Copy Grounds

I don’t mean to be overly sentimental but I am especially proud of my students this semester. They are all awesome and I can’t wait to see how much trouble they get into in the years ahead. This post includes a sampling of the various media projects they produced during the spring semester. There were more but some technical glitches prevented me from posting everything. Hopefully I will get some more of them posted during the summer break. Below you will find video games, documentaries, mashups and remixes, short films, and 3D models and animations—all produced by students from our Introduction to Digital Media course. Enjoy!

First up is Melody Bolton’s Hipster Rex, a video game using Melody’s own hand drawn art and 2D Flash animation. Think of it as an avatar builder at the outset of some groovy MMO. Click the dino to check it out!

Next we have a beautifully done stop motion video put together by Olivia Debeck. continue reading…

In taking up the topic of Internet pornography this semester we were fortunate to be joined by not only from Prof. Robert Jensen but Jennie Ketcham as well. I was very pleased recently when Jennie graciously agreed to answer some of our questions. Jennie’s past experience as a performer in the adult entertainment industry allows her to bring valuable perspective to this discussion. And considering the feelings of despair that this topic is capable of inducing, Jennie also brings a much-needed levity to our conversation. Below are Jennie’s comments on both our discussion with Prof. Jensen and a number of student questions.

Jennifer Ketcham: What a great lecture… I admit, I am green with envy. I have one professor that speaks as eloquently, and inserts the occasional lame joke (not that Dr. Jensen’s jokes were lame ahahh) to lighten an otherwise grim topic. You students are very lucky to have had him for the day, and thank you again for including me on the topic. continue reading…

What would a course on new media be without a discussion of porn? Pornography is so ubiquitous on the Internet it no longer makes sense to consider them separately. While it’s difficult to say just how much bandwidth consumption results from the use of online pornography it’s safe to assume the amount is significant. What’s more, the content of Internet pornography is seemingly more extreme and oftentimes degrading than the mainstream porn of just a few short years ago. In order to help us make sense of the relation between technological development and online pornography Professor Robert Jensen visited our class last week to discuss the feminist critique of pornography. Our discussion is presented here for your consideration.

Robert Jensen: I’m Bob Jensen. I teach in the journalism school and for the last twenty two years I’ve been thinking about pornography. Now that does not necessarily make intuitive sense. Journalists are not pornographers. What the hell is going on here? So how did I get here? Twenty continue reading…

I just wanted to write a quick note introducing myself and saying and how excited I am to be participating in this incredibly relevant and interesting class you’ve all decided to take! I’m Jennie Ketcham, formerly Penny Flame, and a student as well (albeit a little bit older than most here haha). I was in the adult biz from 2001-2009, went from solo performer to hardcore and award-winning star, and finally quit after doing a reality show called “Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew.” It all started as a super awesome publicity stunt. What was originally supposed to help my porn career ended up killing it– thank God.

Since then, I’ve done a ton of media stuff about sex addiction, pornography, and huge life changes (like going from Penny to Jennie and $1,200/day to $60). I’ve given lectures on a variety of topics involving porn. I’ve spoken at S&M conventions in D.C. and given talks at Harvard about the effects of Fame, Pornography and Addiction. While I’ve yet to approach the topics addressed in this class, I am certainly qualified to give you an insider’s view on how the porn business works, from it’s top to it’s freshly cleaned bottom. I will answer any of your questions to the best of my ability, and look forward to this whole experience!

Yaaaaaaay!!!

Jennie Ketcham~