Our task today is start using the concepts of animation that we have started to learn, by making a flip book cartoon come to life. In its most primitive form, a flip book is an actual book, and each page is a static image. The reader flips through all of the pages at an even pace, resulting in a short animated movie.  The image seems to move through a phenomena known as the persistence of vision.

You will be making three flip , one that will animate a circle into a triangle, and then back again, another that will show a ball in motion, and then a final one that will be totally your own creation (and more complex and detailed).  This handout will get you started on this assignment.

Here are some very inspiring examples:

We will be using the fist half of the day to start discussing the HUUUUGE project that will be bringing your knowledge of photography, animation and Photoshop all together.  We will be starting stop motion animation!!  (..bring this checklist along to help you stay organized).

We will also start the brainstorming of ideas by looking at a few good example of Stop Motion Animation (use this sheet to keep track of your thoughts)

...and then there is this 30minute example that we won't be watching in class (but you might want to watch it on your own...)

YOUR RULE OF THIRDS ASSIGNMENT IS DUE NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY.  Please hand in all the required materials, and copy your renamed photos to your assignment folder on TEAMS.  See me if you are having any issues.

Today we are going to continue on looking at the "art of photography" by looking at 7 really cool concepts that will make your compositions stand out from the rest!  This handout will help organize your learning.

Watch the video below as review of some of the concepts that we discussed in class.  Don't be afraid to pause, rewind and fast forward as needed.  Use the resource to improve your understanding.  

Remember all those buttons we looked at during the last lesson?  Did you forget which one did what?  No worries.  Here is a handout that should help jog your memory (also an excellent document to keep on your phone).

We are going to do some work on the camera simulator today.  Hopefully, through practice, proper exposure will become a very comfortable skill for you.

We are going to finish up our exploration behind the science of exposure, and start to look at some of the "rules" and techniques that will help move your photography from the realm of "snapshots" into something more significant and impactful.

The first rule/technique that we will be looking at is the most important one, the Rule of Thirds.
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Then it's time for us to start on our first assignment.  You will have some time in class to complete this work (so don't sweat it!)

Examples of photographs taken by students using the Rule of Thirds.

Photography is all about one basic concept, light.  A good photographer knows how to harness the science behind exposure to generate the result that they see in their "mind's eye".  Today we are going to start that journey to understanding together.

You will need this handout package (save it in your unit one folder) and this blank diagram to help organize your learning.

This video is a great source for review if you are struggling to grasp this VERY IMPORTANT concept.

Once we are done presenting and evaluating our Podcasts this morning, we are making the leap back into Design (which was so rudely interrupted by Covid-19!)

Please make sure you have signed up for Canva using the link posted on our TEAMs site.

We will be looking at the theory of design today, and using these two PowerPoints: Introduction to Layouts and The Principles and Elements of Design.  This handout might help too :)

We will be working towards getting prepared to finish our last project in class (due later in the week we are back together).

We will also be discussing and analyzing the following infographics (click on them to make them larger):

ON YOUR OWN: Radio Rookies is a great Youtube channel to check out for more information on how to develop your Podcast.   National Public Radio's "Student Guide to Podcasts" is also an excellent site for ideas that help reinforce what we learned in class.

TODAY'S LESSON:
1) Interviews are a central ingredient in many podcasts.  What are effective interviewing techniques?  What is active listening and how does that play a role in follow up questions?  What is the difference between open-ended questions and closed-ended questions?  Which ones make for a better podcast?

2) Just like writers do before starting an essay, podcast producers typically make an outline or plan before they start recording and editing. They brainstorm how they want to turn their topic into an audio story. What components will they need: spoken stories, interviews, narration?  Use this Podcast Planner to prepare your podcast.

3) Usually, podcasts focus on one central question that frames the episode.  Listen to the clip below on how the podcasters work from an initial question.  If you like, you can read the transcript as you listen along to start of episode 538 of This American Life, which demonstrates this technique.

What is the question this episode focuses on? What components do the producers use during this segment?

4) Once you have a plan, you need to get out and record your narration, stories and/or interviews.  You should also gather any additional sound files that you want to use.  Remember that it's best to use non-copyrighted sound effects and music, though there are some fair-use exceptions when you can legally use copyrighted work (such as when you are critiquing a song or reviewing a movie).  You can find royalty-free music and sound effects like those on Bensound and Freesound. 

5) Once you have everything, the last step is to use audio editing software (we used Audacity in class) to pull the pieces together into a final podcast, five minutes long or less.  Please remember that editing can be VERY time-consuming (so plan ahead).

6) Need some extra motivation?  Here is what one class in New York City did with all of their podcasts. 

