One of Rice’s phenomenal resources is the Digital Media Commons (DMC), located in the basement of Fondren Library. In the newly renovated multimedia suite, students, faculty, and staff have access to computers and studios with the most up-to-date software and hardware necessary for a wide range of creative projects.
Upon first walking through the glass doors to the DMC, you see one of the student employees who provide assistance with many tasks at the DMC, such as printing, software guidance, and equipment rentals. The DMC has a wide variety of cameras, microphones, and photography or videography equipment for students to borrow. The DMC also has projectors and portable screens on which to display multimedia projects.
The DMC also has both audio and video recording studios. The quiet environment of the DMC makes it ideal for audio recording projects. DMC Director Jane Zhao remarks, “My office neighbors the audio studio. A few times, I can overhear when people bring their own musical instruments and they play and record.” The video recording studio is a 22’x16’ room with a 9’ ceiling that has plenty of space for many projects. The room contains recording equipment, a green wall, as well as black and white curtains for a variety of backdrops.
The DMC also has resources to simplify the process of editing. Students with video assignment projects come to the DMC to edit and prepare their projects. For example, a group of engineering students applying for a BP competition used DMC resources to record and edit their submission. Jane Zhao compliments the group and Rice students by saying “Their finished video is amazing… Rice students are really talented. They make animations and videos that are very entertaining and inspiring.” The DMC provides all the required editing software at 17 computer stations with software for editing pictures, video, and audio to perfect your creation. Video editing stations have both iMovie and Final Cut Pro X, graphics stations have the Adobe Creative Suite, and audio stations have Audacity.
If using these resources seems daunting, the DMC provides educational workshops. “Each semester we offer about 30 training workshops,” says Zhao. Classes range from beginner to advanced, and cover topics such as video editing, Photoshop, photography, and introductory WordPress web design.
Any student, faculty, or staff can benefit from the variety of resources provided by the DMC. With its workshops and available equipment and software, someone with any level of experience can display creative expression for personal use or educational purpose. Be sure to use this incredible resource the next time you have a multimedia project!
The DMC is open from 9 am to 10 pm Monday through Thursday, from 9 am to 5 pm on Friday, and from 1 pm to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Visit the DMC website for more information at http://library.rice.edu/dmc.
For more information, visit any of these links to the DMC website: