic volunteer by the name of Andrew who is heavily into VR. I believe between himself and our VR teacher Ben, we can move VR out of ā€œjust for gamesā€. Iā€™ve challenged them to work on virtual sculpting capabilities for the Makerspace. A way for makers to virtually design something that they can then walk into 3D fab and print.

Thatā€™s a few of my ideas moving forward for Digital Media, but I want to hear from the members. What do you want to see happen that Digital Media can help with?

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#2

Members who donā€™t use the Makerspace will quit it.

So every department needs a core curriculum to get members inspired and engaged. So I suggest that we offer a set of basic classes each month. This way, members who arenā€™t experts in our field have an entry point.

For digital media, I suggest that our core curriculum consist of beginner classes in photography/videography/audiography; digital editing tools for the same; and website design/implementation/management. Even if we donā€™t do this, we ought to have a Digital Media section of the DMS website which links to a vetted set of online free tools and Youtube classes for learning this stuff (e.g., VLC Player, Gimp, Blender, Solidworks, Fusion360, Tinkercad, Audacity, Wix, Wordpress, Inkscape). We also ought to record our classes and post them on our website or Youtube so that members can be reminded of that critical information they forgot from that class they took six months ago.

Optional classes intemittently offered might include CAD design, using our fancy scanning machine, and maybe virtual reality gaming tools.

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#3

wait you guys have a scanning machine? I thought it was in the shop for parts :confused: gah ive been needing stuff scanned for a while and i kept checking the dms wiki to see if there was some solution.

Can the tools list be updated under the wiki? at least stuff like that, stuff that stands out a little bit more and has interdisciplinary uses.

if the board doesnā€™t object i can have it updated this week or next week.

#4

Digital Media does host a number of classes on the basics, but I agree we need to do more advanced. We teach how not to break the cameras, and how to move past auto into some basic settings. We show how to step into VR, but not create.

Many individuals teach Fusion 360. Kee was great about teaching out of the box classes. Classes like designing a ring in 3D, flat pack furniture, and how to set up tools in fusion 360 for the multicam. I took many of his classes. I know he needed a break, so Iā€™d like to get more people teaching in that space. I can do some of it, but need to build more of a community of teachers.

Website design has typically been handled by software development. I would like to see more cross committee classes though. Websites would be a great opportunity if software is interested. They could handle the coding perspective where Digital Media could assist with designing assets and UI/UX.

#5

The last update I have seen on the scanner was your post.

Has this returned from repairs?

#6

How about classes where we build one of these for each of us?

RJ

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#7

sorry, somehow the language of the previous posts led me to believe there were two scanners at dms. the 3d fab chair has already said he checks every monday and i assume there will be an announcement when it is done.

#8

Not a problem. Previously the scanner was in Digital Media where it was apparently found in parts. We taught classes on how to use it and had the room to set up larger scans such as full face/head.

#9

Great find! This would be a great candidate for cross committee collaboration. From the brief look I could give it:

Digital Media: design the enclosure for laser
Laser: cut and assemble
Software: get the rasberrypi up and running
3D fab: turn your scan into printed copy.

From a novice going through step by step it would be a great confidence builder, and our veteran makers could skip the parts they already know.

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#10
  • Digital Media has white/lightboxes, lighting, and (not sure about this one) a camera. What can DM do to get us taking pictures of our finished works? Classes, workshops, Photoshoot Days?
  • When I was making slides to advertise classes, there were almost no high quality pictures that DMS owned for the backgrounds. Consequently, we couldnā€™t publish the slides on the official DMS FB page. What can DM do to create a library of high-quality photos of DMS and its regular classes for use by PR?
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#11

Digital Media has multiple cameras, soft boxes, and a product photography white box. Digital Media can set up monthly product photo shoot time where makers can come in have their creations photographed. Iā€™d like to work with PR on standardizing what is available and how it can be showcased. I know when Coul when was over PR he was shooting some footage. I offered to assist him, but never heard back from him.

Your class advertisements have been missed. Iā€™d like to offer that service to all teachers once again. Digital Media as a committee should be assisting in initiatives such as that and supporting the Makerspace as a whole.

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#12

Be wary of backing yourself into a hole of Digital Media becoming a ā€˜DMS run entityā€™. By that I mean instead of users coming to learn how they can support themselves, theyā€™re coming to have a service done. Eg ā€œOh I heard you take high quality pics of things I made, Iā€™ll bring it up on X day for you to do that!ā€. Instead of ā€œI need to take this class to show me how to do it on my ownā€

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#13

I understand where you are coming from and handle these types of issues in my day job. There are members who have a need. That need may be for a product photo, or a slide. There are members who need this one time, and those hungry to learn but donā€™t know what to work on. By holding these workshops, we can better engage the general membership who may not come otherwise.

What Iā€™m proposing is one day a month ā€œopen house, what do you need?ā€ A Digital Media version of a workday around the committee meeting. Where we can build more of a community and assist.

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#14

That actually sounds kind of neat. Iā€™ve been needing some more professional-like headshots done. I wouldnā€™t even mind giving Digital Media a donation for something like thatā€¦ if thatā€™s allowed.

#15

Very much appreciated, but Digital Media doesnā€™t have consumables so we donā€™t have a kiosk for donations. Donation of time is always appreciated though, come to the committee meeting this weekend. I think headshots would be a great class. Everyone learns the cameras, the lights, how to shoot, and can walk away with a file.

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#16

Ooooh! How to use lights!!! (Figuratively pounding the heart key)

#17

I have updated the title of the thread from ā€œStatement of intentā€ to ā€œMeet the candidates- Digital Mediaā€. It has been brought to my attention that after announcing he would not be running, @thespacemaker has been collecting proxy votes at the space.

Adnon, Iā€™ve laid out some great ideas on how to build the committee, would you be willing to help share your vision if re-elected?

#18

Iā€™ve been teaching these classes since my tenure as digital media chair. Photography basics is usually every saturday. There is also a fusion 360 basics class nearly every week.

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#19

I did not say I would not be runningā€¦ I said I would wait until the board elections so that I would not try to hold both a board position and chair.

#20

I will say that if you have a meet the candidates post and knew that I have been collecting proxies then perhaps you should have stated that at the beginning of this post and actually let everyone meet the candidates, not just candidateā€¦ (editā€¦ I see now @apparently_weirds comment addressing thisā€¦ Iā€™d appreciate an edit on the original post though to address the update)

As for my tenure as Digital Media chair, I have shot over 1TB of footage for the space and taught perhaps over 100 classes (I think in 6 months I have added something to the tune of 7000 dollars to the digital media budget. Iā€™ve been having nearly weekly Photography basics classes as well as product photography classes (quite popularā€¦ I donā€™t think a single one has not made the minimum student limit)

I brought in 4 interns with the Dallas Film Society that helped shoot footage around the space. I bought the Sony a7III and all of the true production equipment, including an Aperture light, NTG4+ Boom mic and the gimbal and glidecam. All of which I teach classes on.

I would like to see a set built in one of the taller classrooms that has production lighting baked in as well as a nice backdrop that reinforces the brand of Dallas Makerspace while simultaneously empowering teachers.

As for the live streams. There is already in the works with infrastructure a plug and play system of scissor arms/yi action cameras that would allow any member to get quickly set up at each work table.

I have been on the ground in Digital Media nearly every day and plan to continue my devotion to the committee regardless of the outcome of the election. I hope that same dedication is mirrored in all the candidates running.

Cheers, and thank you for taking the time to help make Digital Media and the space great.

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