SexEd: extra credit and Collab course

SexEd http://sexedproject.org is an ongoing quest to expose the current state of sexual education in the US, encourage a public discourse around the topics of sexual health and education, and develop a sex education curriculum that is artist-inspired and community-based—something currently not in existence in the United States. The SexEd project launches at Cuchifritos gallery on the LES in February 2013.

Need extra credit?
Make a video for our YouTube open call:
http://sexedproject.org/youtube-video-calls

With Liz Slagus, I'm also teaching a SexEd Collab course through the Fine Arts department at Parsons next semester. Students will be making SexEd-themed video work that is screened at Cuchifritos on selected dates, curating screenings of video work submitted to the SexEd project website via the open call, and creating a pop-up YouTube booth for public interventions. For more info go to http://sexedproject.org and/or email me for the syllabus.

Homework due 11.01.12

Finish your stop motion project for the crit next week. Export it as a high quality quicktime file, burn it to a DVD, and bring the DVD and your firewire drive as a backup: http://introto4df12.blogspot.com/2012/10/fcp-exporting-high-quality-quicktime.html.

FCP: Exporting a High Quality QuickTime file (2)

1. Once you are finished, save everything, then make sure that your final sequence is open in the Timeline.

2. Go to File>Export>Using QuickTime Conversion. In the dialogue box:
Save As: give your movie a title like "time_final_highquality.mov" so it is distinguishable from your other video exports.
Where: Save it to your FireWire hard drive.
Format: QuickTime Movie
Then click on Options, and a new dialogue box appears.

3. Under Video choose Settings
Compression Type: Apple ProRes 422.
Click OK, this takes you back to the earlier dialogue box.

4. Under Video choose Size. Change as needed to match your project settings.

5. Click OK again, then Save. Your file will begin exporting. This takes time, be patient! Do not click on the file, even if it appears in the Finder, until FCP is finished.

6. Check your exported video -- open it in QuickTime, it should look fabulous. If not, check your settings and try again. You can also try using H264 for compression instead of Apple ProRes 422.

7. Burn this file to DVD. It will be big, several gigabytes. This is your backup, you can use this file to make mastered DVDs, and to import into other versions of FCP/FCP Express. Make 2 copies, 1 for me and 1 for you. Bring the DVD with you to class next week for the crit, as well as a backup on your firewire drive.

FCP: Setting up your HD stop motion project (with photos only)

1. Open FCP, in the first dialogue box "Format" choose Apple Pro Res 422 and set the primary scratch disk to your FireWire 800 drive. The program should open.

2. In the upper left choose Final Cut Pro>System Settings. Make sure that all of the options are set to save to your FireWire drive.

3. In the upper left choose Final Cut Pro>Audio/Video Settings. For your sequence preset choose Apple ProRes 422 1440x1080 30p (*not* Apple ProRes 422 (HQ)). For your capture preset choose HDV-Apple ProRes 422. For your device control preset choose non-controllable device. Video playback should be set to none and audio to default. Then click OK.

4. Go to Final Cut Pro>User Preferences. Click on the Editing tab and change the Still/Freeze duration to 1 second (the default is 10 seconds, way too long!).

5. Go to File>New>Sequence. A new sequence "Sequence 2" should appear in your Browser. Double check that Sequence 2 has the correct settings by going to Sequence>Settings. Your sequence should be 1440x1080 29.97fps and the Compressor Apple ProRes 422. Then go back and delete your first sequence, "Sequence 1," and rename Sequence 2 something you'll remember.

6. Go to File>New Project, then immediately save your project to your FireWire drive.

7. Import the folder with your stop motion photos by going to File>Import>Folder and choosing the folder with your photos.

You're all set! Start editing away. Try and remember to save your project often -- computers crash, especially when they are editing video.

Homework due 10.25.12

Finish your shooting and import your images into FCP.

Instructions for setting up your project are posted here:
-if your project only uses photos http://introto4df12.blogspot.com/2012/10/fcp-setting-up-your-hd-stop-motion_19.html
-if your project uses photos and HD video http://introto4df12.blogspot.com/2012/10/fcp-setting-up-your-hd-stop-motion.html

Instructions for working with photos in FCP are posted here:
http://introto4df12.blogspot.com/2012/10/fcp-tips-for-working-with-photos.html

Please have them imported (or at least attempt it) BEFORE class next week. Isaac and I will help you troubleshoot during class time.

FCP: Additional resources

The AMT computer lab at 2 West 13th St. on the 10th floor has FCP and access to LYNDA (http://www.lynda.com/). Go on over and ask a technician to log you in. There are all kinds of tutorials for FCP and other software.

FCP: Setting up your HD stop motion project (with live action HD video)

1. Open FCP, in the first dialogue box "Format" choose Apple Pro Res 422 and set the primary scratch disk to your FireWire 800 drive. The program should open.

2. In the upper left choose Final Cut Pro>System Settings. Make sure that all of the options are set to save to your FireWire drive.

3. In the upper left choose Final Cut Pro>Audio/Video Settings. For your sequence preset choose Apple ProRes 422 1920x1080 30p (*not* Apple ProRes 422 (HQ)). For your capture preset choose HDV-Apple ProRes 422. For your device control preset choose non-controllable device. Video playback should be set to none and audio to default. Then click OK.

