Introduction

The Conceptual Project challenges students to take risks in creative productions. Students are introduced to mediums such as poetry, music, web design, animations, and film and taught the tools to express their ideas in a unique way. Students begin learning how to use professional programs and equipment, such as DSLR cameras, Tascam Audio Recorders, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Animate, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Audition, Avid Pro Tools, WordPress, and Google Apps.

My first quarter at Freestyle has been a lot of fun and I have learned a lot about how to better express myself creatively. In Digital Media, I have learned how to use a variety of applications and equipment. My favorite project so far is the Parody Song, where I learned how to use Adobe Audition and how to record audio. In English at Freestyle, I have been more engaged with the work we do than I have been in previous English classes. I have also learned that I can be more open and honest in my writing, and that has helped me to express my opinions better. Overall, I am really enjoying classes at Freestyle and am excited for what’s to come.

Art Reflection

At the start of this year, we went on a class field trip to the SF MOMA. During this trip, we were asked to pick an artwork and reflect on how it made us feel. Specifically, how we found awe in it — “the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world” (Dacher Keltner). Then, we wrote a short reflection in English and made a video to present this reflection in Digital Media. This assignment challenged me to express my ideas concisely and choose my words thoughtfully. Through the making of the video, I honed my skills in Adobe Premiere Pro and learned the basic principles of video editing.

I really liked this project as an introduction to Freestyle. It was a short assignment, but gave me a good idea of how things work at Freestyle. What I valued most about this project is that students are not punished for expressing themselves in a “wrong” way. In English, whatever thoughts or ideas we share are always acknowledged and valued. In Digital Media, we were taught the basics of Adobe Premiere Pro and video editing. I appreciate that I was given useful constructive criticism that helped me improve.

Parody Introduction

For this project, we were asked to make a parody of a song of our choosing. We learned how to use recording booths and Adobe Audition to record and edit songs. It was a lot of fun to do, especially because I got to work with my partner, Vee.

The song “Kirby Theme” is a parody of the Pokemon theme song, “Pokemon Theme.” In this song, my partner, Vee, and I aimed to produce a humorous version of the Pokemon theme song focusing on Kirby and his trademark quirks. Kirby is well known for being pink and round, as well as having a large appetite. We decided to make this parody because we love both Pokemon and Kirby. Pokemon has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I liked collecting Pokemon cards as a kid and Vee has played the games. Kirby is another character we both adore. He’s cute, charming, and although he may not look like it at first, powerful. Our interests in Pokemon and Kirby inspired us to create this piece.

For the production of this piece, we first recorded the vocals, and then used Adobe Audition to edit and mix the song. Before this project, I had never used Adobe Audition before, so making this song was a learning process. However, I really enjoyed using Adobe Audition and am glad that I have learned this new program and set of skills. Some of the most important things I learned how to do are setting proper input levels, making multiple tracks, normalizing audio, and adding effects using the Effects Rack. Without knowing how to set input levels, the audio we recorded definitely would have been unusable. Normalizing the audio and adding hard limiters was also really important for controlling the volume of the vocals. Adding on, the effects rack enabled me to edit the audio in so many incredible ways. It was crucial for the quality of this song. One of the biggest ways it helped me was making the chorus part of the song sound more like a chorus using the chorus effect. Additionally, studio reverb made all the vocals sound much better. However, learning how to use all these new tools was difficult at times. One challenge I faced was the hard limiter effect distorting an audio clip too much. I had to re-edit the clip from scratch to fix it. Other things I struggled with were getting the chorus to sound how I wanted it to sound. Even now, it doesn’t sound nearly as powerful as in the original song. If I were to try to improve it, I would experiment with adding more echo and special reverb effects. I could even try recording it again, but sing louder so it sounds more like yelling from a distance.

This project helped me grow a lot artistically and technically. Artistically, I learned how to be more carefree with my creativity and not worry about needing to create something super serious or insightful. Technically, I learned a new program and skills that I can use to produce other projects in the future. Now, I know that I can have more fun with creativity and that learning new skills isn’t as daunting as it used to seem. I am the most proud of my own growth throughout this process, both creatively and technically. I am also very satisfied with the outcome of this project. Now that I know how to use Adobe Audition, I can create many more projects in the future involving more complicated audio work. I can even produce my own original songs if I want to, or voiceover for animations. This project has made me appreciate and better understand the work that goes into producing songs and I admire other creators for their skill.

