bonza

description

The bonza film research project utilises three relational databases in conjunction with online hypermedia research essays. The databases consist of production, biography, and bibliographical records, which are automatically interlinked on the basis of key titles and names.

Hypermedia essays are written in HTML by students, or in Storyspace and then exported into HTML. This work includes text, still image, audio and audiovisual material. Technical support is offered to students to digitise all content, and final compression into Web viable formats is performed once work is completed and submitted.

[see also the bonza introduction]

staff

Deb Verhoeven manages the databases and the specific research projects that students' undertake, and works in consultation with Adrian Miles to facilitate the introduction and use of digital technologies for cinema studies research.

Adrian Miles is responsible for all the technical aspects of the project, including the management and development of appropriate technologies for the project's pedagogical aims.

support

This project received Australian Federal Government funding in 1999 as a part of the Committee for University Teaching and Staff Development program. It has also received funding and in kind support from the Faculty of Art, Design and Communication, and the Department of Communication Studies, at RMIT.

technical

The bonza databases was served by FileMaker Server 3.0 on a PowerMac 7600/200. They were hosted on a PowerMac 7250/120 using Webstar 3.0.2, Lasso 2.5.2 and FileMaker Pro 4.0.2. The databases were migrated and are now on a MySQL server under Linux, being accessed by PHP.

Hypermedia research essays are written directly in HTML (where students have requisite skills), otherwise basic instruction is provided in the use of Storyspace for the writing of hypertexts that can be auto-published into HTML. Publishing and final templating are performed by technical staff utilising BBEdit Pro 5.1

All pages utilise Cascading Style Sheets for formatting and are compliant to the W3C transitional HTML 4.0 declaration. The QuickTime plugin (available free for Windows and Macintosh) is the only required plugin for audiovisual content.

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