Introduction
This project focuses on learning technical skills such as personal website builders, adobe software like audition, premiere pro Photoshop, audio recording devices, DSLR cameras, students are able to apply these skills in the real world later on in life when opportunities arise. Students are challenged to think creatively and outside of the box, through projects where they make experimental films, poetry, art, parody songs, and animations.
Art Reflection
In the Art Reflection Project, I valued the skills of applying the Premiere Pro knowledge I learned in class. For example, I was able to make the text of my Art Reflection match the pace of my talking by keyframing the text with fade and position. For English class, I was able to convey my viewpoint of the artwork in words and gained insight by revising based on my English teacher’s comments.
Parody Introduction
Process
In the process of producing my Parody Song, I first found a song that I liked which was Jingle Bells, and then came up with original lyrics that matched the syllables of Jingle Bells. After writing down the lyrics, I recorded my song in the recording studio using Adobe Audition. Later, I made any necessary edits in Adobe Audition like adding reverb, adjusting noise, and making fade in and fade out.
Artist statement
For my parody song of Jingle Bells, I used my scary experience descending hills on my fixed gear road bike for the content of the lyrics. To create this piece, I used the recording booth at digital media which provided maximum sound quality for my voice and so that the microphone doesn’t pick up outside noises. To combine the audio with the karaoke music for “Jingle bells”, I used the software Adobe Audition. Using audition, I also made reverb effects to make my voice match the karaoke music more, adjust parts where I was singing too loud or too soft, and create fade in and fade out. I learned that when making a parody, the syllables of the words have to match the actual song. When making this piece, I struggled with matching the syllables of my lyrics I had in mind with the jingle bells lyrics. To solve this problem, I made some words longer, such as what I did with ro-oad bike. In addition, I had to take multiple takes because on the first attempt, I wasn’t aware of the sound input that was set, so lots of background noise was recorded into audition. On the second attempt, I made the sound input less, so that more of my voice could be picked up. I also experimented with where I stood next to the microphone, if it was too close the audio could be very irritating. Overall, I felt accomplished with this Parody Song assignment from digital media class. I was most proud of being able to combine my skills and knowledge of adobe audition and recording devices into a project. For future projects, I will definitely use skills I learned from this project. For example, I will be more cautious of the mic location when I am recording my piano playing. Upon reflection, I realize this project made me see that using someone’s ideas is not necessarily stealing, such as rewriting the lyrics of your favorite song into your own original parody. This can also be done on other mediums like drawing and painting.
Parody Lyrics
Speeding down the hill
On my one speed roao-d bike
Over the mountains we go,
Screaming all the way
The breaks go-o scrape,
I can’t stop this bike
What a ride this is
And wish me goo-od luck!
AH! Biking fails, Biking fails
my bike is too fast
AH! What disaster this is to be
In a shabby roa-od bike!
EEK! Biking fails, Biking fails, SPEE-DING DOWN THE HILL,
Here we go, here we go, and I am going downhill
Jumping down the bike
On my cheap sandals
Over the hills we go
Laughing all the way
The handles go crea-eek
I can’t stop this bike
What a ride this is
And wish me goo-od luck!
EY! Biking fails, Biking fails
My bike is too fast
EY! What fun this is
In a dirty road-od bike!
EEK! Biking fails, Biking fails, jumping down the bike,
Here we go, here we go, and I am falling down!
Animation
In animation, I learned how to use animation software such as dragonframe, photoshop, and also traditional animation techniques like flipbook animation and phenakistoscope, where multiple images are spun reflected towards a mirror to create a moving effect. As an artist, I learned how to navigate software like photoshop to create my character design. Previously, photoshop seemed intimidating to use which caused me to use traditional mediums.
As an animation student, I value turning in assignments on time, learning the software for every project, asking questions for something you don’t know, since problems might come up in the future, and having passion to keep animating.
For this project, History of Animation at the beginning of the year, we had to write about the history of animation and how it was created.
The Praxinoscope Zoetrope contains a strip of paper that is reflected onto the mirrors of the zoetrope, and when spun, these frames are continuously in motion.
The Phenakistoscope Wheel is drawn on a circular surface divided up like pizza slices. Each slice is a frame, similar to the zoetrope. The slices are seen through slits when reflected onto a mirror, or digitalized through photoshop to create the animation.
In the analog flipbook, each frame is individually drawn and colored. A lightbox is used to see the previous frame and help establish the general movement for the next frame. The drawings are made to be cropped to the side since the flipbook needs to be able to fit a thumb.
Similar to the analog flipbook, the digital flipbook frames are drawn and colored individually, except the full frame is used since it is digitalized in Dragonframe. For this project, we had to match our first frame with a specific shape from the previous classmate’s animation, to create a continuous flow of animation.
For the stop motion cutout animation, shapes are drawn and cut out, then moved frame by frame, captured in dragonframe software.
For the stop motion object animation, an object is moved frame by frame and captured in dragonframe.