Syllabus

Course Description:

This 3-hour lab consists of workshops that offer supportive instruction and training in various software programs, digital tools, and platforms. These workshops are introductions to the programs and tools for digital imaging, graphics, video, sound, and interactive design. The workshops are designed to scaffold technical and design skills and foster a culture of sustainable learning communities.

Students are expected to complete a series of guided assignments that cultivate media production skillsets, to be used while developing assets for digital storytelling, game studies and interactive design. Active class participation is required as well as timely completion of assignments.

Students will be maintaining Open lab portfolio blogs in which they post all assignments. Students must also reflect on each post and discuss in writing their ideas and challenges in completing the assignment. The class is portfolio-based. In order to complete the course successfully, students must upload all assignments to their Open lab portfolio and actively participate in critiques and class challenges. 

Course Goals:

To give students an introduction to: 

• some of the software relevant to the game design and development pipeline, including Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Audition, Adobe Premiere, Adobe After Effects, Davinci Resolve and Unity.  
• the design principles, the iterative process, and an enhanced ability to discuss and evaluate your work and the work of others.  
• digital culture, including but not limited to using online resources and archives, online portfolio development, mashups, memes, Creative Commons, etc.

Learning Outcomes:

By the successful completion of this course, students will be able, at an introductory level, to:

• employ design principles and visual storytelling methods to the development of project concepts.
• demonstrate a basic comprehension of digital tools pertaining to still images (Vector and Raster), Video, Sound and Interactivity
• understand the iterative making process, using incremental methods such as prototyping and testing.
• apply obtained knowledge to other contexts, including programs and platforms.
• archive work in a reflective manner for an online portfolio. 
• demonstrate an ability to speak about their own process and the work of their peers in an analytical and constructive manner.

Course Materials:

• OpenLab e-portfolio 
• Google Drive account to back up files/Flash drive/Hard drive

Expectations:

• Arrive on time and attend all classes— see below for attendance policy.
• Spend at least 2-4 additional hours a week (outside of class) on class projects.
• Check OpenLab for assignments and materials.
• Post weekly assignment responses to OpenLab by the beginning of class unless otherwise specified in the assignment.
• Actively participate in class discussions & group critiques.
• Back up your work regularly.
• Thoughtfully contribute to a positive virtual classroom environment while actively supporting and challenging your classmates’ ideas. If possible, please turn your camera on at all times.
• Push yourself creatively and technically. Be ambitious. Work hard. Stay open and curious!

Critique Protocol: 

This semester we will be adhering to the developed by Liz Lerman. It is my hope that this process will better enable us to collectively give feedback and receive constructive criticism. The method was originally developed for dance but has been applied to many fields.

Communication:

• To contact your instructor with a brief, private question or message, send a DM (Direct Message) through Slack. This is preferred over email.  
• If you have a question that may be relevant to the group, post in the #general channel on Slack for all to see and comment on.  
• Use Slack for easy communications with your classmates as well—you can DM individuals or selected groups. 
• To discuss a more extended matter with your instructor, DM to set up an appointment for office hours.  
• If you have a tech support question, post in the #techsupport channel or DM our CLT for assistance.

Attendance Policy:

• Students are expected to attend every class, arrive on time, and actively engage/participate.
• Absences may be excused in the following cases: illness, religious observance with advanced notice, and on a case-by-case basis for other critical events and extenuating circumstances.
• If you will be absent, or if you are running late, email your instructor ASAP.
• In the case of an absence, contact a classmate for notes and what you missed, check OpenLab for assignments, and contact the instructor if you have additional questions.
• Lateness and absences will impact your grade. Since our work is interdependent everyone’s presence and full participation is necessary.
• All in-class activities are graded for participation.
• Unexcused lateness counts as 1/3 absence when up to 25 minutes late, 1/2 absence when 26-50 minutes late, and a full absence beyond that point.
• Project critiques are mandatory and cannot be made up. Missing a critique will result in a deduction of one letter grade for the corresponding project.

