52651 Exploring Media Arts
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Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 52650c Screen Story
The lower case 'c' after the subject code indicates that the subject is a corequisite. See definitions for details.
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 54030 Exploring Media Arts AND 58113 Exploring Media Arts
Description
This subject explores creative media arts practices across moving image, audio and participatory forms. It introduces students to relevant media arts histories and contexts in addition to a range of technologies, media practices and production techniques. Each session has a specific theme, such as time, speed, place or memory, which is explored through creative play. Working on creative exercises, students are introduced to core skills and understandings in media arts practice. They gain basic skills in production planning, image and sound content gathering, mixing and editing, approvals processes and collaborative work practices.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| a. | Integrate historical and theoretical approaches to Media Arts across sound and moving image |
|---|---|
| b. | Use sound and video media production tools to respond creatively to a project brief |
| c. | Apply the technical requirements and professional standards that are relevant to audio and video production |
| d. | Collaborate on a creative media arts project. |
| e. | Reflect on their own creative practice and that of their peers |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:
- Apply theoretically informed understandings of communication industries to independent and collaborative projects across a range of media (1.2)
- Act as reflexive critical thinkers and innovative creative practitioners who evaluate their own and others' work (2.2)
- Demonstrate a strong awareness, knowledge of, and sensitivity to, diversity, equity and global contexts (3.1)
- Utilise digital literacy and production skills across a range of media (6.2)
Teaching and learning strategies
The subject is delivered through engagement with online content, on campus tutorials and workshops. The online content provides a focus for examining ideas and concepts and creative practices in the media arts and frames the approach of tutorial discussions and workshop activities. The tutorials are the venue for discussion and critique and the development of projects. They are also the place for debriefing and feedback on work produced and are used to introduce technical and workshop activities.
A staged approach to submission of assessment tasks is applied where students are required to present their work in progress to the class in advance of the final due date thus giving them the opportunity to respond to formative feedback before final submission. Students receive formative feedback on project concepts early in the teaching session. The workshop support resources allow students to gain basic technical proficiency with audio and video capture through short academically directed activities. The subject incorporates a range of teaching and learning strategies including online resources, audio recordings, videos, practical exercises, discussion of media arts examples and student groupwork. These will be complemented by independent student viewing and listening.
Content (topics)
This subject provides students with practice-based opportunities to explore and experiment with a range of Media Arts formal approaches. It also introduces students to fundamental concepts, techniques and practices that will be applied across subsequent subjects in the major. Students apply principles of composition and collage in the production of creative media projects. The lecture content introduces students to relevant media arts histories and forms. Students work individually to produce short audio exercises and reflections on the projects they produce. Principles of collaboration are introduced and applied through the formation of groups to produce moving image works.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Audio Field Recording Exercise
| Intent: | An early, low stakes assessment of students' audio recording skills. Working to a brief, students make their own field recordings of environmental sounds and voice. Students submit the raw audio recording source files with voice identification for assessment. | ||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | c | ||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 20% | ||||||||||||
| Length: | 10 digital audio field recordings with voice identification. The 10 recordings should include:
Students also submit a document listing each recording’s file name, a brief description of the sound (2-10 words) and the date, time, and location of the recordings. | ||||||||||||
| Criteria: | 1. Technical proficiency 50% 2. Adherence to submission specifications 50% | ||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Audio Production Exercise
| Intent: | Using techniques of audio layering and mixing, students work individually to develop an audio piece of around 60 seconds duration that | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | a, b, c and e | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 35% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | Stage 1 - feedback on the work of four peers | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria: | 1. Creativity of response to the theme 2. Evidence of engagement with relevant media arts history and theory 3. Technical proficiency 4. Effectiveness of feedback to peers | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 3: Moving Image Exercise
| Intent: | Working in small groups and using video or animation techniques, students develop a short moving image piece with original soundtrack that responds to the teaching session theme. This task is both group and individually assessed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | a, b, c and e | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 45% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 60 seconds for moving image project 250 word joint/group statement 750 word individual reflection | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria: | 1. Integration of moving image history and practice (assessed as a group) 2. Creativity of response to the theme (assessed as a group) 3. Technical proficiency (assessed as a group) 4. Insightfulness of reflection (individually assessed) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
Students are required to submit documentation to an online approvals system for Media Arts & Production student projects in which they confirm they have acquired the appropriate approvals (locations, crew and cast) necessary to undertake the work that they propose. In addition, students must also identify any and all safety risks that the production of their student project reasonably presents and provide evidence of how they will mitigate those risks while adhering to industry-standard safe work practices. These tasks address the various legal, safety and ethical requirements of screen production. Failure to provide tutors with the required documentation before published deadlines will result in the student crew not being authorised to collect the equipment required to complete their projects from FASS MediaLab.
Attendance at classes is essential in this subject. Classes are based on a collaborative approach that involves essential workshopping and interchange of ideas with other students and the tutor to build capacities towards meeting the subject learning objectives. A roll will be taken at each class. Students who have more than two absences from class will be refused marking of their final assessment (see Rule 3.8).
Team participation is an important part of the subject requirements. Effective contribution to the groupwork project will be taken into consideration and may affect the final grade.
Required texts
There are no required textbooks for this subject. Recommended readings will be available via UTS Library and through the subject site.
References
Block, B. (2007). Space (chapter 3). In The visual story : creating the visual structure of film, TV and digital media (2nd edition ed., pp. 14-82). Focal Press.
Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (2008). Experimental Film. In Film art: an introduction (8th ed., pp. 355-370). McGraw-Hill.
Chion, M. (1994). The audiovisual scene. In Audio-vision: sound on screen (pp. 65-94). Columbia University Press.
English, L. (2014). A Beginner’s Guide To… Field Recording. Fact - VF Publishing. https://www.factmag.com/2014/11/18/a-beginners-guide-to-field-recording/
Fridemann, D., & Mumford, P. (2009). Essays 01-On Visual Music. In H. Lund & C. Lund (Eds.), Audio.visual: on visual music and related media (pp. 148-160). Arnoldsche Art Publishers.
Gibbs, T. (2007). Origins and Development. In The fundamentals of sonic art & sound design (pp. 12-39). AVA Academia.
Hoguet, B. (2014). How to make creative people (truly) collaborate. https://medium.com/reinventing-storytelling/how-to-make-creative-people-truly-collaborate-f51ed9ee1fee
John-Steiner, V. (2000). Patterns of Collaboration among Artists In Creative collaboration (pp. 63-96). Oxford University Press.
Marker, C. (2014). La Jetée [Video]. Kanopy Streaming.
Massey, D. B. (2008). For space. SAGE.
McCloud, S. (1993). Blood in the gutter. In Understanding Comics: the invisible art (pp. 60-93). Harper Perennial.
Miller, S. M. (2013). Aesthetics and the Art of Audio Field Recording. Trebuchet. https://www.trebuchet-magazine.com/aesthetics-art-audio-field-recording/
Shapiro, J. (2015). Haters Of Radio Art, Hear Me Out. Transom. https://transom.org/2015/julie-shapiro/
Steinke, N. (2013). Place and Sound [Radio broadcast]. ABC Radio National Australia. https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/archived/intothemusic/place-and-sound/5340932
Tarkovsky, A. (2019). Stalker Janus Films, The Criterion Collection, Kanopy.