Digital Media

Class Info
Digital Media 1
Digital Media 2
Resources
About Instructor

Instructor: Leo Florendo

Email: leo.florendo@freestyleacademy.rocks or leo.florendo@mvla.net

Optional Equipment

Digital Media 1 Prerequisites: None

Digital Media 2 Prerequisites: Digital Media 1 highly recommended

Length: 1 year

Credits: 10 Units

UC/CSU: Yes "f"

Course Description:

Digital Media I is year one of a 2-year sequenced exploratory, project-based learning course designed to educate students on the ever-changing digital world, as well as to provide hands-on experience with industry standard software and equipment. The course curriculum introduces students to a wide range of areas, so it appeals to a diverse group of students who can discover, enhance and develop a passion for communicating their ideas through various forms of media. Topics covered in Digital Media 1 include graphic design, photography, print production, animation, music/audio production, video production, and web design.

Digital Media I and the Freestyle Academy program will become a springboard to a possible future in some of the most highly sought after 21st Century careers. Through guided and independent practice, students will gain repeated experience with diverse technology and highly versatile communication media skills applicable to personal career goals, any college environment, and a large variety of professions. Students operate in a state-of-the-art computer lab and recording studio with modern equipment. All students are challenged to produce a variety of projects using industry standard software such as Adobe Premiere, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, After Effects, Audition, Avid Pro Tools, WordPress, and HTML/CSS/jQuery. Every student leaves Freestyle Academy with a diverse and deep Digital Portfolio through their personal website that features project productions from all 3 of their Freestyle classes.

Digital Media 2 is year two of a 2-year sequenced exploratory, project-based learning course in which students develop more advanced skills in all of the above and create more challenging productions.

Class	Conceptual 1st Quarter	Visual Narrative 2nd Quarter	Documentary 3rd Quarter	Explorations 4th Quarter
Junior Projects
English (1st required class)	Oral Storytelling	Short Fiction	Documentary Research Paper	Lyrical Essay
Digital Media (2nd required class)	Photography, Premiere Pro, Photoshop	HTML, CSS, Pro Tools, Audition, SFXs	Illustrator, InDesign	After Effects, MIDI Music Composition
Design (3rd elective class)	Photography, Conceptual, Photoshop	Illustrated Creatures & Portrait Photography	Documentary Book	Explore a Topic of Your Choice
Animation (3rd elective class)	Phenakistoscope Wheels, FlipBooks, Zoetrope Animations, Stop Motion Animations	Lip Syncing, Puppet Character Bios, Poses, Walk Cycles, and Mood Scenes	Animated Documentary	Explore a Topic of Your Choice
Film (3rd elective class)	Experimental Film	Storyboards, Narrative Short Film	Documentary Film	Explore a Topic of Your Choice
Senior Projects
Class	Reflections 1st Quarter	Narrative Perspectives 2nd Quarter	Various, Zenith, Showcase & Exhibition 3rd & 4th Quarter
English (1st required class)	Personal Essay	World Building	World Building, Humor	Senior Showcase
Digital Media (2nd required class)	Mandalas with Illustrator, Motion Graphics with After Effects	HTML/CSS/JavaScript, More After Effects, Photoshop Compositing	Multi-layered art with Illustrator, After Effects 3D	Personal Stationery Senior Portfolio & Showcase
Design (3rd elective class)	PSAs	Movie Posters/Book Jackets, Product Logo and Triptych	Zenith and Showcase in Design
Animation (3rd elective class)	3D Animation Overview, 3D Environment modeling and texturing, Digital Sculpting, 3D Character Design	3D Animation: Keyframe Animation and Motion Capture, Action-Reaction Scene	Zenith and Showcase in Animation
Film (3rd elective class)	Video Essay	Narrative 2 Film	Narrative 2 Film, Zenith and Showcase in Film

Optional Equipment

Late Assignments and Regrading Policy

Click on a student name below to view his/her project work in Digital Media

Year 1 Student Website Links

46 Juniors

Year 2 Student Website Links

57 Seniors

Archives for previous students' projects since 2006

Expected School-wide Learning Results:

21st CENTURY SKILLS

To prepare students to live, learn, and work successfully in today's knowledge-based digital society, our emphasis at Freestyle will be on developing:

