Learning Contract - due today @ 17:00

CONTENT
1. What is the community that you will make your documentary about? Players of the Wizard101 RolePlayer/multiplayer online game.

2. Why do you think it is a community? Because successful 'mastery' of the game depends upon a player's ability to interact harmoniously with other players, whether it be in joint quests, single-player games where you require additional help, or weeding out those who 'steal' items and exhibit anti-competitive behaviour. Having read 'Remote Communication, face-to-face and the nature of community' and 'Social Networking in Massively Multiplayer Online Games', I will also be addressing the viability of online roleplayer games targeted at the adolescent demographic, and attempting to examine whether this simulated, fantasy environment impacts positively upon a child's developmental sense of community and duty in the material realm.

3. What theory about community have you read that is relevant to issues in this community? Summarise the relevant ideas. The two key theories that I have mentioned above are those put forth by Kevin Harris (2003) and Mikael Jakobsson (2003), respectively. The former argues that remote interaction and encounters are equally as fundamental to a contemporary sense of community development as those which are face-to-face; the latter posits four key concepts (Grouping, Networking, Formal Organisation and Responsibility) and argues how these can be applied in an equal manner between roleplayer games and more archaic, fundamentally ingrained kinds of community structures (in this case, the Sicilian mafia).

4. Are you in agreement or disagreement with these ideas? I am in agreement with Harris' theory to a certain extent, although in the context of Wizard101, I shall be questioning the level of appropriateness for an environment as thus being pitched at an adolescent market. I will be addressing (and thereby implicitly endorsing Jakobsson's four key criterion as part of my structure, and drawing like comparisons between the medieval practice of white wizardry, and the contemporary, young male game player (a seemingly marked contrast to traditional notions of this icon).

5. How can you use these ideas in your documentary? As above - I will be shaping the nature of the content in response to the main issues raised by each theory, often overlapping each other as the structure unfolds. Both theories provide excellent models by which to critique the on and offline behaviour of those exhibited within the Wizard101 online gaming sphere (namely, my cousin).

6. What is the structure of the documentary? (this could be a short treatment of the way you see your documentary unfolding) I basically intend to emulate the traditional/linear style of documentary narrative; that is, to begin with an introduction to the Wizard101 community, and the issue of whether it promotes social participation vs isolation, then to move henceforth into the body of the work. This second chapter will comprise of a brief historical contextualisation, an exploration of the theses that have emerged, establishing the location both in real and virtual terms, moving on to the specifics of the story (as it personally relates to my cousin, but also modelled against myself as I attempt to assimilate a character of my own into the game), the conflicts I grapple with, and the inclusion of other characters and interviewees (my uncle and aunty at this stage). This will then flow into the denoument (an assessment of the success of the attitudes that the community postulates), and finally the conclusion (how well these bode for future thinking and practice about community development).

7. What is the style of the documentary? (you can refer to documentary theory if you know it; if you don't, discuss how you see the relationship between you the documentary maker and your subject, and how that will influence the work you produce. Examples of other documentaries will be relevant) I will be filming this in the style of what Bill Nichols has coined 'Participatory Mode' documentary filmmaking, which is all too apt, considering the very title of the subject it is being created for!!! As with the films of Michael Moore, I plan to become a character within the content itself, as I trace my own voyage into the Wizard101 community - at the guidance of my cousin - so as to illuminate (and document) its true nature.


TECHNICAL
8. What type of media will your documentary consist of (eg audio files, text, stills, video, animation etc) Video will comprise the majority of the format, however some still images & voice-overs will be used (albeit, they will be minimal by comparison).

9. Given that your documentary will be published online, how will you tailor production and post-production to be appropriate (eg image size, frame rate, design issues, copyright)? The documentary will be presented in a typical embedded structure, with the video content being automatically converted for web distribution as far as file size etc is concerned.

10. What are your skills in making this style of media? For second year Prof Comm, I wrote, directed and produced (almost single-handedly) an entire 7 minute documentary, and also had fairly involved roles in all the TV production content for that production major. Post production is where my forte lies, and although I am a little rusty, I should be fine once I'm in the zone.

