Digital Video for the World Wide Web

video capture and soundtrack creation

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:39:42 -0500

Tonight- a demonstration of how to capture your digital video and an overview of garageband.

Storyboard 2 Critique

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:52:30 -0500

PART I: CRITIQUE The storyboard for project 2 is due at the beginning of class. PART II: LIGHTING The distinction between seemingly low and high production value has much to do with how the subject is lit. Tonight we demonstrate the tools you have at hand for lighting: main, secondary and back lighting, diffuse and straight on, it makes a big difference.

Mash Up

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:01:08 -0500

Found Footage Video Your first project will have two components: * A storyboard (10%) DUE March 29, BEGINNING OF CLASS * A 1-5 minute video (20%) DUE APRIL 9, BEGINING OF CLASS * *Both the storyboard and project will be viewed for critique on the their respective due dates The project will be created using found footage - that is footage created by others. The underlying sound may also be from other sources. STORYBOARD CRITERIA: The storyboard should have enough detail to indicate the storyline. All viewers should understand the narrative, variety of shots used, and have a notion of pacing. (Long lingering shots vs. quick edits). Grading criteria for the storyboards will be based upon: (a) clarity (b) variety and appropriateness of shots used and (c) craftmanship (layout should be neat, each image a minimum of 3 x 5 inches. Fine art not required, but a sense of scale is. Craftsmanship counts. Create panels that are a 3:4 ratio. Make them straight. PROJECT CRITERIA: Can you use your own work? Absolutely. The point is something called "recontextualization". That is giving new meaning to things by placing them in different contexts. What I will be looking for in the grading is evidence of thoughtful composition, integrity, meaning, syncopation, and clear point of view. Composition - the work should demonstrate a cognizance of various types of shots (close up, medium and long) and how variety is used to tell a story. Integrity - there are different styles of moving image storytelling. Some are almost formulaic. A rap video has a certain editing style, and sequencing of shots. Over-the-top cheesy advertisements, self-conscious in their bombardment of the viewer in hyperbole is another. Fight sequences have their own rhythm and editing style. It is possible to create tension by taking one style and applying it to a different genre. (What would happen if you treated a car commercial like a horror movie?) Regardless of style, the work should hold together as a cohesive unit reflecting its intended effect. Meaning - What is the purpose of the video? To educate? To entertain? To make one laugh? To ponder? Your intent should be clear. What the viewer gets should be the same as your intent.

Editing continued, Work session

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:36:23 -0500

We Edit Life, and Filters

"Experimenters in visual perception are using computers to create weird and random patterns that never occur in real life to find out what and how people see when these patterns are shown to them. The art of computer graphics is only in its infancy yet it is already stimulating creative thought in far out areas where research is likely to get complex and unwieldy. If offers not only the means to quicken the pace of discovery but an ideal of communicating what we may discover" - We Edit Life.

Today we will view more video examples, review trimming (fine tuning rough edits), and allow some class time for working on the upcoming project. Thus far, we have worked with simple edits. Segues from one image to another can be done a variety of ways - each with a different effect. Not only do we have the capability of changing scene to scene, we can temper the clip itself with the use of filters. And check this out: http://hillmancurtis.com/hc_web/film_video.shtml#

Storyboard Critique and Work Session

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:35:04 -0500

The storyboard for your found footage video is due today. We will critique the boards.

Class Exercise

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:10:55 -0500

What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? -Langston Hughes THE POOL PLAYERS. SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL. We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We Jazz June. We Die soon. - Gwendolyn Brooks And indeed there will be time For the yellow smoke that slides along the street, Rubbing its back upon the window-panes; 25 There will be time, there will be time To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet; There will be time to murder and create, And time for all the works and days of hands That lift and drop a question on your plate; 30 Time for you and time for me, And time yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred visions and revisions, Before the taking of a toast and tea. In the room the women come and go 35 Talking of Michelangelo. - excerpt from The Lovesong of Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Elliot

Tell Me a Story

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:33:35 -0500

It is best to begin any endeavor with a clue. Today we will discuss narrative, and genres in preparation of the first project. In terms of found footage creation, there is a process of composition and seeing how segments interact. There is construction. For each, the planning process is very different. Determining what you want to say... Juxtaspositioning Point - moral of the story Theme Genre as vocabulary The storyboard becomes the basis of your shot list. What kinds of shots? The long shot, the medium shot, the close up, the extreme (any of the preceding)...the detail, the macro, the fish eye. There are moving shots: pans, zooms and dollies. We'll look at each of these. The shots provide your visual language. If the narrative is your story, then your shots are your sentences.

