Go Create meeting

As it is done every week, a meeting of Go create club was held at the International Center Goa in Donapaul on October 22, 2008. The ambience of richly decorated ‘Sal’ hall was giving us an illusion of a high-level diplomatic meeting. Today’s goal was to learn about Windows Movie Maker. Before we began, we watched a DST by Venisha Fernandes. The film highlighted the divide between and the problems faced by the rich and the poor.

We divided ourselves into four teams of two each and started meddling with the four laptops that we had. In spite of a skillful instructor, each team was troubled with different problems. The difference of style between Windows Vista and Windows XP confused several people, others battled with technical problems and faulty equipment. In this session, we acquainted ourselves with Windows Movie Maker. Even though we used ready-made story and pics, our experiment was quite successful. During this meeting, we also discussed some opportunities the field of film making offered us and decided to take into consideration how we could avail of those opportunities.

The meeting was a delightful experience for all the participants apart for those waiting for a tea break. The session ended without one.

GoSocial Welcomes Nara students.

The one day program titled "Hallo Goa Nara" will be held on September 6th at the International Centre Goa . It is a day long event starting from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. where Goan students will get an opportunity to interact with Japanese students.The program is challenging as we do not share common language with our Japanese collegues and thus its focus will be nonverbal communication which will give us a glimpse of the other person and culture.

GoSocial team takes great pleasure in Welcoming Nara students.





Shanti Morajkar
Interests:reading, listening to music.

Avita Gonsalves
Interests: listening to music, dancing, drawing.

Priyanka Velip
Interests: listening to music, cooking

Venisha Fernandes
Interests: reading, writing poems, interacting with people, travelling, history, badminton.






Prajyoti Khorjuvekar
Interests: travelling, listening to music.

Anita Barreto
Interests: reading, cooking, singing.






Stacy Mascarenhas
Interests: reading, cooking, listening to music

Navrishka Seebaluk
Interests: reading, travelling, writing, listening to music, socialisiing with friends.






Melisa Fernandes
Interests: singing, dancing and cooking.

Munira Ursula Desouza
Interests: reading, travelling, listening to music,

cooking, making new friends.




Preeti Padgaonkar
Interests: surfing the net, watching the movies, eating, meeting new people, touring.

Fun trip to Vasco

On 12th August we decided to go for "Vasco Saptah". Since it was Tuesday, it was difficult for us to leave early. Lectures get over at 2:15 p.m. and we do not have guts to ask ma'm to leave us early. So what to do? Vasco is atleast at 1 hr. distance from Goa University and we had to return back soon.

We have 2 continuous lectures on Tuesdays with half hour break in between. As soon as first lecture got over we began digging into each others tiffin. (No time to eat after 2:15. Remember?)

To our surprise ma'm left us 15 mins. early and we began running as fast as possible to catch the first bus from University. But to our dissappointment the bus had just left. Another bus takes atleast 20 -30 mins. to come. So did we loose hope?............ Not at all.

We began stopping the cars. After some time one car stopped and we just got into it. I bet he will never stop for us again..............coz...........imagine eight of us in one car sitting on each others lap. From Bambolim we got lift till Cortalim. We managed to reach Vasco by 3:10 p.m. Our seniors were already there waiting for us.

We had Vasco special "Pav bhaji" and "Shev puri". Then we began shopping and you can imagine girls shopping. They never finish fast and those who do not like shopping feel hungry soon. We got lost and had to contact each other through cell phones (half of the time we were advertising for it).

After three hours of shopping, we realized how much shopping is left. But with no choice we had to return home and this time by bus.

Learning to blog

We returned from our workshop to usual lectures feeling happy to be young film- makers.Today as we were having a session on blogging, the net got disconnected.
Disappointed we began watching our films and all we could get was enthusiasm that was lost a few seconds ago.We saw a small dst "Encountering Mario" by Ms. Pamela D'Mello. It was a great learning experience.

Day 5: Curtain Call

Over the past 5 days, participants of the Digital Storytelling Workshop have been pouring over their scripts, painstakingly drawing storyboards and visuals, recording voiceovers, visualising transitions and all the while grappling with the intricacies of the software. And boy, did they come through tops! The enthusiasm with which they began the workshop was just as palpable on the 5th and final day, with each participant seeking to give their best for their first-time efforts.

