Curriculum Guide - Visual & Media Arts

Visual & Media Arts Courses Course Guide

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Visual & Media Arts Department Philosophy and Placement Artistic vision inspires innovation. A Visual and Media Arts program that embraces visual, material, and digital literacies is essential for a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, global education. We value artistic rigor and excellence, process and risk-taking, critical thinking and personal voice. With traditional and contemporary media, our students become curious and informed navigators of a complex visual world.

In Visual and Media Arts, most Upper School classes are available to all students in the ninth-twelfth grades. Questions about enrollment in these classes should be directed either to the department chair or the individual teacher.

Requirements For graduation, Windward requires two years of Visual or Performing Arts. The UC requirement is one year of either visual or performing arts.

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Course Descriptions Middle School Courses Grade 7, Semester Courses 7th Grade Studio Art This course aims to establish both confidence and competence in the creative process. Students explore a wide range of media such as pencil, pens, pastels, watercolors, and acrylics. The elements of line, shape, value, color, form and space are discussed and emphasized.

Projects are given cultural and historical contexts, and students are encouraged to relate art-making to their everyday lives. Students are challenged with a variety of design problems and taught basic techniques for solving them. Effort is made to offer a wide range of experiences and to encourage pleasure in the creative process.

7th Grade 3D Design In this introductory course, students explore form and space using materials such as clay, plaster, tin foil, cardboard, plastic, foam, and 3D digital software. Students will consider art and design objects in the round and in the spaces they are presented. Students will be asked to pull inspiration from the physical features of their world and apply it to their own design projects. Students will also learn to discuss their work and the work of their peers through a basic critique structure.

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7th Grade Photo & Video This introductory course is designed for students to acquire a basic understanding of media arts, including photography and video, to create narratives, documentaries, and visual presentations. Students will study film and television genres and techniques, as well as develop technical skills in operating digital video cameras and digital video editing software to produce and edit their work.

7th Grade Sound & Animation This course is designed for students to explore the foundations of sound design and computer animation.

Students will study the importance of sound in storytelling and create audio stories and sound designs within their animations. Students will build upon the foundation of storyboarding, sequencing, and modeling begun in MS Media Arts: Photo and Video, honing hone their technical skills in animation software and digital equipment.

MS TV Workshop Lights, Camera, Action! This course is an introduction to Television Production. Students will learn the ins and outs of Electronic News Gathering and Electronic Field Production, and how to shoot, edit and present their short films. Examples of their projects are an interview on campus, a commercial parody and a location shoot. Whether documentary or scripted show, this class will focus on storytelling.

Grade 8, Full-year Courses Studio Arts Core This full year foundation course is designed for students to explore the basics of 2D and 3D studio arts, including painting and drawing, graphic design, photography, and 3D design. The painting and drawing section will cover the basics of drawing and composition, essential preparation for any discipline in the visual arts. The graphic design section will teach students how to apply their drawing and composition skills to the development of logos, layouts, and typography, using digital imaging software. The photography section will introduce students to the essentials of digital photography and its post-production, focusing on composition and still-image storytelling. The 3D design section will introduce students to spatial problem solving, with attention to volume, weight, scale, and materials, using 3D modeling software as well as traditional materials and techniques.

Lastly, in conjunction with the Media Arts Core class, students will engage in an interdisciplinary, collaborative project as a culminating experience in the Visual and Media Arts Core Program.

Media Arts Core This foundation course is designed for students to explore the basics of the media arts, including sound, photography, video, and animation.

In the sound section, students will experiment with Foley editing, sound effects, sound mixing, and audio dialogue replacement (ADR), discover how to achieve sound quality, study the importance of sound in storytelling, and create audio stories and sound designs. In the photography and video section, students will experiment with narrative storytelling using still images and video, explore various television and filmmaking techniques, as well as develop technical skills in operating digital video cameras and digital video editing software to produce and edit their own videos. In the animation section, students will learn 2D, 3D, hand-drawn, and digital animation techniques. Students will utilize the basic animation principles and develop technical skills in operating animation software to create original animated sequences. Lastly, in conjunction with the Visual Arts Core class, students will engage in an interdisciplinary, collaborative project as a culminating experience in the Visual and Media Arts Core program.

