Giuseppe Valenzise
Cartoons: Authors, Films and Animation Techniques
Publication on CD-ROM

(under construction)

"The work Cartoons recounts the history of cartoons and analyses the language and techniques of the best of animation cinema. It emphasises and explains the contribution of Western and Eastern Europe which is often obscured by the American and Japanese commercial products.

Cartoons is subdivided into three main sections: authors, films and animation techniques. The Authors section contains an historical-critical analysis of the most important directors, producers and poetic schools of animation throughout the world and through the years. This section includes photographs of the authors and images and drawings from the films, along with audiovisual extracts. The section dedicated to filmography offers an alphabetical list of films with their plots and historical-critical notes. Finally, the third section describes the techniques and language of animation with an analysis of the methods of representing movement by means of images, explicit animations and sounds. Cartoons is an interactive CD ROM that is aimed at a mass audience but is also educational. It is a typical edutainment product combining learning with amusement. It is aimed at animation film enthusiasts, teachers, art school students and communication and entertainment specialists, in addition to children, adolescents, computer users and schools, and also film festivals and exhibitions dedicated to comic books and animated cartoons."

Teresa Mancini
The Fountains of Rome
Publication on CD-ROM

"This CD-ROM is a new multimedia, interactive book of photographs illustrating various tourist and cultural itineraries in Rome. The author invites us to discover the city by means of interesting visits to its fountains, which are one of the most characteristic elements of Rome. The guide takes us on two different chronological tours: the Acqua Felice aqueduct, the Renaissance fountains, the baroque fountains, the fountains of the 19th and 20th centuries and the gardens. On the other tour we follow maps of the city's waterways including the aqueducts, the Renaissance fountains, the baroque fountains, the 19th and 20th century fountains and the fountains in the gardens. The structure of the guide and the choice of media allow for personalised consultation capable of stimulating the curiosity of the visitor. This permits him to either discover these sites in a casual way or else by following the various itineraries. For example, the "history" option takes the user to a brief animated account of water and its uses, and also of the creation and development of the fountain. Clicking on the appropriate icon takes you to an illustrated dictionary where you'll find the personages and allegories relating to the fountains. The glossary option gives access to a list of technical terms relating to hydraulics.