Visual Literacy - the ability to interpret, use, appreciate, and create images and video using both conventional and 21st century media in ways that advance thinking, decision making, communication, and learning.
Technological Literacy - knowledge about what technology is, how it works, what purposes it can serve, and how it can be used efficiently and effectively to achieve specific goals.
Creativity - the act of bringing something into existence that is genuinely new, original, and of value either personally (of significance only to the individual or organization) or culturally (adds significantly to a domain of culture as recognized by experts).
Self Direction - the ability to set goals related to learning, plan for the achievement of those goals, independently manage time and effort, and independently assess the quality of learning and any products that result from the learning experience.
High Productivity - the ability to produce intellectual, informational, or material products that serve authentic purposes and occur as a result of students using real-world tools to solve or communicate about real-world problems. These products include persuasive communications in any media (print, video, the Web, verbal presentation), synthesis of resources into more useable forms (databases, graphics, simulations), or refinement of questions that build upon what is known to advance one's own and others' understanding.
Teaming and Collaboration - cooperative interaction between two or more individuals working together to solve problems, create novel products, or learn and master content.
Social and Civic Responsibility - the ability to manage technology and govern its use in a way that promotes public good and protects society, the environment, and democratic ideals.
Risk Taking - the willingness to make mistakes, advocate unconventional or unpopular positions, or tackle extremely challenging problems without obvious solutions, such that one's personal growth, integrity, or accomplishments are enhanced.

What Is Expected From The Student

Assessment and Grading:

Quarter grades will be determined on the basis of performance on projects and classwork.

*Please note: Only semester grades appear on transcripts.

For a breakdown of grading and late policies, see the class syllabus:

Grade Book Update Policy:

Grades may be viewed 24/7 through individual online accounts on Canvas and/or Aeries/SIS.

Daily Assignments:

Daily assignments are determined by tasks needed to achieve project goals. Students are responsible to check assigned tasks and project goals on Canvas and work toward achieving those tasks and goals.

Attendance:

Attendance will be taken each day, each class period. Attendance will be documented if the student was present or not in a class. You have been enrolled into a Period 9 Supervised study class - which is for attendance purposes only. Note: Students may receive a failing grade "F" in a class where they accumulate 15 or more unexcused absences.

Make Up Work

Absent students are allotted the same number of absent class days to complete assignments. If a student is absent for extended periods of time, it is the student's responsibility to consult with instructor for make-up work.

Classroom Norms

Use appropriate language, dress, and behavior.
Be on time for our class sessions. Attendance is taken daily.
Phone charging stations are provided in the classroom. Leave your phone in the charging station. Phones should not be used at your desk.
Monitor your tone and expressions during discussions. Think before you respond. Make sure your words, tone, and expressions are school appropriate.
Maintain the focus of class-time. Make comments specifically related to the purpose of the class discussion.
Be forgiving of mistakes during classes. There will be technical glitches; be patient with classmates, and be patient with your teacher.
Speak up when addressing the class or teacher. Allow other participants time and opportunities to contribute, and share their ideas with the group, also.
It is important, and rewarding, for you to participate in discussions! It is just as important for you to consider the opinions of others. Strive for balance among participants.

Classroom Rules:

Because of the various expensive equipment provided for each student, no eating, drinking and chewing gum will be strictly enforced. Students not in their seats when class begins will receive a tardy. Cheating on any assignment or evaluation will not be tolerated. Any student caught cheating will be given a zero for the item and will be subject to further disciplinary action.

Help:

Email me at leo.florendo@freestyleacademy.rocks.

Digital Media 1

Canvas Course and Course Information Sheet
Prerequisites:None
Length: 1 year
Credits: 10 Units
UC/CSU: Yes "f"
Optional Equipment

Percentage Range	Grade
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 100%	A+
★ ★ ★ ★ 95%	A
★ ★ ★ 85%	B
★ ★ 75%	C
★ 65%	D
55%	F

Here is grading information for Digital Media 1 for Juniors.

Any assignment can be submitted for full credit by the following deadlines:

Semester 1 last day to submit for full credit: Sunday, January 5th, 2025 by 11:59 pm. Submitting after January 5th will result in a maximum of 85% B for that assignment.
Semester 2 last day to submit for full credit: Friday, June 6th, 2025 by 11:59 pm. Submitting after June 6th will result in a maximum of 85% B for that assignment.

You will be provided feedback and time to revise an assignment.

Class of 2026 Websites

AJJ

Project 1 - Conceptual

For the Conceptual Project, Juniors develop their abstract thinking and communication skills to answer the question,

"How can I use unconventional forms to express myself?"

