Web Art 1/ Web Art 2 - FALL 2018
(ARTS 267 / ARTS 301)
Fall Session - Meets Monday/Wednesday/Friday 8:00AM - 9:55AM - Moakley Center, Room 305
Moakley Center, Room 305
Instructor: Neil Salley
Course Description
This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of interactive and web-based media through a survey of its history, theory and practices.
Course Structure
Through a series of projects, readings and discussions students will be introduced to the possibilities for making artworks that utilize computer software, hardware, networks and hybrid forms of interactive multimedia.
Over the course of the semester students will develop proficient skills in photo editing, creating animations for the web, developing hypertext storytelling sensibilities, working with text and web-page design as well as recording and editing sound and video for the web.
Informal and formal critiques of student work are central to this course and a high level of personal engagement and initiative is expected from all students. Technical workshops will be offered routinely during the semester and one-on-one tutorials will be arranged as needed.
Students will unite this growing skill-set in a final interactive multi media project that is due at the end of the semester. This Final project will demonstrate a level of proficiency with multimedia tools as well as create a compelling interactive experience for the viewer.
Objectives
Students in this course will be provided the opportunity to:
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Gain a fundamental proficiency in communicating with a variety of digital media tools and processes.
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Create and publish professional quality web-based portfolios as well as web-based multi-media experiences.
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Acquire the means to articulate their interests and concerns as mindful creators.
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Develop an understanding of the historic context and evolution of web-based media.
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Show an ability to discern artistic merit of diverse forms of art/design in their contexts.
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Be able to defend critical interpretations concerning the significance of artistic expression.
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Make valid assessments of quality and effectiveness in design projects and art works - especially their own.
Prerequisites
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No coding requirements.
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Basic knowledge of photo editing, sound editing and video editing software.
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A smartphone with about 40 MB of storage (If you don't have a phone we’ll figure something out).
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User accounts with the school email service.
Project Preparation
“Homework” for this class will be all about making the essential preparations for the upcoming class. This could mean gathering materials such as photographs, sounds, video, making conceptual sketches for compositions, writing proposals, making storyboards or producing “treatments” that articulate how you would like to approach a particular project. Always come to class with the materials for the project you are working on so you can use class time efficiently.
Preparation is also about catching-up on projects you may be falling behind on so you can be ready to present your work on critique day. There will be available lab times posted in the Resources section of this website as soon as I have them.
Projects
This course is “project based” and centers around the production of a series of assignments that are designed to build upon the students’ growing knowledge of media tools and practices covered in this class. Work must be put together skillfully, demonstrating that the student is developing sufficient proficiency with the tools associated with each project. Attention and care should be given to detail and all work must be well made and presented in a form that is orderly. Most importantly the student should show evidence of a search for their own unique creative voice and an effort to experiment with developing original content.
Project 1, Your Evolving Web Portfolio
Due - 4/24
For this class all students are required to create a website that will serve as a core database to store media, share work during critiques and provide documentation for all of our class projects.
Web 1 students: Consider using your website as a means to develop your online identity. Use this project and this class as an opportunity to experiment with ways of packaging and presenting yourself and your ideas online. Post your original artwork, photos, sounds and writing. Think of your website as your own online virtual studio/showroom. If you're not comfortable publishing under your own name – create a pseudonym! Better still, make a business! The only rules are that all content is original, clean and fun!
Web 2 students: All of the above applies but in addition your final website must be of a professional caliber. This means that it needs to look and feel like your ready to launch yourself into the world of professional practice! It MUST ALSO be optimized for smartphone screens.
This evolving website will not be formally critiqued or graded until the end of the semester. However, the class will collectively review the progress of each student’s website as part of our scheduled critiques.
We will be using WIX, a cloud-based web development platform. WIX is FREE and allows users to create HTML5 websites like this one.
Project 2, The Art of the GIF
Due - 1/25 - Critique 1/30
For a long time GIFs were relegated to twirling icons, flickering flames and cheesy animations - but not anymore. The GIF has become an Art Form in itself!
For this project students will introduce themselves to the class by participating in the creation of a collective GIF “Class Portrait”. A GIF (graphics interchange format) is a graphic image on a web page that moves. After exploring a range of GIF artists and GIF galleries and taking part in GIF making tutorials in Photoshop, students will explore what their own animated GIF "self-portrait" could be. Each student will create a minimum of 6 GIFs, publish then to their web sites and then choose one of these to be published on the class website. Each GIF will also act as a link to the student's web portfolio.
