Short Movie Production Unit

We've been in production, and several of the student movies are coming along very well.

The New Media Academy will not meet during the STAR testing week of May 19-22, 2008.

Our next meeting will be on Monday, May 26. Good luck on the test.

Camera Angles: Plan and Shoot

We reviewed camera angles, and in MS Word wrote and filmed the following production sheet.

1. Long/establishing shot of the field to set the scene
2. Medium Shot with tilt up From ground to shoulder height, and then the character walks onto the field and gets ready for action.
3. Close-up of facial expressions, the intensity of the moment just before the competition begins. Look at your opponent, and back at your teammate.
4. Medium shot of the whole person getting ready
5. Close up of ball or Frisbee just before being thrown or kicked, and then throw it
6. Medium shot of the projectile being throw or kicked
7. Ground level shot of the beginning of the action
8. Long shot from far end of field looking at the action from a low angle, then throw or kick the projectile
9. Medium and Close-up shots of the competitor catching the item and running down the field evading on-comers to win the game
10. Conclude with the ensuing celebratory moments
11. End scene with a wide shot

We will capture the video and edit these shorts on Wednesday, April 21

Short Film Production

We have been writing and beginning production on short 3-10 minute original films. Each student is working on a team of 2 or 3 people and writing and producing his/her first original movie.

Styles include:
1. Stop Frame Animation
2. Machinima: using World of Warcraft
3. Dramatic Poetry reading
4. And Traditional Video Production

Adobe/Apple Video Production

Semester 2: Unit 2: is based on the Adobe curriculum Foundations of Video Design and Production.

In order to learn the foundations of video production, we are using the digital tools we currently have, which include: iMovie HD, iPhoto, GarageBand, and Photoshop CS3.

1. Become familiar with the iMovie interface and it's built-in resources.
2. Create a Sound Trip, a short story told through sound effects and images.
3. Add images and use Video Effects to create abstract graphics to compliment the audio.
4. Export a QuickTime video, compressed for Full Quality DV, the web , and for an iPod.

Collage: The Adobe Project 1 Unit Test

This is the Adobe Project 1 Unit Test:
Make a digital collage that represents you.

Collage Requirements:
1. Create a new blank 1024 x 768, 72 ppi, RGB Photoshop document
2. Add 1 of your scanned images as the background
3. Include 7 or more of your scanned images, photographs, or other graphics that represent you
4. Text: Put your initial into the design
5. Color correction:
a. Adjustments > Auto Color
b. Adjustments > Shadows/Highlights
d. Dodge and Burn a portion of an image
c. Adjustment Layer > Levels
Clipping Mask: apply the Levels Layer Adjustment and clip it to the layer below it.
(Option click between the layers you are clipping)
6. Most of the graphics need to be created/scanned by you.
7. Clone an object into or out of one of your images

01g Crop, Straighten, Clone

Use an Adobe Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book image:
1. Use the Crop Tool to select an area on the image to crop out.
2. Rotate the crop selection so it lines up with the picture's orientation and Double click somewhere in the crop area to accept the crop and straighten the image.
3. Clone out something in the image
4. Save for Web & Devices:
(watch how the image quality changes with each quality variation)
a. In a variety of GIF color levels. (256, 128, 64, 32,16, and 8)
b. In a variety of JPG quality amounts (100%, 50%, 25%, and 5%)
5. File > Save As: change the Format to TIFF
6. Look in your Visual Design folder and examine the correlation between file size and quality.

African American Inventors

Today CHAMPS utilized the resources of the New Media Academy to help a student gather the graphics and create a slideshow for a Black History month presentation on Thursday, February 28, 2008.

Under the weather!

Hey class,
I'm feeling pretty bad, it seems like a flu kind of thing.
So there will be no class on Wednesday, Feb. 20 and Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008.

