We’ve now finalised the days and times for the semester one media studios – Sem 1 2016 studio timetable_19Dec. (The room locations are subject to change and you should check these the week your classes begin).

There will probably be quite a few timetable clashes (out of the Program’s control) -> cinema studies strand students in particular look closely at when your lecture and screenings take place (and do note that some cinema courses don’ have lectures – e.g. Histories of Film Theories while others do – True Lies).

Current draft timetable here: https://sts.rmit.edu.au/STS-ReadOnly/results.jsp

Here is our working map of clashes between individual studios and context course lectures and screenings.

We will not be processing timetable clash requests until the beginning of February 2016 (see the attached information notes). The important bit in the notes is this:

Students with clashes between their studio time and any lectures/screenings of core courses (i.e. context courses) should write to brian.morris@rmit.edu.au in the week 1st-17th February 2016, well BEFORE Student Timetabling System opens (19th Feb), to request a change to their next studio preference. Timetable clashes will not be processed before these dates. Just to remind you and be clear: a timetable clash in this instance only applies to compulsory context course lectures and/or screenings without alternatives. Not to electives or tutorials.

Do write to me as soon as you are aware of a clash (before Feb is fine). I can’t tell you at this stage how we will process legitimate timetable clashes. Our priority is to keep studios at a similar, equitable size. If you originally got your second choice you may go to your original third pref or to first pref depending on where the spaces open up.

The arrangements for ‘It’s Alive’ and ‘Room With a View’ are a bit different (it isn’t a typo) as they will also involve some time at partner facilities such as the RMIT-TV studio and RRR studios (generally on the same day as the scheduled class time/s; sometimes during that time sometimes outside of it on the same day). You will find out more about this when studios commence.

This is the site where studio information for Semester One, 2016 for the BComm Media program will be shared. Only students enrolled in COMM2626 Media 3 and COMM2628 Media 5 will be balloting for studio places in semester one.

In Semester One, 2016 there will be 11 separate studio themes offered, some of which will be iterations of studios offered previously and some brand new (see the archive for examples of past studios) . Students will be asked to ballot online for their studio preference in order from numbers 1-3. (We can not obviously guarantee your first preference. We will keep records of allocations and try to ensure equity where possible from semester to semester).

The pitch session (for next year’s first semester studios) will take place on Thursday 29th October 2015, 2.30-3.30pm in 80.4.11. The ballot will open at the same time and then close the following week on Tues 3/11 at midnight. A pdf booklet with descriptions of all the studios will also be available from this website on that day.

The pitch session is followed by:
•    3.45-5.30pm – Sem 2/15 Studio Presentations – Location: 80.4.11
•    5.45-8.00pm – Sem 2/15 Studio and Media 6 Exhibition – Location: Building 9, Level 2

 The fine print is available here in this Sem 1 2016 Studio & Ballot Advice Information handout (e.g. what if a timetable clashes comes up?).

[**UPDATE – 12 June: There was a typo in one of the studio times listed in the studio booklet made available on Thursday (but now corrected in the studio book downloadable below) … The first session each week of ‘Writing for Film, Filming for Writing’ is Mon. 12.30-2.30 Rm 9.2.15, not 10.30-12.30 as earlier written. Note – the information given about clashes affecting that studio in the info file was correct]

Download this single pdf file, Media Studio Book_Sem2 *UPDATE 12JUN* for official descriptions of the studio options for this coming semester.

Also read this explanatory document (updated) – Media Studio info 10JUNE– about the Studio Ballot process. It has especially important information about TIMETABLE CLASHES. If you don’t read this you risk an unpleasant surprise.

To be eligible to ballot you have to be enrolled in COMM2625 Media 2 or COMM2627 Media 4 in semester two: these studios are only undertaken by students in these courses.

Your studio is only for the duration of one semester (not the rest of your degree!).

You have until next midnight 16th Tuesday, June to complete the online ballot form (and amend it if you change your mind about anything). We will notify you of your studio allocation (including days and times of classes) by Wed. 17th 18th February.

The google ballot form where you vote for your top three studio preferences is embedded in this post just below. Do note that you must be logged in to your RMIT gmail account for access to be granted. You can also reach the form via this url: http://goo.gl/forms/WnMcvQJBv6

It’s not ‘first in, first served’ in terms of filling individual studio places. So you don’t have to rush. Read the descriptions carefully and think about what might be a stimulating focus for your media learning this semester. Remember it is just one semester – many of you will do more  studios and those that won’t have already experienced comparable work in the courses these studios replace.

