New technologies altered not only television, radio and newspapers but also influenced on the appearance, usability and possibilities of a new incarnation of books. Interactive e-books also went through the crossmediation process to surprise, engage and immerse more effectively than their printed ancestors. The world of dreams and fantasy may now elicit more realistic embodiment and persuade these reluctant ones to read more.

For some reason more and more people try to avoid reading books and no colourful pictures, high quality glossy paper or a headline stating that this book is a ‘bestseller in 14 countries’ will make them read. Some years ago publishers tried to change this antipathy by recording famous people reading books and selling it as audiobooks but, unfortunately, reluctant ones stayed unconvinced and traditional books’ fans did not really like the idea that takes all the pleasure of reading away. Nowadays, thanks to tablets and e-readers books may finally enhance their audience share and present something more than a plain text.

What we as crossmedia students have to learn is how to use all the advantages of this channel and how to present in in a visually attractive way as the market is full of both good and really bad productions. So far none of us thought of implementing ebooks to our Master’s projects, however, there is a possibility for all three of them to use this innovation inpresenting written content as it is more appealing to the user and may give more leyers of the story depending of how inquisitive the user is.

Types of e-books

There are three types of electronic books and it is good to understand distinctions between ebooks and apps as they are often confused.

Ebooks – these are the books with very limited interactivity, you can change pages, search for content and highlight words or sentences. They appeared at first on the devices like Kindle that enabled you to change the font size, had text-to-speech option or just portrait orientations when it was turned on its side. It attracted e.g. people who had problems with reading printed books because of their small font size.

Enhanced books (ePUB3) – this standard allows integration of video, audio and interactivity thus, it is expected to be the future of textbooks and, more interestingly, educational material. The advantage of this ePUB3 is the fact that you are able to make and share annotations without damaging the book, it enables self-tests after chapters and provides much more complex, engaging and enjoyable learning experience.

Interactive ebooks – these are applications designed to enable true interconnection between a user and a book, it allows you to interact with the storyline in sight, sound and touch which creates an experience that exceeds the printed format. Examples of such books may be pop-up ones for children, interactive travel guides that use GPS or cookbooks with video recipes with built-in timers.

Different types of interactive books

Giving a new life for well-known stories is one of the publishers’ approaches because who of you does not know the story of Alice in Wonderland? The hook in the newest tables version of this book is the clever use of the interaction possibility that attracts both kids and adults, these who are familiar with the story and these who do not know it yet. It is very appealing even to people that are not fond of technical novelties because of a simple reason, it is not overloaded with interaction and it stays within a clear bounds framed by the story itself, so there is no free crazy creation that would not be correlated to the story. It is really worth watching or trying it out as you may fall in love with Alice story once again.

Educational books may also provide  fun learning experience that have some of game-like elements. Our Choice is an enhanced ebook with lots of infographics, videos, images and other elements that allow the user to go as deep as he wants to discover as much as his interest goes. Something like this is impossible for traditional printed version and makes learning much more fun because it is loaded with visuals and it is user’s decision whether to read something more or go further exploring and discovering something else more interesting within the global warming issue which this book is about. User interface let you zoom out the visuals, browse quickly the content and pick the most interesting data to read.

In Martha Steward Cookies application its cool factor may make you at least try cooking. This is an interactive recipe book which let you look for recipes based on ingredients or cookie type you like most. On a search wheel you specify what you like and you are given a bunch of recipes, with a clip of how to make them, additional information about ingredients or the process of making them, as well as you may use built-in timer that will prevent you from burning your dessert.

The last example, The Magic of Reality, is literally science turned into magic with the help of an interactive book. This book will present you stories that have been created by people from thousands of years of how the world arose and how it works. You will have a unique experience to test these ideas and check to what extent they were true or false as the user may interact with the storyline through different demonstrations and games that allow you to get your hand-on with the science and let you stimulate the effects of heat, pressure or gravity on different states of matter. The visual side enraptures and the story really engages so may be these are the school books of the future?

