Junior 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 English, you will learn multiple approaches to writing poetry through unconventional prompts, individual and group exercises, and revision workshops. Throughout this process you will also develop a command of poetic terminology by using it appropriately in spoken and written analyses of assigned poems, and by applying literary techniques to poetry of your own creation. A fundamental challenge of this project will be experimenting with different ways of representing an assigned concept or inventing an original concept through figurative thinking. You will read a variety of poems and the play Red (John Logan).

You will:

• Experiment with a series of written and visual responses exploring a concept, with the intention of discovering the freshest and most original ways to express it in written and spoken poetry, sound, and visual art (such as photography, film, and animation)
• Art Reflection - at SFMOMA, locate art that inspires awe and produce a reflection video on that art installation

Previous Student Productions:

• Conceptual Websites
• Art Reflections Videos

Legacy Projects

• Why Art?
• Produce a Photo Haiku and a Free Verse Poem

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 with VPN
• Produce a short video with animated text, voiceover, and imported music with Premiere Pro
• Creative photography using your DSLR camera in creative Av and Tv mode
  • Using aperture settings effectively
  • Using shutter speeds settings effectively
  • Using a speedlite effectively
• Learn digital photography editing techniques with Photoshop
• Produce a WordPress Website with content from English, Digital Media, and your production class: navigation menus formatting text, embedding media such as images, videos, audio, posts vs pages, photo blog
• Music Production Part 1:
  • Experience recording music as a musician in our studio
  • Apply basic music editing techniques to your recording session
  • Feature on your website your final music mix, session photos/videos, and a written reflection on your music recording experience.

What's new? Everything!

Previous Student Productions

• Conceptual Websites
• Art Reflection Videos
  
  
• Why Art (Legacy Project)
• Haiku Video Productions (Legacy Project)

In Animation, you will begin your Animation journey with initial intensive learning of Animation principles, the Elements of Art/Principles of Design applied to shot composition and background design.

Students will:

• Learn Animation Principles
• Use of DragonFrame
• Draw Phenakistoscopes, Zoetropes, Loops and GIFs
• Produce a Flipbook
• Create hand drawn animation and pipelines
• Apply direct techniques animation
• Practice life drawing anatomy, lines of action and gesture poses
• Use perspective, chiaroscuro and notan in drawing
• Produce short 2D animations

What's new? Everything!

Previous Student Productions:

• Zoetrope Animations
• Phenakistoscope Wheels
• FlipBook Animations
• Stop Motion Animations

In Design, you will learn Design Foundations using Fine Art, Photography, and Digital Media. Using Photoshop and Photography, you will:

• Learn to use a DSLR camera and different lenses to conceptually convey your topic
• Learn Photoshop to digitally edit your photo
• Learn simple basics of print setup
• Create Name Photography - photos in the real world representing letters in your name
• Create a photo narrative based on two random themes

What's new? Everything!

Previous Student Productions:

• Name Photography
• Conceptual Photography

In Film, you will learn various approaches to filmmaking. Developing a theme through interesting juxtapositions of image, sound effects, text, voice over and music, this project challenges students to explore their personal vision while avoiding conventional, narrative devices. You will ultimately:

• Produce a 2-3 minute Experimental Film

What's new? Everything!

Previous Student Productions

• Experimental Films

When all of the above is completed, the general public will be invited to attend an Open-House in early-February and a Final Exhibition of your project work in late April with both events on our Freestyle Academy campus.

21st Century Skills addressed:

• Visual Literacy
• Technological Literacy
• Creativity
• Self Direction
• High Productivity
• Teaming and Collaboration
• Social and Civic Responsibility
• Risk Taking

Junior 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.

For Oct - January at Freestyle, Juniors will:

In English, you will learn essential fiction writing techniques, with an emphasis on what carries a narrative visually and when and why a writer should “show, not tell.” The poetic thinking of the previous project will continue to serve as a tool for developing description, imagery, and figurative meaning. You will find inspiration and space to experiment with character and scene, plot structure, dialogue, point of view, and subtext through unconventional writing prompts and collaborative activities like “the writer’s room,” table reading, and revision workshop. You will read The Metamorphosis and fictional narratives of varying forms (flash fiction, short story, novella).

