|
| CONTACT
You
can contact Don Bergland at:
redjello@shaw.ca
|
|
|
| The
Multimedia Arts Centre (MAC) was an initiative developed in
the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria. The
project focused on re-designing the current digital studios
according to an innovative teaching/production model that Don
had developed. With his colleague Dale McIntosh, then chair
of the Department of Arts in Education, he constructed an innovative
plan to re-invent the digital studios in a structure that emulated
the best features of industry. Throughout 1994 and early 1995,
Don and Dale re-constructed the studio based on the principles
and ideas that Don had learned in industry. The fundamental
core of this plan was to create a fully-functioning multimedia
studio as both a teaching and production facility. The studio
would utilize this dual nature and allow each component (teaching/production)
to influence and impact the other. The production facility would
test the studio design and allow students to observe and participate
in actual industry projects. The teaching aspect would permit
studio routines to be tested in skillset training situations.
The MAC utilized equipment, software, and production routines
that were state-of-the-art for the times. Based on industry
knowledge, the studio devised innovative software teaching methods,
student teaming systems, computer workstation setups, industry-standard
software inventories, and practical production routines. It
established itself as an innovative structure and proved its
viability through a combination of dynamic courses and actual
production projects. The idea was to first begin developing
teaching structures for this software and then take on production
projects that both tested the studio and provided enhancement
for the instructional routines. As the studio developed, Don
made a number of presentations through the Faculty Forum, gave
a number of workshops for faculty, and was featured in several
newspaper interviews about the centre. By 1996, the Multimedia
Arts Centre was fully operational and had started to attract
national attention. The MAC was featured in a national newspaper
attention newspaper and started an interesting chain of events.
The first event was an offer from an eastern company called
Frontier Technologies. This company was excited by the dual
nature of the studio and its production focus. Frontier Technologies
offered The Multimedia Arts Centre its first commercial production
project, called Sensational Italy. In 1996, a fair
amount of publicity had been generated. Royal Roads University
in Victoria had learned of the MAC and its direction and wished
to send a team from their university to study the development
model. The planning team spent two extended sessions with Don
and Dale and studied the theories behind the studio structure.
The team’s highly positive report led to two learning
projects being assigned to the studio. The Royal Roads planning
team also adopted the studio theories as ones which would govern
their studio design and construction. The MAC continued to teach
innovative courses and develop inventive studio practices which
led to a variety of different workshop presentations for the
university and the community. The MAC has recently been absorbed
into the new Learning Commons initiative. |
|
|
| |
 |
Ring
Article 1 |
| The
Ring Newpaper published an article concerning
Don's work as Director of Visual and Audio Arts at Electonic
Arts (Canada). Note - Website opens in new browser. |
|
 |
Ring
Article 2 |
| The
Ring Newpaper published a descriptive story on
the Multimedia Arts Centre in 1995. This article generated
the beginning of national interest. Note - Website opens
in new browser. |
|
 |
University
Affairs |
| In
1996, University Affairs published an article
on the Multimedia Arts Centre which generated national
interest in the studio. Note - Website opens in new browser. |
|
| |
The MAC
Studio |
| The
MAC project resulted in a variety of studio documents
covering technial operation, procedures, and software
instruction. |
|
| |
|
|