This project emphasizes creative risk-taking through poetry, music, art, animations, experimental film and web production, challenging students to express their opinions through a distinct personal aesthetic. Students begin developing their technical communication skills by learning a variety of modern professional equipment and applications such as DSLR cameras, Digital Audio Workstations (DAW), Wacom Cintiqs, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Animate, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Audition, Avid Pro Tools, WordPress websites, and Google Apps.

In Digital Media, you will begin your journey of becoming a Digital Artist using various 21st Century modern tools and skills to convey your messages and ideas to the world. You will begin to learn about the various digital platforms and formats that are best for your messages and ideas. In English, you learn what to say and learn what is meaningful and relevant. In Digital Media, you learn how to express your messages and ideas in various digital formats to reach a wider audience and provide them with varying experiences. In Digital Media, you will:

Learn computer basics as related to Freestyle
- Computer login and configuration
- Bookmarking particular useful website
- Creating Screenshots
- Accessing files on our EVO NAS
- Submitting assignments electronically
- Home access to files
Produce a short Haiku video with animated text, voiceover, and imported music with Premiere Pro
Creative photography using your DSLR camera in manual mode
- Using aperture settings effectively
- Using shutter speeds settings effectively
Learn digital photography editing techniques with Photoshop
Produce a WordPress Website with content from English, Digital Media, and your production class: Animation/Design/Film that includes hero banner images, navigation menus formatting text, embedding media such as images, videos, audio, posts vs pages, photo blog
Edit and enhance presentation video and audio with Premiere Pro and Audition

What's new? Everything!

Examples -
Conceptual Photo Haikus: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015

Website examples - 2015-2023, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009

Project 2 - Visual Narrative

The Visual Narrative Project asks Juniors,

How well can you visually tell a structured story?"

Beginning with an exploration of prose fiction and the graphic novel, students practice communicating character and story arc through descriptive storytelling, narrative digital art, storyboards, films, and animations. Students deepen their technical communication skills by learning a variety of modern professional equipment and applications such as Wacom Digital Drawing Pads, lighting equipment, downshooters, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Animate, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Avid Pro Tools, Propellerhead Reason, HTML/CSS, DragonFrame, and Google Apps.

In Digital Media, you will explore and expand your technical skills to include:

Graphic Designing with Illustrator and vector graphics (vs raster graphics)
Produce customized graphics for
- Presentations
- Website
- Song Art
Assemble a Mashup of Music using Audition
Producing your own Parody Song where you'll write your own lyrics to a song, record your own original lyrics, and blend your new lyrics with the original song in Audition
Learn how to record and mix music with MIDI instruments and audio plugins.
Produce an Experimental Music piece.
Analyze the importance of music, audio, and SFXs in any media production to convey emotion rather than moving the story forward
Spotting SFXs into your Flash Fiction Story Audio recording to evoke a more emotional response to your Flash Fiction Story
Implementing HTML and CSS to your Narrative Project Media on your WordPress Website for customized formatting various web elements
Produce a die cutting and/or laser engraving/cutting project with an Illustrator design
- Examples: Moroccan candle shades, 3D ring art, geometrical 3D string light cover
Explore more Photogaphy concepts by adding to your Photo log

What's new? You will learn techniques in using Pro Tools for composing musical themes and SFXs for a story, Illustrator techniques for Graphic Design, and HTML/CSS coding for formatting web elements.

Website archives from previous years

Parody archives from previous years

Experimental Music archives from previous years

Flash Fiction Stories: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2016

2010 - 2016 Animation archives when our Animation class did not yet exist - 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010

Project 3 - Documentary

For the Documentary Project, Juniors develop their documentary and communication skills to answer the question,

"How do you creatively and truthfully portray a significant person, group, place, idea, or issue in the community?"

For the Junior Documentary Project, students will portray an intriguing person, group, place, idea, or issue, gathering primary and secondary research sources to develop a distinct perspective about their subject’s significance in the community and/or world. Students will produce documentary magazine articles or books, animationed documentaries, documentary films, documentary websites, and photogalleries. This unit emphasizes narrative-style journalism.

In Digital Media, you will use Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Reason, Pro Tools, HTML5/CSS3 to produce:

One Page Flyer
TriFold Brochure
Magazine Article
Documentary Commercial created in After Effects - rubric
Website specifications and rubric

What's new? You learn about about print production with InDesign together with Photoshop and Illustrator to produce various kinds of paper publications.

