Over the course of his four years of course, Matt Stockmal has told multiple historical stories for multiple different groups in multiple different mediums. As a Digital Culture major, these storytelling mediums were all infused with creative technology. As Matt comes to the close of his college career, he wanted to take the time to review his work, reflect on the merits of the medium used with regards to its ability to instill visceral impact, and write a series of tutorials using what was learned in the process of experimentation in historical storytelling.
The paper is meant to serve as a base of reference material for future, real world, project proposals to historical organizations. A mock proposal to the Fullersburg Historic Foundation, proposing the digital mediums and methods discussed, is included at the end of the paper.
In concluding thoughts, Matt I appears to have the depth and breadth of skills needed to make impactful media. And the mediums of media have been as diverse as the subjects they cover. But upon reviewing his own review, it took someone else smarter had to tell me that though there is diversity abound in his portfolio, there is a single baseline: Keeping history alive. Every one of these mediums can be used to infuse a sense of digital energy, simulated life, back into historical artifacts and documentation. The historical characters return to live when a medium brings back the motion, the energy, of the thing it is showing. If the medium infuses this life back into the story. The results are nothing short of magic.

Our audio-visual installation explores human development through internal conflicts as theorized by psychologist Erik Erikson. Erikson’s theory breaks down development into eight stages, each one with a unique internal conflict as its cornerstone. These stages will be expressed in our installation through different animation styles and accompanying songs. Originally these were planned to be projected on all four walls of an enclosed room; however, due to the COVID-19 situation, the installation was moved to a VR video that can be experienced virtually instead. These different styles and songs will uniquely represent each of the stages essential to psychosocial development, while the dynamic use of space through the projection of varied visuals in all directions will immerse audience members in the diverse experience of dealing with internal conflict. This unique installation will invite audience members to understand the internal nature of conflicts, and the similar conflicts we will all experience as we mature, inspiring them to participate in self-reflection, looking within themselves rather than on external factors as they develop throughout their lifetimes.

On The Mathematical Analysis of An Ancient Greek Tragedy (A CURE AT TROY) Using Mathematical Set Theory To Analyze Patterns In Character And Story Structure; The Production And Direction Of That Greek Tragedy Using Vectors To Direct Action And Objectives In 2-Space; And The Research, Writing, And Production Of A Reading Of A New Play (A TREE DISAPPEARS) On The Analogies Of Forestry Management Practices To Family Relationships.

No Doors: A Personal Exploration of Movement and Technology, details the interdisciplinary strategies that were used in the making of a series of interactive/reactive/immersive (IRI) installations that drew audiences into an experience and encouraged active observation and/or participation. The interdisciplinary IRI installations described in this document combined movement, sculpture, production design, and various forms of media and technology with environments in which participants had agency. In the process of developing this work, the artist considered several concepts and practices: site-specific, various technologies, real-time processing, participant experience, embodied exploration, and hidden activity. Throughout the creative process, the researcher conducted a series of four focus labs in which a small audience was invited to engage with the work as a way of gathering data about the effectiveness of the installations in facilitating active audience observation and/or participation. The data collected after each focus lab informed the revision of the work in preparation for the next focus lab, with the ultimate result being the production of a final exhibition of five interdisciplinary IRI installations. The installations detailed in this document were loosely based on five elements: water, fire, air, earth, and spirit.

More than a Moving Backdrop: Projection Design in Theatre is comprised of two parts, a research paper and a guidebook. This thesis is about using media/projection design, in conjunction with other elements of design, to create the world of the story on stage and take the storytelling to the next level. The research paper starts with information about unique opportunities offered through media, including using media as a new way to tell old stories and a way to bring cinematic elements, such as rapidly switching locations, into the theatre. This information is followed by an examination of a few disadvantages of using media in theatre. Some of these include the expense of the technology required to use media, the steep learning curve with the necessary software and hardware, and the fact that media can very easily become a distraction for the audience. The paper then covers ways to use media design with a purpose beyond simply setting location with examples from recent Broadway productions. Some of these methods include using media as a way to bring the audience into the mind of the main character, such as in Dear Evan Hansen. Another way to use media is for accessibility, such as projecting supertitles, which can be seen in the recent revival of Spring Awakening through Deaf West Theatre. In this production, the supertitles are integrated into the design and fit the aesthetic of the rest of the production. The third example mentioned in this paper is using media as a backdrop to support the production's aesthetic, such as in Anastasia. This section is followed by an analysis of three personal experiences as a media designer. The research portion of the thesis concludes with thoughts about where media could go in the future, given media's basis in rapidly evolving technology. The second part of this thesis is a guidebook, created specifically for college age directors and media designers. The guidebook starts with a brief history of media design in theatre and uses of media outside of theatre. Next, the guidebook contains the same information and examples about using media with purpose from the research portion, translated from more academic language, to more easily digestible language. This is followed by a large section, specifically directed toward media designers, about collaboration with other designers. This section is filled with information and advice gathered from personal experience and surveys sent to fellow designers. The guidebook ends with an advice section from and to directors and media designers about working together and creating a common language to collaborate successfully. Hopefully the guide will help ease trepidations for working with media design.

Cinematography is the art of making motion pictures. I took on the role of cinematographer for three student film productions. The styles and process for each one varied. I worked with the directors to figure out equipment, shot lists, and schedules as well as their vision. The final products reflect the hard work put into each production. I gained experience and am able to pull from each film for my cinematography reel.

I. Executive Summary Projectors are used in more and more live and corporate events and theatrical productions. In these environments, they are subject to a myriad of conditions. These can include extreme temperatures, atmospheric effects and contaminates, shipping and rough handling, and power issues. The goal is to find ways to extend the reliable and economical lifespan of these machines increasing companies ROI and decreasing environmental damage from more frequent production, repair and disposal. The first area studied was the effect removing the covers has on the projector performance. This is important knowledge for both the research protocols followed in this research and in normal use during maintenance and repair. Testing demonstrated that the removal of covers on small consumer projectors has a profound impact on internal temperatures and can even cause overheating due to the covers being used as air ducting. The main focus of this project was finding effective pre-filters for use around haze, fog and other airborne contaminates. This was successful with two material being demonstrated to be cost effective, filter far superior to factory filters alone, and produce acceptable impacts on projector cooling in several models and types of projector. These filters cost typically less than $1 per filter and reduce the ingress of contaminates by 60-80%. Additionally the effects of improper shutdown versus the manufacturers specified shutdown process were tested. It was determined that the projectors where power was unplugged or turned off had components exceed both operating temperatures and temperatures during the normal shutdown. This shows that following the correct shutdown process keeps components cooler leading to a longer component life and therefore longer projector life and decreased repairs.