Quick update on grades: I am working towards Monday to submit final grades. I will be entering individual project grades into Blackboard with feedback, so you can see how I assessed everything. Stay tuned…
Category: class updates
Next week: website critiques and final exam review
Monday 4/27
By today, please have ready a first draft of your advocacy website. This is a first draft, but it should be complete with all the major pieces in place. In addition to most graphic design elements such as videos and pictures being finished or mostly finished, you should have an About page, FAQ, or some explanatory blurb on your site by this point. You can still revise things later, but get it as finished as possible.
I will assign you to another group’s website for critique. Write your critiques in a Google document and add the document to one of the shared folders linked below.
In class today, we will review graphic design principles and other course concepts as a way to prepare for the final exam.
Wednesday 4/29
Website critiques are due today. Please add your critique to one of the following shared folders on Google Drive. Title your document with a logical file name, like “Tim Tebow’s critique of family farms advocacy website.” I know that’s long, but it will help avoid confusion.
– section D01 (11:15AM) folder is here
– section D03 (9:05AM) folder is here
I am no longer asking you to turn in Foundations of Digital Art and Design Chapter 12 as homework, but you will probably want to complete it anyway since it goes through the steps of setting up your final exam portfolio.
Final exam
I posted instructions for the final exam. We will discuss in class today. If you are absent, let me know your questions.
Also, don’t forget to meet in Bronstein Hall on Friday.
Project 4 groups!
Section D01 (11:15 AM)
“Kensington: The Forgotten Neighborhood in Philadelphia” — Katie J., Mary Kate G., Caitlyn W., Kiera S.
“Resources for Artists” — Krista J., Sara S., Steven S., Matt T., Sam F.
“Sexual Assault Awareness” — Ben B., Lizzie G., C. Clare M., Alex L., Molly S.
“Philadoptables” — Kelly O., Jessica R., Ariela R.
“Mental Health on Campus” — Cailinn O., Evan C., Maddie M., Caroline K.
Section D03 (9:05 AM)
“Family Farms” — Justin R., Erin C., Sara L., Hannah
“Public Safety” — Lauren C., Chris F., Kaley A., Zach B., Stephanie G.
“Domestic Violence” — Gina O., Emily H., Gabe A., Kaeleigh H., Katie P.
“Growing Up” — Ciara A., Kristin D., Diana A., Rebecca S.
“Food Waste and Hunger in Philadelphia” — Mary-Margaret, Cory B., Alayna W.
Project pitches
“Pitching” a project idea seems like an appropriate thing to do, now that baseball season has just started! If you’re unsure what I am asking you to do, here’s a bit more guidance to help you prepare for tomorrow.
Please tell us about an idea (relevant to college students or a local community) that you think would be KILLER for Project 4. Your pitch should be 1-2 minutes long, or approximately 200-250 words if that helps you estimate how much content to prepare. Please practice your pitch before class and use notes if it helps you remember what you want to say! No one cares if you refer to notes as long as you seem organized, but people get annoyed when you ramble off the top of your head. Avoid reading your pitch verbatim, but reading is better than rambling. You can use a few slides if you’d like — create them in Google Slides or Prezi and share them with me. Also, please post your pitch as a paragraph in the correct Blackboard discussion forum.
Here is a possible outline for your oral-delivery pitch:
- Tell a brief story about this issue: how you learned about it, what’s your role/stake in it, why you started to care about it, or something like that.
- Explain the issue concisely: what is it? what’s the background or history of the problem?
- Outcomes: how could your group’s work on this issue improve the lives of others or make the world better in a small (or big!) way?
- Ask if anyone has questions about your idea.
Each of these points would be just three or four sentences! Remember, it takes about two minutes to say 200-250 words aloud.
TIPS:
- You can’t plan for much right now. You have no clue who your group is or how the topic might change down the line. For now, you are just trying to think of an opening into an issue that deserves more attention, a problem/concern relevant to college students or a community in Philadelphia. Think of something that will be inviting to a group of college students in Philadelphia.
- Do a little research. Check out regional, neighborhood, and campus news sources. Think about needs that are not being met, either at SJU or in the city, and research the issue to see if there is any history on it. Think about trends that seem destructive or alarming — do some research to see what other people or groups are trying to reverse that trend and why.
- Think about what matters to you, but also what could/should matter to a community or group. How do we live together well? How can we live together better?
For Wednesday April 1
For class this Wednesday, please upload a draft of your video to the correct Blackboard forum. First you will need to export the video. I recommend exporting it as .mp4 or .m4v. In iMovie, if you click Share > File, you can select .mp4 as an option. The video does not have to be exactly 60 seconds for this first draft — but it should be very close! In class on Wednesday, we will watch the videos and offer feedback as a class. Here are some questions we can consider:
- What is this video trying to do or communicate?
