ATS 343 – Introduction to
Multimedia
Professor Martine Barnaby
Department of Art and Art History
204
Dowd Fine Arts Building Cortland, NY 13045
Email: barnabym@cortland.edu | Telephone: 753.4390
Online Course
Information: http://facultyweb.cortland.edu/barnabym
Teaching
Assistant: Brian
Roach
Email: brian.roach.art@gmail.com
Office Hours: Monday 11:00-12:30 | Wednesday 11:00-12:30 & 5:00 -
5:45 | Friday 11:00-1:00 or by appointment.
Most of my courses are taught in Dowd 87 –
Computer Graphics Lab. If you need
assistance, you can find me during my other class sessions in the lab on Monday
and Wednesday. You may come in to the lab to speak with me. However, you are not to interrupt my
class in session or lectures. If
my students are working in studio, you may come in quietly. If there are extra workstations you may
work during this time. Please be
respectful.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This
course provides an introduction to the basic tools, theories, and applications
of digital multimedia. Projects
are geared toward developing both creative and technical proficiency with
digital tools. We will work with Adobe Flash CS4, Action Script 3.0, video and
sound editing software. Particular
emphasis will be placed on interactivity as a dynamic, tool to engage an
audience and communicate concepts. In addition this course will address
authorship, technologically driven art, conceptual development, the history of
digital technology, aesthetics of animation, and sequential imagery. Students are expected to commit
themselves and to work hard.
GOALS
The
first part of the semester will be
spent on the basics of animation and navigation using Flash. The Navigation
Project will require students to demonstrate creative and technical ability
with these fundamental concepts.
Studio exercises will be assigned to focus on basic Flash skills.
The
middle part of the semester will be
spent exploring Flash as a multimedia environment. We will incorporate sound
and video elements into Flash development. The Mid-term Project will require
students to demonstrate artistic integration of sound and video into works that
clearly show an emerging creative direction.
The
latter part of the semester will
include an introduction to basic scripting with an emphasis on FlashÕs
scripting language, Action Script. The Final will be a month long project of
the students choice that should demonstrate an artistic approach to digital
media. It should reflect artistic mastery of the technical skills acquired
throughout the semester. Above all, the final work should show significant
development in the student's creative thinking and process.
As
artists, students are expected to care about their work, be mature and make a
conscious effort to practice new skills and concepts throughout the
semester. Multimedia is a very
time consuming process, and cannot be produced quickly. Dedication, work ethic and revision
will be a major focus.
Course
work, information and resources will be listed on http://facultyweb.cortland.edu/barnabym. It is your responsibility to check the class website
regularly for assignments and course schedule.
All
students must have a working email.
It is your responsibility to log onto banner and correct the personal
information that is listed under your C#.
If you prefer to use an email other than Cortland, make sure you change
it in the University Banner (My Red Dragon) system.
EXPECTATIONS
Contact hours for all courses are 4 hours per
week. During this time assignments
will be introduced, lectures, and demonstrations will be given, one-to-one
instruction will be provided, and group critique/discussions will be held. There will be a substantial remainder
of class time to work on assignments, but you will need to do consistent work
outside of class each week.
Students must be dedicated. The lab hours and schedule are posted
outside of B121A.
In order to be accounted as
present the student must: 1) be on time and present for the entire class
session, 2) have work properly and professionally prepared for submission or a
critique, or 3) be prepared to work in class with all necessary texts, tools,
reference, external hard drives and materials.
Students that do not present
their work for a project critique will receive an E in the product presentation
category for that project. (*See EVALUATION
AND GRADING)
There will be a sign in binder
at the entrance to the lab. It is the studentÕs responsibility to sign in at
the beginning of every class. If
the student does not sign in, they will be considered absent.
Absences will affect grades.
This is a studio course, and many of the requirements will be actively worked
on during class time. Lectures, critiques, computer lab sessions, and
demonstrations cannot be recaptured. It is the studentÕs responsibility to
insure that he/she is accounted present by signing in the attendance binder.
There are no excused absences
without written permission from the Associate Dean. If you miss a class (excused or unexcused) it is your
responsibility to make up the work, contact the instructor and obtain the
assignment (http://facultyweb.cortland.edu/barnabym) and any preparatory work
so that you arrive at the next class prepared.
Students accumulating more than three absences, will result
in the final grade dropping a full letter, i.e. if the grade earned is a
"B" it will drop to a "C".
Tardiness
All students must be
consistently on time for class. Habitual tardiness will result in accounting
the student absent (3 late arrivals equal 1 absence). Likewise students who disappear during class time, leave
class early, or extend break time, will be accounted absent.
Professional Courtesy
It is required that cell
phones, music players are turned off
before entering the lab. Texting is absolutely prohibited, phones. You will be asked to leave if your
electronic devices disrupt the class in anyway. Email, instant messenger and
Facebook (and alike applications) are prohibited during class time. Food and drink are not permitted in the lab. You are responsible for cleaning up all
unneeded files on shared disks and reporting computer problems as they arise.
Students with Disabilities
If you are a student with a
disability and wish to request accommodations, please contact the office of
Student Disability Services located in B-40 Van Hoesen Hall or call (607)
753-2066 for an appointment.
Information regarding your disability will be treated in a confidential
manner. Because many
accommodations require early planning, requests for accommodations should be
made as early as possible.
Academic Honesty
It is assumed that you will
submit only your own work that has been done expressly for this course, during
the time parameters of this course.
Written work must contain your own ideas, expressed in your own words,
any quotations and sources must be cited.
