Course Descriptions

ETC Project Course I [53-605], II [53-606], III [53-607],
and IV [53-610]
Project courses are "group independent studies," where teams of 3-6 students work on a focused project(s) during that semester. The number of projects per semester will vary. The primary objective of the courses is to provide a hands-on working experience with teammates who are from different backgrounds and disciplines. Other objectives are to experience project management, and have the possibility of working with an external client (some projects have externally collaborators).

• The team contain students from both technology and non-technology backgrounds
• The team must prototype and produce a tangible artifact (not a paper)
• The work must be supervised by a faculty member approved by the ETC for this project.

The Visual Story [53-608]
Students are taught the language of filmmaking and the director’s craft as it applies to the digital format. Aspects of mise-en-scene, visual storytelling, continuity-style coverage, temporal and spatial montage theory, directing actors and thinking visually, will be essential to the new media director’s palette. All forms of digital filmmaking will be discussed including dramatic, documentary and independent features as well as commercials, music videos and experimental subjects. Through lectures, readings, screenings, web-postings, discussions, writing and production assignments, you will learn the basic principles and vocabulary of film theory and aesthetics. Understanding these fundamental ideas will help you develop a more critical eye towards creating new media.

Game Design [53-609]
This is a lecture and project based course that teaches the mechanics and processes of good game design. The principles learned in this class apply equally well to card games, board games, party games, athletic games, and computer games. Students will analyze many types of games, and design many games of their own, alone and in groups, using these principles. Anyone interested in interactive entertainment or in creating compelling experiences should benefit from this course. More info...

Introduction to Sound Design: Design & Media [53-611]
OVERVIEW: This fifteen week intensive class is designed to familiarize studentswith a variety of digital audio software applications and approaches to sounddesign. Students will have hands-on experience recording, editing and convertingdigital audio files in addition to creating sound effects. The course will alsoaddress sound design approaches for games, film and the web. Weekly lab/lectureformat will discuss special topics, technologies and techniques, and will includecritiquing each otherís work.

Improvisational Acting [53-711]
This course uses the craft of improvisational acting to: foster team building, exercise spontaneity, sharpen focus and increase listening skills, solve problems, build from nothing, recognize and develop basic elements of storytelling - including plot, character development, and theme; stretch creative imagination, and encourage students to overcome inhibitions when communicating publicly and working with others.  With the focus on taking risks and exploring moment to moment, improvisation allows the student to access once again the aspect of self that creates in the form of play.  By placing the emphasis on creation rather than performance, the student is able to focus on the application of skills rather than achievement - the result is a fun, relaxing and creatively stimulating environment.  

Maya [53-788]
This is a lecture and project based course on how to create environments, effects, and characters using Alias | Wavefront's Maya Complete 5.0. More info...

Building Virtual Worlds [53-831]
Building Virtual Worlds (BVW) is a project course, where interdisciplinary teams build immersive (helmet-based) interactive virtual worlds, as well as a variety of other interactive content, using Entertainment Technology
Center (ETC) platforms, such as the Jam-O-Drum, camera-based audience interaction techniques, multi-user touch tables such as the MERL DiamondTouch, and Quasi the robot. The goal of the course is to take
students with varying talents, backgrounds, and perspectives and put them together to do what they couldn't do alone. The key thing is that there are no "idea people" in the course; everyone must share in the mechanical creation of the worlds. Students use 3D modeling software, such as Maya, and painting software, such
as Photoshop. We use the ETC's Panda3D engine, originally developed by Walt Disney Imagineering's Virtual Reality studio, to render our virtual realityworlds.

Note that we don't try to teach artists to program, or engineers to paint; we form teams where everyone does what they're already skilled at to attack a joint project.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the course page shows many samples of student work: each of these projects was done by a team of 4 or 5 students, who had 2 or 3 weeks (maximum) to create the work you see. The course culminates in a raucous stage show, where a juried selection of the best work is shared with the campus community. These videos reachable via the link show the students "performing" their worlds in front of a live, 500-person audience in McConomy Auditorium on Carnegie Mellon's campus.

So You Want To Make A Movie
Fall [54-507] - Two semester course. The goal of the course will be to provide students with the confidence, skill, and experience needed to produce a full length screenplay.  Students must be committed to developing self-discipline and a professional work ethic, in addition to improving techniques and situations that expand their creative vision.   Equal emphasis will be placed on the creative and managerial aspects of producing.  Students will learn to enhance and develop artistic skill and judgment as well as acquire a sound background in business fundamentals essential for successful producing. Using professional and student projects as models, the course will develop and advance students’ techniques in pre-production, production, and post-production problem-solving. Presentation materials include an oral pitch, a written treatment, script, script breakdown, preliminary budget and  production schedule.

In addition to scheduled classroom time, a considerable time commitment will be required. The faculty mentors will meet for one-on-one consultations, supportive discussions and recommendations throughout the production process to review and evaluate project development.

Spring [54-508] - The foundation developed in the Fall semester will be expanded. Students will produce the full length screenplay written during the Fall. Presentation materials include a final, polished script, final shooting schedule, rehearsal, taping and editing of final production. In addition to scheduled classroom time, a considerable time commitment will be required.  The faculty mentor will also meet for one-on-one consultations, supportive discussions and recommendations throughout the production process to review and evaluate project development.

Electives

These are examples of the courses, by department, that ETCers have taken for elective credit in the program. Please note that what's listed is a representative sample, and the courses may not necessarily be offered every semester:

Printable List of Electives