International crossmedia seminar “New trends (a)cross media”

Agenda

8.30 registration
9:00 – 9:05 Opening
9:05 – 9:45 Mika Rahkonen, Head of Internet, Yleisradio
“The principles and strategic insights behind our spanking new website: how do we see web journalism evolving, what is the next big thing?”
9:45 – 10:10 Laur Viirand, Editor in Chief of Internet Portals Estonian National Public Broadcasting.
“Public service broadcaster’s challenges in the New Media Era”
10:10 – 10:25 break
10:25 – 10:50 Dr. Indrek Ibrus, TLÜ Baltic Film and Media School
“Audio-visual industry start-up’s crossmedia innovations”
10:50 – 11:20 Erik Robertson, Managing Director / Nordic Game Program
11:20 – 11:45 coffee break
11:45 – 12:10 Dr. Renira Gambarato, associated professor, BFM
“Fiction and Non-Fiction: Possible Universes of Transmedia Storytelling”
12:10 – 12:30 BFM MA students’ crossmedia projects presentations – added value to apothecary Melchior, Nullpunkt and Trash To Trend.
12:30 – 13:00 Representative of Latvian project ‘15 Young by Young’
13:00 – 13:15 Q&A, Moderator’s summary.

Seminar languages: English and Estonian

Please register here

Seminar Venue: Tallinn University, Mare building, Uus-Sadam 5, room M-218,

Final Cut Pro X is a revolutionary video editing application that makes it possible for beginners and seasoned professionals to achieve stunning results.

This three-day, hands-on course teaches students to perform basic editing functions while becoming familiar with the user interface. Start with basic video editing techniques and work all the way through Final Cut Pro’s powerful advanced features. Students work with dramatic real-world media to learn the practical techniques used daily in editing projects.

Additional information about the course: http://training.apple.com/pdf/fcp101.pdf

Course Schedule

Who Should Attend

This class is designed for anyone looking to edit professional-quality video with Final Cut Pro and who prefers hands-on and interactive instruction to best explore its functionality.

Students should have the following prerequisite knowledge prior to attending the course:
• Knowledge of Mac OS X and basic computer navigation
• Basic knowledge of editing terminology is recommended

Course Materials

The book for this course is Apple Pro Training Series “Final Cut Pro X” by Diana Weynand and is included in the course fee.

More information about the book: http://www.peachpit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=9780321774675

Apple Certification Exam

To earn Apple Certified Pro – Final Cut Pro X Level One certification Final Cut Pro X Level One exam is taken after completing the course.

Information about the exam: http://training.apple.com/pdf/fcpx-exam-prep.pdf

The cost of the certification exam voucher is included in the course fee. If not passing the certification exam for the first time student must wait at least 7 days before retaking the exam. Retake exam is charged separately and costs 70.- EUR (1095.26 EEK).

It is also possible to take the Level One Certification exam without taking the class if the student has the required knowledge. The cost of the exam voucher is 70.- EUR (1095.26 EEK).

The course and the certification exam are delivered in English.

Course Instructor

Apple Certified Trainer Tarmo Rajaleid has a MA degree in Film Editing and teaches editing courses in Tallinn University Baltic Film and Media School where he also works as a Technical Director.

Registration and Cancellation Policy

Course Fee must be paid in advance at least 7 days before the start of the course.

Cancellations must be done in writing to tatjana.petuhhova[@]tlu.ee
• Cancellation at least 7 days before the course – entitled for a full refund.
• Cancellation at least 3 days before the course – entitled for a full class credit.
The class credit must be used within 6 month of the date of the original class.
• Customer is not entitled for a refund if written notice is given less than 3 days before the class.

Additional Information:
Tatjana Petuhhova
BFM Training project manager
Mobile: +372 50 52 952
tatjana.petuhhova[@]tlu.ee

If you still wonder what crossmedia professionals actually do I will unfold our biggest secret. As I mentioned before a couple of times we create universes for single stories as we are good at storytelling but there is something more we are capable of…  We can make your dreams come true. We can take you to your favourite story world and let you participate in the most interesting events that will make you feel like you are a part of the story. How can we make it happen? One of the coolest ways to accomplish it is augmented reality.

What is it?

It is told to be a future of most apps both for Android and iOS as all it requires is a decent processor, a camera and a GPS. Augmented Reality (AR) is considered to be an extension of virtual reality where player is immersed into real space but with exceeded bounds of physical reality. AR is a technology that blends virtual image into the video stream of a mobile device’s camera in real time. This trick enhances the gaming experience and provides a parallel world to the one the player is located in. It also gives the information about the surrounding world which becomes interactive and digitally manipulable.

