ACMI and digital media

The Australian Center for Moving Image in Melbourne offers several programs designed to enhance the narrative in digital media for children. The organization incorporates elements of digital and multimedia and storytelling in both their holiday programs and exhibitions (both temporary and long-term.) We spoke to a volunteer at ACMI (Benjamin Kouzas) who described a recent PIXAR animation exhibition where children were given roles as storytellers and provided with the tools to digitally create their own stories:

'''when we we had PIXAR we had a lot programs in the screen gallery, the big studio, green screen studio.. we had an editor there as well as a switch board thing. we run programs for kids we put them in front of the green screen and let them muck around. One of the programs that I volunteered at we actually dressed them up and they came up with their own story and we talked about stage position a few other things like that. we got them to make a movie, its about getting kids active.'''

Another program that involved, 'claymation,' (that was also described to us by the volunteer) also exhibited these similar ideas of not only getting kids to create and act out their own stories, but also equipping them with the knowledge of how the technology works. Like the, 'Kahootz,' program ((see Case Study 1: Kahootz) programs run by ACMI simplify the technology to increase its usability for kids and aim to develop the basic media skills of children so that they can become the media creators themselves. Again we see this reshaping and simplifying of media literacies to increase the ability of young children to master and effectively engage with the technology. This radically changes their experience of the media, like the popularity of new, highly cinematic Wii games Transcript of Interview with Amelia King and interactive online platforms (see Case study: ABC Kids TV online) they have control over the media and the storyline over a variety of platforms.

By using digital technology and media like, claymation and digital animation (PIXAR) the ACMI also is acknowledging the role of digital media in empowering children to become their own storytellers. Digital media is an incredibly flexible medium, the volunteer later described how many different roles and scenes could be created and acted out by children in the PIXAR program and that this could be done within a large group. There are links between this sort of communal engagement in the creation of media and the collaborative multimedia world-building evident in the 'Kahootz,' program. (see Educational value of Digital Media projects like Kahootz

Interactivity between digital media creators and viewers in our investigation of how children are being empowered to become storytellers, is playing a significant role in the development of modern digital content for children. Children are not only being empowered to create media by themselves but they are also being given the skills to create media with others.

LINKS

 * (see Case study: ABC Kids TV online)
 * (see Transcript of Interview with Amelia King)
 * (visit the ACMI website [])
 * (back Case Study 2: ACMI)