Communication Systems (Digital Photography)

7903.RC00.A-7903.RC00.B

Digital Photography, Graphic Design, Technical Illustration, Desktop Publishing, Multimedia, Animation, Videography, Web Design

Andrew Nourse

ANourse@austinisd.org

512-414-4145

G108

Course Description and Overview

This course introduces students to the concepts of visual and electronic communication technologies. Students explore resources, processes, management, and products in the technical aspects of photography, digital imaging, graphics, and electronic communications. Students will be able to create a wide variety of communication media using photos, slideshows, animations, morphs, picture videos, videos, printed media, multimedia nstallations, and websites to express their creativity and unique design capabilities.

Digital Photography will be a major focus of the course since photographers record and produce images that document our planet, people, cultures, life, and time. They also create many of the commercial images that drive our market economy. Using state of the art software students learn how to plan and produce photographic compositions that demonstrate an understanding of light, composition, color and visual impact. Students learn photography principles and techniques that are common to both digital and traditional photography. The course covers technical aspects, such as features that are common on digital cameras, and artistic considerations, such as photo composition. Students learn how to use a variety of cameras, Adobe Creative Suite and Macromedia package, create various quality prints and styles, technical assignments, and photo projects are alternated during the course. Submitted photos are uploaded by students into an online gallery.

Graphic Design, Technical Illustration, and Desktop Publishing

Students learn how to layout and design graphic materials for ornamentation, illustration, advertising, brochures, flyers, logo design, and computer graphics using Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. Students will create their own company concept including a logo, letterhead, motto, store sign, banner, business card, 3D products, and 3D store ending with an online resume and portfolio.

Multimedia & Videography

Students learn basic principles behind multimedia design and videography using Adobe package including Premiere Pro, After Effects, Encore, and Audition. Students will spend a six week unit on video making where they will write a script, creat a storyboard, create a scene by pursuing preferred medium (claymation, stop motion, etc), videotaping, and editing into a finished production with a positive theme.

Webmastering

Students learn how to create an interactive web site that demonstrates their knowledge of all the communication media they have learned during the course of the class using state of the art web design tools. The students will master the vasic principles behind Macromedia Flash, Fireworks, and Dreamweaver to produce their interactive digital portfolios for the end of the class projects. Students will upload their work to the internet and burn their final portfolios to CD and/or DVD.

Text and References

There is no assigned text. All test material will be taken from daily notes and lecture. Students will be required to keep a portfolio (whether it's a mixed media sketchbook, notebook, professional binder, or folder) to organize all notes, sketches, final print works, and any other projects throughout the year. It will be worth a portion of your final grade.

Grades

60% Major projects/Tests

30% Digital Diary entries, warm up activities, organization of portfolio

10% participation/effort

The following units will be covered throughout the year. Each project assignment will cover different aspects of each of these units.

Unit I - Class Introduction: This unit will occur the first week of school. It is intended to allow the students an opportunity to learn about the procedures, expectations, and consequenceds of exploring how a community socializes and communicates successfully or not using verbal and imagery communication techniques.

Unit 2 - Introduction to Communication of Company Creation: The purpose of this unit is to help students understand the nature of human communication and how we use technological systems to extend our abilities and use graphic communication as a language.

Unit 3 - Planning and Demographic Considerations: Whenever a communication product is produced, the communicator must first know the desired result. This unit provides students with a framework for thinking through personal artistic decisions, planning from scratch, and implenting all aspects of it's creation to completion.

Unit 4 - Graphic Design Outline: It's the foundation of every type of communication portduct, whether it is a printed product, an Internet web page, a multi-media screen, a photograph, or a mtion-media video. The appropriate use of type and design principles results in effective, attraction, and memorable communication products and services.

Unit 5 - Photography, Scanning, & Retouching: The purpose of this unit is to provide students with the information that they need in order to complete the illustrations they want to include in their communications media campaigns. Drawings may be multi-view drawings later rendered in Rhinoceros software.

Unit 6 - Printing: Introduction to different print methods and types(layerjet vs. inkjet), inks, papers, and other printable materials. Students will print several projects on various materials like cardstock(brochures), business cards, clothing, to fill their hardcopy portfolio of their communications media campaign.

Unit 7 - Planning Linear or Interactive Media: Students create storyboards for the multimedia and/or web page component of their communications media campaign. the multimedia component should contain individual screens and captured and edited video segments. It can be created using linear or interactive multimedia software.

Unit 8 - Videography: The purpose of this unit to provide students with the information and experience that they need create the multimedia component of thei campaign successfully. Students will have an option of pursuing individual interests of medium such as claymation, stop motion, or photo videos. We will devote several weeks to this unti.

Unit 9 - Multimedia: This unti covers aspects of multimedia that are general and applicable to any multimedia authoring program, such as elements of multimedia presentations, use of text and graphics, authoring programs, graphic design, and multimedia program distribution. This unit uses Flash, Fireworks, Adobe ImageReady, Premiere, After Effects, and possibly PowerPoint.

Unit 10 - Web Top Publishing: The prupose of this unit is provide students with the information that they need to create a web site as part of their multimedia communications campaign. This outline covers aspects of web-top publishing general and applicable to any website program such as the principles of design and uses of graphics, animations, video, and sounds. This unit will emphasize Macromedia Dreamweaver.

Unit 11 - Telecommunications: The majority of this course has been related to creating images that communicate. Unlike the other units, this unit provides an explanation of how the images previously created may be delivered to users. In other words, it focuses on the channel of communications rather than the message. The instruction in this unit would be well served by a field trip to a local state of the art design firm in the community.

Unit 12 - Emerging Communication Technologies and Portfolio: Communication technologies are rapidly advancing in multiple ways and the tranformation rate is unpredictable. These technologies will continue to have enormous impact on society and individual careers. It is, therefore, wise to spend some time envisioning the future, based on current trends, so students can be ready when changes occur. Students will have a softcopy (CD&DVD) and hardcopy portfolio to send out to the world marketing themselves for their specialized unique skill set and multimedia knowledge.