Advantages of AR were also used in our transmedia projects developed during this year at school, 2 out of 3 groups decided to include this technology into two very different stories and targeted to two different audiences. The range of subjects that can be used in AR applications just is unlimited and may be used as pure entertainment, advertisement or education.

What’s on the market?

I would like to start with the Art, more precisely with graffiti. How can artist use AR? Well known graffiti artist Daim with a help of his friends and three cameras created a project called “Tagged in motion” that breaks the stereotypical image of graffiti which needs some solid background (wall, pavement, street) to be sprayed on. Daim sprays graffiti into empty space of a large hall with the aid of the Motion Capturing cameras which record his positions and movements with a virtual spray can. A pair of glasses he wears show him real time  free-floating 3D graffiti in space and via a Bluetooth controller Daim can pick colours, strength of brush strokes and textures.

The next type of projects that may successfully use AR are these connected with history and sightseeing. City of Berlin has developed an interesting project which shows how the city looked like between 1940 and 2008 using a satellite image of the city and via iPhone  you can watch a visualization of how the urban plan of the city changed during years. It works also outdoors while taking pictures of well-known landmarks thanks to visualisations you can see how they looked like in the past and how they developed during years.

Marketing would be the next in line to use AR in order to engage people and raise awareness about the product.  To interest German audience with a new crime and thriller channel  before its launch 13^th Street Universal developed a mobile game called The Witness. The idea was to move the plot of a crime movie outdoor that the audience could play a part in it, become witness and detective at the same time. Watch this clip to understand the possibilities which creativity and technology bound together give you these days to create something uncommon and memorable, something like The Wtitness.

If you are a big cinema fan and you love watching movies this application may be perfect for you. Agumented Reality Cinema is an application that shows you selections of movies that took place in London. You just have to take you phone and move through the city with the application turned on and you can see scenes from movies shot in this particular place you are looking at. What can be more engaging for a movie fan than watching the movie being played out in front of his very own eyes?

Advertising also warmly welcomes possibilities that AR brings along to raise an interest among younger generation. One of the best using of mobile and iPad applications is Volkswagen Beetle campaigned called Juiced up that literally makes consumers to hunt for outdoor posters in order to watch different animations that show the new car as aggressive and performance oriented nature that would appeal energetic young future customers. The approach to advertisement changed with AR, now the customer wants to see the billboards, posters and he is actively looking for them but under one condition: that it is something fun, innovative and engaging.

If you are fed up with boring guides or old-school guidebooks more and more cities try to make sightseeing more attractive for tourists by implementing AR apps just like Tuscany+. If you download the application and install it on your iPhone you will have an access to different categories of information for tourists: dining, sightseeing, accommodation or entertainment. By looking through your iPhone and tapping your finger you can read the details of the object you are looking at, read reviews or even look ask for a route to get to directions from your current location.

AR can be obviously also used for pure entertainment like in Inch High Stunt Guy where you have to get your stunt man on the motorbike through the circle. The idea does not really differs from common games played on mobiles as it is easy and meant to be just leisure activity but this time using 3D technique and your own desk. Nothing sophisticated yet but it gives you an idea of how augmented reality games may look like in just few years.

Social media are an inherent part of a modern service sector and basically you can use the tools that Internet gives you in three different ways: bad and inappropriate ruffling people’s feathers,  play safe and stay common remaining unnoticeable or you can just rock people’s socks off. Your choice. In case you opt for the last possibility here is the short manual of ‘know-how’.

I guess I do not have to explain anyone great advantages that come from social networking and their use. What is there to be mentioned however, is the fact that all its characteristics should be used in a clever way in order to actually make any effect, even better if it is a positive one.  One of the attributes is creating a personal bound between the company or product and their customers. It is not an easy task to create a real connection without being too intrusive or simply insincere.

If you want to know how real personal connections with customers were made via Twitter watch this KLM clip and enjoy their idea’s simplicity and honesty that pays off.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Another important thing in all creative projects and usage of social media is so called ‘cool factor’. Something that makes you laugh, surprises and engages you. This Tipp YouTube campaign engages people in a funny way. Try to type: call, eats, dances, tickles, love or any word of your invention.

[Enable captions on youtube: ‘CC’ sign next to settings]

Click here to view the embedded video.

