Happy New Year: One Word

Happy New Year everyone! Today we are going to work one creating a #OneWord resolution for 2016 and making it a graphic image we can use for inspiration.  This concept comes from author and speaker Jon Gordon who came from Smithtown along with Jimmy Page (not the Led Zeppelin guitarist) and Dan Britton who wrote the book One Word that Will Change Your Life.  Jon Gordon returned to Smithtown speak here a few years ago and was inspirational, below is a look at his Football highlight reel from the late 1980's which appears to be taken here at Smithtown East at points.



The idea behind choosing one word is that it's simple, memorable, and more realistic as a driving force for you but it's important to be authentic and think about what you really need in your life before choosing a word.  Here's a clip of Jon on the Today Show talking about the process and the questions to ask yourself when considering your word.  I chose my word. CREATE, early this year and painted it on the classroom wall as a daily reminder which has made an impact.

We are going to talk about how to choose your one word then you will create an 8"x10" design incorporating the word to use for inspiration.  Tomorrow we'll finish our designs and then Wednesday we'll share our work and talk about our goals and why we choose the words we did. Remember to keep it positive and focused, we are starting out on a blank slate in 2016!

Last Day of the Semester!

Today is the last day of class in my Media Arts and Drawing classes so all work must be submitted, most importantly the final projects.  Yesterday I blogged about the final project in drawing so today we will look at the final project in Media Art.  The class has been working on the Speak Truth to Power contest.  The great example above is from Alix and it shows how the final film should appear with proper credits and documentation.

Media Art: Storyboarding

Today we we be storyboarding our public service announcements using the 12 frame template and reviewing for our quiz on cinematography tomorrow. Here's the quizlet to review: cinematography flashcards.

Media Arts: Welcome, lets get global!

Welcome to all of the new students in Mr. Needles media arts classes this semester!  In this class we'll be taking part in a very special program from the Global Nomads Group entitled Global Citizens in Action.  The program uses new media to open an exchange between classroom in Smithtown with classes in Pakistan and Afghanistan and we'll be using SKYPE and videoconferencing to actually talk in person live with classes and have an ongoing conversation.

Our first video conference is going to be Tuesday, February 4 at 7:20am (aka the 2nd day of class) which means that we have a bit of important preparation to take care of on our first day!  The theme of the first exchange will be understanding each other's worldviews but before we begin we need to talk about how to have a successful video conference across the world and take a brief survey to understand a bit about what we know and how we feel now.

Media Art: The White House Film Festival Submissions

One of our final assignments in Media Art class is to create an entry for the new The White House Film Festival using all the tools we learned in class.  for this assignment students were given create freedom in interpreting how to best illustrate STEAM in schools and how it might be important in the future of their education.  Above is a terrific example from Allie who used clips of our recent SKYPE and Google Hangout sessions along with examples from our ongoing Japan Society program Going Global in her piece, great job!  Make sure you films are totally completed by Thursday this week (we may have quite a bit of snow coming our way so you might want to bring some material home to finish your projects)! 

Media Art: Production basics

In media class we began going over the basics of a film or television production and here are two short clips that explain some of the details about the film set and the different jobs involved.  Friday there will be a test on the film terms so you can use my film terms quizlet to study.

Media Art: Bully

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and we'll be creating a short film about the subject in partnership with classes in Japan and Pakistan through the Japan Society Going Global project.  We'll begin by taking a look at a few clips from the film Bully and discussing them and explore what has come from the film in the Bully Project.  Below is the short PSA the media class created last year in conjunction with the School Improvement Team for reference.

Media Art: Shorts- Paris Je T'aime

We are beginning our film class by looking at a series of short films from Paris Je T'aime in order to go over the basics of film and critiquing in addition to getting some international perspectives before starting the Going Global project next month.  We'll watch 5 shorts which are listed below and after the films you'll need to choose 2 to critique using the template on the assignment drive. You can use imdb.com and the NY Times Film Section to aid you in your critiques.

Director		Segment
Tom Tykwer		"Faubourg Saint-Denis"
Gurinder Chadha		"Quais de Seine"
Wes Craven		"Pere-Lachaise"
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen		"Tuileries"
Alexander Payne		"14e arrondissement"

Media Art: Public Service Announcement

Last month all of Mr.Needles classes joined together and contributed to creating a public service announcement for the school addressing the greater awareness of the language we use in school.  Here's the final PSA, there are still a few qwerks to work out but it makes a strong message.  Thanks to all the students who helped take photos, edit, and brainstorm- well done!

Media Art Honor Society: LitReactor's Sci-Fi Writing Challenge

Author Chuck Palahniuk's Lit Reactor is running a contest entitled Teleport Us and the sci-fi writing challenge is open to the public so all you would be novelist and screenwriters should take advantage of the opportunity! According to the Lit Reactor website the short story should be between 1,500 and 4,000 words, explore a utopian/dystopian theme, feature a technology that's scientifically plausible, and feature a non-human character. The submission and reviewing period begins Feb 1 and submissions close on Feb 28 with the top-rated stories will be selected on April 1.  This is a great opportunity to get your work read and be part of a community plus the Lit Reactor always

Semester 2: Welcome new students!