Upper School Courses Level 1/Grades 9-12 Studio Art 1 This course establishes concepts, techniques and methodologies surrounding 2D practice, specifically the relationship between materials, processes and content. Four major themes are the complexity of line, tone, color, and composition; projects include works that cover both abstraction and figuration. The goal of the course is not to create “artists�, but rather to allow students the opportunity to enrich their intellectual and analytical expertise when consuming and critiquing their visual environment. As a result, their confidence regarding the production of art will increase. Specific areas include elemental projects in drawing, painting, graphic design and photography. Students keep a large portion of their work in sketchbooks, which serve as documentation of their understanding and abilities. Lectures, art historical references and written assignments are consistently used as tools to increase visual literacy.

Media Arts 1 Using the foundation skills learned in Media Arts Core or Studio Arts Core, this intermediate course is designed for students to further explore sound, video, and animation. Students create more complex work and begin to develop a style and voice. Students explore more complex techniques in sound design, video editing, and animation to create mixed media projects. After this course, students can move forward in the Media Arts by choosing to focus on Film and Video or Animation.

3D Design 1 Throughout this course students use a variety of materials and platforms to design objects and explore the spaces in which they function. Students learn to use Rhino, a 3D modeling software, to apply their creativity to product, industrial, architectural and environmental design. Students gain a basic knowledge of the historical and cultural context for both artistic and functional objects, applying a balance of aesthetic criteria and practical problem solving to their design solutions.

This course serves as STEAM Scholars Arts class.

Graphic Design 1 In this course, students are taught the concepts and techniques of design as they are applied to the representation of products and services, including logo design, album, book cover, and poster design, and typography and page layout. Exercises and projects emphasize clear visual communication and the creative process. Special attention is paid to the history and uses of typography.

Students execute solutions to design problems using the computer imaging programs Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. The elements and principles of design are covered as a foundation for understanding composition. Critical thinking about visual objects is supported by critique and analytic writing assignments.

This course serves as a STEAM Scholars Arts class.

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Course Descriptions Photography 1

Film and Video 1

Animation 1

This course is an introduction to the concepts and techniques of analog photography. Students learn extensive internal camera operations, as well as darkroom processes and procedures.

Students investigate the basic genres of photography through major projects and assignments, including landscape, fabrication, portraiture, and social documentary. Special emphasis is placed upon creative and connotative solutions to the challenges of each genre. Students develop an advanced understanding of directional lighting and its aesthetic effects on an image, the formal elements of art, creative camera control functions, and composition.

Course work is supplemented by lectures, slide shows, demonstrations with alternative processing, visiting artists, and trips to local photography shows at galleries and museums.

Students need to own or rent a 35mm analog SLR camera with a 50mm lens.

They need to purchase 2-3 boxes of photographic paper and 12-18 rolls of B&W film over the course of the year.

Prerequisite: Media Arts Core or Media Arts 1

Prerequisite: Media Arts Core or Media Arts 1

An introduction to film history and short film production, the purpose of this course is to construct a framework for the study of film and television as forms of entertainment, cultural history, technology, and art. Chronological screening lead discussions about storytelling principles, production techniques, historical background, genre, and theory. Short film critiques and quizzes are assigned regularly. Once students have a firm understanding of the grammar of film, they write, shoot and edit their own short projects throughout the year.

This introductory course is designed for students to explore the foundations of animation. The course will focus on three major components: fundamentals, practice, and history.

The first component will cover the introductory elements of animation.

Students will experiment with different types of animation (e.g., 2D, handdrawn, digital, 3D), examine animation concepts such as keyframe, frame by frame, and tweening, and study the principles of animation. The second component will involve the technical aspects of animation and animation practice. Students will build upon their basic skills of storyboarding, sequencing, modeling, texturing, etc., and hone their technical skills in animation software and digital equipment so that they may produce and edit sophisticated animations.

The third component will concentrate on the history and appreciation of animation. Students will examine early animation and its advancements over time, analyze existing animated artworks, as well as engage in peer critiques.