Inclusivity Statement:

I am committed to creating a learning and making community, in which we are all able to thrive during this difficult time.  This course consists of individual work, group discussions, class critiques, as well as technical and ideation workshops. We must, therefore, strive to create an atmosphere of inclusion and mutual respect: all students will have their chosen gender pronoun(s) and chosen name recognized. If the class roster does not align with your name, gender, and/or pronouns, please inform me. It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well-served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that the students bring to this class be viewed as an asset, resource, strength, and benefit. I am committed to presenting materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender identity, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups. 

VALUES	Excellent (90-100)	Good (80-89)	Fair (70-79)	Poor (60-69)	Unsatisfactory (0-59)
Concept	Core concept in projects is intriguing, original, and well-explored	Core concept in projects is intriguing but lacking in examination	Core concept in projects t is present and supported by the work	Core ideas are scattered without consideration	No clear concept, or work doesn’t reflect it
Progress	Clear and consistent progress from ideation to execution	Progress was made, but was not consistent	Evidence of procrastination, “last minute” pushes or crunch	Lack of progress in 1-2 areas resulting in project deficiencies	Little to no progress shown on the project
Presentation	Concept is clearly presented and strongly supported through visuals, audio and video. Production value is deliberate and professional	Concept is supported through presentation, but 2 or more areas of the design are lacking or distracting	Concept is weakly supported through presentation, project meets requirements but production value is lacking	1-2 presentation requirements are not met.	3+ presentation requirements are not met.
Skills	Clear demonstration of skills in all development areas (design principles, visual, audio, and video editing, proficient in software)	Clear demonstration of skill in 2+ development areas	Demonstrates skills, but omits topics covered in class.	Evidence of skills, but underutilization of techniques learned in class	Does not use any techniques learned in class.
Collaboration	Consistently provides honest, supportive feedback to peers, responsible in meeting team goals, communicates effectively.	Generally supportive, responsible, and good communication, with a few issues	Multiple issues/problems with collaboration, meeting goals, or communicating	Little to no evidence of communication, goal setting, and collaboration in a team setting.	Disrespectful to fellow students work, with negative impacts to class/team dynamics.

Academic Integrity Policy:
Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. The complete text of the College policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the catalog.

Instructor’s note: All images, audio and video clips that are downloaded from the internet must attributed to the original artist either in the piece or on your Openlab site.

Grading Policy:

50%     Online portfolio
5%       Mid-term
5%       Final Project
30%     Class Participation and critiques

Grading Rubric:

Course Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:

In order to receive disability-related academic accommodations students must first be registered with the Student Support Services Program (SSSP). Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a disability are invited to set up an appointment with Ms. Linda Buist, the program manager of SSSP (Phone: 718–260–5143, e-mail: lbuist@citytech.cuny.edu). If you have already registered with SSSP, please provide your professor with the course accommodation form and discuss your specific accommodation with him/her.

Week Outline:

Week 1 – 08/26 – Overview of the Course, and Key Concepts

Lecture – Key concepts to digital culture. Using City Tech’s OpenLab to create a WordPress Blog/Portfolio. Ice breaker and logo project Intro

Lab – Creating blogs, evaluating and customizing templates, uploading media, toggling between visual and HTML. Emphasis on professional presentation – and personalizing the design

Project – OpenLab portfolio – customizing WordPress

Week 2 – 09/09 – Design Concepts

Lecture – design concepts: composition, negative and positive space, design with a message. Introduction and navigating the Adobe Illustrator environment, understanding difference between raster and vector, creating scalable objects, basic vector tools including shapes, brushes, direct select, fills, strokes, text as object, exporting

Lab – Logo project

Project – Logo project –3 Variations: white background /black background and transparent background – 5in X 5in – export as .png

Week 3 – 09/16 Vector Drawing

Lecture – Common vector workflows and best practice, exploring the vector aesthetic

Lab – Mastering vector drawing with the pen tool (curves and angles). Understanding color information, RGB, CMYK, swatches, libraries, gradient, transparencies

Project – Vector Silhouettes – 10 in X 15 in

Week 4 – 09/23 – Text Text Text

Lecture – Working with Text in Adobe Illustrator – understanding the grid and fonts

Lab – Kerning, leading, tracking, grids, writing on paths, filling objects. Word challenges.