Welcome to the second semester for photography and media art students!  Today well be going over the basics of the class and some of our special projects such as working with MSG Varsity, Instagram, & The Japan Society's Going Global project featured in the video below.  Both classes require a digital data device such as an thumb drive or a SD card and media art students should also get a package of 100 3"x5" white index cards.

Bill Plympton's CHEATIN' Animated Feature Film

We looked at a number of Bill Plympton's short animated films in Media Art class this year and even had a chance to speak to director Alexia Anastasio who created the documentary on him Adventures in Plymptoons! but now Bill is at work on his new feature film and he's going to Kickstarter to raise funds so take a look!

Media Art: Animation

In Media Arts class we have been looking at the history of Walt Disney animation studios and PIXAR in order to prepare for our short hand drawn animation.  Friday we'll have a short quiz on the material but check out the short clip above showing the PIXAR animators discussing their student films!

Media Art: Golden Globe Nominations

Golden Globe Nominations

Best Picture, Drama:

“Argo”
“Django Unchained”
“Life of Pi”
“Lincoln”
“Zero Dark Thirty”

Best Picture, Musical or Comedy:

“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”

“Les Misérables”

“Moonrise Kindgom”

“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”

“Silver Linings Playbook”

Best Director:

Ben Affleck, “Argo”

Kathryn Bigelow, “Zero Dark Thirty”

Ang Lee, “Life of Pi”

Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln”

Quentin Tarantino, “Django Unchained”

Best Actress, Drama:

Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”

Marian Cotillard, “Rust and Bone”

Helen Mirren, “Hitchcock”

Naomi Watts, “The Impossible”

Rachel Weisz, “The Deep Blue Sea”

Best Actor, Drama:

Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”

Richard Gere, “Arbitrage”

John Hawkes, “The Sessions”

Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master”

Denzel Washington, “Flight”

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy:

Jack Black, “Bernie”

Bradley Cooper, “Silver Linings Playbook”

Hugh Jackman, “Les Misérables ”

Ewan MCGregor, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”

Bill Murray, “Hyde Park on Hudson”

Best Actress, Musical or Comedy:

Emily Blunt, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”

Judi Dench, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”

Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook”

Maggie Smith, “Quartet”

Meryl Streep, “Hope Springs”

Best Supporting Actress:

Amy Adams, “The Master”

Sally Field, “Lincoln”

Anne Hathaway, “Les Misérables ”

Helen Hunt, “The Sessions”

Nicole Kidman, “The Paperboy”

Best Supporting Actor:

Alan Arkin, “Argo”

Leonardo DiCaprio, “Django Unchained”

Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Master”

Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”

Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained”

Best Screenplay:

Mark Boal, “Zero Dark Thirty”

Tony Kushner, “Lincoln”

David O’Russell, “Silver Linings Playbook”

Quentin Tarantino, “Django Unchained”

Chris Terrio, “Argo”

Best Foreign Language Film:

“Amour”

“A Royal Affair”

“The Intouchables”

“Kon-Tiki”

“Rust and Bone”

Best Animated Feature:

“Rise of the Guardians”

“Brave”

“Frankenweenie”

“Hotel Transylvania”

“Wreck-It Ralph”

Media Art: Short digital animation

Digital Animation Winter 2012 by VoteNeedles2012 on GoAnimate

Animation Software - Powered by GoAnimate.
This weeks Media Arts assignment is to create your own short digital animation on the GoAnimate.com website. Above is a short demo of how the film works with instructions on the assignment. I'll do a short demonstration in class and go over some of the basics but you can begin by creating a free account and adding me as a contact, my user name is VoteNeedles2012 and the email chunckerthedonut@aol.com.  The animation is going to be due Thursday and it should be 2 minutes long and about 25 frames.

Media Art: Screenwriting

Before we begin writing our screenplays in class it's important to write an outline of what is going to happen and in the film world that's called a script breakdown.  The breakdown should include five plotpoints or major things that happen, below is an example of the five plotpoints for the film Pirates Of The Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl:

Elizabeth Swann (Keria Knightly) is in love with an orphan named Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) since she rescued him on her father’s ship as a child. She is captured by pirates looking for a magic coin to break an ancient curse. Will sets off with the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to save her from the evil Captain Barabossa. Will and Jack chase her across the sea, and when they finally rescue her, the evil Pirates have set new sights on Will. Once they return him to the original island of the curse, it’s up to Jack to rescue Will and save his own skin.

So use this method of organising the story and combine it with the screenplay cheatsheet that we used in class and type both up for Wednesday so that we can begin writing our screenplays.

Media Art: Stop Motion Animation

This week in media arts class we will be creating short stop-motion animation films of the class as an introduction to the basics of film making.  Here's a terrific example of a creative stop-motion by the PEZ (aka Adam Pesapane) who used over 1500 images during the course of 6 weeks to create the short. He is now working on his first feature film but check out some of his other film on his You Tube page.