4. Go to Final Cut Pro>User Preferences. Click on the Editing tab and change the Still/Freeze duration to 1 second (the default is 10 seconds, way too long!).

5. Go to File>New>Sequence. A new sequence "Sequence 2" should appear in your Browser. Double check that Sequence 2 has the correct settings by going to Sequence>Settings. Your sequence should be 1920x1080 29.97fps and the Compressor Apple ProRes 422. Then go back and delete your first sequence, "Sequence 1," and rename Sequence 2 something you'll remember.

6. Go to File>New Project, then immediately save your project to your FireWire drive.

7. Import the folder with your stop motion photos by going to File>Import>Folder and choosing the folder with your photos.

You're all set! Start editing away. Try and remember to save your project often -- computers crash, especially when they are editing video.

FCP: Working with photos

1. Put all of the images you want to use in one folder on your FireWire drive.

2. In FCP, set up your project with the correct HD settings
-if your project only uses photos http://introto4df12.blogspot.com/2012/10/fcp-setting-up-your-hd-stop-motion_19.html
-if your project uses photos and HD video http://introto4df12.blogspot.com/2012/10/fcp-setting-up-your-hd-stop-motion.html

3. Go to Final Cut Pro>User Preferences. Click on the Editing tab and change the Still/Freeze duration to 1 second (the default is 10 seconds, way too long!).

4. Go to File>Import>Folder and choose the folder of images in your hard drive. The folder will appear in the Browser. Drag the folder into your timeline, and your images will appear in sequence. Each image will have a duration of 1 second.

5. To apply a filter or change the speed of all of your images you will need to NEST your sequence. This turns your many clips into one clip.
To nest a sequence:
-create a new sequence in your Browser (File>New>Sequence)
-double click to open it in the Timeline
-from the Browser, pull your original sequence down into your new sequence, it will appear as a single clip
-to make edits to your nested sequence that require the Viewer, remember to hold down the Option key when you double click to get your nested sequence to appear in the Viewer

6. If FCP is acting buggy, it may be that your images are too big. Suggested camera settings are posted here: http://introto4df12.blogspot.com/2012/10/canon-60d7d-settings-for-stop-motion.html. If you shot them as RAW files, all is not lost -- you can open/import them in iPhoto, then go to File > Export, and choose JPEG, high or medium quality. Then import the images into FCP again. This should make everything go much faster.

Canon 60D/7D Settings for Stop Motion

To shoot images for your stop motion project with the 60D/7D, you will make your life easier if you switch the image setting from RAW to JPEG S1 (fine). Your image will still be 2.2mb, and this smaller file size is much easier for FCP to handle.

Remember that the top and bottom of your image are going to get cropped when you import them into FCP! The Canon has a different aspect ratio than your HD video project. The 7D will give you a preview if you leave it in Movie mode.

To shoot in short bursts, you can use the camera in Sports mode, the 60D will shoot 5.3 images per second, the 7D can shoot 8 images per second.

More Stop Motion

http://rrrrrrrroll.tumblr.com/

Homework due 10.18.12

Make significant progress on your stop motion project. Reshoot and record sound as needed. Be prepared to show video/audio footage next week.

Stop Motion Project (due 11.01.12)

For your next assignment, create a short (3 minutes or less) stop-motion animation project influenced by the hand-made/drawn/torn animations of William Kentridge or the more traditional stop-motion techniques of Jan Svankmajer. This is a short, experimental project, keep it simple. You have 2 class periods of work time, 1 class of editing time, with the final animation due 11.01.12.

Examples of student work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxAmSh6YYXQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWsWxxjTR34

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgMns9I0dhw

In addition to our usual classroom, a studio room will be available to us during class time (location TBD).

Guidelines and notes:
-If you use one of the school's DSLR cameras and have it set to shoot video, it will take a still image and give you a preview of what the image will look like in FCP (note the gray bars on the top and bottom). If you use your own camera, it may not. If it's a different aspect ratio, how are you going to use the extra space in the frame?
-Use a tripod and tape its placement on the floor. Label your tape with Sharpie that says "DO NOT REMOVE UNTIL 11/1/12." Every time your camera moves, even slightly, it changes the shot and will effect the flow of your animation (you will suddenly have a slight jump over to the left, for example).
-Definitely do not use natural light, it's impossible to keep consistent. If the lighting changes, even slightly, it changes the shot and will effect the flow of your animation (you will suddenly have one blueish frame, for example).
-If you can work in the studio room, I'd suggest pulling the shades and leaving the overhead lights on to keep the lighting consistent.
-Before you start, test with and without a flash to see what works better (if you have anything glossy or shiny no flash).
-You can use photo lights but they have to be set up in exactly the same place in exactly the same way every time, tough to do when you have to move around. Be sure to tape the placement of everything on the floor and take notes. Label your tape with Sharpie that says "DO NOT REMOVE UNTIL 11/1/12." You can sign out light kits from the Equipment Center.

Homework due 10.11.12

1. Draw: Finalize sketches and written plans for your strop motion project.

2. Supplies: Bring whatever you need to work on your project for the full class (paper, drawing materials, tape, pushpins). Sign out equipment: cameras, lights, etc. There will be a studio room available to you.