While the process was exciting enough, the highlight for all was the screening of the 8 films from each participant. Some members of the faculty of Goa University and artist/arts teacher, Apurva Kulkarni too were in attendence. The efforts of our young storytellers and DST as a whole were highly appreciated by the audience. The participants it seems, will now go on to submitting their class assignments in this format. That's a good beginning!

And here are the final films for your viewing pleasure...

Meri Life Meri Hai! by Jay Joshi




Mango Moods by Munira de Souza




Tongue in Ice by Venisha Fernandes




Memories Sweet & Sour by Carol D'Souza




View from Above by Navrishka Seebaluk




Lost Love by Vernul Sequeira



Avita's Anger by Avita Gonsalves




Pending by Janet Sam

Day 4: Making My Film

Everyone returned after a Sunday busy finalising their stories and collecting pictures. Today was the day marked for starting one's own story. Sharing story boards, discussing motion and transition, backgound music and above all geting our voice just right while telling our stories.

In the midst of this the University Grants Commission XI Plan Committee visited the Laboratry we were working in. Their purpose is to evaluate the University and propose additional funding for the University.

Professor Dahiya, MD University Rohtak and Professor Prithvi Yadav (IIM Indore) stopped by the Social Science Computer Lab, acquainted themselves with the facility and took keen interest in the Digital Story Telling Workshop.

To showcase this initiative we showed them Jay Joshi's film from day 2 titled 'The Journey of Man'. They had a word with participants and the facilitators. We do wish that DST gets a shot in the arm at Goa University.

At the end of an exciting and tiring day, we have complete the rough cuts. We shall work on fine-tuning tomorrow and create the final cuts and the end of the workshop.

Watch this blog tomorow for the final output - our very own digitial stories.

A Film in 60 minutes

So how do you react when told you must complete your first digital story and you have just 60 minutes? Panic? Zapped? Laid-back? Can-do-will-do? We had all of that and more on the second day of the Digital Storytelling workshop at the Goa University.

Why 60 minutes? The GoCreat DST workshops believe in learning using a hands-on method. And so, as part of teaching MS PhotoStory on day 2, participants are given a set of 20 images and 10 audio tracks. From these, they go on to script a story using no more than 6 images, their own voiceover and the available audio tracks as background music. And yes, there are just 60 minutes to do this in. There's no better way to learn a new skill than under pressure! Is there? Well ok, they did get some extra minutes, but hey, you get the drift, right?

And here are the films that came out of day 2...

The Big Question Mark by Avita Gonsalves




The Journey of Man by Jay Joshi




Life is Beautiful by Venisha Fernandes




A New Beginning by Munira de Souza




Dreamland by Navrishka Seebaluk




Success by Janet Sam




Its my Dream House by Carol D'Souza



The participants now work on their story draft, storyboard and collect visuals tomorrow, and get back on day 4 to create their very own movies. Stay tuned.

Digital Storytelling Workshop July 2008

On July 18th, 2008, the Department of Sociology, Goa University began a four day workshop conducted by GoCreat for students who wanted to learn digital story telling (DST). Students who signed up for the workshop began by sharing why they joined the workshop:

I have watched the movies in class and I was amazed by the power that the movies had. The impact of storytelling on ones life is very impressionable and I do believe that everyone has a story to tell.
- Navrishka Seebaluk

Digital story telling will certainly give me a better platform to put my views across. Through this workshop I will be learning the techniques of writing interesting and powerful stories.
-Carol Dsouza

Today, youngsters shy away from reading, but a new medium like this will surely attract them and give opportunity to get exposed to thoughts of various writers more effectively.
- Venisha Fernandes

The main purpose of joining this course is to relive memorable moments of my life, I would like to make movies for my friends and add it to my list of life and live it forever.
-Avita Gonsalves

I found it interesting and I would like to learn how to make digital stories

-Munira Ursula de Souza

After I complete this course I can even share my ideas with others which will also help them to develop their interest in this workshop.
- Janet Sam

After spending several years in our education system I have come to feel that my liking for stories and my imagination have been suppressed. Digital story telling will provide me with a rare opportunity to open up and reinvent myself as a story teller.

- Jay Joshi (Political Science)

I am interested in this workshop because it will help me express myself the way I want to.

- Vernul Sequeira (English)

Welcome to GoSocial

Welcome to the GoSocial site, home of the students of the Department of Sociology, Goa University (India) who have chosen to explore multimedia expression.