Using the thought process of a storyteller, you will:

• Analyze and interpret literary elements and structures in fictional narratives of varying forms (flash fiction, short story, novella)
• Create a short story with effective characterization, narrative perspective, plot, and stylistic elements
• Revise and edit for publication
• Translate short story to multimedia
• Write an extended reflection on communicating complex ideas through storytelling

Previous Flash Fiction Productions

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
  • Own Choice Product
  • 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 with Pro Tools.
• 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: stickers, candle shades, wearable art, puzzles, mouse pads, engraved glass art, mug or tumbler art, etc.
• Explore more Photography concepts by adding to your Photo blog

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.

Previous Student Productions:

• Narrative Websites
• Illustrated Art
• Exquisite Corpse Illustrations
• Parodies
• Experimental Music
• Short Story Productions: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016


• 2008 - 2016 Animation archives when our Animation class did not yet exist

In Animation, students will work in pairs to produce a short narrative animation. All students will pitch a story idea with no dialogue and each pair/group will vote on the final story. Tasks will be divided and each student in the pair/group is responsible for a specific fraction of the pipeline with individual schedules.

Student will

• Learn to use Adobe Animate and Photoshop timeline pipelines including digital puppets with the bone tool
• Learn about set design by effectively using Key, Color, and Contrast for lighting and mood in After Effects
• Practice walk cycles
• Fabricate a custom puppet for stop motion animation
• Apply concept design and scriptwriting brainstorm sessions to your own narrative story
• Learn all the pre-production and pitching stages.

What's new? You will develop a character's personality through character design and performance on a walking cycle. You will develop your narrative through storyboarding and animatics for effective production development. You will learn additional principles of animation. And you will use professional animating and editing software.

Previous Student Productions:

• 2D Characters
• 2D Animations - Puppet Poses, Walk Cycles, Lip Sync, Short Stories


• 2008 - 2016 Animation archives when our Animation class did not yet exist

In Design, you will learn

• Learn Adobe Illustrator to create a digital illustration based on your flash fiction story from English
• One-point and two-point linear perspective drawing both by hand and digitally
• Character creation and development based on a fantasy creature compilation
• Design a location for your character
• Design clothing and costumes which best reflect your character’s storyline
• Create different poses and perspective angles of your character
• Understand how lighting affects objects
• Color theory and use of color schemes
• Understand the purpose of and create Mood Boards
• Elements of Art and Principles of Design

What's new?  Illustrator, Linear Perspective, Color Theory, Lighting, Elements of Art and Principles of Design, Fonts

Previous Student Productions:

• Narrative Creatures
• Portrait Photography

In Film, you will:

• Learn visual story telling without dialogue
• Learn more film editing techniques through Adobe Premiere Pro
• Produce a 4-6 minute Narrative Video based on English Project work

What's new? You will learn production techniques for effective narrative point of view and continuity. You will study how film directors manipulate the passage of time. You will learn how to create an effective pitch and treatment. You will develop your narrative through storyboarding and directing strategies for effective production. And you will use professional editing software to establish continuity.

Previous Student Productions

• Narrative Films

When all of the above is completed, the general public will be invited to attend an Open-House in early-February and a Final Exhibition of your project work in late April with both events on our Freestyle Academy campus.

21st Century Skills addressed:

• Visual Literacy
• Technological Literacy
• Creativity
• Self Direction
• High Productivity
• Teaming and Collaboration
• Social and Civic Responsibility
• Risk Taking

Junior Project 3: Nonfiction

For the Nonfiction Project, Juniors develop their nonfiction 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 Nonfiction 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 nonfiction magazine articles or books, nonfiction animations, nonfiction films, nonfiction websites, and photogalleries. This unit emphasizes narrative-style journalism.

Project 3: Nonfiction Article
In English, you will learn how the writing and research processes function as the cornerstones of effective nonfiction media. During this unit, you will hone your expository essay skills, prepare for and conduct personal interviews, and write ethical nonfiction journalism which balances exposition, narrative, and research. Using poetic techniques and a creative nonfiction approach, your writing will entertain as well as inform your audience. Required reading includes various pieces of profile journalism, expository essays, and creative nonfiction. You will also use They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing as a handbook for using effective rhetorical thinking in your essay-based writing.