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Level 2/Grades 10-12 Studio Art 2

Graphic Design 2

Photography 2

Prerequisite: Graphic Design 1.

Prerequisite: Photography 1.

Prerequisite: Studio 1.

The emphasis in this course is on the acquisition of sound drawing skills and experimentation with a wide variety of art forms and techniques.

Students continue to develop strong conceptual, perceptual, and technical skills. Much emphasis is placed on observational drawing, composition and honing critical thought. Students work on compositional skills with projects based on the principles of design: unity, emphasis, pattern, rhythm, movement, and balance.

Students learn how to develop process-oriented creative thinking skills, and critical thinking and verbal articulation is encouraged in regular critiques and discussions.

This class builds on the design skills taught in Graphic Design 1, applying them to more sophisticated problems and applications. Students are expected to work more independently, building a portfolio in anticipation of taking the AP 2D Design course the following year. Problems and exercises challenge the students to advance their conceptual and technical skills, as well as develop a visual vocabulary that conveys information and ideas clearly and concisely. Awareness of historical styles and trends in graphic design, as well as the cultural power of the image-making industry, helps students gain a greater appreciation for the relevance of design in their lives.

3D Design 2

This course serves as STEAM Scholars Arts class

In this course, students will be introduced to digital photography and post-production software, including Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, and Photoshop. Students are presented with a variety of projects which are meant to challenge their creative thinking, conceptual development, and visual storytelling skills, including the Blank Canvas Project, Color Theory, Photojournalism, Visual Poetry, and Form and Content Relationships. Students gain an understanding of the technical structure of digital images, such that size, resolution, color and format are used effectively. As well, students learn how to creatively control the functions of their digital SLR cameras.

Fundamental technical knowledge in directional lighting and exposure control from Photography I remains relevant. In post production, students develop organized workflows and non-destructive global and local editing techniques. Students also learn to produce high quality, inkjet prints. Course work is supplemented by lectures, editing demonstrations, slideshows, visiting artists, and trips to local photography shows at galleries and museums. Students must own or rent a Digital SLR camera with a 50mm lens for this course. They will also need to purchase a memory card, portable external hard-drive, and 1-2 boxes of Epson Semi-Luster Digital Printing Paper per school year.

Prerequisite: 3D Design 1 This course expands on the skills built in 3D Design 1. Students will continue to explore objects in space using both digital software and sculptural materials. Students will build critical thinking skills and artistic vocabulary to discuss and write about their own work, the work of their peers, and other works of art. Students will also document their work and build an expanded digital design portfolio. The goal for this course is for students to problem solve and think creatively throughout the design process.

These skills will serve them not only as object makers, but in all areas of work.

This course serves as STEAM Scholars Arts class.

This course serves as STEAM Scholars Arts class.

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Course Descriptions Film and Video 2

Interdisciplinary Studio 1

Prerequisite: Film and Video 1.

Corequisites: any Visual and Media Arts class; participation in only one Windward team sport season.

Advanced Film students build upon their coursework from Film 1. Six short film projects are required, including a silent film and a documentary, as well as continuing to view and write critiques of classic films. Students explore more in-depth use of equipment, including light kits and external microphones, and more advanced editing, including compositing and color correction.

This course serves as STEAM Scholars Arts class.

Animation 2 Prerequisite: Animation 1.

Advanced animation students build upon their coursework from Animation 1. Students create more complex computer and stop motion animation, developing a style and voice in their storytelling. Students explore more advanced tools such as character animation, rigging, lighting, and sound.

This course serves as STEAM Scholars Arts class.

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NOTE: This course is NOT available to students enrolled in AP Studio Art This course is designed for the passionate visual art student who wishes to explore his or her creativity and ideas in a more individualistic and self-directed way. Students set goals and propose individually designed projects, in any media of their choosing, in order to push their artistic practice in challenging directions.

Students enrolled in this class must be highly motivated and self-disciplined.

The teacher will guide the student through the creative process by setting deadlines, assigning creativity exercises, and providing feedback regarding ideas, planning, technical skills, and execution. The works created can be used for application to art schools and competitive summer programs as well as contests and exhibition opportunities outside of school. The work for this class cannot be used to fulfill assignments for concurrent art classes at Windward, nor can assignments for other art classes be used for this class.

