Unit 3- Filmmaking, Animation, and Music

Click on the dropdown menu to see each student film/Animation project organized by page, or visit our YouTube Page with the link below!

Hardware Used In This Unit:

RED Gemini Camera
RED Scarlet Mysterium-X Camera
Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Camera
Sony A7RII Mirrorless Camera
Nikon Professional DSLR Cameras
Canon xH A1 Cameras
Canon VIXIA HF G20 HD Camcorders
GoPro Hero Cameras
DJI Ronin MX Stabilization System
DJI Ronin S Stabilization System
Steadicam Pilot Stabilization System
Kessler Camera Sliders and Cranes
DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter
Tascam DR-40 Audio Recorders
Astra LED Litepanels
Tungsten Lighting Systems
MIDI Keyboards and Musical Instruments (music studies)

Software Used In This Unit:

Adobe Premiere Pro CC
Adobe After Effects CC
DaVinci Resolve
RED Cine-X Pro
Adobe Audition CC
Adobe Animate CC
Adobe Character Animator CC
Cinema4D
Adobe Photoshop CC
Anime Studio (now Moho)
Autodesk Maya / Mudbox
FruityLoops (music and sound studies)
Ableton (music and sound studies)

Industry-Recognized Credential Opportunities In This Unit:

Adobe Certified Associate Certificate- Adobe Premiere CC
REDucation Certification

"Cinema is a matter of what is in the frame and all that is not."

- Martin Scorsese

Our largest unit yet, this unit will build on existing visual communication skills from our Photography/Photo Manipulation and Graphic Design units and will introduce the ever-evolving world of digital filmmaking. This unit will approach all aspects of filmmaking including pre-production, production, and post-production processes.

Much of the focus of this unit will be on filmmaking hardware and how tools can be used to strengthen visual storytelling. Using some of the most up-to-date and advanced professional equipment, we will experience some of the most recent trends in filmmaking including 4K and Ultra HD resolutions, RAW video codecs, advanced DSLR filming functions, drone and aerial videography, professional camera movement tools, and professional studio lighting equipment.

In our exploration of post-production techniques we will master many pieces of software that can transform our little-to-no-budget productions into professional deliverables. We will master Adobe Premiere Pro as our backbone film editing software and will offer Premiere Pro’s Adobe Certified Associate credential at our unit’s end. We will also explore software such as Adobe After Effects, DaVinci Resolve, Cinema4D, Redcine-X Pro, Nuke 10, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk Mudbox, Adobe Audition, and Adobe Animate.

Within the unit, every student will explore other time-based or advanced media practices such as music production, animation, stop motion, 3D modeling, web design, or other creative techniques. Later in the semester, students will have multiple options for projects and can choose a specialty to focus on between Music and Sound Production or 2D Animation and 3D Design.

While knowledge of our hardware and software is critical to every project this unit, the most essential element and the most valued skill will be the ability to tell a story and convey a message through a visual medium. Even the most technically advanced film is useless without meaning, and we will practice the skills to conceive better stories, to find deeper meanings, to explore emotive concepts, and to bring fantastic ideas to life.

CTE Concepts- Essential Understandings For This Unit:

Unit 3 EU I. To develop the ability to identify, analyze, and create visual storytelling through various time-based media formats.

Unit 3 EU II. Mastery of the latest trends and offerings of film-related hardware including cameras, camera movement systems, lighting, sound recording, microphones, studio gear, lenses, light meters, and more.

Unit 3 EU III. Expertise with professional digital film and animation software, focusing on platforms such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, DaVinci Resolve, Anime Studio Pro, Adobe Animate, Adobe Audition, Adobe Character, and Redcine-X.

Unit 3 EU IV. To expand existing knowledge base of photography and graphic design principles into filmmaking through use of composition, balance, contrast, color, structure, uniformity, point of view, symmetry, leading lines, rule of thirds, golden ratio, and more.

Unit 3 EU V. Skill development in film production processes including cinematography, lighting, choreography, working with talent, preparing a physical space for filming, following a screenplay/shot list, collaborating with crew members, organizing and scheduling time, and more.

Unit 3 EU VI. Mastery of cinematography elements and equipment options including stabilizers, camera mounts, camera rigs, sliders, cranes, dollies, tripods, monopods, drones and aerial photography, monitors and remote controlling, focus pulls, and more.

Unit 3 EU VII. Skill development in pre-production film processes including concept ideation, story development, script writing, screenplay writing, storyboarding, shot listing, film crew development, collaboration, location scouting, scheduling, industry formatting, and more.

Unit 3 EU VIII. Skill development in post-production film processes including processing and organizing video footage, color correction, audio editing, music/score development, preparing deliverables, working with different film formats, and more.

Unit 3 EU IX. Mastery of film editing and basic visual effects through use of video layering, keying, matting, tracking, basic CGI, blend modes and opacity, animation of effects, titling and graphic integration, and more.

Unit 3 EU X. Understanding of lighting for film including white balancing, light metering, using lighting temperature, exposure, measuring light in stops, zone-based lighting, manipulating atmospheres and mood with lighting, and more.

Unit 3 EU XI. Exploration and creation of various film formats including narrative, fiction, interview, news, short, commercial, music video, documentary, and feature films.

Unit 3 EU XII. Identification and professional experience in regards to various film occupation roles including directors, directors of photography/cinematographers, sound engineers, editors, VFX coordinators, gaffers, grips, producers, writers, still specialists, assistants, and more.

Unit 3 EU XIII. Exploration of other film techniques and formats including 2D animation, basic 3D animation, stop motion, experimental techniques, and more.

Unit 3 EU XIV. Experience towards new film production elements and standards including Ultra High Definition/4K+ resolution deliverables, RAW film codecs, high frame-rate camera processes, 360 degrees filmmaking, and more.

Unit 3 EU XV. Skill development in sound design for films including live audio capturing techniques, knowledge about audio recording devices including microphones and audio recorders, dubbing, ADR, and foley/sound effects in post-production.

Unit 3- Film, Animation, and Music/Sound

Project Overviews, Knowledge Bases, and Assignments

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