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A collage showcasing ArtUpDownTown, a collaboration between CARIMAC and Studio 174.  Think of downtown Kingston, and pictures of a sea of humanity traversing across alleys, vying for space in between handcarts, vendors on the pavements trying to outsell the other flash past. It might seem chaotic to many, but this is symbolic of vibrancy and, most important, life. This enigma, which unfolds like layers of mysteries being solved, has been captured by a group of youngsters, as they highlight ‘ArtUpDownTown’ For those familiar with political terminologies, Kingston can very well be defined as the proverbial north-south divide, the ‘sterile’ and the ‘unkempt’, ‘ArtUpDownTown’ is an attempt to converge those two distinct aspects of Jamaica’s capital city. Capturing downtown Kingston life on mix media, ArtUpDownTown highlights its sights, sounds and the vibrancy “Its aim is to empower more Jamaicans to tell their own stories through audio, video, and photography, whil...

An anima tion student going through the motions of bringing an animated character to life. “We have the potential to become the next India,” says Dianne Wan, replete with animated gestures and packed with conviction. Wan, instructor of animation at Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) at the University of the West Indies (UWI) is not referring to Jamaica becoming the next ‘curry capital’ of the world, but the hub for animation. For Wan, the love affair with animation began early, and like every youngster and their fantasy world, she was glued to cartoons. “I used to watch Disney movie tapes over and over, till they jammed and could no longer be played,” she said. Growing up, Wan said, that love affair blossomed into a career path. “Animations are motion graphics,” said Wan, and like a creative thought process, they start with an ideation. A Stylus and animation pad - the new pencil and sketch pad for animators “First, the concept is drawn as thumb...

This month marks the one-year anniversary of the culmination of the campaigns leading up to the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. Five CARIMAC lecturers weigh in on these campaigns. For many, the campaigns leading up to the 2008 U.S. presidential election were the most spectacular and the most discussed. In your view, what can Caribbean journalists or communicators learn from the coverage of these campaigns? Prof. Aggrey Brown, adjunct lecturer and former CARIMAC director: Treat with the facts; not hype or sentiment. Recall that the media had Hilary Clinton walking away with the Democratic nomination even before the contest started and were too busy to notice Obama's innovative use of new media in his campaign. Janneth Mornan-Green, adjunct lecturer and public relations practitioner: One lesson for journalists is that they should be more fearless in covering a story. They should also be more thorough, looking at subjects from various angles. As for other communicators (PR people...