Project – group challenge – Words and Meaning & design a business card

Week 5 – 09/30 – Hyper Realism and De-contextualizing the Normal

Lecture – Understanding best practice with-in a Photoshop environment. Playing with context, creating and shifting meaning through combining images. Image mining and Creative Commons

Lab – Downloading large images, understanding resolution and dpi, subtracting and adding to and from selections, quick mask, layer masks, custom brushes, adjustment layers (nondestructive), clone tool

Project – Hyper Realism and De-contextualizing the Normal – A series of 3 images – 8.5 in x 11- Combine at least two images to create a surreal scene. Consider the light source and creating shadows.

Week 6 – 10/07 – The Magic of Photoshop

Lecture – Manipulating images and attention to detail – conveying ideas visually and of understanding audience

Lab – Photoshop continued: histograms, levels, curves, healing tools, content aware – photo correction

Project – Old and New Photo Correction

Week 7 – 10/14

Lecture – Concept development. Considering the relationship between music/story and image.

Lab – text in Photoshop, clipping masks, implementing previous tools

Project – Album Art/Book Cover – Re-design an album/book cover or create an original design that responds to the content

Week 8 – 10/21

Midterm presentation and class critique

Week 9 – 10/28 Sound Design

Lecture – Introduction to sound design. Audition workshop.

Lab – Adobe Audition workflow – importing, basic tools, basic effects including pitch, speed and tempo, sound transitions, exporting .wav/mp3/m4a.

Project – Group Challenge – Using recorded foley sounds and downloaded sounds create 1-2 min. design project.

Week 10 – 11/04 Combining to Create the New

Lecture – Remix culture, open source, copyright and digital culture

Lab – Adobe Audition continued – layering sound, panning, BPM, creating loops – critique and skill share.

Project – Sound Mash-up – combine at least 3 (2 music and 1 spoken word) sound sources to create a new piece. Prompt: secrets

Week 11 – 11/11 – Video Montages

Lecture – Introduction to editing in Adobe Premiere. organizing clips, importing, in and out points, sequences, editing tools, transitions

Lab – Group challenge – music video – critique and skill share

Project – Music Video – create a music video using multiple sources

Week 12 – 11/18 Movie Trailers and the art of Editing Video

Lecture – non-destructive adjustment layers, basic color correction, effects with keyframes, cropping, opacity, text

Lab – working with Adobe Premiere – Critique and skill share

Project – Movie Trailer – Using two or more films, games, etc. create a trailer. Consider the soundtrack and the title

Thanksgiving (11/24 –11/27)

Week 13 – 12/02   After Effects environment and Time Travel Bumper

Lecture – Introduction to the After Effects environment : special effects, motion graphics, text in motion. composition, importing, keyframes, masks.

Lab – Group challenge

Project – Time Travel Bumper – create a 15-30 sec. bumper in groups

Week 14 – 12/09 – The Moving Still

Lecture – Adobe After Effects continued :  tracking, keying, text animation, transitions, rendering timeline.

Lab – cinamagram production and critique

Project – Animated Postcard – Create a moving 5-10 second animated image using at least one still image and one moving sequence Prompt: Home

Week 15 – 12/16 – Final Critique/Introduction to Unity 5’s Environment

Lecture – Introduction to the Unity 5’s environment and interface including skyboxes, objects, sound assets and components. Workflow and best practice. Finding resources on line.

Lab – Using provided assets and C# code create a solar system. The earth should rotate and orbit around the sun. The moon, a child of the earth should rotate around the earth.

Project – Solar System – Creating a solar system in Unity

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