I'll see you Monday, Feb. 25

Take care,
Mr. Campi

Project 1f Retouch Photos

1. Open image in Photoshop and duplicate Background Layer
2. Image > Adjustments > Auto Color
3. Image > Adjustments > Levels, adjust level for better contrast
4. In the History Palette, create a Snapshot
5. In the Tool Bar choose the Clone Stamp Tool
6. Add a new Layer on top, select the new top layer
7. In the Options Bar, change to Sample: All Layers
8. Zoom in and clone something out of your image
9. Be careful to match the colors
10. Try to make your image look as natural as possible
11. When it looks good, Merge the cloned Layer onto the image below (Command/Apple + E)
12. To smooth out the image go to: Filter > Noise > Reduce Noise
13. Save for web Gallery.

Project 1e Scanning Objects

We began a collage lesson today. We imported images by scanning.
1. Plug in the power and the USB cords from the scanner
2. Choose objects that you have with you that represent you,i.e. your binder cover, backpack, some doodling, writing, iPod, cell phone, etc...
2. Open Image Capture (The default app on a Mac for scanning and other image importing)
3. Position the objects on the scanner surface
4. Press Overview/Preview to correctly position object
5. Click hold and drag the cursor over the object to determine the area the scanner will capture
6. Set the ppi/dpi to 300 if you are going to print or 72-150 if you will use it for the web or other screen viewing purpose. We scanned at 150 dpi in order to have a little more flexibility for cropping or resizing.
7. Set the image format to jpg, because we didn't need anything higher quality than that because we will display these on the web.
8. Add a folder named Scans in your Visual Design folder, in your Last Name folder, in your Documents folder.
9. Choose the Scans folder to have them automatically scanned to.
10. Scan your items

Project 1d Color Correction

1. Open a high quality image in Photoshop
2. Command/Apple+J to Duplicate the Background Photo Layer
3. Turn off the visibility on the original Background Layer

4. Command/Apple+J to duplicate that Layer and name it Auto Color
a. Choose Image > Adjustments > Auto Color
b. If the image looks worse, undo the change

5. Command/Apple+J to duplicate that Layer and name it Shadows/Highlights
a. Choose Image > Adjustments > Shadows/Highlights
b. Make sure the Preview option is selected
c. Drag the Shadow and Highlight sliders until you like what you see.
d. Click OK

6. Command/Apple+J to duplicate that Layer and name it Levels
a. Choose Image > Adjustments > Levels
b. Drag the left (black) triangle to the point where the darkest colors begin
c. Drag the right (white) triangle to the point where the lightest colors begin
d. Drag the middle (gray) triangle slightly to the left or right to lighten or darken the midtones
e. When the image looks good to you, click OK

7. Command/Apple+J to duplicate that Layer and name it Dodge+Burn
a. Complete this step if there are any specific parts of the image that still need lightening or darkening.
b. In the Tool Bar, choose the Dodge Tool and drag the brush across any parts of the photo that you want to lighten.
c. If the effect is to strong, change the strength % in the Options Bar
d. Under the same icon in the Tool Bar, choose the Burn tool and use it to darken any specific areas that are to light.

8. Command/Apple+J to duplicate that Layer and name it Unsharpen
a. Choose Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask
b. Drag the Amount slider until your image is as sharp as you want it.
c. Drag the Radius slider to determine the number of pixels surrounding the edge pixels that affect sharpening.
d. Set the Threshold setting between 0-20 to determine how different the pixels need to be before they are considered edge pixels.
e. When the image looks right to you, click OK.

Project 1c Clipping Mask

In Photoshop CS3 (PSCS3):
1. Open new web document: 640x480
2. In the Tool Box, Under the Rectangle Tool, choose the Custom Shape Tool
3. Choose a Shape fill your document with it (leave it black)
4. Add a new Layer
5. Go to Edit > Fill > Pattern
6. Option/Alt Click between the Layers to Clip the Pattern to the shape

Project 1b Promotional Postcard

Using the Horizontal Text Tool, Palettes, and Color Swatches

1. We downloaded a nature picture from the vincecampi.org Free online photo gallery.
2. Renamed it 01b_Campi_PromoPostcard.jpg
3. Reviewed the Selection shortcuts and Zoom tool
4. Select the Horizontal Text Tool and the font Adobe Garamond Pro,
5. Change the font size by holding the cursor over the tT label in the Options bar, and drag or scrub each way to change the size to 38 points (most numeric settings in the Tool Options bar and palettes change be changed this way.)
6. Then type, Everyday is Beach Cleanup Day, or something appropriate to the photo you are using.
7. Using the Move tool, drag the text to it's new position and change the font color by choosing a color in the photo and darkening or lightening it, so it is easy to read.
8. Pick a large thick font, and write Let's all do our part
9. Choose Apple/Command+Apostrophe to view the Grid and use it to help align the text
10. Save your project and that's all.
    

