Digital Media, BS

This course will acquaint the student with the techniques and procedures for creating audio for film, video, radio and for the web. There will be specific projects in spotting effects, creating voice-overs, Foley effects, and music leads. This class will have many hands-on projects to implement new techniques. Prerequisite: MUSG 227 (Offered fall semester.) Course Fee: $50

This course serves as an introduction to the processes, techniques, and aesthetics of digital media. During the course, students are introduced to five fundamental disciplines: Design thinking, graphic design, digital photography, digital video, and audio. The course culminates in a capstone experience in which student work in teams to create a project that addresses a contemporary social, health, cultural, or other issue. The resulting campaign is intended as a portfolio piece via which the student may use to demonstrate both digital media skills and experience working as a team to a potential employer. (Offered every semester.)

This course reviews the overview of the technical and aesthetic issues relevant to the design profession. Studio work and research will be assigned. Specific focus on problems in visual organization, typography, and design theory as an expressive design element will be studied. Course content will concentrate on fostering creative thinking along with prescribed techniques and media. Three double or two triple periods. Cross listed with ARTD 230. Prerequisite: ARTD 111. (Offered fall semester.)

Instruction on the primary components of web design including: information architecture, usability, web technologies, and visual communication. Special attention is given to design, content creation, website development, and project management. Prerequisite: ARTD 111 and DMDA 120. (Offered fall semester.)

Students will work to master the ability to shoot, capture, and edit digital video. They will create mattes and other types of still digital pictures. They will prepare media in various types of formats and for various types of output. A major project will be to produce a short clip video which will integrate various software applications. Prerequisite: ARTD 241. (Offered spring semester.)

This course addresses ethical business practices and legal issues unique to the creative professions. Topics include copyright, intellectual property, and trademark law. Additionally the course discusses the right of publicity and the current legal status of artificial intelligence. Related business and legal issues include business structures common to the creative industries, standard contracts in the creative industries, pricing creative works, and negotiation of fee arrangements, sale of rights, reservations of ownership, and royalties. Many creatives work as freelance professionals, therefore the course discusses the rights and status of independent contractors under the common and Illinois law, as well as the implications of work for hire arrangements to the creative professional. Prerequisite: DMDA 120.

This course will give the student a chance to demonstrate talent in the area of digital content. Each portfolio will include interactive design (including visual, navigation, and information design), creative arts, and various projects with technical merit. The student will demonstrate the level of expertise that has been gained from Digital Media courses, such as Graphic Design, Web Design, Computer Programming, Digital Video, Digital Photography, Digital Multimedia, and Studio Recording. This portfolio is intended to prepare students for entry into the job market or graduate school. (Offered every semester.)

This course functions as a survey of the history of the media arts, covering multiple overlapping eras of historical significance in design, photographyy, and film/video, emphasizing how and why cultural historical events led to the evolution of differing stylistic and theoretical approaches to design. This course involves significant reflective and scholarly writing. Meets the general education upper division writing intensive requirement.

This course is an introduction to the discipline and craft of storytelling using multimedia methods. Students explore the major formal elements and components of storytelling using visual, print, and auditory mediums. Students will gain a better understanding of the spiritual, social, and economic roles of storytelling both in terms of storytelling as a powerful tool for gaining an understanding of the world and oneself and as a professional craft. Meets the general education creative and performing arts requirement. Prerequisite: ENGL 105. (Offered in the fall semester.)

This course develops fundamental drawing and concept art skills applicable to all areas of digital media. The course content develops the student's ability to draw what they see, informed by objective knowledge of drawing techniques, perspective, and figure drawing. Additionally, students develop concept art and storyboards for various applications in digital media.

The course provides a hands-on foundation regarding audio recording and techniques using software specific to the Digital Media field. Topics include recording dialogue and sound, basic audio editing for video, studio and live location recording, mixing and cleanup of resulting audio files. This course is designed specifically for the needs and uses of audio for projects in Digital Media while its skill set will help anyone who creates video work.

A study of the basic principles and elements of two and three dimensional form and composition. Alternate discussions and projects designed to acquaint the student with materials and techniques in the plastic arts. (Offered every semester.)

Students will work with traditional 35 mm and digital cameras and scanners to produce photographic images that can be improved, manipulated, altered, and printed from the computer. They will learn to control camera settings, adjust imagery using sophisticated photo manipulation software, and explore the variety of digitally based, photograph quality printing. Students will experiment with the fundamentals of photography while developing a portfolio of creative photography. Meets the general education creative and performing arts requirement. (Offered fall semester.)

Advanced instruction and assigned studio work in one or more topics within the design field including but not limited to: information design, design methodology, advertising design, image design, typography, user centered design, electronic imaging, graphic design history, communication theory, design for social issues, and/or package design. Cross listed with ARTD 365. Prerequisite: DMDA 230. (Offered spring semester of odd calendar years.)

Continue in learning of standard pre-production, production, and post-production practices for shooting digital video projects. Students will learn more about shooting in a variety of lighting and acoustic situations and will explore more advanced editing techniques. Concentration will be in two areas: documentary and narrative/drama. Also, students will explore the role of video in contemporary culture, especially as it relates to traditional film history. (offered as independent study)