Perceptual Principles for Digital Environments III

Instructor: Joshua Rosentock - jrosen AT artic.edu
Day: Monday Time: 5:45 - 9 PM
Location: LOOP   Room # LEWIS 1506
Lab Meetings: CTI Room 722
Office Hours: Monday 4-5:30, Thursday 4-5:30 in CTI Room 703

Textbook: Macromedia Flash MX2004 Hands-On-Training. Yeung and Weinman. Lynda.com Books/Peachpit Press, 2004. ISBN 0-321-20298-8

Software: Macromedia Flash. Skills in Photoshop, 3D animation, web, or sound may be helpful, but are not necessary.

About the Course:

"An introduction to the visual and communication principles for the structure and organization of time-based digital environments. Introduction to standard 2D animation software applications. PREREQUISITE: GPH 211 or equivalent."

The course will be divided into three units:
- Animation Techniques will introduce fundamental principles of animation and motion graphics. Additionally, students will gain basic proficiency using Macromedia Flash software.
- Sequential Storytelling will explore conceptual approaches to the art of visual narrative, including point-of-view, montage and sequential art.
- Hyper-Narratives will present non-linear approaches to narrative. Students will explore notions of hypertextuality, navigation, and interactive Interface using Flash ActionScripting.

Assignments:

Each of the three units will have a project. Although there may occasionally be opportunities to work on projects during some lab sessions, these projects are expected to be finished pieces which will require significant production time outside of class. Projects will be critiqued by the group in class. You are expected to participate fully in your peers' critiques (note that critique participation is a portion of your grade for the course).
In addition to the main projects, there will be exercises to be completed during class, labs, or for homework in order to learn to use the various software tools and master course concepts. These exercises will greatly assist you in completing the projects.
Some classes will have assigned readings which will prepare you for class and which we may discuss as a group. Please do the reading so you don’t embarrass yourself when asked to comment on the material during discussion.

Grading

Projects - 40%
Homework/In-Class exercises - 20%
Exams - 25%
Participation in Critiques - 15%

Late Work Policy for Projects:

For each week late that a project is handed in, your grade is penalized by one letter. For instance, if your project is one week late, and would have been graded as a B+, it becomes a C+.

Revising Projects:

For any project, you may choose to revise or improve your work until the end of the quarter. If I am satisfied that substantial improvements have been made, your grade for that project will be raised at my discretion. However, you are still subject to late work penalities if you did not hand in the original version of your project on time.

Note About Grading:

Although I am an easygoing and laid-back person, and although we will do many fun things in this class such as watching cartoons, do not be fooled into thinking this course will be easy. I have very high standards for what college-level coursework should be, and I will grade your projects and exams accordingly (however, homework assigments are graded much more generously, mostly based on successful completion of the assignment). I will provide a set of grading criteria for each project before it is due. You should expect to work hard on these projects, sometimes with a relatively short turnaround, as they are the core of your grade. The flip-side to this is that you can expect to learn a lot, and come away from this course with some finished portfolio pieces. Also note that although some assignments may require drawing, I will not be grading you primarily on your drawing skill, and photographs or collage may be an acceptible substitute.

Contacting Me:

The easiest way to contact me is via email. I will do my best to respond quickly. However, email is best suited to simple questions. For more involved questions or for one-on-one help, make an appointment or stop by during my office hours. Note however that there is a certain type of email which is inappropriate, and which I will most likely NOT respond to, namely ones that say, "I missed class. Can you tell me what I missed?" Or, "I'm going to miss class. Can you tell me what I'm going to miss?" In no case can I condone an absence from class. If you do miss class, it is YOUR responsibility to review the course website and obtain notes from your peers. Only in the case of a DOCUMENTED family or medical emergency will I make arrangements for missed work.