We can’t guarantee allocation to your first preference studio, or even possibly your top three (depends how everyone votes), but we are hoping the spread of interests might be diverse enough that for this round we can get everyone in to one of their three. It’s a new process and we’ll see how it goes.

Do tick ‘Send me a copy of my responses …’ at the end of the form so you know you have submitted and have the option to edit later if you need to.

Questions or problems: email brian.morris@rmit.edu.au (Studio & Course Coordinator)

Helpful tip: IF YOU GET A MESSAGE THAT ‘YOU NEED PERMISSION: TRY CONTACTING THE OWNER … ‘ THEN CHANCES ARE YOU ARE STILL SIGNED IN TO A NON-RMIT GMAIL/GOOGLE ACCOUNT. GO INTO ANY GMAIL ACCOUNT IN ANY BROWSER AND ‘SIGN OUT’ (TOP RIGHT – CLICK ON THE DISPLAYED EMAIL ADDRESS OR USER ICON). NOW START AGAIN AND LOG IN TO YOUR RMIT GMAIL ACCOUNT.

Here is the schedule for the semester one Media Program Exhibition & Presentation day on Thursday, 11 June.

Everybody is welcome to see the exhibition from 12-5pm in Building 9, Level 3,  and to attend the Studio presentations from 1.00pm-4.45pm in Building 80.2.7 (Swanston Street – ground level).

All current students enrolled/enrolling in Media 2/Media 4 for semester two should attend the Studio pitch presentation session from 11am-12pm in 80.2.7. The online studio ballot will be open following this session. This extensive document explains a lot of the details of the studio allocation process. Do read it carefully and read it all.

We’ve now completed the studio allocation process. I’ve attached a copy of the complete studio allocation document for you to download: Media Studios allocation_18 Feb_v2 (this has a minor update from the previous version in terms of the location of one class for Paul Ritchard’s The Scene in Cinema 2 – nothing else has changed).

Let me know if you are missing from the list – I’ve cross-checked with current enrolments in Media 3 and 5 so hopefully all are accounted for. The list includes class times and room locations.

This information has also been sent to RMIT Timetabling who have kindly agreed to pre-enter it before STS (the timetable system) opens this Friday morning. All going well, when you enter STS you won’t need to enter your Media 3 or 5 studio times – they will already be there as per the attached sheet.  This will ease the process and help prevent clashes with any classes you are selecting in relation to your major and electives. (If they aren’t pre-filled aren’t don’t panic, just timetable your other courses keeping your allocated studio times in mind).

Thanks for your patience and understanding as we implement the new program structure and slightly different ways of doing things. We hope this pays off in terms of an enjoyable and challenging (in the best sense) semester ahead.

UPDATE – I will build some FAQs here for questions that a few of you might be asking.

FAQS

1. The days and times on the read-only STS now seem a lot different than those on the allocation document?

Quite right – these are being updated. The times on allocation document are the correct ones and will appear correctly when STS opens on Friday.

2. I’ve got an elective clash now – what do I do?

There will be a very small number of you who may find you now have a clash with, perhaps, an elective lecture. (There should be no clashes with majors lectures or screenings). Unfortunately, we can’t not do anything about such clashes. They are impossible for us to prevent. You will have to change your elective this semester as soon as you can – your core Media courses come first. Choices of electives are always contingent and can’t unfortunately be guaranteed. Just remember that often you can pick them up at a different stage of your degree.

3. Which of the two times is the lecture and which is the tutorial?

Neither!  This is the thing about the studio model we have moved to …  it is much more fluid and flexible for us in terms of what we do and want to achieve than the 1 x lecture ‘n 1 x tutorial model for 12 weeks that we have used in the past (and some of your other courses will still follow). So, some weeks in a studio we will have a lecture or a mini-lecture while in other we’ll just be working on projects, presenting your work, constructively critiquing others’ work or visiting a relevant site or some other scheduled activity. Some studios might have something like a lecture for just the first four weeks. We think a lot of (assessable) project work should be done inside studio time which makes a lot of sense given the collaborative nature of media. All this will be completely at the discretion of the studio leader. All you need to know is that we’ll expect you to be there for those 5 hours per week (remember it is a 24 point course – twice as much work as a 12 point one). These are face-to-face courses.