Web Development 1

 

The world is a wired place and websites are the cornerstone of the digital age. The fundamentals of the web have remained fairly stable, and with many projects requiring a home online, an understanding of how web development works can be invaluable in any aspect of new media.

In this class, students are introduced to the basic building blocks that form the web; Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and Javascript. Students will learn the basics of assembling a proper web site, how to conform to web standards, and be introduced to simple programming; all flexible knowledge with many applications that sets the groundwork for more advanced skills.

Students will learn

• HTML, CSS and Javascript
• The fundamentals of web design
• Introductory programming

 

Graphics Tools

 

Concept art, 2D art and animation, model textures and menu and interface elements: 2D visuals are a vital aspect to digital media. Designers need to understand these elements to be able to properly work with them, which requires them to be well acquainted with the graphic tools used to make them.

In this portion of the curriculum, students are trained in the use of the industry standards for graphic design; Adobe’s Photoshop and Illustrator. With these tools, students will gain expertise in both vector and raster art graphic design techniques, both giving them the knowledge to produce 2D elements and the skills to communicate with production artists.

Students will learn

• Adobe Photoshop and raster art techniques
• Adobe Illustrator and vector art techniques
• Graphic design fundamentals

 

Design for Digital Media

 

The basic principles of graphic design are simple, flexible, and have endless applications in any form of visual media, from visual art to interface design. An eye for design can make the difference between good and great work, and remains relevant to any career in digital media.

In this class, students will be introduced to the foundations of design by exploring design principles and producing design concepts and layouts, as well as working with interface design. Additionally, students will learn about computer fundamentals and gain more familiarity with varied computer interfaces.

Students will learn

• Graphic design fundamentals
• Interface design fundamentals
• Computer systems fundamentals

 

Digital Audio Editing

 

Multimedia projects are diverse and often include sound, music, and voice overs. Digital media has unique applications for audio, which require special considerations for the medium – digital media uses music, audio-scapes and sound effects to further enhance the user’s experience whether it be on a website or as part of a DVD project.

Students will learn about basic editing techniques including digital audio formatting, mixing, editing and working with scratch audio, as well as  concepts such as multi-track music, and looping and branching audio.

Students will learn

• Sound mixing and editing
• Formatting and compression methods
• Sound Design

 

Animation 1 - Web Animation

 

Despite the ever-increasing capabilities and impressiveness of 3D animation software, the demand for 2D art and animation in web design continues to grow. There is a high demand for projects delivered via the web and through mobile devices, which only grows as web surfers gain savvy and portable devices become increasingly powerful and media-rich. Additionally, 2D art and animation remains fundamental to the development of 3D animation skills.

During the program, students will be introduced to 2D animation through the industry standard for web media, Adobe's Flash software environment. Flash Players are readily available across all major computer platforms and on many web-enabled devices. Additionally, students will learn how to use Flash to produce interactive multimedia applications.

Students will learn

• An in-depth understanding of the Flash platform
• Core classical and modern animation techniques
• Fundamental interactivity for the web
• Basic Actionscript; Flash's native scripting language

 

Web Development 2

 

As the internet continues to grow and develop, having a dynamic web presence has become an integral part of the business and communication world. The use of WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) software has become an important part of every web designer’s skill set.

In this class, students are introduced to the web design software Dreamweaver. Students will build on their knowledge of basic HTML and CSS by creating more complex websites. Working in Dreamweaver allows one to easily add a far greater degree of interactivity by incorporating Javascript, Flash and database functionality into a web site.

Students will learn

• How to create websites in Dreamweaver
• Increased interactivity
• Introduction to working with Databases

 

Authoring 1

 

Flash, once mainly used to add animated vector graphics to a website, has over time developed into an important programming component for all kinds of digital media projects. A strong knowledge of Actionscripting 3 has become a must for those looking to work in the field of digital media.

In this class, students will be introduced to programming techniques and skills via Adobe Flash by working with Actionscript 3. Students will learn about key programming concepts and terminology, and they will explore methods commonly used in internet site development to produce interactive content for the web.

Students will learn

• Programming fundamentals, terminology
• Object oriented programming with AS3
• Creating interactivity using Actionscripting

 

Animation 2 - 3D Graphics

 

In a world of increasingly high-def graphics, 3D is king. 3D offers a new level of freedom in artistry, for games, movies and imagery -- but it also brings with it its own unique challenges. Just as it is vital in digital media to understand the creation of 2D assets, so too is it vital to understand how 3D material is made.

In this class, we expand upon the 2D imaging base of Graphic Tools 1, moving in to 3D modeling with Autodesk's 3D Studio Max. Here students will be introduced to creating, manipulating and texturing 3D objects for use in all applications, as well as become well acquainted to working in 3D environments found commonly in digital media.

Students will learn

• Fundamentals to working in a 3D environment
• How to create and manage 3D models
• How to texture 3D models

 

Motion Graphics 1 - 2D Motion

 

Working in digital media requires that designers  have a strong understanding of a wide variety of source materials and the ability to combine them together and animate them in aesthetically pleasing ways.