- Is there a title frame with the author’s name? Is there a credits frame?
- Does all text stay on the screen long enough for viewers to read it?
- What editing techniques can you identify? What about sound?
- How is the volume? Is speech audible? Does background music seem too loud? Is the choice of sound appropriate for what’s being shown on screen?
- How would you describe the mise-en-scene (the setting or scenery, including LIGHTING) and cinematography (movement and position of the camera)?
- Are there any opportunities to strengthen the video’s message through editing, mise-en-scene, cinematography, or through other sound choices?
Also, just a heads-up: I posted Project 4 (the FINAL PROJECT!) guidelines last week. Now is a good time to check them out, especially if you wrap up your Project 3 draft early.
Project 3
I mentioned in class that we won’t have time to do the Dexter project — plus I need to think more about how to make it work in groups. I posted the new Project 3 guidelines. I think this will be a better option for us and hopefully something you enjoy!
This week’s to-do list
As you know, we won’t meet as a class this Wednesday and Friday since I’ll be out of town. In place of class meetings, there are some things you should do instead:
By Wednesday 3/18 at 5PM: Please watch the 2011 documentary Press Pause Play directed by David Dworsky and Victor Köhler. (NOTE: There is some adult language in the film!) It’s about 1h20m long, but you should allow time to take notes throughout. Then, no later than Wednesday night, please post a response to the film on the Blackboard discussion forum for the film. Your response should be approximately 300-400 words long, and it should (1) bring up an example or key quote from the film, (2) raise a question about it, and (3) relate the example to something happening today or something in your life. Those three things don’t have to be in that order, but that’s generally what I’m looking for in your response. Please proofread your response and make it coherent before posting.
By Friday 3/20 at 5PM: Please discuss the film on Blackboard by replying to at least two classmates’ posts. I am looking for meaningful, substantial replies. Not “I agree” and “interesting point.” Go beyond that and explain what was interesting or why you agree. I will participate in the discussion from afar, so look out for me lurking!
For Monday 3/23: Please read White Space Chapter 11 about storyboarding. Then, storyboard the clip you brought to class on 3/16 as an example of good sound design. Account for framing, perspective, POV, camera angle, movement, continuity, transitions, lighting, type, and audio. How does each contribute to the narrative? There are blank storyboard templates online (just Google “blank storyboard”) or make your own.
Also: Here begins the more teach-yourself portion of the class. This week, you should begin going through some tutorials for the video editing program you want to use for project 3! (Project 3 is a video assignment.) Whether it’s iMovie, Premiere, or something else, you should start learning now. (If you have a subscription to Creative Cloud, then learn Premiere!) There isn’t a lot of homework to do for the remainder of this class — be proactive in teaching yourself how to accomplish what you want to do.
Your sound design mini project is due on Wednesday 3/25, so you should also be working on that over the next week.
For the Monday after spring break
Monday is an important class, since it’s our only meeting during the week after spring break. To prepare, please complete the three short readings listed on the course calendar. Also, I would like you to come to class on Monday 3/16 with an example of a sound design that you think is effective, and one that you think is ineffective. The designs can come from movies, TV commercials, video games, etc. Actually have the link and I want you to show me that you have done the reading and have thought about it in terms of the examples you’re bringing to class. Generally, participation in class has been pretty poor and I have the sense that reading assigned for class is either low priority, or in some cases totally ignored.
Lastly, please read over the Sound Design Mini Project guidelines and go through the three tutorials linked in that assignment. The tutorials are for Adobe Premier. If you have never edited video before and you purchased Creative Cloud, I recommend learning video editing with Premier. If you have never edited video before and you did not purchase Creative Cloud, you may choose to use a different program such as iMovie. Tutorials are everywhere online. Begin thinking of ideas for this project over spring break.
Today, I would like to troubleshoot any issues you are having with Project 2 and then take some time to get familiar with Audacity. While you may choose the software for video editing, I would like everyone to use Audacity for audio editing. Unlike video editing, it does not really have a rival in terms of popularity or the amount of documentation/support available online.
Starting week 7
I have posted guidelines for Project 2: Dada photomontage. Today, we’ll talk about the project (what is a photomontage? what is Dada?) and start to generate ideas for what you might create.
Here are the notes I’m using to introduce Dada: http://tinyurl.com/com202dada
Also, don’t forget about the weekly help sessions with Communication Studies faculty member Andy Famiglietti. Andy knows Photoshop, so he could be a great resource for you if you get stuck.
Weekly help session schedule (NOTE THE LOCATION CHANGE)
- Wednesdays 2-3 in BRONSTEIN, 1st floor (open collaboration area)
- Thursdays 11-12 in BRONSTEIN, 1st floor (open collaboration area)