Technical Difficulties & Service Failure
Technical difficulties,
hardware/software problems, printer problems are never an acceptable excuse for
not meeting a deadline. Students are challenged to acquire the life skill of
working in advance of deadlines and backing up work. Students are required to
be prepared to work during each class session. Students must always backup
their work to either CD or personal portable hard drives. It is the studentÕs responsibility to
be able to work even with network problems that may interfere with files stored
on ŌHomeĶ or network server spaces. Students who are unprepared will receive an
E for Product Presentation in the grading evaluation.
EVALUATION AND GRADING
Grades are a way of evaluating
your progress, commitment, and potential as designer/artist. However, instead
of being preoccupied with grades, try to concentrate on living up to your
personal potential and always try to exceed your own expectations. Students are
expected to care about their work, be mature and make a conscious effort to
practice new skills and concepts throughout the semester. At midterm, an estimate course grade
will be given. If there are
additional grading questions, students should request a meeting at any point in
the semester.
EACH PROJECT WILL BE EVALUATED BY THE FOLLOWING (A-E Grading)
1) Process Journal: 30% of Project Grade
Concept development, research,
applicable writing assignments, exercises, experimentation, sketches,
thumbnails, and collected materials.
Process should be reflected in your journal.
2) Product: 15% of Project Grade
Understanding of the problem,
originality, appropriateness of the solution, creativity, the ability to follow
the assignment and instructions given in class, tutorials, technical exercises
and software tests.
3) Craftsmanship: 15% of Project Grade
The intentional use of
materials and techniques, technical proficiency, neatness, quality, and clear
comprehension of the media.
4) Product Presentation: 15% of Project Grade Poised
articulation of the development rationale for the final product, timely
production, timely presentation, online presentation, revision, an openness to
critique and feedback, a positive attitude, further revision and organization
of the presentation.
5) Participation: 25% of Project Grade
Listening and contributing to
the class discussions, and critique sessions.
GRADE Expectations
A Excellent execution of
Process, Product, Craftsmanship, Product Presentation and Participation.
Minuscule Revision needed
B Above average execution of
Process, Product, Craftsmanship, Product Presentation and Participation.
Small Revision Needed
C Average execution of Process,
Product, Craftsmanship, Product Presentation and Participation.
Revision Needed
D Well below average execution
of Process, Product, Craftsmanship, Product Presentation and Participation.
Major Revision Needed
E Unsatisfactory execution of
Process, Product, Craftsmanship, Product Presentation and Participation.
Complete Revision Needed
Deadlines
A deadline is a deadline is a deadline. Late work is
accepted only until the next course session and is down graded one full letter
grade. Work will not be accepted any later than the next course session after
the due date.
Grade Inquiries
Students have one week after
receiving graded work to request reconsideration of the grade and must do so in
writing. The instructor will not reconsider work that has been returned longer
than one week.
MATERIALS
Portable
external hard drive
to back up and transport files. (Minimum 250GB)
USB Flash Drive (Minimum 250GB) (recommended
for smaller capacity transport)
Writeable CDs
and DVDs for
regular back up
Required Text
Adobe Flash CS4 Professional Digital Classroom
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Wiley; Pap/Dvdr edition
(November 24, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0470410930 ISBN-13: 978-0470410936
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS
Journals
I will ask you to keep a working journal. This book is
for you to develop your ideas, process, interests, research and sketches as it
pertains to your work. I will be relying on your journals as a starting off
point for individual discussions. The journal book must be at least 8.5 x 11
and bound. All work must be well thought out and sketched before advancing to
the computer. This journal should reflect your process throughout the semester.
Journals might include notes, drawings, images, photographs, napkin sketches,
technical diagrams, storyboard roughs, framework etc. Private material that you
do not wish to be reviewed should be explicitly indicated at that time or
marked with paper clips, post-it notes, etc. Journals will be graded for each
project.
New Media Spaces
Students will integrate work and research using the
following media spaces (accounts will need to be created):
http://www.youtube.com
http://rhizome.org/
Course Blog - http://ats343-fall2010.blogspot.com
This
blog serves as a weekly posting area of multimedia that we see every day. Students will use this forum for
discussion, critique and sharing. Students are expected to research various
media and create a post with well thought out commentary every Wednesday by
class time. Every post will be
evaluated and counted toward process (research) evaluation.
Readings
A
large part of this course is about self-direction, problem solving, and the
ability to learn software. Readings and tutorials will be given throughout the
semester. It is very important to
stay up to date with these assignments.
Critiques and projects will frequently be initiated from various topics
covered in the readings/tutorials.
In order to participate effectively, you will need to have read the
required texts and be able to articulate your response through critique,
technical execution and informal journal writing.
Writing Assignments
There
will be approximately 3 writing assignments throughout the semester. All papers
must be typed, spell checked, well researched and cohesively written. Papers
that are clearly unreadable due to spelling errors, poor grammar and
presentation will be returned.
Presentation of written work will be announced in class with printing or
digital instruction. Plagiarism
will not be tolerated. If a
writing assignment is copied from a web document you will get an E for the
assignment.
Technical
Workshops and Exercises
ATS 343 is a very technical course. We will cover
variety of software packages. There will be 1 day a week designated as a
technical workshop. The class will learn from demonstrations, tutorials, and
handouts. Work that is not completed in class must be completed outside of
class time. Exercises and tutorials from the text marked complete or
incomplete. The completion of
exercises/tutorials will be taken into consideration when grading each project.
Participation
Incompletes
An
Incomplete will only be assigned to students with a passing record unable to
complete work due to some unforeseeable serious illness or personal tragedy.
Non-allowable excuses include foreseeable job assignments or work from other
courses. Students must assume responsibility for preparing all necessary
incomplete status paperwork for faculty signature and for submission to the
department.
Note: It is the responsibility of the student to
contact the instructor and/or teaching assistant for extra technical help. Technical snags are not an acceptable
excuse for not having work completed.