CMPT 365 Multimedia Systems
Spring 2020 (1201)

Assignment 1

Due Date: Jan. 30, 2020 (Thurs.) midnight, via CourSys submission server.

Objective:

Learn some existing software for manipulating images, video, and music. By the end of this assignment you should be familiar with the PC Lab (or your own) equipment and know in a simple way how to use Adobe Premiere or Cyberlink PowerDirector [or equivalent], Photoshop [or equivalent, but I prefer you to use Photoshop], and music-manipulation software such as Anvil Studio [or equivalent] and perhaps digital-audio manipulation software such as Adobe Audition [or equivalent], as well as other multimedia software. [Note that the entire Adobe CC 2018 package is installed on all Windows systems in ASB9804.]

You are encouraged to work in pairs, with a singe submission for two students; however you may work individually if you like.

Assignment:

  1. Acquire (or find) at least three digital video files. You can either use a camera or phone (or download some from the web) [or, for interesting legacy video, use video-capture through Premiere or an equivalent product to make your own, from an old analog camcorder or VCR --- this is challenging, and fun].

  2. Compose (or edit) a small MIDI file with music-manipulation software. ♫
    Useful tutorial on Anvil Studio, including how to record sound with Anvil Studio using the MIDI keyboard --->
            (zipfile with whole tutorial.) --->
    (((A deeper MIDI sequencer product is Cakewalk Pro Audio, which has been available in CSIL:
    Useful handout on how to record sound with Cakewalk Pro Audio using the MIDI keyboard --->     )))

  3. Create (or find) at least one WAV file (ok, could be MP3). You may either digitize your own or find some on the web, etc. You might like to edit this digital-audio file using software such as Audition, SoundForge, etc.

  4. If possible, use Photoshop to create a title, and an ending. The freeware Gimp may work as well; but you cannot say you know about multimedia without having worked with Photoshop.

    5. A useful feature in Photoshop --->

    Useful handout on how to digitize old video using Adobe Premiere --->
    and... CSIL Handout on video capture using Microsoft Windows Movie Maker, VirtualDub, and WinTV2000 --->
    CSIL was upgraded at semester break, so it's not certain (at this date) what definitely works: see CSIL Windows Info for the latest information.

What to submit: Since you are submitting as a pair, only one set of submission components is uploaded: make who is in your pair clear on the title page of your report.

Combine all of the requirements above in "Assignment" to produce a movie about 30 seconds long (and not longer), which should include a title, some credits, some sound tracks, and at least two transitions.

  1. This submission component is an URL that is a link -- no id or password! -- to wherever you put up your video file. NOTE: Do not use CourSys as the server on which to put up your video, since that will break the server. Instead, only your video URL (and the PDF documentation file below) will be on CourSys. Call your video cmpt365a1.*, where * is the appropraite file extension for your video.
  2. In order for me to be able to view your video, I want to see only the smallest filesize result you were able to generate -- don't worry about the poor quality: that is part of the fun! Your file size limit for this assignment is 20MB!! ☺
Generate a report on the effect of the various components on the final product. Important: Experiment with different compression methods; you are encouraged to use MPEG (or better) for your final product. We are very interested in seeing how the concepts in the class go over into the production of actual video.
Premiere Pro in the lab can use the DivX codec to generate movies, with the output movie actually playable on (that) machine; but wouldn't it be interesting to try various codecs?
The DivX codec is installed on all 13 computers on the front two rows in 9804.
Or, simply use some other tool to try out different codecs.
In your writeup, include a table showing what compressions you tried, and the resulting filesizes you see. Also, in your table include information on your subjective impression of the video quality. Can you find software for compressing your audio? If possible, add a table stating codec, effect on quality and, if available, effect on audio filesize.

Please read again the
Remarks on marking in CMPT365