Digital Media/New Media
What is Digital Media/New Media?

Digital Media is more than the snap, crackle, and zap of EFX films and computer games, more than the sum of the latest software packages and render engines. Digital Media, also known as New Media, is the 21st century locus where art, technology and science come together. It is a field of study and a professional practice—a cultural phenomenon radically altering the way we view our world and dream about our tomorrows. Digital Media offers career opportunities to aspiring artists, designers, communicators, and entrepreneurs seeking constant new challenges and the pursuit of life-long learning.

"Convergence" is the buzzword of the decade; it refers to the coming together of text, pictures, and sound; of art and technology. The Digital Media/New Media revolution is already turning older, passive mass communication forms like print, film, radio and television upside down. Computer technology makes digital media assets like 3D models, animations, graphics, and video clips mutable and reusable. In the analog era, media assets were considered "fixed." Once produced, they remained in place. For example, an edited feature film was viewed as a sequence of shots, from beginning to end. Each time viewed, it was presented the same way. Today, digital media assets are considered fluid; they are produced with the intention of being recombined and reconfigured almost instantly in ways that can make a user feel and believe that the medium is responding to their every inquiry or response. Whether searching the Internet for information, or saving the home planet from intergalactic marauders in the hottest new game environment, combining the variability of digital media assets with human-computer interaction equals Digital Media/New Media.

Be Prepared!
Programs in Digital Media are attracting widespread interest. This is not surprising given the growing use of the computer as a production tool and a medium for visual exploration. Many fields—ranging from computer game development to architecture, from archaeology to forensics, from healthcare to special effects—are suddenly in need of Digital Media designers. High school graduates interested in entering this dynamic and rapidly evolving new world should seek a broad education to prepare for the many opportunities and possibilities that lay ahead.

Digital Media is interdisciplinary, and a quality curriculum will include foundation courses in traditional arts like drawing, painting and sculpture; in contemporary arts like film, video and graphic design, and in art and design history. These fields provide the context from which New Media develops. Knowledge of computers and familiarity with their use are important curriculum components; there are computer languages to learn and software applications to master. But no one can master all of the computer languages and software in use. A quality Digital Media program prepares its students to be ready to learn whatever computer language or piece of software may be necessary for the project at hand; it prepares them to be at ease when working in a multitude of computer-assisted environments, and it prepares them to embrace an attitude of life-long learning that is crucial to success in this challenging and rapidly changing field.

Becoming a successful Digital Media designer is much more than becoming a software jockey. Digital Media is about art, design, communication and storytelling; it is about working with people. Beyond the computer and software courses, beyond the art and design courses, a quality program will introduce students to a basic understanding of human interaction and communication as understood by philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, and anthropologists. A quality curriculum will not only be broad, it will be deep, and will provide guidance for students to develop interests and expertise in how 3D modeling, animation and interactive media operate in social and cultural contexts.

Many universities, colleges and training centers maintain websites offering information about their curriculum and faculty and include examples of student works. Become familiar with these digital resources; visit the websites. On school sites, consider the student work shown: Is it the type of work you want to study and learn to produce? Not every program is right for every candidate; become familiar with a school before applying for admission. Many schools conduct open houses and information sessions; some will even permit applicants to sit in on classes. Take advantage of these opportunities. Make visits to the schools you are considering. Talk to students and teachers. Find out what students think of the program and facilities and what happens to students when they graduate. Where are they working? Does the school have industry ties? Who teaches at the school? Does the school offer courses that meet your interests?

Opportunities
Opportunities abound for those who master the artistic and interactive aspects of Digital Media/New Media . Wherever there are needs for 3D modeling, animation, hypertext or interactive media you will find digital media artists and producers at work. Qualified Digital Media graduates can expect to find entry level positions in businesses ranging from gaming and animation houses to traditional design companies; with TV stations, film production companies and architectural firms producing 3D walkthroughs; with media boutiques, special effects houses, corporate communication centers, web design companies, forensic companies and government agencies, to name a few. If you are creative, interested in the visual arts, comfortable with working in computer environments, enjoy working with people, and are looking for new challenges every day, the growing field of Digital Media/New Media wants you!

Editorial provided by Glen Muschio, Associate Professor of Media Arts, is a New Media producer and the director of undergraduate and graduate programs in Digital Media of the College of Media Arts and Design, Drexel University.