In Semester 1, you will:

• Analyze and interpret nonfiction writing and various pieces of documentary media (book, photography, animation, film)
• Use the research process to practice inquiry
• Write a nonfiction project proposal
• Present initial source material (photography, published works of interest relating to proposed documentary subject) for group feedback

In Semester 2, you will:

• Analyze and interpret nonfiction writing and various pieces of documentary media (book, photography, animation, film)
• Use the research process to practice inquiry and conduct personal interviews
• Synthesize various research sources, narrative elements, and photography in the creation of an original magazine article or book
• Revise and edit for publication
• Translate research and narrative content into nonfiction media

Previous Nonfiction Publications - Magazine Articles and Books

In Digital Media, you will use Visual Studio Code, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Audition, Pro Tools, HTML5/CSS3 to produce:

• One Page Flyer
• Magazine Article
• Website

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

Websites

In Animation, using Premiere Pro, Dragonframe, and After Effects, you will:

• Learn more advanced After Effects.
• Create a collective lip sync exercise using a song.
• Produce a short individual Nonfiction Animation

What's new? You will look at the ways animation is used in nonfiction animations. What and how is the animation representing, and why is animation used instead of conventional alternatives. To a degree where the animation must be integrated to the extent that the meaning of the film would become incoherent were it to somehow be removed. You will use any 2 animated techniques previously learned and mix them with live footage interview using After Effects.

Previous Student Productions:

• Lip Sync Productions
• Nonfiction Animations

In Design, you will use Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign to:

• Learn InDesign (and use Photoshop and Illustrator) to produce a hardbound book
• Use speeds lights and reflected light in your photography
• C.R.A.P. and design layout
• Create an effective and moving photographic portrait of your nonfiction subject
• Analyze the difference between action shots vs staged poses
• Photoshop/Illustrator: more advanced editing techniques

What's new? InDesign, C.R.A.P., Portrait Photography and Speedlights, Color Schemes, and Font Pairing.

Book Examples

Magazine Article Examples

In Film, you will use Premiere Pro, Canon R7, and the Tascam DR-05 recorder to:

• Produce a 8-10 minute nonfiction film

What's new? You will learn more advanced tools to create cinematic, sophisticated shots.  You will learn how to develop your subject's story, using narrative structure within the context of a broader social or political issue. When appropriate, you will use Adobe After Effects for visual interest.

Previous Student Productions

• Nonfiction Films

When all of the above is completed, the general public will be invited to attend an Open-House in early-February and a Final Exhibition of your project work in late April with both events on our Freestyle Academy campus.

21st Century Skills addressed:

• Visual Literacy
• Technological Literacy
• Creativity
• Self Direction
• High Productivity
• Teaming and Collaboration
• Social and Civic Responsibility
• Risk Taking

We asked students
"In what ways did you value this project?"
and here are some responses

