Creative tech showcased

3D animations in TV commercials attracts many visitors at the fair. Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain

The reason this time around is the 'Multimedia Fair 2003' -- Arena's second annual student exhibition of multimedia technology and applications which started on May 29. It was even a notch or two bigger than last year's, with 130 projects ranging from digital graphics to animations put on display.

The fair involves students from Arena's Dhanmondi and Mirpur campus who got the opportunity to exhibit their projects. Every year, the organisers put in months of planning and hard work to get this showcase event up and running. The first part of the fair began at the Dhanmondi centre on May 29 and ran through June 1. The second part would be held at its Mirpur centre between June 4 and June 7.

The first multimedia fair was held in 2002 at the Dhanmondi centre.

The students who have completed their first 6 months at Arena highlighted the enormous effect of digital graphics on our life, students. They displayed their creativity in digital art, keeping the spectators spell bound. They worked on such different themes as: 'Say no to drugs', 'Save Asia', 'Cultural heritage', 'Bangladesh -- my love'. A total of 80 printed works were on the show and almost 200 graphics were displayed digitally. Almost all of these works were done using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

Just across the room, 25 flashy TV commercials were on display. Some students picked real life products such as Pepsi, Channel-i and Duracell batteries, while others chose imaginary brands for their commercial projects. Each snap was at par with the professional standards like resolution and duration. Students who completed their first year were put their heads in this discipline. Software like 3D Studio Max and Adobe Premier were used in making these presentations.

Audio-video editing was one other glittering part of the fair. About 20 edited videos were made their ways to the display. English and Hindi songs dubbed in Bangla drew the visitors, much to their delight. Some electrifying effects were used in some of the videos. Adobe Premier was the main editing tool for these videos.

A few websites were also on display at the fair. One of the websites included the official site of Mediatech Limited, the business partner of Aptech Worldwide and the owner of both Arena centres.

Students of Arena, who are now representing different companies, participated in the commercial category. Companies such as Gonophone Bangladesh Limited, Digital Vision and Dream Merchant offered discounts on their products.

Anirban Sarkar, course coordinator of Arena, said he considered this year's exhibition a resounding success.

"I think it showcases the best among the best," said Anirban. "It shows how great the students are here and how creative they are, which we sometimes take for granted."

Some of the sponsors of the fair included Pepsi, Gonophone Bangladesh Limited and Nationwide Communications Limited.