The goal of the Narrative 1 Unit is to teach freestyle juniors how to communicate character and story arc through descriptive storytelling, narrative digital art, storyboards, films, and animations. After the Conceptual 1 unit, in which we began learning how to use the Adobe Creative Cloud and other tools to communicate our ideas, the Narrative 1 unit puts those new skills to good use. Students in all electives are given the task of using their recently acquired skillset to create original media that tells a story. To help us accomplish that task, my class was introduced to industry-standard technology 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My personal journey in the Narrative was centered around the realization that I now had the tools to tell stories in a way I was proud of. Analyzing and writing short stories in English class gave me the foundation I needed to turn those ideas into videos or other visual media. It was amazing to be able to make something professional-looking that was completely original. The narrative unit showed me that it was possible for me to make things I had never been able to fully articulate before a reality, and be proud of the end result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Short Story project began in English class, where me and my peers were tasked with writing a (rather short) original narrative. We began by reading examples written by others, including both short stories and excerpts from longer books. After analyzing what makes a good character or plot, we began the process of brainstorming our own characters, story arcs, and settings. Using plot maps and character questionnaires to map out our thoughts, students began writing and revising rough drafts. During the final stages of our stories, my classmates and I used peer reviews to strengthen our stories and give each other feedback. Finally, we completed our final drafts and moved our focus from English to Digital Media. There, students would continue the project by transforming our narratives into audio recordings complete with music, sound effects, and a digitally illustrated “album” cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To produce the audio version of my short story, I began by recording myself reading it with my Task-Cam recorder. I recorded in my closet to reduce echoes or distortions and then uploaded the audio to my computer. The audio was far from perfect, so to edit it I used an application called Pro Tools. Essentially, Pro Tools allows you to edit, add music, or insert sound effects into audio. I added music and sound effects (that Freestyle Academy had previously purchased from Foley artists) and edited my voice to be clearer. Then, I exported the file as an MP4, and wah-lah!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After completing the audio, the final portion of the short story project was done in Adobe Illustrator (an application that can aid designers in making art that can then be put onto real-life objects). Students were meant to make an “album cover” for the audio of their short stories. Using Adobe Illustrator’s many tools, I created an image that I felt conveyed the emotion within my story. Finally, my art was posted to SoundCloud along with the audio I had edited. You can access all of the Short Stories for my class here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n