• Gave me the chance to get to know someone I respected a lot deeper.
• The profile project really helped me get out of my comfort zones in multiple ways. I wasn't very comfortable doing the interviews at first but I realized this was a challenge I needed to overcome and once I did, it made the entire process easier. It also taught me how to tie all my pieces together in a cohesive yet representative manner. And I'm not a very comfortable public speaker so this helped me again break out of my shell a little.
• I really valued the profile project because we got to use skills obtained from the documentary project last year and further improve them. I loved designing our magazine articles because even though we designed our books last year, which is somewhat similar, we were able to use what we learned to make these articles better than our books.
• I thought it was a great experience that helps students grow because of the insane amount of work and planning.
• I valued the project in its challenge to my abilities as an artist, photographer, and film maker. It forced me out of my comfort zone and into new scenarios. It also allowed me to gather a lot of experience as a film maker and photographer.
• I learned many more photoshop techniques in Design class, and was able to work with jQuery more extensively than when working on the PLP. I also thought it was a great way to feature our community members.
• Really helped me work with my classmates. I became a lot closer with all the film students through this project.
• I found it very interesting. I learned a lot about the person I profiled on a deeper level. I found it entertaining and informative.
• It was definitely the hardest/most intensive project I did at Freestyle, and it was in the thick of a very stressful time, so it made me work really hard, which I am proud of. It also gave me a new appreciation for what I have and the hard work of my father.
• I learned much more about my subject and learned some time management
• I learned a great deal about pursuing people, presenting information, time management, and the various applications we use. I want to especially highlight the pursuing people part, I became a better journalist through this experience.
• I valued being able to learn more about my godfather.
• Got closer to my father
• I was able to learn and be inspired by an interesting figure.
• l got to know a member of the community who i really value and admire. I also LOVED creating the magazine--that was my favorite part.
• I thought it was a very valuable experience because I grew a lot as a writer, a designer and a programmer. I also learned how to budget my time, and coordinate my schedule with another person's schedule.
• I valued in bettering my interviewee skills and developing another friendship with someone. I really pushed myself to progress with this project in my writing, website, and in design with the photos and designs.
• I learned to grow by interviewing people I had never met before, which was really cool.
• I think I really enjoyed the experiences the profile projects gave me. I was able to meet someone very important to his sport (Dan Green and powerlifting) and it gave me insight on how top level athletes behave. Overall it was a really cool and also surreal experience to be able to schedule interviews and work like a professional around someone who I thought I was never going to meet, and never would have thought I would have interviewed him.
• I loved how I was able to document a person that I was interested in. It allowed me to produce something that I had the passion for. Designing a magazine layout has also helped me become a better designer. I had to use more design elements and actually learn what a magazine lay out looks like. For English I really enjoyed how we had to use a metaphor to help structure the essay.
• I learned a lot about my friend's step dad, things that I hadn't known before, which shocked me in good ways.
• First of all, this project made it possible for me to brag to all the non-Freestyle students that just when they are starting their senior projects, I'm wrapping mine up. I'm also really happy that I learned to write a journalist piece like our article and feel that this extended and more specific film really expanded my documentary production skills. I'm also grateful that I was able to meet Wilma because she turned out to be a very interesting and inspiring character.
• I valued the help i got from the teachers, and the things i learned about big productions
• It was a growth opportunity, we started extra early.
• It was cool interviewing people.
• I believe it was a good project to help develop the skills I would need later on in a professional environment.
• This project allowed me to find an interesting topic that is relevant in society and to myself. I was able to step outside my comfort zone and build a strong relationship with my profile star. I was able to grow as a web and graphic designer and become more comfortable and efficient in meeting deadlines. I also was more comfortable interviewing my profile start with the recording equipment and asking personal questions.
• Well I felt that the profile documentary I was making was really a nice showcase contribution to my subject, who I am personally close to.
• The connections I shared with my profile person. How I connected with my classmates to do things better. Even though it was a one man project but it sure was not one mans work. By asking your classmate questions sure makes your own project better.
• I valued the fact that I was able to grow closer with my family during the interview process.
• I valued this project in that I learned a lot about someone I wouldn't have found out. Also, my outlook on life has change in such a positive way from my subject!
• I valued that I was able to spend time with my star interviewee and really get to know them
• I valued this profile project greatly because I knew that at the end of the project I wanted to show her what I've done not just because she is my teacher/Star, but just to show her the progress I myself have made, since she always asks. It was the first time I ever had to do so much on one particular person so that also made me more concerned on doing good. However I think I should have valued my English essay more, because when I edited it at the end, I realized it was too late to get the better grade.
• I was able to start with a clear idea of what I was going to do because it was one person I was going to profile.
• I valued the experience of interacting with my profile and understanding their lives. The magazine creation has taught me a dozen of new skills. My website making ability has also expanded.
• I think it was a very good exercise in public speaking and learning to engage an audience and sell something you may not be 100% invested in.
• I valued the opportunity for learning from this project. It's unique, engaging, and worth our time.
• It was nice to talk to people I hadn't seen in a while.
• It really brought our skills and education on what we have learned in one presentation and it's nice to see that we've come a long way.
• It really made me appreciate what people do give to you. And to really just 100% make sure you're on the same page as someone but at the same time, make sure that they're comfortable. It taught me a lot more than I expected.
  
