VIDEO, SOUND, & MUSIC PRODUCTION
A CENTRAL MONTCO TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM
EXPLORATORY ASSIGNMENTS
*PLEASE READ*
These assignments are meant to be done on your own time and at home unless you get permission from the instructor to work on them during class time. They are meant to expand what we learn here in class so you can go home and practice your creative skills and abilities. The assignments should also contain YOUR ORIGINAL WORK (photos, videos, music, etc.) unless you get permission from the Instructor. Your photo collage assignments MUST have a MINIMUM of 5 images or more in them and create a collage using an app like"Pic Collage". You can also download Premiere Rush, iMovie, and Garageband, for other exploratories that require it. It would also be a good idea to download the Schoology app to make uploading your assignments easier. If you have any questions, please ask.
ASSIGNMENT 1 - Pick a Mood & Make a Playlist
One of the first things we learn in the program is to think creatively, Whether you're at home or in the studio, you should always keep your creativity flowing. Taking photos is an easy way to explore your creative side.
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For this assignment, you need to pick an emotion from this list:
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Happy
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Sad
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Angry
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Hungry
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Tired
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Fear
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Shy
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Guilt
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Surprise
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Create a collage by taking pictures of yourself, friends, etc. It must have people in it. to create a collage of the emotion you chose. You must use a MINIMUM of 6 pictures for your collage. Use the Pic Collage app or something similar to create your collage.
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Create a 6-song playlist of songs that match the emotion you chose. Use any artist and song you wish.
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You can take a screenshot of your playlist on whatever listening platform you use or simply type the song list into the submission box in Schoology.
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Upload your collage and paste your Playlist into your submission
ASSIGNMENT 2 - Spooky Themes
The month of October is known for spooky concepts and ideas... It's a time for Scary stories, Spooky videos, and Ghoulish sounds!
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The question is...how would you represent .... SPOOKY?
How or what you do is up to you... IDEAS:
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Photo collage of Fall images (leaves, pumpkins) or spooky decorations. The collage must have a MINIMUM of 5 images
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Makeup effects and costumes - take a pic of your original creation
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Carve or paint a pumpkin
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Scary sound recordings/effects
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A spooky or scary song you made or a mashup of scary sounds and songs
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A spine-tingling video clip or trailer (Tik-Tok)
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Use whatever equipment, software
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Just remember it needs to be an original creation from you.
Also... Please keep it school appropriate.
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After completing the project upload your creation to Schoology
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and don't forget... Have fun!
ASSIGNMENT 3 - "A Week in the Life" - Sounds
Your daily routine... what is it?
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Waking up
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Making meals
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Chores - walking dog, taking out the trash, cleaning room, etc.
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Your commute - car, bus, walk, etc.
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Going to school
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Entertainment - games, exercise, spending time with friends
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Sports, clubs, activities
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Your job(s) - going to work, babysitting
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For this Exploratory, you will collect a MINIMUM of 5 sounds from your weekly routine to create a soundtrack of your "Week in the Life" using your Smartphone
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Use the "Voicememos" App or Garageband on iPhone or on Android using the "Voicerecord" app
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Create a 60-second MP3 track with your sounds
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Create a background song using the Apple loops in Garageband
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Export the finished MP3 to Schoology
BRRRR!!! ​- It's cold out there! I don't know about you, but I actually like the winter and SNOW! To take advantage of the recent weather...
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1. For this assignment, use what you've learned about composition in photography from watching the provided tutorials and do a photo collage with the theme being "COLD" Get outside or stay inside and take some photos using the terms we've learned like "worms and birds-eye point of view, foreground, focal point, symmetry, horizon line, etc." and take some pictures of things that represent cold. Here are some examples:
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Snow, ice, snowballs, snowman
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things in your home - ice cubes - things in your freezer - foods - ice cream
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Windows with fog/ice on them
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Blankets, gloves, jackets, hats
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Heaters or a fireplace
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2. Take a minimum of 5 pictures using your phone's camera featuring Fall colors (yellows, reds, oranges, browns) and stitch them together using the pic collage app of your choosing. Then upload to Schoology where the assignment is posted.
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ASSIGNMENT 4 - Photo Collage - COLD!
ASSIGNMENT 5 - Photo Collage - Texture
When talking about photography texture refers to the visual quality of the surface of an object, revealed through variances in shape, tone, and color depth. Texture brings life and vibrance to images that would otherwise appear flat and uninspiring.