Students are expected to keep a daily sketchbook. This class meets during the extracurricular periods 8 and 9.

Level 3/Grades 11-12 Studio Art 3 Prerequisite: Studio 2.

Studio 3 is a course designed to give the advanced student the opportunity to develop their aesthetic, imaginative and creative faculties through investigations of their artistic directions with respect to format, subject and execution.

The course includes drawing, color study, painting and design. A study of art history, visual culture and art criticism continue to be an integral part of the course material. The work for Studio 3 is essential to the AP 2D Design course, enabling students to complete the Advanced Placement portfolio exam the following year.

Both the elements and the principles of design are reviewed, with a strong emphasis on compositional proficiency. Students learn to work more independently and expand their critical thinking skills. Those enrolled in this course are advised to use Interdisciplinary Studio to hone and develop their portfolio.

3D Design 3

Film and Video 3

Interdisciplinary Studio 2

Prerequisite: 3D Design 2

Prerequisite: Film and Video 2.

Prerequisite: Interdisciplinary Studio 1

This course is for the advanced 3D Design student that wishes to build their design portfolio. Students will use the foundational skills built in previous design classes to make a breadth of work that can be used in the Advanced Placement portfolio exam the following year. A large component of the class will be viewing the work of contemporary artist and designers and developing work that is both conceptually rigorous and guided by design principles. As we continue to work with new materials and learn new processes, students will have the opportunity to design their own projects and explore avenues of personal interest.

Advanced Film students continue to build upon their coursework from Film and Video 1 and 2. Six short film projects are required, including a silent film and a documentary, as well as continued viewing and short position papers on classic films.

Students explore more in-depth use of equipment such as light kits, external microphones and camera mounts. More advanced editing techniques, including compositing, color correction and tracking, are involved. An extensive research paper concerning a particular genre, film movement or historical time period (Film Noir, Technicolor, HUAC, etc.) is included.

Corequisites: any Visual and Media Arts class; participation in only one Windward team sport season.

This course serves as STEAM Scholars Arts class.

This course serves as STEAM Scholars Arts class.

Animation 3 Prerequisite: Animation 2.

Advanced animation students continue to build on their coursework from Animation 1 and 2. Students fine tune their animation skills. Students build complex and multiple scene animation with attention to cameras and sound. In this course students will build a portfolio of their animation work.

NOTE: This course is NOT available to students enrolled in AP Studio Art Students set new goals and propose new projects, in any media of their choosing, in order to continue pushing their artistic practice in challenging directions. Students enrolled in this class must be highly motivated and self-disciplined. The teacher will guide the student through the creative process by setting deadlines, assigning creativity exercises, and providing feedback regarding ideas, planning, technical skills, and execution. The works created can be used for application to art schools and competitive summer programs as well as contests and exhibition opportunities outside of school. The work for this class cannot be used to fulfill assignments for concurrent art classes at Windward, nor can assignments for other art classes be used for this class. Students are expected to keep a daily sketchbook.

This class meets during the extracurricular periods 8 and 9.

This course serves as STEAM Scholars Arts class.

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Course Descriptions Level 4/Grade 12 AP Studio Art

Animation 4

Interdisciplinary Studio 3

Prerequisite: Animation 3.

Prerequisite: Interdisciplinary Studio 2

Prerequisite: Studio 3, 3D Design 3, Graphic Design 2, or Photography 2

Advanced animation students fine tune their animation skills and develop a strong voice and style. Over the course of the year students will create a culminating animated short film, developing characters and themes, writing a script, and creating a strong sound design. Students create an online portfolio of all 4 years of their animation work to be used for college applications and animation contests.

Corequisites: any Visual and Media Arts class; participation in only one Windward team sport season.

This course is designed for the serious and dedicated art student, requiring a more significant commitment of time and effort than previous art courses.The aim is to complete all of the portfolio work necessary for the Advanced Placement portfolio exam in Studio Art. Students make a creative and systematic investigation in an independent study called the Concentration, a body of twelve works of art based on a specific theme.

Class critiques and individual tutorials with the teacher enable students to be clear about their direction and work pace. Students should expect at least five hours of homework a week.

