MAD: a movie authoring and design system

Abstract

MAD (Movie Authoring and Design) is a novel design and authoring system that facilitates the process of creating dynamic visual presentations. MAD aids this process by simultaneously allowing easy creation and modification of structured motion pictures and visualization of the result of the modifications. The principles behind MAD include hierarchical multimedia document representation, the flexible inclusion and combination of words, images, sounds, and video sequences, and real-time playback of a rough version of the final film at any time in the process. MAD represents a paradigm shift both from traditional methods of authoring and producing motion pictures and from modem multimedia authoring tools. Its development therefore required in-depth observation of a variety of users working on a variety of film-making projects. This demonstration will present the key concepts underlying MAD, demonstrate the current, second-generation prototype software, and review how we have worked with users in an iterative design process and how studies of the work of these users have informed key design issues.