Project 1a Selection, Zoom, and Curves

Welcome to semester 2 of the New Media Academy.
It's great to see the dedicated New Media Producing students back and ready to get serious.
Today we began the Visual Design requirements for Adobe Associate Certification.

We covered:
1. File Organization
2. A refresher with the Photoshop CS3 interface

• The top Menu Bar
• The Tools Options Bar, just below the menu
• The Tool Box on the left side of the screen
• The Bridge Button
• And the Floating Palettes, on the right side

3. Three ways to Open a file:

• File > Open
• Drag the file to the Photoshop icon
• Tools Options Bar > Adobe Bridge Button > navigate to the folder > Double click image

4. Hold the cursor over a Tool until the Tooltip and the keyboard shortcut appear.
5. Zoom Tool:

• Keyboard shortcut: Z
• Click, Hold, and Drag to select and Zoom into a specific area
• Double Click on the Zoom tool to get it back to 100%
• Apple/Command+0, to Fit image to screen
• Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) with Zoom tool to zoom out

6. Click on the double arrow at the top of the Tool Box to change it to Double-Column view
7. Zoom Level/Percentage and Status Bar, in the lower left corner of the document window
8. Selection Tools:

• Click and hold on the Rectangular Marquee tool to reveal more Selection Tools
• Hold cursor over and Option or Alt click to cycle through hidden tools
• Using the Elliptical Marquee tool (0) select an area on your image
• A selected area of an image becomes the only editable area of the image
• The animated dashed line or marching ants indicates that the area inside is Selected
• You can drag the selection to better align it with an object in your image

9. Deactivate your Selection:

• Choose Select > Deselect
• or Command+D (Mac), Control+D (Windows)

10. Reselect a circle:

• Press Option+Shift (Mac) or Alt+Shift (Windows) and drag outward from the center of the circle. Release the mouse, then the keyboard keys

11. Change the selection:

• Choose Select > Inverse
• Choose Image > Adjustments > Curves or Command+M (Mac) or Ctrl+M (Windows)
• Make sure the Preview box is checked
• Experiment with some of the Presets, then change the Output: to 150
• Click OK to close the Curves dialog box
• Choose Select > Deselect and the marching ants will disappear

12. Go to File > Save As, rename, and choose a new location on your computer
13. This is the end of the first Photoshop Visual Design Project
14. Now you can quit Photoshop if you would like to

New Media Academy Class Assignment for the week of January 14-18, 2008

Hey guys, I just saw Steve Jobs Keynote speech and it was great, especially the new movie rental service.

I talked with Leo Leporte "The King of Podcasting and Tech Info Media" on Tuesday, it was very cool to establish dialogue with a central figure in the the new media world. I also spoke with Andrew Welch the founder and lead architect of Ambrosia software, they make the Maelstrom space game, SnapzPro screen recording software, and many other really sweet programs, and I spoke with him about what we are doing and other tech issues and he asked if I would be interested in being a beta tester for some new Ambrosia software, which means that they will send me pre-release software to test and comment on so that they can fix and improve it before final release. This is a really cool new development.

Assignment:
Your photography assignment for this week is to take photos of shapes that look like the letters in the alphabet, Do not take pictures of actual letters. Click on this address to see examples. PHOTO ALPHABET

Requirements:
1_Take pictures of at least 20 letter shapes.
2_Use the best camera available to you. If you don't have anything else, you can use your phone camera.
3_Make sure you have pictures of all of the letters in your name.
4_Monday is a holiday, so these photos are due next Wednesday, January 23, 2008.
5_MAKE SURE you bring the necessary cords and have your batteries charged in order to upload your photos to your computer.

See you in class Wednesday, Jan 23,
Have fun!