The other way of making use of social networks is to be innovative and crafty just like two students from the University of Chicago that have decided to twitter classic literature books in twenty or less tweets. They summarize the main story plot and its dilemmas reproducing them in Twitter posts letting people know great works of famous writers. The idea was so innovative and appeared to be successful that Penguin Classics Publishing offered the two students a book deal.

If you use social media it is good to promise people something in return of their ‘like it’ button in Facebook. Discounts and vouchers are so yesterday and not possible to actualize for little entrepreneurs. Can you imagine something being just so cool that you want to participate in it even though, you will not get anything material in return? This little Swiss town had just the brightest idea ever of how to let people know that they exist and encourage them to visit the place with no financial input from their side. Ladies and gentlemen, the power of social networks mixed with pure creative simplicity.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Yesterday, 27^th of April, Crossmedia students presented their projects on Public meeting of Tallinn Creative Hub (Kultuurikatel) called Free City. Students, experts and visionaries could publicly introduce their projects raise a discussion about influence and change of urban space based on open-source thinking.

The second day of Free City event was devoted to workshops based on ideas and presentations thus, the students of Crossmedia could present some part of their semester work. The aim of this meeting was to raise the awareness of the students Master’s projects among people but also get advice and feedback when it comes to their business planning and possibilities of development.

If you want to read more about Free City event please go to Kultuurikatel web page.

Create brilliant titles, transitions, effects, and more with Motion 5, the motion graphics companion to Final Cut Pro X. This three-day, hands-on course starts with motion graphics fundamentals and moves into compositing, animation, and the world of 3D. Explore new intelligent templates to quickly and flexibly create high-quality effects, titles, transitions, and generators as well as create rigs to adjust related parameters with a single control.

More about the course.

Course Schedule

Who Should Attend

This class is designed for students who are looking to learn more about creating motion graphics using Motion and who prefer hands-on, interactive instruction. Also desirable are an understanding of the Macintosh operating system and basic computer navigation.

What You Will Learn

• Creating Smart Motion Templates and publishing them to Final Cut Pro X.
• Creating parameter rigs to quickly adjust related parameters with a single control.
• Understanding behavior-based animation.
• Using keyframes to create animation.
• Creating content with Generators, shapes and paint strokes.
• Stabilizing and tracking media.
• Animating cameras and using advanced 3D features.

Prerequisites

Students should have the following prerequisite knowledge prior to attending the course:
• Basic knowledge of the Macintosh OS
• Basic knowledge of motion graphics terminology is recommended

Course Materials

The book for this course is Apple Pro Training Series, “Apple Pro Training Series: Motion 5,” by Mark Spencer and is included in the course fee.

More information about the book: http://www.peachpit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=9780321774682

Apple Certification Exam

To earn Apple Certified Pro – Motion 5 Level One certification Motion 5 Level One Exam is taken after completing the course.

Information about the exam: http://training.apple.com/pdf/motion5-exam-prep.pdf

The cost of the certification exam voucher is included in the course fee. If not passing the certification exam for the first time student must wait at least 7 days before retaking the exam. Retake exam is charged separately and costs 70.- EUR (1095.26 EEK).

It is also possible to take the Level One Certification exam without taking the class if the student has the required knowledge. The cost of the exam voucher is 70.- EUR (1095.26 EEK).

The course and the certification exam are delivered in English.

Course Instructor

Apple Certified Trainer Tarmo Rajaleid has a MA degree in Film Editing and teaches editing courses in Tallinn University Baltic Film and Media School where he also works as a Technical Director.

Registration and Cancellation Policy

Course Fee must be paid in advance at least 7 days before the start of the course.

Cancellations must be done in writing to tatjana.petuhhova[@]tlu.ee
• Cancellation at least 7 days before the course – entitled for a full refund.
• Cancellation at least 3 days before the course – entitled for a full class credit.
The class credit must be used within 6 month of the date of the original class.
• Customer is not entitled for a refund if written notice is given less than 3 days before the class.

Additional Information:
Tatjana Petuhhova
BFM Training project manager
Mobile: +372 50 52 952
tatjana.petuhhova[@]tlu.ee

The aim of the project is to keep alive the memory of the Ingrian Finns who became victims of the terror  of Stalin and Hitler and to improve the knowledge and understanding of their faith and history.

