This project may be completed by the following students:
1st Year Media Arts Majors.
2nd Year Media Arts Majors.
3rd Year Media Arts Majors.
Directions
Pre-Production
It is strongly suggested that you complete the Photo Presentation project first.
The Photo Presentation project is about showcasing selected photos, a thing you will have to do for this project. If you have to do it anyway, you might as well get a grade for it.
Acquire permission to photograph a school event. Ideally this should be an arts performance, but any arts event is fair game provided permission has been given by the staff in charge of the event and/or your Media Arts teacher.
If possible, your Media Arts teacher will provide you with a classroom camera (DSLR or similar) for this process. Listen to their provided instructions as not all cameras have buttons in the same locations, and different cameras have different features.
If you have a dedicated camera (NOT a phone) this can also be an option.
You should only be using a phone for this project if no other options are available. Subjects react differently to someone holding a "professional" looking camera than they do to someone holding a phone, even if they don't always notice they're doing so.
Your Media Arts teachers and the staff running the event may have specific requests for you to follow. These might involve any/all of the following:
Looking for specific interactions.
"Candid" shots where the subject(s) being photographed are engaged in an activity and not looking directly at the camera.
Staged shots where the subjects are very much aware they're being photographed and are posing accordingly, usually with a staff member's direction.
Documenting a set or other visual display.
Increased attention to a specific portion of a stage (usually other photographers will be assigned to other portions of the stage, so full coverage is still provided).
That all photos be taken from a specific, designated location.
Other.
Production
Attend the event and take as many photos as you can.
A dedicated camera's memory card can hold hundreds of photos. You will rarely ever be able to take "too many" images. When in doubt, take photos. Done well, you should end the event with over a hundred photos. The more you have, the more likely you are to have multiple good shots.
Do not devote time to sorting/deleting photos during the event. This is the best way to miss a good shot.
Remember that your first job as an event photographer is to not distract from the event, and your second job is to make the participants look good. If you're blocking someone's view or calling attention to yourself, you're breaking these rules. This includes using the flash! Performances are professionally lit. If your camera is telling you that you need to use the flash, ignore it and adjust your settings accordingly.
Post-Production
Review your photos.
Remove any photos that did not turn out well.
If you have several near-identical images, select the best one (or any of them, if they're truly identical).
Repeat this process until you have at least 20 distinctly different photos that accurately portray what happened at the event.
If you have less than 20 distinctly different photos, you did not follow the steps listed in the Production phase.
Organize the photos into a presentation that showcases the event and provides context for the selected images. This presentation can take a variety of forms:
Video Slideshow
Video Documentary
Google Slideshow
"Behind The Scenes" Style Video
Other (Ask your Media Arts teacher if you think of a different presentation method.)
If you are creating a video, it is strongly suggested that you include audio that fits the theme of the event. This can include narration and/or music.
Double-check the rubric and submit your finished presentation for a grade.
Rubric
25% Presentation includes a minimum of 20 distinctly different images of a school event shot by the student.
25% Presentation provides context for the selected images, explaining what is taking place at the moment the photo has been taken and/or what has led up to that moment.
25% Presentation is a single file, as opposed to separately submitted images.
25% Citations for all content not owned by the student are included in the credits, including the media name, creator's name (if known), and where the media is from. (Remember, Pintrest and TikTok don't give permission for reuse elsewhere. Google is a search engine, not a citable source.)
1st Year Media Arts Majors.
2nd Year Media Arts Majors.
3rd Year Media Arts Majors.