​​Our goal: You will be creating original podcasts for this mini-unit. You can work individually or with a partner. The podcasts must be five minutes or less — and while that might sound like a short amount of time, if you want to produce quality audio it really isn’t.

Your podcast topic can be inspired by one of the Learning Network’s 1000 Plus Writing Prompts . That should give you plenty of options, but if you don’t see the exact topic that you want to investigate in your podcast, you can come up with your own topic (just make sure you pass it by me first).
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There are many different types of podcasts. Some consist largely of conversations between the hosts; others are based on interviews; still others involve mostly storytelling, nonfiction or fiction. Podcasts serve different purposes too: some try to make you laugh; others aim to keep you in suspense; some want to educate or inform. You should keep all of these possibilities in mind as you consider what you want your original podcast to be like.

1) Review the handout, especially the Elements and Techniques of Effective Storytelling
2) Pick one of the following and develop a 45 second to 1 minute (no longer) response (make sure you use as many techniques as possible)
• What Was Your Most Precious Childhood Possession?
• What Ethical Dilemmas Have You Faced?
• Are You Distracted by Your Phone?
3) Work with a partner, and share your responses.  Try to present it as professionally as possible.  Give each other feedback.  What worked?  What techniques could the listener spot?  How could it have been improved?  Share at least one insight with the class on how to improve podcasts.

So, even the best laid plans can go awry.  For the next two weeks of class (three weeks in total), we will be at home learning together.  Unlike last year, the expectation is that you are in class EVERY DAY ready to learn.  Assignments will count toward your final evaluation.

Because many of the tools we need are in Studio 132, we will need to make a serious pivot and become very adaptable as we finish the course.  We will all need to be very flexible as we make this transition.

I have sent out two emails over the break (please check your Outlook in Office 365), and expect to "see" you at 9:00am Monday morning in our TEAMS.  There will be a link in the General Channel to our meeting.  Please download the full app, either for your phone (it's free) or your computer (it's also free).  The link to TEAMS for your computer is here: ​https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/download-app

After we discuss the "new normal", we will be warming up by reviewing our photography and photo editing skills.  This is the assignment you will need.

In preparation for the assignment, please download and install GIMP (it's also free).  It is the closest to a free version of Adobe Photoshop that we have at the moment :)

If you haven't done so, it would also be a good idea to log-in to your Office 365 account (www.office.com), and download and install the full versions of the Office Suite (there is a button in the top right corner).  This is also free for students :)

Now that our stop-motion videos are done, we are going to take some time to reflect on each other's work and provide feedback on our masterpieces. This is meant to be a celebration of everyone's hard work.

The next stage in your learning will move into Print Design.  This should give you a taste of what happens in the AWE3/4MI Courses (Yearbook).  This is a slightly different skill set than what you have been using over the first half of the course, and it is my hope you find it as interesting as Photography and Photoshop.

You will be working with Adobe InDesign over the next 5 classes to develop a DVD Case cover for your stop-motion masterpiece.  You will need this planning sheet and this rubric (and a whole lot of patience).

The first two classes will have a lot of hands-on opportunities, so make sure you follow along and practice.  You will also need your notes to keep track of your learning.

As you work on your flip books, and as we transition to creating animation on the computer, the images below (from the Illusion of Life Tumblr)  will be an invaluable reminder on how you can create the illusion of life.

These 12 basic principles of animation were developed by Walt Disney Studios during the 1930s.  These ideas were at the forefront of exciting discoveries that were contributing to the development of a new art form. These principles came as a result of reflection about the practice of animation and through Disney’s desire to use animation to express character and personality.
This gallery is a take on those principles, applied to simple shapes,  like this cube.  Click on each animation to bring them to life (if you hover, you can remind yourself of the name of the technique).

Today marks the 2nd day you have worked on your stop-motion masterpiece.  Some of you are on track, and a more than a few of you will need to spend lunch hours catching up.  Wasted time because of poor organization skills is one of the reasons students are not as successful in high school as they could be.  It is also one of the main reasons that employees find themselves fired in the "real world".

We will be learning how to use Audacity today (it's free..you can download a copy for home!).  It will help you add sound effects, voice overs, and music to your creation.  We will also be looking at Microsoft Movie Maker (also a free download for those with a Windows computer) as the software package you will be using to put all of your pieces together.

You should spend the morning working with your partner to fully plan your animation movie (remember it needs to be a two to three minutes long).  You saw how much work went into your 2 second video...so multiply that by at least 20 :)

You will need this storyboard template (print as many as you need..remember you are only laying out your key frames), and plot diagram.

Ideas for storytelling, even stories that are only 7 seconds long, are hard.  Today, we will take some time out to look at brainstorming techniques that might help you, and also what the "professionals do".