Nothing is impossible for creative producers. To prove I am right I have chosen campaigns for two very different stories to present you the range of innovations that crossmedia producers may use to advertise the product. Both of these stories were initially book stories but ended up as personal experiences of their audiences.

Decoded

In November 2010  Jay-Z, well known entertainment entrepreneur, rapper, song writer  and record producer, but also a husband of Beyonce, published his autobiography that debuted on the New York Times bestseller list at number 3 and stayed on the list for more than 19 weeks. The truth is that everything he touches turns to gold but was this success an effect of his hard work? No, advertising agency Droga5 helped him to promote his new product along with Microsoft Bing search engine that created a special interface for Jay-Z fans. How did it look like? Pretty pretty surprising…

At first, it is necessary to tell that the whole campaign was created as a worldwide treasure hunt mixed with an installation art. The campaign combined billboard advertising with social media, mobile applications and public installations in a way that all of these pieces formed an interactive game which let people unlock pages from the book. Secondly, the title itself referred to the fact that the book literally helped fans to uncover some facts from Jay-Z’s personal life by decoding the lyrics of his 11 studio albums. Finally, you could enter a competition to win a golden ticket: life-time pass to all Jay-Z concerts anywhere in the world for two. Can it get any better? Yes!

All the pages from the book (and there were 320 of them) were placed in different spots around USA. They had different sizes, were arranged on unexpected and not usual surfaces. Where could you find these places? All the way to your work: on the pavement, on the bus stop, next to underground schedule, on the wall or on cheeseburger wrappings. But also in one of the swimming pools or on the billiard table in the pub.

If you were interested in the story you could always find some more pages using Bing. Between 18^th and 20^th of November if you logged in to a specially created page for Decoded treasure hunters you could follow clues that lead you to real places where the missing pages of the book could be found. If you were interested enough to have this puzzle/adventure hunt you could read the whole book before it was publically released! A cherry on the top of the pie was a possibility to win the golden pass if you sent a message with the code from a location of any page you entered the competition for the pass but also for Jay-Z autographed version of that one page.

One more interesting thing in this case is brandscaping: cooperation of two brands that have access to different audiences which aim is to create great content engaging their audiences. This campaign was not really an advertisement for Jay-Z’s book but a smart way to engage people with Bing using bing.decodejay-z.com. Due to this partnership both parties gained success in a really shot amount of time. Jay-Z debuted on the 3^rd place on bestseller list and Bing noticed the traffic increase during the campaign by millions of new users. By the end of this campaign Bing gained its place in the top 10 most visited sites in the world for the first time! Droga5 agency was able to combine offline interest in Jay-Z’s book with online action on Bing web page, gaining millions of new readers/users for both.Great creativity and great success.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A Game of Thrones

This is a fantasy story published in 1996 by George R. R. Martin that consists of 3 stories about the land of Westeros. The first novel won Locus Award in 1997 and was nominated for several others that year. The plot was interesting enough and built a fan community so the novel itself has severs spin-offs like a trading game, board game or roleplaying game. The story of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros waited 15 years to be filmed and finally HBO has made a series under the same title: A Game of Thrones.

The first series was an HBO hit! New and old audience loved it so the marketing agency Campfire had a bit of a puzzle of how to engage people in the fictional story that takes place in the fantasy world. But as I stated at the beginning, there is nothing impossible for creative people. Their aim was to immerse people in the story world of this epic series and give a feeling of reality. They wanted to generate buzz that will dispose a deeper engagement of pre-existing fans and new audiences. Hard task but what they have done is a fantastic job!

At first, I will start with extensions that are easy  to guess: an iPhone app and online flash game. What is more interesting is the fact how they were used to go through The Maester’s Path – five-week long sensory exploration supported by crafted scent boxes and mobile food-serving trucks. If you cannot imagine it all working together I will explain you the idea of this alternative reality game. Each week new puzzle appeared on the web page, if you solved it you unlocked a preview clip from the series as well as one of the five links required to the maester’s chain. To solve all the puzzles participants were encouraged to use social media like Facebook or Twitter to recruit helpers and followers that had the ability to report the progress along the process to communicate it to others trying to solve the puzzle. Five links that were given after each puzzle opened the access to another clip where the Author of the books himself thanks all fans for participation and support. In the video below you may see how other pieces of the campaign based on five senses (smell, sound, taste, touch and sight) complimented this campaign.

Click here to view the embedded video.