• I really loved being able to choose the person we profiled because it let us work on a project we were interested in.
• I valued that my skills in Final Cut Pro and in filming improved. I think that will help me for the next unit greatly.
• I valued the profile project because it taught me that being creative is really important and in most cases leads to success. This is something that was taught to me by my profile person Chris Trapani.
• I valued the time and preperation we received.
• I valued the ability to show someone who needs to be heard to the world.

Junior 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 mix and produce music and your Explorations Website.
  
  Explorations Websites
  
  Explorations Videos


• During Semester 2 Finals, you will share your newly learned skills and we will all celebrate and learn more about you and your passion(s). All students will create a presentation to use for the celebration and to also document the Explorations Project along with your Explorations Website.

Music Production Archives

Senior Project 5: Reflections

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 various kinds of image productions, video essays, websites, mandalas, and short animations. Students deepen their technical communication skills by learning more skills with a variety of modern professional equipment and applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Substance Painter, Avid Pro Tools, Autodesk Maya, ZBrush, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, WordPress, and Google Apps.

For the first few months at Freestyle, Seniors will be challenged with the following:

You will:

• Analyze personal essays and literary nonfiction
• Classify core values
• Express emotional vulnerability through style
• Structure/outline according to narrative and theme
• Evaluate qualities of effective personal essay writing (information, emotion, structure, craft)
• Reflect on works of art aligned with personal values
• Revise and edit for publication
• Translate personal writing to visual media

Previous Reflections productions

• Core Values Animations
• Art Reflection Videos

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

• Design and produce Personal Mandalas using the power of reflecting and repeating transformations in Adobe Illustrator.
• You will produce a Black and White Mandala which will be engraved onto the material of your choice.
• You will also produce a Colored Mandala which will be printed using sublimation techniques onto MDF wood.
• After being introduced to After Effects, you will produce a video that shows either your Black and White OR Colored Mandala being "built" with drawing strokes revealed sequentially.
• You will learn basic animation techniques in After Effects including customization of Text Animator presets to produce your Core Values video
• For 1st Year Seniors, you will also learn how to use WordPress to feature your productions on your personal website
• Everyone will assemble a Reflections Website that will feature all your projects from all your Freestyle Classes

What's new? You will learn advanced transformation techniques in Illustrator. In addition, you will start to learn After Effects to produce animation with motion graphics, audio, photographs, kinetic typography, and a variety of effects.

 

Mandala Galleries: Since 2019
Core Values Videos: Since 2022
Website Examples - Since 2016

In Animation, students will

• Review animation principles and apply them to motion graphics gifs.
• Create 1 animated Google doodle or Freestyle Doodle using Adobe Animate or Photoshop
• Produce a gif with their name, representing who they are using DragonFrame pixilation or claymation
• Learn 3D geometry, modeling, and texturing Using Maya.
• Model and texture an object that represents them using Maya with 2 versions of the object. One version that represents their digital persona, a model to be used with augmented reality using ZapWorks. And another version that represents their physical self to be 3d printed.

What's new? 3D Modeling, Texturing, Augmented Reality, and 3D Printing

 

Examples - Under construction ...

In Design, you will

• Create a black and white photo/text diptych
• Expand and learn advanced Photoshop techniques
• Learn HDR photography
• Learn telephoto street photography
• How to manipulate text in Photoshop
• Use your listener lyric writing in English as a source of inspiration

 

What's new? Black and white photography, telephoto lenses, HDR photography, diptychs, text manipulation, and art history exploration.

In Film (for Film students only), you will use Premiere Pro, Canon T6i, and the Tascam DR-05 recorder to

• Produce a 2-3 minute Video Essay based on English writing

• 

  Rubric

 

What's new? You will use a DSLR camera and learn more advanced tools to create cinematic, sophisticated shots. When appropriate, you will use Adobe After Effects for visual interest.

Previous Student Productions

• Reflection Films

When all of the above is completed, the general public will be invited to attend an Open-House in early-February and a Final Exhibition of your project work in late April with both events on our Freestyle Academy campus.