Adobe Premiere Intro

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:17:57 -0500

We will be using Adobe Premiere on the mac as our digital video editing application. In today's class you will do some basic editing to familiarize yourselves with both the software and notions of timing. Class Exercise: Download at least 3 movies from the Prelinger Archives. ReEdit them. Reading Assignment: Resources: http://www.netvid.com <-- allows you to download video files from youtube (and other places) Creativecommons.org/video/

Course Overview

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:00:06 -0500

In this first lecture, we'll do general housekeeping. We'll discuss the course syllabus, the course outline, and this weblog. We'll discuss my expectations of you, and also what you may expect of me. Additionally, it would be good to begin any endeavor with a clue. Today we talk about what digital video means on the web; its constraints, how that effects production and narrative.

8.0 Grading

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:50:18 -0500

Late Work: (any deliverable) Unless otherwise indicated, all work is due by class time of the due date indicated in the assignment. Late submissions will be assessed penalties (up to 5% per day). Required Attendance: Penalties for unexcused absences will be assessed. Should some dire circumstance arise, it is important you are proactive in contacting me. In the event of illness, please go to the Student Health Center. If it is serious they can help you out. They also can provide the required documentation that you are ill. Assessment: 8.1 Project 1 Storyboard (10%) 8.2 Project 1: Mash Up (20%) 8.3 "Picture the Impossible" promo (20%) 8.4 Final Project Storyboard (10%) 8.5 Rough Edit (10%) 8.6 Final Project (30%)

7.0 Intended learning outcomes and associated assessment methods

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:49:36 -0500

7.1 Students will understand various methods used to manipulate viewer focus. This will assessed through critique of work and implementation in class exercises. 7.2 Students will be able to apply these methods to video creation. Measurement of success will be tied to the degree of the clarity of narrative and intended outcomes. 7.3 Students will develop pieces; select proper cuts, utilize appropriate lighting, integrate the visual and audio elements in keeping with the intended target audience and utility of the video. Measurement of success will be judged via the creation of a storyboard, animatic and final work.

6.0 Topics

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:46:42 -0500

6.1 The video format

6.1.1 A comparison of video formats (DVD, High Definition, NTSC, Video on the web) 6.1.2 Video web applications 6.1.3 Video web formats 6.1.4 CODECS (compression decompression) 6.1.5 Interactive video

6.2 Students will determine appropriate narrative structures for specific interfaces.

6.2.1 Linear Narrative 6.2.2 Non-linear Narrative 6.2.3 Interactive Narrative

6.3 Students will determine appropriate framing for function and narration

6.3.1 The close up 6.3.2 The medium shot 6.3.3 The long shot 6.3.4 Camera movement : pan, zoom, dolly

6.4 Students will further understanding of narrative through the editing process

6.4.1 Importing Video 6.4.2 Adjusting color, contrast, brightness of video 6.4.3 Juxtaspositioning 6.4.4 Parallel construction 6.4.5 Editing for rhythm 6.4.6 Editing for mood 6.4.7 Straight cuts 6.4.8 Transitions 6.4.9 Use of stills 6.4.10 Simple Compositing 6.4.11 Titling 6.4.12 Simple Effects

6.5 Students will demonstrate control of the shooting environment and organize projects efficiently.

6.5.1 Lighting 6.5.2 Storyboarding 6.5.3 Animatics 6.5.4 Audio recording

6.6 Augmenting the above techniques, students will create appropriate sound tracks for their work

6.6.1 “Micky Mousing” 6.6.2 The sound stage 6.6.3 Syncopation 6.6.4 Sound editing – straight edits, cross fade, layering 6.6.5 Rhythm 6.6.6 Ambient noise 6.6.7 Builiding and importing music from other composition programs 6.6.8 Students will synthesize the various means of manipulating user focus in the culmination of a 3-6 minute video disseminated via the web.

5.0 Required Texts and Materials

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:45:59 -0500

5.1 Sketchbook 5.2 Mini-DV tape (or other method of capturing video) 5.3 Assigned articles 5.4 (minimum) 4 gig flash memory (8 gig is preferable)

4.0 Course Description

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:45:13 -0500

In the brave new world of rich content deliverables via the web, we take for granted that students need facility with images, animation and interactivity. Video becomes yet another increasingly important medium. It is used for illustration, instruction, entertainment and marketing. Students working with web development require an understanding of its inherent qualities, limitations and how it may be implemented. This course will speak to a definition of video and specifically how to create and implement quality work suitable for web delivery.

3.0 Course Goals

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:44:39 -0500

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to effectively determine appropriate CODECs and format of video for the web. Additionally, students will have working knowledge of video content creation and aspects considered in making quality work.