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"White. A blank page or canvas. So many possibilities." (Stephen Sondheim)
One place to begin is to compare the facts with what is presented on the screen or in print. One very useful resource for investigating the validity of campaign messages is FactCheck.org. FactCheck.org doesn't claim to dispense the truth. Instead, this internet-based service, funded by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, analyzes the accuracy of political advertising on both sides of the ideological aisle. FactCheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. It monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. FastCheck's goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding. Pick a commercial from one side or the other. Note the facts as presented and then visit FactCheck to see how the content has been shaped to present a particular viewpoint. Was the commercial effective? What made it so? How did the images, sound, and text come together to make a convincing message, or not? Then ask yourself, as a designer, how might you have approached this assignment had you been asked to produce the commercial? Enjoy challenge of deconstructing political messages. You'll become a much better informed voter as a result. Summer fades fast here in the Pacific Northwest as the jet stream brings cooler weather in from the Gulf of Alaska. In-door activities such as table and computer games begin to replace those of Summer. For those who haven't given it a try, may I suggest a few rounds of Loggel to challenge the mind and forget the chilly out-of-doors. Loggel was written by Proscenia Interactive's Ken Loge. It is the first of a series of games we will be making available as free downloads. Feature Article : This week's feature is a short piece on 12 basic tips for preparing images for the web. It identifies and provides some basic concepts for the individual wanting to add graphics or pictures to a web page. Random Links: The one minute film was the topic of UNESCO supported workshop for Roma youth at a September in Tagru Mures. This sent of links presents some of videos made by workshop participants. It is interesting to see how ideas can be effectively communicated in 60 seconds of screen time. Site Visit: A photo essay by Belgian photojournalist Layla Aerts accompanies a World Press story, about Roma life in a Bucharest neighborhood. On The Desktop: News of interest to those working in film, video, multimedia, computer graphics and web design.  Proscenia Newsletter. This publication is dedicated to news about events, activities, careers, jobs, and technical information of interest to the multimedia community. This is a free biweekly web-based publication presented without commercial advertising.The Up Front, Feature and Random Links sections of this Newsletter are copyrighted by Proscenia Interactive ©2003 - 2004. This single phrase is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing these portions of the newsletter, in any format: From The Proscenia Newsletter - Copyright 2004. < http://www.wfae.net/newsletter.html >The use of all other quoted copyrighted material must be cleared with copyright owners. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology. The Proscenia Newsletter provides links to other sites as a matter of reader convenience and is not responsible for content provided from other sources.
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