Website & Commercial examples

Examples of previous units with different conceptual and technical emphasis - 2011, 2010, 2009

Project 4 - Explorations

For the Explorations Project, all Junior Freestyle students will explore his/her own passion and improve upon a particular skill set that addresses 21st Century Skills. Ultimately, each student will share his/her exploration with classmates as their Semester 2 Final. Students will have production time in all classes to complete this project.

Details:

All productions must ultimately become digital so that we can have a digital archive of your work to share with the world on our website.
Topics are self-chosen but must address one of our 21st Century Skills - see below.
Topics are self-chosen but must be related to your Elective class (Animation / Design / Film) and approved by your Elective class teacher. Elective class time will be solely dedicated for working on your Explorations Project - here are the details.
In English, you will learn to write a lyrical essay by synthesizing poetry, narrative, and research.
In Digital Media, you will produce Experimental Music and producing your Explorations Website.

Experimental Music Archives from 2008

Archives Websites from 2022 | 2021 |2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016

Archives infographics from 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016

During Semester 2 Finals, we will all share and celebrate your newly learned skill and learn more about you and your passion(s). Each student will, at the very least, share his/her infographic and final production(s) to an audience of teachers and classmates. All students will create a presentation to use for the celebration and to also document the Explorations Project.

Archived celebration presentations/media from

Digital Media 2

Canvas Course and Course Information Sheet
Prerequisites:None
Length: 1 year
Credits: 10 Units
UC/CSU: Yes "f"
Optional Equipment

Percentage Range	Grade
94 - 100%	A+
80 - 93.9%	A
74 - 79.9%	B+
60 - 73.9%	B
54 - 59.9%	C+
40 - 53.9%	C
34 - 39.9%	D+
20 - 33.9%	D
0 - 19.9%	F

Here is grading information for Digital Media 2 for Seniors. The 20% grading scale is similar to the GPA 0-4 point scale.

Any assignment can be submitted for full credit by the following deadlines:

Semester 1 last day to submit for full credit: Sunday, January 5th, 2025 by 11:59 pm. Submitting after January 5th will result in a maximum of 60% B for that assignment.
Semester 2 last day to submit for full credit: Friday, June 6th, 2025 by 11:59 pm. Seniors may NOT submit after this deadline.

You will be provided feedback and time to revise an assignment.

Class of 2025 Websites

Project 5 - Reflection

The Reflections Project challenges Seniors to explore a question that is at once simple and deeply complex:

"Who am I?"

Experimenting with personal as well as lyrical essay forms, students develop insights about their experiences and identities before translating those ideas visually in an HDR photography diptychs, video essays, websites, and short animations. Students deepen their technical communication skills by learning a variety of modern professional equipment and applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Avid Pro Tools, Autodesk Maya, Propellerhead Reason, HTML/CSS/jQuery, and Google Apps.

In Digital Media (for Digital Media students only), you will

Learn to use JavaScript to make websites more functional and dynamic as you revise or create your new Project Listing Page
Learn and implement techniques to produce responsive websites that adapt to the viewers device
Create a short video animation in Premiere Pro using English "Things I've Learned So Far" writing
Create a Perspective Video in After Effects on any topic of your choice
Details and Rubrics

What's new? You will learn to implement javascript/jQuery to for more dynamic functionality in your websites. In addition, you will start to learn After Effects to produce animation with motion graphics, audio, photographs, kinetic typography, 3D space and a variety of effects.

These particular projects were introduced in 2016.

Things I've Learned So Far Video Examples - 2016

Perspective Video Examples - 2016

Website Examples - 2016

Project 6 - Narrative Perspectives

The Narrative Perspectives Project asks Seniors,

"How well can you apply advanced narrative techniques to build a compelling story?"

By exploring various narrative points of view and experimenting with dialogue in their story writing, students develop more advanced storytelling techniques and ideas they apply in the creation of book jacket designs, screenplays, films, animations, trailers, and websites. During this project, Seniors also experiment using photography to explore dreamlike narratives in a unit on Surrealism. Students deepen their technical communication skills by learning a variety of modern professional equipment and applications such as studio strobe photography, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Avid Pro Tools, Propellerhead Reason, Dragonframe, Autodesk Maya, HTML/CSS/jQuery, and Google Apps.

