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Worldbuilding Professional PortfolioMain MenuWorldbuilding Design PortfolioDesignerLaura works as a designer with spatial design, sound, interactive UI/UX, animation, film, and production.FacilitatorWorldbuilders need to collaboratively work in teams, helping lead the project toward aims and create an environment for productive interactions.Qualifying Exam PortfolioA brief guide to this portfolio project, with more focused media links.Laura Cechanowiczd3ad765e71e0e946eed450145482fb1a6196dad2
Research + Theory
1media/vscor_002_01_X1_0318-cc-small.jpgmedia/vscor_002_01_X1_0318-cc-small.jpg2017-02-26T22:33:16-08:00Laura Cechanowiczd3ad765e71e0e946eed450145482fb1a6196dad2156545Research and theory are integral aspects of the worldbuilding process.plain2017-02-27T19:28:27-08:00Laura Cechanowiczd3ad765e71e0e946eed450145482fb1a6196dad2A comprehensive worldbuild includes a proficient consideration of existing theory, as well as an active approach to developing and testing theory through holistic story worlds. The worldbuilder as theorist engages actively in research, which informs the design process, helping craft meaningful elements within the story world, while also continuously testing and crafting novel theoretical insight throughout the process. Laura's experience in these skills can be seen in the following areas, briefly summarized here:
Research Background Laura's MA in Film Studies, with exams focusing on Experimental Film and Video and Film Theory from 1965-1990, as well as her undergraduate degree in Film and Video, Psychology, and German equipped her with research skills in theory, history, and psychological research and user testing. She also approaches the arts with the mind of a scientist and poet, having been educated extensively in both realms. Her psychology research experience includes video editing in USC Brain and Creativity Institute, Motor sensor research with EEGs & EMGs at University of Tübingen in Germany, 2 Semesters UROP fMRI Psycholinguistic research and data analysis, SPSS; and within her undergraduate Psychology courses she designed tests, wrote scientific research papers, and used basic programming skills to analyze fMRI data. She also performed an anthropological study at Alex McDowell's design firm 5D Global in the summer of 2015.
Published Works Aside from producing multiple research papers, Laura has two recently co-published papers on worldbuilding:
Laura Cechanowicz, Brian Cantrell, and Alex McDowell, “World Building and the Future of Media: A Case Study – Makoko 2036,” IEEE Technology and Society. Dec 2016
Laura Cechanowicz, Brian Cantrell, Geoffrey Long, Alex McDowell, Jeff Watson, and Ann Pendleton-Jullian, “A Thousand Stories In A Day: Building and Reimagining Lagos” Revisiting Imaginary Worlds, edited by Mark Wolf, Routledge, 201-217.
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12017-02-26T22:39:14-08:00Laura Cechanowiczd3ad765e71e0e946eed450145482fb1a6196dad2Table of ContentsLaura Cechanowicz2vistoc2017-02-26T22:39:59-08:00Laura Cechanowiczd3ad765e71e0e946eed450145482fb1a6196dad2