21st Century Skills addressed:

• Visual Literacy
• Technological Literacy
• Creativity
• Self Direction
• High Productivity
• Teaming and Collaboration
• Social and Civic Responsibility
• Risk Taking

Senior Project 6: Narrative Perspective

The Narrative Perspectives Project challenges Seniors with

"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 surreal compositions, movie posters, book jacket designs, screenplays, films, trailers, keyframe and motion caption animations, 3D layered art and videos, and JavaScript websites. Students deepen their technical communication skills by learning a variety of modern professional equipment and applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Substance Painter, Avid Pro Tools, Autodesk Maya, ZBrush, and HTML/CSS/JavaScript with Visual Studio Code.

In Semester 1, you will:

• Analyze and interpret literary elements in a novel and shorter works
• Evaluate and organize research sources, including opposing viewpoints, to support a thesis
• Research with the purpose of gaining insight into a topic or issue related to a worldbuilding interest, gaining a sense of authority to explain it to an audience of collaborators and apply research knowledge in the process of building a fictional world and narrative.
• Revise and edit for publication

In Semester 2, you will:

• Collaborate in order to build a fictional world and narrative, including a standard narrative treatment for a feature-length film or comparable narrative product for a real world audience.
• Collaborate to develop character, plot, and defining visual elements of the fictional world.
• Collaborate to develop and present an industry-style pitch of the story concept with multimedia support.

Previous Worldbuilding productions

• Worldbuilding Pitches
• Narrative 2 Websites
• Worldbuilding 3D Layered Art in Digital Media

In Digital Media, you will use Visual Studio Code, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Pro Tools to produce a Narrative 2 website that features your

• Funny Image Compositions
• Worldbuilding Surreal Image Compositions
• Worldbuilding Multilayered 3D Art, 3D Digital Video of your Multilayered 3D Art, Time lapse build video of your Multilayered 3D Art

You will also produce a Music Recording webpage similar to these that features your Music Production Part 2 where you will:

• Experience recording music as the Audio Engineer in our studio with invited musicians as the "musical talent"
• Apply more advanced music editing techniques to your recording session
• Write and display bios and photos of your invited musician(s)
• Feature final music mix, photos and/or videos of your recording session
• Reflect back on your Music Production experience - both as the performer and the Audio Engineer

In Animation, you will:

• Learn to use video reference and acting techniques to animate their characters
• They will learn how to model, texture, light and render 3D sets
• Animate 3D characters using keyframes and the motion capture rigs
• Animate a providec 3D character interacting with a geometric shape, focusing on animation principles, emotions, and weight
• Write a narrative dialogue script for animation
• Produce 1 scene from their script focusing on one 3D pipeline skill - animating, or modeling, texturing and lighting

What's new? Motion capture rigs, 3D Animation, Story writing

 

Examples - Under Construction

 

In Design, you will use Photoshop and Illustrator to

• Learn typography and create your own font
• Create a movie poster and ticket package based on a fictional self-developed story
• Create a marketing/branding package
• Learn macro photography
• Create a handmade book

What's new? Typography, minimalism and lo-fi design, package design, macro lenses, branding, interviewing a client, and design thinking.

 

Examples - 2018, 2018, 2017, 2017
Surrealism Examples - 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010

In Film (for Film students only), you will use advanced pre-production, production, and post-production techniques to

• Write a 10-page screenplay
• Develop and produce 8-10 minute narrative story
• Rubric

What's new? You will learn advanced cinematography and lighting techniques, learn how to make films look more cinematic, learn moving camera techniques, study film theory, and when appropriate, use Adobe After Effects for visual interest.

Previous Student Productions

• Narrative Films

When all of the above is completed, the general public will be invited to attend an Open-House in early-February and a Final Exhibition of your project work in late April with both events on our Freestyle Academy campus.

21st Century Skills addressed:

• Visual Literacy
• Technological Literacy
• Creativity
• Self Direction
• High Productivity
• Teaming and Collaboration
• Social and Civic Responsibility
• Risk Taking

Senior Project 7: Zenith

The Zenith Project challenges Senior in their Elective Class only with:

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.
• Celebrate 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.

Previous Student Productions: Zenith Websites and Zenith Video Productions