Penn State University ≠ School of Visual Arts

Fall 2013

ART 316 Video Art

Professor: Eduardo Navas (ean13@psu.edu)

Mondays & Wednesdays 11:15 AM ≠ 2:15 PM

Course Description (as defined by Penn State School of Visual Arts)

This is a studio art class that focuses on creating, authoring, exhibiting, and critically evaluating video and time-based arts. This new media course explores experimental uses of video by visual artists with an emphasis on integrating digital video into current studio practice (i.e., new media digital arts, mixed media, installation, and performance). The course will engage students in research methods to advance their skills in time-based media and to help them develop an understanding of the critical evaluation and assessment of video and time-based artworks and media projects.

This course explores the nature and potential of digital video art practice and media

production through lectures, readings, demonstrations, studio practice, and critiques.

Assignments will cover a range of digital video authoring applications central to video

and time-based arts production.

Emphasis of Class:

In this course students explore concepts of sequential media, meaning the concept of movement with different forms of digital visual presentation, such as still graphics animation, typography and video. The influence of film language across various media disciplines will be discussed at length and explored with a hands-on-approach to produce multimedia motion projects. Students will explore concepts of motion in art, design and video, and will gain a theoretical and practical understanding of sequential movement.

The class is specifically focused on how to create engaging experiences with still images, video footage, text and sound. Participants will gain a theoretical and practical understanding of film and video production that will prepare them to develop advanced projects for their own interests as well as for future classes.

Class Structure

Class sections for the most part will be divided as follows: on Monday, the first half of

the class will consist of critiquing weekly exercises and projects, followed by practical

exercises with different software. On Wednesdays, class will consist of intense technical

lectures complemented with some art, design and film history and theory. The students

will turn in a total of seven projects, which are

Project 1: Stop Motion (no sound)

Project 2: Stop Motion (with Sound)

Project 3: Graphics/Still Images and Video (no sound)

Project 4: Graphics/Still Images and Video (with sound)

Project 5: First Advanced Video

Project 6: Second Advanced Video

Project 7: Final

Details on each project will be announced at least two weeks prior to the due date.

Learning Outcomes:

1. To understand content and form in relation to movement and sound.
2. To understand the basic history and theory that is relevant to audio-visual culture in the tradition of the moving image.
3. To acquire an advanced understanding of conceptual models important in audiovisual culture.
4. To gain practical knowledge of diverse tools used to develop sequential and time based projects.
5. To produce projects that communicate messages effectively, and are critically invested.

A Note on Plagiarism

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. A student who commits plagiarism will be reported to the office of the visual arts. The studentπs behavior will be taken very seriously and dealt with according to the guidelines provided by Penn State University ≠ School of Visual Arts. To avoid plagiarism, please cite your sources when appropriate.

Required Equipment

You will need an external hard drive of at least 100 gigabites with firewire. You will have to bring this hard drive with you to all class sessions. If you donπt have one, it will be extremely difficult to develop your projects successfully. The possibility of your files becoming corrupted is higher if you store your working files on the hard drive of the computer you will use to edit your project. Video cameras will be used a few times throughout the semester, if you donπtπ have a camera let me know and we can look into options.

Required Books

Rush, Michael. New Media in Art. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1999.

Recommended Books

I will not require the books listed below for class, but I strongly encourage you to buy the following texts which are meant to function as complementary reference manuals. They will be quite useful not only during class, but also for other classes and future projects.

Lisa Brenneis, Final Cut Pro 6 (or 7): Visual QuickPro Guide (New York: Peachpit Press,

2009).

John Jackman, Lighting for Digital Video and Television (Amsterdam, Boston, New York:

Focal Press, 2010).

Steven Katz, Film Directing: Shot by Shot (Studio City: Michael Wiese, 1991).Course

Requirements

Please note that final grades are dependent upon consistent performance in all course requirements.

• Attend every class session. (See attendance below for more details.)
• Participate in class exercises, as well as lab time. Class participation will also include in-class exercises.
• There are a total of 7 projects. The point breakdown is below.
• There are no make-ups. Please check with me for possible exceptions. Not consulting with me prior to the dates when assignments are due will lead to an automatic F.
• Final projects cannot be lateãno exceptions.

Grading

• Attendance and Class Participation 10%
• Project 1: Stop Motion (no sound)10%
• Project 2: Stop Motion (with Sound) 10%
• Project 3: Graphics/Still Images and Video (no sound) 10%. Assignment includes a brief essay on one of the readings assigned to date.
• Project 4: Graphics/Still Images and Video (with sound) 10%
• Project 5: First Advanced Video 15%
• Project 6: Second Advanced Video 15%
• Project 7 Final Project (Selected use of After Effects) output to various media formats including DVD and online presentation 20%. Assignment includes a brief essay on one of the readings assigned throughout the semester. The text cited in assignment 3 cannot be cited in your final assignment.

