Course Projects

AI Use Policy

Students are encouraged to use AI tools to amplify their strengths and enhance their learning. AI can be a valuable resource for:

Learning and research (always fact-checked for accuracy)
Coding assistance and error checking
Brainstorming and world-building
Mood board creation and visual inspiration
Planning and structuring projects
Generative media for multimedia art, cinema, sound, and other creative disciplines

However, in this course, ideas and approaches will begin with you. Much of the creative process will be spent in discussion, journaling, and workshopping in and out of class. These steps are designed to slow the process down and help you develop a clear perspective and direction before you turn to AI tools.

AI should be used as a support for thinking — not a shortcut to bypass it.

Your final submissions must reflect your own style, approach, and aesthetic.
For most projects, the professor may require documentation of all AI-assisted work — including transcripts of chats, prompts, and outputs used during development.
Transparency is essential to your growth in digital media and in working with generative AI. If AI meaningfully shaped your work, you should note where and how you used it (for example: “I used ChatGPT to debug a function, then rewrote the solution in my own style” or “I generated images to explore a visual style and then used my own sketches to refine and complete the scenes”). This documentation helps track your role in a complex creative process.
Direct, unmodified AI outputs should not be submitted as your own work. This includes copy-pasting code, text, or images without adaptation or acknowledgment.

AI tools — including those for generative media — are powerful learning partners, but they cannot replace the slower, deeper process of design thinking, workshopping, and evolving your own ideas in dialogue with others.

Participation (10%)

Throughout the course, students will maintain a hand-wriiten journal where they respond to weekly prompts related to course topics, screenings, and class discussions. These entries are meant to help students develop critical thinking and reflective practices about their own creative process and cinematic understanding. Regular in-class sharing will contribute to a participation grade. Journaling will also be used to document research, production ideas, and project progress. This is a Partcipation grade for activities and discussions in and out of class. 5% in the midterm and 5% in the final grade.

Mini-Assignments (25%)

These five short-form video assignments are designed to help you explore specific techniques and storytelling principles. Each is worth 5% and is aimed at building foundational skills in visual storytelling, editing, and experimentation with sound and AI tools. Assignments include:

Framing Assignment: Create a 20–30 second story using 5 well-composed shots to convey visual narrative without dialogue or camera movement.
Continuity Assignment: Film and edit a 30–60 second sequence using shot-reverse-shot, match-on-action, and spatial continuity to narrate a coherent sequence of events.
Sound Design Assignment: Add expressive, meaningful sound design to an existing visual sequence using ambient sound, foley, and effects.
Montage Assignment: Use juxtaposition and rhythm to tell a non-linear or thematic story in 30–60 seconds. Explore idea, spatial, or temporal montage.
Compositing/Effects/AI Assignment: Create a short experimental sequence that employs compositing techniques or AI-generated visuals/audio.

Pitch Deck (15%)

Script (5%) – completed Oct 3

Storyboard (5%) & Moodboard (5%) – submitted with Script by Oct 17

This is a self-contained project. You will design a short cinematic idea and express it through three complementary pre-production elements: a script, a storyboard, and a mood board. You will not be required edit or shoot this project later; the goal is to practice translating an idea into clear, compelling visual storytelling. Be imaginative and unconstrained by budget while focusing on story structure, cinematic language, and visual design. Each component is worth 5% for a total of 15%.

Group Workshopping & Beat Sheets

Students will begin by discussing story ideas in small groups. Each student will develop a beat sheet—a brief outline of the key beats and emotional turns of their story—and share it with their group for approval and suggestions. Only after receiving group feedback will students write their individual script drafts. Each group will create a Slack channel (with the me included) where drafts of beat sheets and scripts are posted for feedback and suggestions. Storyboards and production design details are created only after group approval of the script.

1. Script (5%)

Length: 60–120 seconds (about 1–3 pages).
Format: Proper screenplay style (scene headings, action, dialogue).
Goal: Demonstrate a clear narrative arc (beginning–middle–end or an alternative but coherent structure), conflict, and resolution, and ideally a twist.
Process: Start with a group-approved beat sheet, then write your script individually. Post drafts to your group Slack channel for feedback before finalizing.

