Waltham, MA (PRWEB) May 25, 2006 -- The Center for Digital Imaging Arts (CDIA) at Boston University presented a two-hour showcase of work of graduating Digital Filmmaking, Photography, 3D Animation and Web Design students on May 11, 2006, at the school's Waltham, Mass., campus. The students partnered with Boston-area non-profit and socially responsible organizations to provide a variety of media services as part of their Practicum projects. Students worked under the leadership of CDIA instructors, who are also working professionals in their field.

Aimee Corrigan, CDIA's Practicum Manager, welcomed the standing room only audience of Practicum clients, CDIA students, instructors, staff, guests and the media to the Spring 2006 Screening titled «Media that Matters.»

With a backdrop of chichi restaurants and 50s-style mom and pop stores on Waltham's Moody Street, Ms. Corrigan reminded the audience that they were sitting at the center of a revolution in technology. Graduating students, now armed with the skills to employ cutting edge digital tools and techniques, coupled these skills with their unbridled energy, passion and vision to partner with nearly 20 Boston-area non-profit organizations to create media that matters.

Before graduating, CDIA students work on real-world projects with real clients in a demanding, four-week schedule. Bob Daniels, CDIA Executive Director said, «Our students have an invaluable opportunity to use their new skills to make a difference in the community.» Daniels gave tribute to these students who «clearly worked from their hearts – the source of all great creative work.»

Jeremy Osborn, Director of the Graphic and Web Design Practicum, introduced three Practicum students who worked on the website of client, GoMango, an organization dedicated to alleviating poverty in rural Southern Africa by promoting and supporting sustainable farming. The students took the audience through the experience of working with the client to understand their needs. Showing the before and after of the GoMango web site dramatically illustrated the high quality of the work provided by the Practicum students.

Next on the program, excerpts from three Digital Filmmaking Practicums were introduced by each Director of the Practicum films. Franco Sacchi, Director of the Zumix, Inc. Practicum was impressed with how quickly his crew (students) understood the mission of Zumix and how to represent it visually. Zumix was founded in a musician's studio in 1991 (a year after Boston's worst year of violence) near Maverick Square in East Boston to give neighborhood youth, free of charge, excellent training in music composition, performance and production as a constructive artistic outlet for strong positive, negative and conflicted feelings.

Sam Russell of Zumix voiced his appreciation on behalf of the organization. The partnership with CDIA and the quality of work provided exceeded his and Zumix founder Madeleine Steczynski's expectations. «The enthusiasm and energy of the CDIA team was thrilling to watch and be a part of,» said Russell. The students' outstanding work will go a long way to help Zumix grow to the next level as Zumix soon kicks off a capital campaign to solicit funding for the purchase of a 6,000 sq. ft. city-owned firehouse for a much-needed expansion of the phenomenally successful program.

Al Viator, CDIA instructor and Project Joy founder, Steve Gross, agreed that the student crew approached the Project Joy assignment with a great deal of sensitivity, unwavering commitment and collaboration as a team. Gross further expressed his gratitude for the quality of work provided, which his organization could never afford on the open market. Project Joy's mission is to foster the

development of children, who have faced abuse, violence, poverty and other hardships, through cooperative play.

Tom Robotham, CDIA Instructor, and his team worked with client, Summer Holubec of Children's Hospital Boston to develop a video to welcome and inform new hospital patients and their parents. The six-minute video is being shown on the Hospital's 24-hour video channel.

Holubec is also working with the 3D Animation Practicum team on a project that is still in production. Andrew Briton, 3D Instructor and Holubec showed some of the preliminary animation work on «The Stormy Night: A Zak and Dakota Adventure.» The objective of the video, designed in storybook form, said Briton is «to introduce with grace and honor the subject of cancer to children.»

Andrew Morrison, a 2006 graduate of CDIA's Digital Filmmaking program said, «Working on the Children's Hospital video is the most meaningful thing I've done in my life. After this experience, I'm driven to take my career in a more noble direction.»

Cary Wolinsky, Director of CDIA»s Photography Program, presented the work of several students from their Photography Practicums. Wolinsky said that watching the practicums come to life was a transformative experience for him as well as the students. Wolinsky thanked all the clients for taking a leap of faith, opening up their organizations to CDIA students and allowing them to participate and communicate their organizations' missions. «Saying that our students rose to the occasion, just doesn't seem strong enough,» said Wolinsky.

Norm Brzycki, CDIA's Campus Director eloquently summed up the mission of CDIA's Practicums by quoting American educator Horace Mann, «Be ashamed to die until you have achieved some victory for humanity.» As these CDIA students begin their careers in the digital imaging arts, they're already victorious by Mann's demanding model.

The student work shown at the Spring Practicum screening was representative of the thousands of hours of dedicated work by CDIA's 2006 graduating class. CDIA's Practicum Partners were:

Troubadour, Inc. –Greater Boston

www.troubadour.org

Project Joy – West Roxbury

www.pjkids.org

Zumix, Inc. – East Boston

www.zumix.org

Children's Hospital Boston – Boston

www.childrenshospital.org

Community Boating – Boston/Beacon Hill

www.community-boating.org

The Dance Complex – Cambridge

www.dancecomplex.org

The ARC - Attleboro

Marblehead YMCA – Marblehead

www.northshoreymca.org

Handshouse Studios – Norwell

www.handshouse.org

Mass College of Art – Boston

www.massart.edu

GoMango – Southern Africa

www.gomango.org

The Ellie Fund – Boston

www.elliefund.org

Charles River Editions – Waltham

www.charlesrivereditions.com

The Hill House – Beacon Hill/Boston

www.hillhouseboston.org

Brookline Senior Center - Brookline

Charles River Museum of Industry – Waltham

www.crmi.org

The Haley House – South End/Boston

AFC Mentoring – Boston

www.afcmentoring.org

About CDIA

The Center for Digital Imaging Arts (CDIA) at Boston University allows students to express their creative vision and turn it into a practical reality. Whether students are looking for a film school, game design school or photography school, CDIA at Boston University offers practical, hands-on, career-oriented training to both novices and seasoned professionals in today's advanced digital imaging arts. CDIA's Certificate Programs are led by world-class instructors who are practicing experts in their fields, and backed by the resources and reputation of Boston University's internationally renowned College of Communication.

CDIA offers two-term (nine months) Certificate Programs in Digital Photography, Digital Filmmaking, 3D Animation, Graphic and Interactive Design and Recording Arts. Certificate Programs are also offered on a part-time basis during evening hours. Visit http://www.cdiabu.com or call 800-808-CDIA (2342).

Press contacts:

Andy Kelley 617-938-3417

Aimee Corrigan 781-209-1700

Source: prweb