3/7/25 – 3/14/25

1. Looking Ahead: the rest of the semester

• Weeks 9 & 10: Collaborative audio project
• Weeks 11 & 12: Video project
• Weeks 13 & 14: Final project

We are moving into long-form, two-week projects. The audio drama will be a group project, and you will have the option of collaborating on video and final projects. To prepare for the coming weeks, let’s generate some long-form story ideas. We brainstormed concepts for radio shows before, so we could expand on one of those. In week 7 we created propaganda and PSAs and had our characters react to what the rest of the class made. That exercise generated many seeds of story possibilities.

Your mission this week is to develop a story treatment that involves your character and two or more others from the class. Here is the full list of characters. Count Dr. Oblivion as a character you could use. You may use the propaganda/PSA and reactions as a way of creating connections. The story can take any form you want. It should tie to the course theme of tech noir/cyberpunk, but what that means and how you do it is up to you. The extent of the other characters’ involvement is likewise up to you. You should also include some details on how you could use multiple digital media in bringing the story together. The best way to do this would be to incorporate digital media in your treatment.

Everyone should be reading and commenting on other people’s ideas. Some people may feel possessive of their characters or otherwise not approve of the way they are used by others. They can offer constructive input or opt out of storylines. The ideas you come up with here may be used in part or whole for any or all of your upcoming projects, so the thought and effort you put into this exercise will pay off in the coming weeks.

2. Looking ahead: Prepare for group audio projects

During weeks 9 & 10 we will be creating audio productions for ds106radio. This will be a group project, involving the course theme and your characters. You get to form your own groups. You will be forming groups this week so you can hit the ground running at the start of week 9. Further details on the project will be posted at the start of week 9.

Some advice on group formation:

Get into groups:

• Membership: You will have the chance to self-organize into your groups for this project.
• Show Ideas: It may be easiest to form groups around show ideas. There are a lot of great ideas out there, so this should not be a problem. You can see everyone’s ideas at https://ds106.ai/category/technoirshowideas/ — at least everyone who tagged their posts correctly! — and more ideas are being generated this week. If you see an idea you like, contact the originator about working together. If you have an idea you like, put a call out on your blog and Discord for collaborators.
• Use Discord:If you need to find a group, put the word out on Discord in the ds106radio channel that you’re looking for a group to join.
• Let Us Know Your Group: I created a spreadsheet to facilitate group formation. You should have received the link to it in an email. Give your group a name, put down a brief description of your show idea, and list the group members. There is also a section for people who are looking for a group.

Group sizes:

Groups should have 3 or more members. If a group grows to 8 or more people, we may decide to split it in two, unless the group can make the case that all members will be actively involved in the show’s production.

Group deadline:

You should start forming groups immediately. Everybody should be in a group by Thursday, March 13, by midnight. Your names and groups should be on the spreadsheet to make it official. If you have not joined a group by that time, you will be putting your fate in our hands. We will assign you to a group, but it will be entirely your responsibility to make the situation work.

3. Daily Creates: Let’s do three again.
4. Commenting: As much as you can
5. Weekly Summary: You all know what this is.