During the conceptual unit, we were faced with the daunting task of expressing ourselves through abstract ways. Working on projects such as the experimental film and writing our Why Art essay not only challenged my creative thinking but also tested my capacity to confront and solve problems independently. My work on the experimental film posed several obstacles, including the search for a suitable filming location, various logistical issues, and grappling with technological problems.
In addition to the magnitude of problems I faced students were also given new equipment to work with that most of us were not familiar with. The addition of new professional equipment elevated my creative output and enhanced the quality of my work. In addition, the English and Digital Media classes entail a substantial workload, most of the work for these classes is completed outside of the classroom setting. This further increased my level of independence and at the same time challenged my time management skills.
Poetry
In English class, we wrote poetry more specifically we worked on our Photo Haiku assignment where students were tasked with taking a photo of something that resonates with the conceptual statement given to us in English. This project helped elevate my creative thinking and it pushed me to think more abstractly.
Adobe’s Premier Pro session I used for my video haiku
The final draft video recording of my photo haiku
Why Art? Essay
In our English class, one of the bigger challenges this semester was to compose an essay that draws parallels between the beliefs of a selected author and those of a related artist. This assignment provided a unique opportunity to explore the intersections between literary and artistic ideologies.
You can also listen to my Why Art Matters essay with the audio below.
Why Art? Presentation
We also had a presentation exploring the question “Why Art?” which directly ties into the themes we discussed in our essay on the importance of art. The goals of this presentation were to discuss the selected artist, the author connected to that artist, and the three art pieces highlighted in the essay.
Photoshop Blend Mode Editing
Throughout the conceptual unit in digital media, we engaged in a magnitude of different assignments including editing our haikus on Premier Pro, flash assignments using our DSLR camera, and doing photo blogs. One of the more time-consuming tasks was editing photos using blends in Photoshop. These assignments were particularly hard because I had to grapple with the challenges of figuring out how to use Photoshop for the first time.
I value the ability to edit and cut stuff professionally using Adobe. I also value how easy it is and straightforward. I see myself making memes and making funny photos with the skills I have learned.
Film
So far in film this year we have worked on smaller assignments like the Scavenger Hunt, Griffiths Pattern exercise, and, Double Shot. Our biggest project so far was our experimental film project which took us roughly 3 months to draft and edit and shoot altogether. I wrote a 500-word synopsis of my film which can be seen below.
I filmed the majority of my experimental movie using a green screen. The only specific scene I needed to shoot separately was the one where I released various paint and abstract objects onto a surface in my backyard. I set up a tarp around the area and took precautions by using washable paint and being extremely careful during the shoot.
Preparing for this clip was accomplished within a single day, this is a prime example of one of our early film assignments for the year. We completed a variety of similar film exercises first semester.