Students are required to complete six pieces during the summer to strengthen the Breadth section of the portfolio and begin investigation into their Concentration. Entry into AP Studio Art is contingent upon teacher and department chair approval.

This course serves as STEAM Scholars Arts class.

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This course serves as STEAM Scholars Arts class.

NOTE: This course is NOT available to students enrolled in AP Studio Art In this class, students will produce the equivalent of an AP Studio portfolio to be used for college supplemental applications, art contests, exhibition opportunities, art school applications and competitive summer programs.

With support from the teacher they will pursue individually designed projects in the media of their choice.

The course allows students to express their creativity, develop their personal interests for art, and push their artistic practice in more challenging directions. Students should be eager to experiment, take risks and try new approaches and themes. Students enrolled in this class must be highly motivated and self-directed, and demonstrate increased levels of self-discipline in structuring their own time effectively. Students must submit proposals for their individual projects to be approved by the teacher, including due dates and agreed parameters. Through formal and informal, group and individual critiques, the teacher will guide the students through the creative process with creativity stimulating exercises, analysis of work by professional artists, and assessment and guidance regarding ideas, planning and technical skills. Students will go on a field trip to the graduate fine arts program at Otis School of Art, meet the chair of that program and have individual meetings with graduate students in fine art. Students will also have the opportunity to work

in collaboration with a visiting artist or make works in response to that artistĂ­s installation project in the school gallery. At this level in the course, students should demonstrate a artistic maturity in style, thematic development, and technique.

Upper School Electives: Interdisciplinary Studio 2

This course serves as STEAM Scholars Arts class.

Students set new goals and propose new projects, in any media of their choosing, in order to continue pushing their artistic practice in challenging directions. Students enrolled in this class must be highly motivated and self-disciplined. The teacher will guide the student through the creative process by setting deadlines, assigning creativity exercises, and providing feedback regarding ideas, planning, technical skills, and execution. The works created can be used for application to art schools and competitive summer programs as well as contests and exhibition opportunities outside of school. The work for this class cannot be used to fulfill assignments for concurrent art classes at Windward, nor can assignments for other art classes be used for this class. Students are expected to keep a daily sketchbook.

This class meets during the extracurricular periods 8 and 9.

AP Art History AP Art History is designed to provide the same benefits to secondary school students as those provided by an introductory college course in art history. In the course, students examine major forms of artistic expression from the ancient world to the present and from a variety of cultures. They learn to look and analyze works of art within their historical context and articulate what they see or experience in a meaningful way. In addition, the course prepares students for the AP Art History exam.

Coursework is supplemented with regular visits to LACMA.

Prerequisite:Interdisciplinary Studio 1 Corequisites: any Visual and Media Arts class; participation in only one Windward team sport season.

Interdisciplinary Studio 3 Prerequisite: Interdisciplinary Studio 2 Corequisites: any Visual and Media Arts class; participation in only one Windward team sport season.

In this class, students will produce the equivalent of an AP Studio portfolio to be used for college supplemental applications, art contests, exhibition opportunities, art school applications and competitive summer programs.

With support from the teacher they

will pursue individually designed projects in the media of their choice.

The course allows students to express their creativity, develop their personal interests for art, and push their artistic practice in more challenging directions. Students should be eager to experiment, take risks and try new approaches and themes. Students enrolled in this class must be highly motivated and self-directed, and demonstrate increased levels of self-discipline in structuring their own time effectively. Students must submit proposals for their individual projects to be approved by the teacher, including due dates and agreed parameters. Through formal and informal, group and individual critiques, the teacher will guide the students through the creative process with creativity stimulating exercises, analysis of work by professional artists, and assessment and guidance regarding ideas, planning and technical skills. Students will go on a field trip to the graduate fine arts program at Otis School of Art, meet the chair of that program and have individual meetings with graduate students in fine art. Students will also have the opportunity to work in collaboration with a visiting artist or make works in response to that artistĂ­s installation project in the school gallery. At this level in the course, students should demonstrate a artistic maturity in style, thematic development, and technique.

This course serves as STEAM Scholars Arts class.

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