For this Assignment, use your Smartphone to photograph a variety of textures and create a photo collage. You must use a MINIMUM of 5 images for your collage. Some examples of texture can be:
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soft
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smooth
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rough
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sharp
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jagged
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shiny
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Your collage can have different images of the same texture like 5 images that are all smooth
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Or 5 images of different textures like smooth, sharp, rough, shiny, and sticky.
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Most of your images should be photographed close up to show the texture, but can also be shot farther away.
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You can use different lighting to enhance the texture - bright, dark, contrasty
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Using the pic collage app of your choosing create a photo collage. Then upload to Schoology where the assignment is posted.
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ASSIGNMENT 6 - Photo Journal
"A Week in the Life"
You may not think about it very often, but what do you do in a week? What do you do every hour, day, week? Do you have a routine? do you have things you do all the time? sports, hobbies?
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1. For this assignment, use what you've learned about composition in photography from watching the provided tutorials and do a photo collage with the theme being "A Week in my Life"
2. Here are some examples to use as your subject matter:
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hobbies
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pics of you playing games
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pics of you listening to music
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eating your favorite meal
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hanging with friends, family, pets
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MAKE THE PHOTOS INTERESTING!
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Set up the shot first. Ask others for help
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Do a funny pose or use props
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Take the pictures at interesting angles (pets or family member point of view)
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​I don't want to see boring stuff like doing homework unless you do it in a fun or cool way
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3. Take a minimum of 5 pictures (1 for each day) using your phone's camera featuring your images of light and stitch them together using the pic collage app of your choosing. Then upload to Schoology where the assignment is posted.
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ASSIGNMENT 7 - Forms of Light
Without light, we wouldn't be able to take a picture or record a video. It's all around us in different forms, from natural to artificial in a variety of different colors and intensities
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1. For this assignment, use what you've learned about composition in photography from watching the provided tutorials and do a photo collage with the theme being "Forms of Light"
2. Here are some examples to use as your subject matter
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Flashlights
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Lamps and ceiling lights
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Smartphone
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Holiday lights/string lights
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Objects that light up - toys
3. ​Use these types of light to light other objects or take pictures of the objects themselves
4. Take a minimum of 5 pictures using your phone's camera featuring your images of light and stitch them together using the pic collage app of your choosing. Then upload to Schoology where the assignment is posted.
ASSIGNMENT 8 - The "5 Senses" Collage
The Five Senses are: Taste, Touch, Sound, Smell, and Sight
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1. For this assignment, use what you've learned about composition in photography from watching the provided tutorials and figure out how to depict each of The Five Senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, or hearing) in a photo collage. You will take a total of 5 photos-one of each sense.
2. In addition to including one of the five senses in each photo, you'll also want to remember the elements of composition and use at least one to enhance your photograph and draw attention to the subject.
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3. Take 5 pictures using your phone's camera featuring the 5 Senses and stitch them together using the pic collage app of your choosing. Then upload to Schoology where the assignment is posted.
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***If you don't have access to a camera or Smartphone, please contact us for an alternate assignment.
ASSIGNMENT 9 - "About Me" Collage
Create a Photoshop collage of things that describe you and your interests. Create a new file in Photoshop of a size of 11"X17" with a resolution of 150 DPI. You must cut out all the items you chose using the selection tool(s) of your choice. You must include a minimum of 10 images. You can also include Photoshop filters and effects to enhance your images. Make sure to place each image on a separate layer and name each layer to keep things organized. You can take your own images (preferred) or you can find royalty-free images on Google. EVERY IMAGE NEEDS TO BE CUT OUT. DON'T JUST DRAG IMAGES OVER WITHOUT TRACING THEM OUT.
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Create a new file in Photoshop of a size of 11X17" with a resolution of 150 DPI. Save the file as your last name and first initial + flower (ex: McCarthyF_about_me.psd). When you are finished, flatten the image and save it again as a JPEG with the same name (ex. McCarthyF_about_me.jpg).
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When finished, please upload the JPEG to the Schoology Exploratory Assignment folder
ASSIGNMENT 10 - Patterns
A pattern is a repeated design. We are instinctively drawn to patterns, as they help us extract order from the chaos in the world around us. As a general rule, we love patterns so much that our brains create patterns where there are none at all.