11. Are you enlisting the help of any crew during the production phase of your documentary? Not on this occasion.

12. Will you need to borrow technical equipment from the Applied Communication techs? If yes, what do you want to borrow? When do you want to borrow it? (You must get the borrowing form signed by your tutor in order to borrow gear, and your tutor must be convinced that you already have sufficient technical skills to use it.) Yes - I'll be borrowing a Mini-DV recorder and microphone, and probably a redhead kit or two.

PERMISSIONS
13. What talent do you need to get release forms signed for? My cousin, aunty and uncle.

14. Are you going to interview any minors? (if yes, you must get their release form signed by their parent / guardian) Yes - my cousin is only 12 years old, but his parents have already given the verbal go-ahead (so I can only assume, will be happy enough to sign).

15. Do you need permission to shoot on location? No special permissions required - the perks of being family I guess.

POST-PRODUCTION
16. What software do you need to edit your documentary? I'll be sticking with good old Final Cut Pro this time 'round, I imagine pretty much the entire documentary will be edited with it, although I may be required to record some voice-over material via ProTools in the later stages of production.

17. Do you have sufficient skills with that software? Yes - although it has been about 2.5 years since I've worked on a production, I tend to pick these things up easily once I'm left to my devices.

18. Do you have sufficient access to that software? Yes - at the university of course, and via the Honours lab (which has 24-hour access).

PUBLICATION
19. What social software environment will you publish your documentary to? The Wizard101 user forums, and possibly YouTube (there are already a number of Wizard101 submissions on the site, but these are mainly how-to type files). I'll probably also publish it to facebook (so that my friends can give me feedback on the work).

20. Is the media you are creating appropriate for that environment? Yes - it is relevant to the readership, and the fact that they are presently appealing for contributions of this sort makes it all the more timely.

21. Have you become a member of that environment? Yes - I've created a character (but have yet to begin playing), my cousin is a subscriber to the forums so he has full access under his privileges.

22. Have you done a test publication? Not yet, but I have published other publications on most of the platforms with past success.

23. Does the environment stipulate any limits (eg file size, dimensions, file types, copyright, legal issues) that you will need to meet? There is no fine print that we can come across on the forums - YouTube files are accepted in the standard MPEG format (and facebook can cross-embed links made directly from there).

24. Are there any competitions or other deadlines that the environment imposes? Thankfully not.

LEGAL
25. Have you got copyright permission for all the content you use? This will be taken care of. Although I have no plans to include any material that is not original (such as pre-existing videos), I will ensure that I have permission to republish them should they become necessary for my documentary.

26. Do you have an appropriate credit list that attributes every work and everyone involved? A list will no doubt eventuate, however given the nature of the content, the majority of the credit will be attributed to my cousin, aunty and uncle.

27. There is no defamation or slander? No risk of either that I can foresee.

28. Any other legal issues? None that are apparent at this stage.

RISK ASSESSMENT
29. What are the most likely things that could go wrong with your project? Given that this is a highly ambitious endeavour (i.e. to cover such a deeply complex theoretical issue), I run the risk of failing to penetrate the heart of the matter if the content is not as engaging as planned.

30. What is your back-up plan if these things occur? Most likely to re-shoot to get the kind of footage that I need, in order to address what is lacking. It becomes apparent fairly quickly in Post whether certain things work or not - so if there are key issues that have not been adequately covered or do not gel with the rest of the piece, I will have the chance to identify these inconsistencies and go about rectifying them.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
31. What is the date of your rough-cut showing? Friday 21st May.

32. What is the final due date? Friday 28th May.

33. When do you intend to start post-production? During the week beginning 3rd May.

34. When do you intend to start production? Filming and interviews will start in the week commencing the 12th of April (just after I’ve had enough time to acquaint myself with the game and prepare a detailed shot list!)

35. Given your production start date, have you already booked any technical equipment you need? Not yet - I have a fortnight to organise this, so I shall be submitting booking forms in the middle of next week (April 7th).

36. How do these dates work in with assessment deadlines from other courses? The dates are spaced apart suitably, so that I can continue my independent research for my Honours thesis alongside my completion of the project (as well as regular blogging committments).

37. If you are using talent, does their availability suit your production schedule? Yes - fortunately my cousin and his family live two streets from where I do, both his parents frequently work from home and he has no weekend commitments in the upcoming months outside of our family get-togethers.