Project 3, Audio Narratives and Podcasts
Due - 2/8- Critique 2/13
Here the objective is for students to gain technical skills in the acquisition, manipulation, production and presentation of sound as a form of design and communication. After reviewing several examples of audio narratives and taking part in a demonstration on the proper use of microphones, field recorders and editing tools, students will create a 2 minute audio narrative that will include recording a voice over, environmental sound, and sound effects. For this project students are required to research and plan their project and to gather their sound materials as homework outside of class. Completed projects will be published on student websites and presented to the class for a group critique.
Project 4, Creating Text Based Interactive Stories Using Twine
Although it is now ubiquitous, the hyperlink is the most radical feature of the Internet. Students will consider how to use the hyperlink for creative ends. We will use Twine, an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories. Allow for user choice, branching structures and loops in your story - and keep in mind that these stories do not need to follow conventional "linear" rules. The twine HTML document will be embedded into a page on your web portfolio along with a sound treatment and an image that illustrates the "mood" you seek to evoke in your piece.
Examples of hypertext literature - and Twine Stories
A quick tutorial (this is a great place to start)
Another more involved tutorial by the creator of Twine
Publishing your Twine story for presentation and group critique.
Project 5, Video Ventures
Due 3/13 - Critique 3/20
The objective of project 5 is for students to integrate the effective use of video into their growing skill set. For this project students are required to research and plan their project and to gather their video materials as homework outside of class. Students may choose one of the following options:
Option 1: Creating Video Narratives (Recommended)
Teach us something, tell us a story - or take us on a journey. For this project students will create a “video narrative” that will include recording live motion images with your phone and then integrating these images with graphics and sound using "Garage Band" and “Final Cut”. Students will learn how to effectively use a smartphone camera to capture high quality video and take part in demonstrations on the principals of image composition, shooting and lighting techniques. The final piece should be 1 to 2 minutes in length. Completed projects will be published on student websites and presented to the class for a group critique.
Option 2: Appropriation and Remix (For the inquisitive and rebellious among us !)
Propaganda is a powerful tool for politicians, corporations, advertisers, cultural institutions and anyone who is looking to manipulate a story, but it is also the starting point for acts of subversion, humor, and creative resistance. Early examples of Video Art often featured the appropriation, deconstruction and manipulation of mass media and culture as a form of social critique. For this project students will find a means of political and imaginative expression through re-editing and re-interpreting material “harvested” from YouTube. Students will come away well-versed in the techniques and tricks used in remix works, including ripping videos, sampling and audio/video cut-ups.
This work will be published to a video-sharing website such as YouTube or Vimeo and then embed into student web-based portfolios for critique.
Project 6, Experiments in Augmented Reality
Due 4/3 - Critique 4/5
Before we immerse ourselves in the final class project lets take a brief detour into the realm of Augmented Reality. Augmented Reality (AR) is a live direct or indirect view of a physical object or environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. For this project will be using Zappar augmented reality software to turn our smartphones into vision based AR interfaces. Zappar is a free-to-download AP on iOS and Android. We will be using the free 30 day trial of Zappar to "augment" things in the real world and bring them to life with video and sound. We'll document these projects with the class DSLR cameras, edit brief video demos and publish them to Youtube or Vimeo. This video will be then be embedded into a page on each student web portfolio for presentation and group critique.
The Zappar website - https://www.zappar.com/ - Watch the video and start the 30 day trial with an education account.
Download the Zappar ap on your smartphone - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zappar.Zappar&hl=en
After signing up watch the general introduction video then watch the introduction video for "Designer".
Here is a quick tutorial for adding an animated GIF to Zappar
Final Project, Creating Interactive Multimedia Stories
Students will unite their new skill-set to create a non-linear visual interactive multimedia story for the web using WIX OR they may choose to use Zappar to create an interactive augmented reality storybook or experience. This interactive multimedia project can be autobiographical, fantasy, realistic, a mystery, humorous, or dramatic.
The work will be developed, produced and submitted in 2 parts:
Student Website Evaluations and Final Project Critiques - April 26
The final critique will be an assessment of each student's Web Portfolio and Final Project:
As noted in the Project 1 description above, Web 1 students are encouraged to create a personal website/web portfolio that encapsulates an aspect of their unique personality and design aesthetic. Extra points will be awarded if the website has a use beyond the scope of our class. For Web 2 students it is mandatory that your final website be of a professional caliber. In addition It MUST be optimize for smartphone screens.