In Digital Media, you will use Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Pro Tools to produce website that

Surreal Composition
Multilayered 3D Art
3D Digital Video of your Multilayered 3D Art
Time lapse build video of your Multilayered 3D Art

What's new? You will learn more advanced techniques in using HTML, CSS, jQuery/Javascript, Photoshop compositing and painting, Illustrated 2D art in layers to create faux 3D art, and special effects in 3D space for video production.

Website Examples - 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008

Book Trailer Examples - 2017, 2016

Animation (only 2010 - 2015) Examples - 2015, 2014, 2013

Project 7 - Zenith

The purpose of the Senior Zenith Project is to ignite your passion and elevate your skills and experiences to create your ultimate and most successful Freestyle project in your Elective Class only.

You will complete the following between early March and the beginning of May:

Choose your own project topic and form based on your passion, skills, and experiences.
Here are a few documents to help you organize your project.
Write a proposal for approval by your Production Teacher, including:

Your own timeline of achievement goals (including scheduling and incremental deadlines)
How you will use at least all eight Freestyle 21st Century Skills to develop your project
A plan for assessment

Follow your timeline and produce the media for your project in Animation, Design and Film class. You will still attend English and Digital Media classes as usual.
Celebratea and share your Zenith Project informally (ungraded) to your similar Production Classmates including Juniors in early May. So all Film students will watch Film Zenith Presentations. All Animation students will watch Animation Zenith Presentations. All Design students will watch Design Zenith Presentations. Everyone in each Production Class will vote on the top three presentations. Then on the last day of presentations, the top 9 presentations will be repeated FOR ALL STUDENTS.

Archives:

Digital Media: Project 7 - After Effects

The Zenith Project is an Elective Class project. At the same relative time in Digital Media, you will learn more advanced techniques in After Effects including concepts and techniques of your own choosing

Project 8 - Portfolio Showcase

The purpose of this final Showcase Project is for Senior students to celebrate and demonstrate their growth at Freestyle by presenting information, findings, and supporting evidence to convey a clear and distinct perspective as a digital artist and receive feedback from professionals in a related field to their presentation content. An additional goal is for community professionals to provide feedback about the Freestyle Academy program based on Senior Portfolio Showcase presentations.

Using the professional vocabulary of the mediums, students will communicate a line of reasoning by presenting projects to a professional audience to elicit feedback with

Strategic use of digital media - two Freestyle works (optional 1 non-Freestyle work) to feature the development of the artistic process from conception to completion
Justify effective choices for meaning or style or design
Demonstrate growth/discovery/development of passion, skills, talent, potential

Assignment:

Produce a 5-minute presentation through a website, developing a distinct perspective of yourself as a digital artist through evidence of your growth across at least two Freestyle projects (optional 1 non-Freestyle work). Your deadline to have your Wordpress website completed is May 14th, 2018 so that we can send those links to the professionals who will review your work prior to your presentation with the goal of providing you more detailed feedback after your presentation.
You will ultimately make your 5-minute presentation to a panel consisting of two community professionals related to your presentation content, a Freestyle teacher, and a panelist member that you choose to invite. All presentations are at Freestyle and are open to the public and you may invite family and friends to be part of the audience for your presentation.
Here is the presentation schedule and panelist info.
At the end of your presentation, the panelists will take 10 minutes to ask questions and provide you feedback about your presentation. The entire process time is maximum 15 minutes.
In your 5-minute presentation, you will display your chosen projects and briefly discuss for each one:
- Demonstrate the development of the artistic process from conception to completion
- Justify effective choices for meaning or style or design
- Demonstrate growth/discovery/development of passion, skills, talent, potential
Here is the Showcase Presentation Rubric

In English, you will:

Compose and record (audio only) a reflection of your Zenith project in the context of a larger reflection about your overall growth and best work throughout your Freestyle career.

Presentation logistics

Presentations will occur simultaneously in each of the 5 classrooms at Freestyle grouped according to content (Film content in Film room, Design content in the Design room, etc.)
Each student will be assigned presentation time based on content so that we can provide the appropriate professional panelists for your topic.
Each student must invite 1 person to be part of the panel and each student can invite any family and friends to be part of the audience for the presentation.
Tuesday May 25, 2021 - 1st presentation starts at 6 PM
Wednesday May 26, 2021 - 1st presentation starts at 6 PM
Thursday May 27, 2021 - 1st presentation starts at 6 PM