2. Hand-Drawn Storyboard (5%)

Medium: Pencil/pen sketches or digital drawing (hand-rendered look preferred).
Panels: A frame for each planned shot showing composition, angle, and movement. Drawings should be simple but clear.
Notes under each frame:
- Shot type (CU, WS, POV, OTS, etc.).
- Camera movement (pan, tilt, dolly, handheld, static, etc.).
- Key sound cues (dialogue, effects, ambience, music) and any timing beats.
Goal: Visualize the story shot-by-shot, demonstrating how framing, movement, and editing shape meaning.
Timing: Begin your storyboard only after your script has been approved by your group.

3. Mood Board / Production Design (5%)

Images: Collect 5–10 images (AI-generated and/or screen grabs) that convey look and feel.
Focus: Style, color palette, lighting, settings, costumes, and character design.
Notes: Brief description about visual design, mood and overall tone.
Timing: Create your mood board after your script has been approved by your group.
Goal: Present a cohesive design sense and color palette that communicates the project’s atmosphere and style.

Submission

Your finished project will be submitted as a single zip packageas a Google Slide show with the url to the slidewhow uploaded to Canvas. This package should include:

Use Google Slides for all your elements of your Pitch Deck.
First page: Title, 2-3 sentence description or logline and the author's name.
Screen grabs for the sequential parts or your screenplay-formatted final script - fit so the screenplay can be read inside the slideshow.
Digital photos or scans of your storyboard.
Images for the production design/mood board elements with a brief description of the style you are aiming for.
Optional: share ~~unzipped files~~ url to the slideshow on Slack

Purpose

This assignment builds core skills in conceiving and communicating a cinematic concept—useful for social media videos and traditional film contexts alike. Even though it will not be produced in this class, your pitch deck should read as if it could guide an actual production.

Profile Project (25%)

This project asks you to produce a short (1–2 minute) documentary-style profile of a person engaged in an interesting job, craft, or hobby. Your goal is to tell a visual story about how they work, what drives them, and how their activity connects to larger questions about work and creativity.

Choose a subject who performs visible, hands-on activity—someone who does more than sit in front of a computer. Possibilities include artists, gardeners, athletes, builders, cooks, or craftspersons.

Process

Pre-Interview: Have a conversation with your subject to learn about their job or hobby. Gather background information, routines, and motivations.
Planning: Prepare a short story outline, interview questions, and a shot list that identifies key moments of “visual evidence” to capture.
Interview: Conduct a sit-down interview in a well-lit, quiet location. Focus on clear audio and eye-line composition.
Action Footage: Follow your subject as they work or create something. Capture a variety of shots (wide, medium, close-up) that reveal process and personality. Continue to ask questions while filming—sometimes the best answers come spontaneously.

Focus Areas

Camera Movement: Move with your subject; think dynamically about perspective and rhythm.
Interview Technique: Draw out personality and insight through thoughtful questioning.
Craft: Pay attention to framing, lighting, sound quality, and continuity editing or montage.

Deliverables

Rough Cut (10%): A complete structure with temporary sound and titles.
Final Cut (15%): A polished edit with refined pacing, sound mix, and coherent narrative structure.

Include opening titles and end credits. You may add music to enhance tone and emotion. Creativity and technical execution are equally important.

One-Minute Short / Group Project (25%)

This collaborative project involves the creation of a one-minute narrative video. Each student will contribute to concept development, scripting, and editing, and submit their own version of the final cut. The stages include:

Group Participation (5%): Demonstrate active involvement in concept development, shooting, and critique sessions.
Script and Storyboard (5%): Individually develop a script and storyboard that reflects your interpretation of the group’s concept.
Final Cut (15%): Edit your own version of the film, reflecting personal creative choices and group feedback. Submit alongside script and storyboard.

This assignment emphasizes collaboration, leadership, and problem-solving, while still allowing space for individual creativity and voice.