Class Attendance and Participation
Regular and prompt attendance is essential to keep up with our busy project schedule and to acquire technical proficiency in the tools and techniques that will be presented in class. This course is fast paced and it is virtually impossible to make up any extended absence.
Students are expected to participate in each class session, be on time for all scheduled meetings and complete projects by the due dates assigned. If you know in advance that you will miss a class you should notify me as a courtesy in advance so I can advise you what you should have completed by the next class.
* Every unexcused absence reduces your grade by 1 full letter grade - so 4 unexcused absences will result in an automatic failure of the course. Two late arrivals without prior arrangements equals one unexcused absence. Students who have been absent are expected to have their work completed for the class session following their return. To obtain an excused absence, you must both write the instructor in advance and/or bring in medical documentation. See also: Bridgewater State University’s Undergraduate Academic Policies
http://catalog.bridgew.edu/content.php?catoid=7&navoid=486
At the conclusion of each project we will hold a “Class Critique”. Critiques will take the form of a conversation. They will provide a way to expand and refine our understanding of the key principles, technical considerations, and aesthetic choices of an assignment. Comments, questions, answers, and thinking out loud by both teacher and students create a two-way dialogue that enriches learning for everyone.
Active participation in critiques is an important part of your grade so attending all class critiques is mandatory.
If a student’s work is not present for the critique it will be graded as “incomplete”. This means that by missing a group critique a student will receive a zero for the project as well as dropping a full letter grade from the student’s final average.
Grading
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Projects 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 10% each
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Final Project 20%
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Attendance and Participation 20%
Grading Criteria
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F – Frequently late and/or absent. Insufficient participation. Little to no understanding of the materials covered in class.
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D – Occasional lateness and more than one unexcused absence. Basic understanding of materials covered in class.
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C – Occasional lateness. Demonstrated an understanding of materials covered in class. Failed to take risks. Work holds together. Makes only obligatory contributions to discussions.
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B – Always present. Work handed in on time. Demonstrated a solid understanding of materials covered in class. Work has good form and content, and there is evidence of taking risks. This student has made interesting contributions to the class.
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A – Always present. Work handed in on time. Demonstrated a solid understanding of materials covered in class. Was able to seek out new sources of inspiration and technologies and shared them with the class. Work has good form and content, and there is evidence of taking risks. This student always makes interesting contributions to the class, and frequently leads class discussions.
Communication
It is school policy that students are responsible for checking their BSU email account. If you need to contact me I strongly recommend using the Contact page on this website. This method will forward your message directly to my personal email account, which I have access to on my phone. I check my BSU email daily - but only when I'm home in my office.
Accessibility Statement
In compliance with Bridgewater State University policy and equal access legislation, I am available to discuss appropriate accommodations that you may require as a student with a disability. Students will need to register with the Disability Resources Office in the Academic Achievement Center in the Maxwell Library to provide documentation of the disability, to determine reasonable academic accommodations, and obtain a letter of notification to faculty of the accommodations.
Disability Services
BSU is committed to ensuring all individuals equal access to its programs and services. The university offers a number of services to students who have a documented medical condition, are physically challenged, or have psychological or learning disabilities. If you think you may have a learning disability or wish to request support services, please contact the Office of Disability Resources in the Academic Achievement Center, Maxwell Library, (508) 531-2194. You can still receive services even after the semester has begun.
Expectations and Other Class Policies
The majority of information we cover in this class is readily available online and a web search can provide answers to many of your immediate questions. Think for yourself, carefully review what you did and what trouble you’re having. Consult the Resources section of this web site. Ask 2 friends that are sitting next to you. And OF COURSE you can ask me.
Backup your work to the school’s server or a portable drive FREQUENTLY!
Other than using the web for researching material for your class work, there is no smartphone or Internet use allowed during class time. You will receive points off your final grade if you spend any class time on social media; this includes texting.
A Note on Perseverance
You don’t need to be a practicing or aspiring artist or designer to succeed in this course. However you must be willing to explore how digital media tools can augment and enhance your unique means of expression. Every student will at some point become frustrated as we deal with unexpected technical road-blocks. Part of this class will entail developing creative workarounds that yield quality results while staying within our busy project schedule. These are important skills to practice as you will do the same when you leave school and enter the world of professional practice – whether it be art, business, academic pursuits, etc. As an instructor I cannot teach you the effort that is required to succeed in this class; it must come from your own desire and willingness to participate, learn and grow.