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Repetition refers to objects, shapes, forms, figures, or lines repeated in regular, consistent intervals. Think of repetition as the visual equivalent to a beat in music. Repetition of forms in an image is pleasing to the eye in much the same way that rhythm is pleasing to the ear in music. The eye tends to follow repetition, giving a sense of movement in the image.
Your assignment is to find patterns and repetition around you in your home. Use them in your images to create compelling compositions (just like music!). You must use a MINIMUM of 5 images for your collage.
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Look Around! Pattern and repetition are everywhere. While you are at home this week search for strong graphic elements, shapes, lines, areas of contrast, or colors.
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Emphasize Pattern. Fill the entire image with repeating elements or patterns to create a visual impact—from corner to corner, edge to edge. If the pattern or repeating visual elements are dominated by lines, try rotating the camera and viewfinder so that the lines create diagonals instead of a vertical or horizontal orientation.
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Break It. Include a visual anomaly within the pattern to create a powerful focal point.
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Use Perspective. Photograph repeating elements diminishing into the distance. This can be every bit as effective as leading lines or power shapes in creating a visual movement that helps move the viewer’s eye up and through the image in a dynamic way.
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Stretch your creativity finding pattern and repetition while you are at home. Using the pic collage app of your choosing create a photo collage. Then upload to Schoology where the assignment is posted.
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ASSIGNMENT 11 - The Color GREEN
One of the first things we learn in the program is to think creatively, Whether you're at home or in the studio, you should always keep your creativity flowing. Taking photos is an easy way to explore your creative side.
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1. For this assignment, use what you've learned about composition in photography from watching the provided tutorials and do a photo collage with the theme being "The Color Green" Get outside and take some photos using the terms we've learned like "worms and birds-eye point of view, foreground, focal point, symmetry, horizon line, etc." and take some pictures that make you think of the Spring.
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If you can't get outside, there's plenty of things around the house you can take photos of. See the example in the collage on the right. If you spend some time and look around, there's probably plenty of things to choose from.
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2. Take a minimum of 5 pictures using your phone's camera featuring the color green and stitch them together using the pic collage app of your choosing. Then upload to Schoology where the assignment is posted.
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ASSIGNMENT 12 - Close-Ups
There's a whole other world around us that we see every day from far away. Close-up photographs can change an ordinary subject into an abstract, more interesting composition when taking your images.
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1. For this assignment, use what you've learned about composition in photography from watching the provided tutorials and do a photo collage with the theme being "CLose-Up"
Get outside or stay inside and take some photos of everyday items and shoot them as close as you can with your Smartphone or camera. Remember, you don't always have to get physically close, if your device has a zoom, use it to take your pictures up close.
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2. Take a minimum of 5 pictures using your phone's camera capturing these sounds and stitch them together using the pic collage app of your choosing. Then upload to Schoology where the assignment is posted.
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ASSIGNMENT 13 - Pick a Composition Word
1. For this assignment, use what you've learned about composition in photography from watching the provided tutorials and do a photo collage with the therm picking ONE of these words:
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Symmetry
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Focal Point
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Worm's Eye
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Contrast
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Horizon Line
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2. Take a minimum of 5 pictures using your phone's camera featuring this word and stitch them together using the pic collage app of your choosing. Then upload to Schoology where the assignment is posted.
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As you work, save your project as a .psd and name it lastname + first initial +license.psd. When you are finished, save it again as a JPEG with the same name (ex: McCarthyF_license.jpg).
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When finished, please upload it to the Schoology Exploratory Assignment folder
ASSIGNMENT 14 - Colorize a B&W Picture
CLICK ON THE IMAGES IMAGES TO DOWNLOAD
​Change one of these images into a color image. Use what works for you. You can create layers and colorize them using selection tools and working with the airbrush, fill, and opacity tools. Below is a tutorial on how to colorize your image
IMPORTANT: EACH ITEM (donuts, fruit, flowers) NEEDS TO BE COLORIZED.
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Create a new file in Photoshop of a size of 8X10 with a resolution of 150 DPI. Save the file as your last name and first initial + flower (ex: McCarthyF_flower.psd). When you are finished, flatten the image and save it again as a JPEG with the same name (ex. McCarthyF_.jpg).
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When finished, please upload it to the Schoology Exploratory Assignment folder