C.I.P.A. 2003 Finalists

College de Maisonneuve, Tremplin Project

Tremplin Project/CorpsIndice Web site

Overview

CorpsIndice is a dance company that makes both special and spectacular use of technology. As a result, the company had a need for a virtual showcase to present itself to its audience, and potential investors. The site had to be a faithful reflection of the company and present a cohesive package of images, sound and movement, while leaving room for more static content.

Objectives

The assignment was to produce a Web site that could adequately present the company, the team and its shows, both to a general audience and to the various investors the company depends on.

We also needed to provide a way for fans and collaborators to keep abreast of the latest news concerning the company, shows, team members, etc.

In addition, in view of the company's numerous foreign bookings, it needed to communicate a lot of information via the Internet concerning their various contacts, as well as post messages in real team and share multimedia files of various types.

Summary Description

In order to present this project adequately, we need to define the context in which it was carried out. First of all, it is important to point out that the members of the production team were all students in their third year of the multimedia integration techniques program offered by the College de Maisonneuve.

As part of this program, we were required to take an introductory course to the business environment. This project course, dubbed "Tremplin" ("springboard"), gave us the opportunity to fully experience the creation of a corporate Web site. As such, we had to familiarize ourselves with all the design and production stages, in addition to the need to learn the art of working closely with the client.

The project was an ideal opportunity for all of us to experience genuine working conditions, while being sensitized to the real issues involved in developing a multimedia product. Of course, the first step was to get to know each other and learn to work together as a production team for the first time.

Once the teams and projects were assigned, we met with the client. We learned what the CorpsIndice dance company was all about and became aware of its specific needs and objectives regarding this site.

The main objectives were to create a virtual showcase to present CorpsIndice effectively, to provide a space for news and to facilitate communication between the client's team members. We also needed to find a way to give them access to their technical resources from anywhere. As a result, in the member section, there is a message board that allows members to post messages in real time and exchange various media files. There are also complete technical records on all of the contacts, clients, suppliers, retailers, schools and other people who are essential to the dance company's operations.

Furthermore, Isabelle Choiniere, President and Founder of Corps In dice is a regular guest speaker in schools and needed to disseminate much more information about her company so that teachers and students could research the company in greater detail.

Innovative Use of Technology

An exhaustive search of dance Web sites revealed that, surprisingly, there are no sites that present their content dynamically. Indeed, the various texts and media were displayed rather statically. Our objective was to use Flash to create energetic displays, while remaining accessible to the vast majority of Internet users. As a result, our floating main menu is innovative in its ability to offer the "spectator" access to all the sections of the site in a single click. What's more, visitors can enjoy a special sound track while surfing the site, which helps duplicate the ambiance of the shows produced by CorpsIndice, bringing together sound, light and movement.

We also created a precedent by enhancing the user's browsing experience with random events. Indeed, screens representing black or white "flash" screens, test colour patterns (such as those seen on television at night) and a snowy image (such as TV channels with no reception) were added to the site to add elements of surprise for the user.

Finally, the communication abilities the company obtained through the use of PHP/MySQL occur very rarely in the field of dance. Indeed, the company can now communicate more effectively, not only with its clientele and investors by putting a great deal of information at their disposal, but also with its members. The addition of a database in the restricted section enables collaborators and company employees to find essential information from anywhere in the world.

(back to top)