Parody Lyrics

You may just see a harmless puff

But I will prove you wrong

To absorb them is my real test

To save Dream Land is my cause

I’m alone in the forgotten land

Saving Waddle Dees

Defeating all my enemies

With my abilities

(Kirby! Gotta eat it all)

It’s food and me

I know it’s my time to eat (Kirby)

Oh, you’re my comfort food

In a meal we must devour

(Kirby, gotta eat it all) 

A puff so pink

Our hunger will push us through

You eat me and I’ll eat you

Kirby

(Gotta eat it all)

Gotta eat it all

yeah

Every obstacle along the way

With hunger, I consume

I will mouthful every day

To claim my rightful shape

Come downstairs, it’s dinnertime

There’s no bigger beef (steak)

Om and nom we’ll eat our way

To always save the day

Kirby

(Gotta eat it all)

It’s food and me

I know it’s my time to eat (Kirby)

Oh, you’re my comfort food

In a meal we must devour

(Kirby, gotta eat it all) 

A puff so pink

Our hunger will push us through

You eat me and I’ll eat you

Kirby

(Gotta eat it all)

Gotta eat it all

Gotta eat it all

Gotta eat it all

Gotta eat it all

Yeah

(Kirby! Gotta eat it all)

It’s food and me

I know it’s my time to eat (Kirby)

Oh, you’re my comfort food

In a meal we must devour

(Kirby, gotta eat it all) 

A puff so pink

Our hunger will push us through

You eat me and I’ll eat you

Kirby

(Gotta eat it all)

Gotta eat it all

(Kirby)

Animation

So far, I have really enjoyed Animation. Every project we have done has been fulfilling and fun, even if it takes a lot of work. Before taking this class, I have never done traditional animation. Now that I have been introduced to the world of traditional animation, I have realized that it isn’t as strenuous as I thought it would be. After completing our physical works, we learned how to digitize them to display them on a screen. Through this, I learned how to use DragonFrame, a program that turns photos into digital animations. I have grown a lot as an animator through this class. I have both learned more about the history of animation, been exposed to new mediums, and honed my animation skills.

I value the community we have in Animation. Every class, I know I can expect to have fun because of my classmates. Even if the work we’re doing is tough, I know I’m going to get through it because we’re always supporting each other and laughing together, keeping our spirits high.

Praxinoscope

A praxinoscope is a form of animation where a strip of paper with sequential images is placed inside a spinning cylinder, with the images facing the inside. Inside the cylinder, there is another cylinder with mirrors facing the images. The images are reflected off the mirrors where you can see the animation. The mirrors are angled in a way that separates the images, making the animation clearer.

Phenakistoscope

In order to convert my phenakistoscope from the physical object to something that can be seen on a screen, I took a photo of it, then rotated the photo in increments to imitate the spinning that occurs in real life. I did this process in Photoshop. On the right side of the screenshot are layers — different images that can be “layered” on top of one another. Each one of the layers here is an image of my phenakistoscope that has been rotated differently, in order. In order to turn this sequence of photos into an animation, I saved each layer as a different frame — the images that make up an animation. The frames are displayed at the bottom where they are put in the order that they will be shown. After I finished making all the frames, Photoshop turned the frames into a video that can now be shown here!

Analog Flipbooks

Digital Flipbooks

The process of digitizing the flipbooks was similar to that of the phenakistocope. However, instead of rotating the image, I had to photograph each frame one by one, changing out the sheet of paper after each photo. It is a laborious process, but the result is an animation that is smoother and easier to view than flipping through a book.

Paper Cutout Animation

This animation was made using paper cutouts and moving them around. For this animation, I decided to recreate the scene in Doraemon where he comes out from the desk drawer. I made a puppet of Doraemon. To create movement, I moved his arms and face around slightly between every picture.

Object Animation

This is a stop motion animation made with clay. I thought it would be cute to show the story of a penguin moving a block of ice, only to later discover that it melts. I first sculpted the penguin and the ice blocks. The process of animating it was quite simple. I moved or squished the penguin and the ice blocks before taking a picture, and repeated the process.