Total 100%

Grade Scale

• 94-100 = A
• 90-93 = A-
• 87-89 = B+
• 84-86 = B
• 80-83= B-
• 77-79 = C+
• 74-76 = C
• 70-73 = C-
• 60-69 = D
• 0-59 = F

Attendance

• Three Absences = F, Three tardies (15 minutes late or early departure) = one absence.
• One Absence will take away 1.5% from attendance grade and 1.5% from class participation.
• There are no excused absences unless it is an extreme case. Please check with mefor exceptions.

Semester Schedule

Note that the class includes a series of short exercises, which are considered part of class participation. These exercises are designed to complement the successful completion of your projects. Lectures on history and theory will shift according to the studentsπ needs to gain practical knowledge from week to week

Week 1:

Monday, August 26, 2013

Introduction to Class | Concepts of sequential media | Lecture on Film | Examples | First

Reading Distributed

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Lecture on film language continued | Stop Motion and Time Based Media Lecture | Weekly Project Assigned, due on Wednesday September 4.

Week 2:

Monday, September 2, 2013

Labor Day, no class

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Online Discussion of First Reading

Weekly Assignment Due/Online Discussion of Weekly Assignment

Work on First Project due on Wednesday September 10, 2013.

Week 3:

Monday, September 9, 2013

Work on online Tutorials

Work on First Project

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Due: Project 1, Stop Motion (no sound) | Class Critique

Homework: Develop one paragraph concept proposal with storyboard for Stop Motion (with Sound) | Second Reading Assigned

Week 4:

Monday, September 16, 2013

Due: Concept proposal and storyboard for Project 2, Stop Motion (with Sound)

Basic Editing Techniques | Principles of Narratives and Montage

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Lecture on Sound | Second Reading Discussed | Third Reading Distributed | Lab Time

Week 5:

Monday, September 23, 2013

Due: Project 2, Stop Motion (with Sound) 10% | Class Critique

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Moving Typography Lecture

Homework: Develop one paragraph concept proposal with storyboard for Project 3 on Graphics/Still Images and Video (no sound)) | Third Reading Discussed | Fourth Reading Distributed

Week 6:

Monday, September 30, 2013

Due: One paragraph concept proposal with storyboard for Project 3 on Graphics/Still Images and Video (no sound)

Lecture on Image, Text, and Sound

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Fourth Reading Discussed | Fifth Reading Distributed | Lab time to work on Project 3

Week 7:

Monday, October 7, 2013

Due: Project 3, Graphics/Still Images and Video (no sound) 10%, assignment includes a brief essay on one of the readings assigned to date | Class Critique

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Fifth Reading Discussed | Sixth Reading Distributed | Lab time to work on Weekly Assignment | Homework: One paragraph concept proposal with storyboard for Project 4 on Graphics/Still Images and Video (with sound)

Week 8:
Monday, October 13, 2013

Due: One paragraph concept proposal with storyboard for Project 4 on Graphics/Still Images and Video (with sound)

Lecture on Editing Image, Sound, and Text

Wednesday, October 15, 2013

Sixth Reading Discussed | Seventh Reading Distributed | Lab time to work on Project 4

Week 9:

Monday, October 21, 2013

Due: Project 4, Graphics/Still Images and Video (with sound) 10%

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Homework: One paragraph concept proposal with storyboard for Project 5, First Advanced Video | Seventh Reading discussed | Eighth Reading Distributed

Week 10:

Monday, October 28, 2013

Due: One paragraph concept proposal with storyboard for Project 5, First Advanced Video | Lecture on Advanced Video Editing

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Eighth Reading Discussed | Seventh Reading Distributed | Lab Time to Work on Project 5.

Week 11:

Monday, November 4, 2013

DUE: Project 5, First Advanced Video | Class Critique

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Introduction to Diverse Formats for Output

Homework: One page concept proposal with storyboard for Project 6. | Ninth Reading

Discussed | Tenth Reading Distributed

Week 12:

Monday, November 11, 2013

Due: One page concept proposal with storyboard for Project 6, Second Advanced Video.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Learn advance techniques with all software introduced | Tenth Reading Discussed | Eleventh Reading Distributed | Work on Project 6

Week 13:

Monday, November 18, 2013

DUE: Project 6, Second Advanced Video | Class Critique

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Homework: Proposal for Final project | Eleventh Reading Discussed | Twelfth Reading Distributed | Lecture on Editing

Week 14:

Monday, November 25, 2013

SPRING BREAK

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

SPRING BREAK

Week 15:

Monday, December 2, 2013

Due: proposal for Final project.

Learn Advanced Techniques for Output | Twelfth Reading Discussed

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Brief review of works | Proposal to be critiqued

Week 16:

Monday, December 9, 2013

Final Project Critiqued, Part 1 Assignment includes a brief essay on one of the readings assigned throughout the semester. The text cited in assignment 3 cannot be cited in your final assignment.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Final Project Critiqued, Part 2

Week 17: December 16, 2013

Due: Final Project.