In this class, students are introduced to the theory and concepts of working with motion graphics in a 2D environment. Students learn how to create animations by combining still images, video clips, text and sound in Adobe After Effects. Finished animations can then be rendered out in to any number of different formats to be used in a wide range of digital media projects.

Students will learn

• Working with 2D animations
• Combining video and still graphics into animations
• Rendering

 

Web Business

 

Once an entertainment and learning focused medium, the internet has become an important and integral part of almost every business. Whether it’s having a cursory online presence or  as a major part of a business’s marketing and sales strategy, a website is a necessity in today's digital world.

In this theory-based class, students are introduced to the business side of the web site industry. Students learn about Search Engine Marketing and working with Web Site Analytics in order to get the most out of a site. E-commerce and site functionality are also discussed as well as the continuing development and importance of social network sites as they relate to the marketing aspects of the web.

Students will learn

• Search Engine Optimization
• Web Analytics
• Marketing on the Internet

 

Project Management

 

Effective Digital Media Designers must understand the entirety of their project and have the ability to communicate the project goal and requirements to others. Students must learn about the big picture of project development, including vital skills such as budgeting, scheduling, creating and working within time lines, defining team roles and operating within a team.

Additionally, the knowledge of managing a project is coupled with the real-world realities of how businesses operate, giving students a complete understanding of how projects function in the larger machine of a company or studio. We aim to ensure that students have a complete understanding of the interconnectedness of their work to their employer as a whole.

Students will learn

• Fundamental project management skills, such as budgeting, scheduling, and goal setting
• Team-working and organizational skills
• Documentation and communication skills
• Basic business skills and knowledge

 

Video Production

 

In the ever-changing digital world of the internet, the advent of user driven video sites such as YouTube have made creating and using video content online a necessity.  Changes in technology have made it cost effective for just about anyone to create and post video.

In this class, students will learn the basics of creating, planning and shooting video content. Over the duration of the course, students are exposed to all aspects of the production cycle from preplanning to post production. Students will learn the basics of lighting, shooting, sound and editing.

Students will learn

• Basic video production
• Working with cameras
• Planning a video shoot

 

Video Editing

 

With the ability to now create original video content fairly easily, it has been increasingly important for designers to be able to assemble this content in professional and creative ways.

In this course students are introduced to concepts and techniques of editing video for use in digital media projects. Students will use industry standard editing software to import visuals, edit into sequences, and add sound and special effects. Students then learn to export finished movie files in a variety of formats and how to bring edited material into other digital media applications.

Students will learn

• Basic video editing
• Working with video source material
• Rendering for the Internet

 

Authoring 2

 

Although a great deal of digital media content is delivered to the user via the Internet, many  projects are distributed in other types of hard copy formats. While these media are constantly changing and developing, the current standard being used is the DVD.

Students learn how to create interactive projects and author them to DVD using the latest industry standard software. Advanced topics including the creation of interactive menus, dual layer burning, and distribution of DVD projects to the web are also covered.

Students will learn

• DVD menu creation
• Working with DVDs
• Authoring to DVD

 

Motion Graphics 2 - 3D and Video

 

With advances in technology and sophisticated computer driven effects common in film, television and DVDs, designers are now more then ever called upon to combine 2D, 3D and video footage into dynamic presentations.

This course builds on previous knowledge of motion graphics, introducing students to more complex concepts in digital media using Adobe After Effects. Students learn about working in 3D, motion tracking, stabilization and working with non linear editing systems. Green screen keying and advance compositing techniques are also covered.

Students will learn

• Compositing
• Working in the 3D environment
• Output and Rendering

 

Animation 3 - 3D Animation

 

3D Animation is widely used across film and games, and the digital puppetry required to bring life to 3D models is no small task. With increasingly sophisticated methods for animating 3D models, their applications become more feature rich and useful and the knowledge of how to put 3D animation to use is quite advantageous.

In this class, students will expand on the 3D modeling they worked with in Animation II and bring their models to life in 3D Studio Max by learning fundamental 3D animation techniques including working with bones and inverse kinematics. Additionally students will learn how to apply their animation skills to various digital media projects and bring interactivity to their animated models.

Students will learn

• Additional techniques with 3D Studio Max
• Fundamental 3D Animation
• Integration of 3D Animation in Digital Media projects

 

Final Project

 

In the early stages of this program students are encouraged to begin considering designs for their final project.  As each student advances their skills in each of their classes, they will refine their projects to a finished, polished product.

Students will plan, schedule, design, and complete a demo reel project. Throughout the program, the student has developed numerous skills that will be brought together in the final project. Students are given full access to all of the resources (hardware, software, image libraries etc.) they require to complete their projects. The final project will become the key element of the student's portfolio.

Output possibilities include:

• A website
• A Flash based project
• An Interactive DVD