Year Two Sample Project

Hands on a Camera: You’re Trapped in a Video Game.

This sample LTTA digital learning project would be implemented in year two, with teachers that have already explored the aesthetic awareness skills development in year one.

MEDIA ARTS project. 

First step: Setting Audience and Purpose

Developing a successful creative arts education learning experience begins with a deep motivation to engage in the artistic process. This will be accomplished in hands-on learning through a combination of digital tools (video editing, special effects work, and music/sound apps) and real world interactions (screenplay writing, camera work, acting.) The concept of this year two proposal is to engage students in a creative arts entrepreneurial experience. This experience could be adapted to many different themes/curriculum. In our example, we’ve attached it to social media, media literacy and social justice issues. A Science theme might connect to climate change. Social studies/FNMI themes may be understanding the meaning and depth of the treaties.

Our example provides a window into our process. We envision big projects/experiences surrounding music creation/music videos or radio dramas/radio stations in schools.

We’ve created a fictitious company, BioMassive Games, so that students participate in a real world-like work-based scenario where they create characters, film live-action video game cut scenes and pitch their video game concepts to a much wider audience. Here is the shaping of audience and purpose for the students:

“The Acquisitions and Development department at BioMassive Games needs new ideas, new stories, new game concepts to reach a generation of gamers who are looking for game play that connects to their lives. We’re old people running the show, and our sales show it. We need youth voices. Now.

Our concept is that you are trapped in a video game environment, a cyber high school. You have to level up to get your characters out of the game. How do you level up? Well that’s your story. And we want to hear it! And the problems you’re faced with? Here’s a place to begin:”

Surveillance: Everywhere you go you’re being watched. And lately you’ve gotten the feeling you’re being followed. You’re not sure why yet. Or who. But you know you’ve got to get free soon because something terrible is about to happen.

Bullying: You’re stuck in an endless cycle of bad days, bad connections with other people, and it’s all about someone else. Either you’re the bully or the bullied, but it seems like this other person has it in for you and somehow, you’ve got to stand up and find space to be your own hero.

Stolen Identity: Your life was going along just fine, maybe not perfect, but fine, and then WHAM! one day you’re going about your usual routine and someone accuses you of doing something awful. They’re so sure. In fact they have proof. Evidence that shows that you were at the scene of the crime. Photos. Signatures. And the more closely you look, the more you realize that someone in the world is pretending to be you. A seriously disturbing version of you.

First Contact:  The Alien Invasion:  Today everything in your world is about to change.  The aliens have landed and with a push of a button they can destroy earth as we know it. They have far more technology and advanced weapons.  Lucky for you, at least for now, these aliens are a peaceful bunch.  They are sending in some Elders and Diplomats from their colonies to negotiate a treaty.  You have been asked to negotiate this treaty on behalf of the human race.  You are the chosen one.  The Elders/Diplomats want to speak and understand your world through the eyes of a youth.  They have asked for you to choose 10 things that you would like to keep?  10 things that are important to you and that you think will help preserve your culture for future generations.  You may want to consider what resources are important to you as a people and what provinces these resources are in.

Developing the Project. Building CAPACITY for arts expression

• Enhancing the student’s and teacher’s creative learning experiences with support from in-class artist visits and a digital learning environment that contains innovative digital tools for skills development, concept attainment and building capacity in the art form.
• Each stage of the development of the Video Game project is supported with artist educator supplied resources, video tutorials, or a virtual or in-class visit from the artist educator.
• Guest artists with special expertise in the field/module being explored will also be invited in where they will have the greatest impact.

The stages for development of the Video Game project:

1. Writing Character and Narration; development of a writing frame to create their video game concepts, including internal and external conflicts.  Students create characters and a setting, develop their characters' identities trapped within a video game world and what is necessary to be able to escape it.

2. Media Arts/Media Literacy; development of creative and technical skills in the use of media arts, expanding critical thinking skills within a media literacy context. ­ Using a camera and different shot types and camera angles to tell the their story and express their point of view to a target audience. Basic video editing skills to construct the core of a media text.

3. Movement and Acting; developing students' ability to communicate through performance based arts. Using their body and voice expressively to convey their message.

4. Special Effects; development of students' understanding and ability to use digital manipulation to enhance their message. Using digital tools to refine and expand their characters and blend them into new environments.

 5. Audio; Using provided sound and music and generating their own, students add layers of meaning to their video creation through the addition of this vital creative element.

6. Video Editing ­ advanced session; expanding students' ability to build an effective media text. Using a dynamic video editing app, students will develop and complete a short video in collaboration with their group to share their experience of being trapped in a video game.

MID-TERM assignment:­ Students create a promo video/pitch video about their game that shows a taste of the world, the story, and a scene of their character exploring internal/external conflict. The artist educator provides constructive feedback to enhance the student projects, increase the arts vocabulary, and solidify the understanding of the artistic context. This step is crucial for building confidence and push the work to a deeper level of execution.

FINAL PROJECT OUTCOME ONE: By the end of this phase, each group will have created a 3 to 6 minute video sequence that may include a live-action cutscene that shows character development, setting and conflicts to be faced and solved.

FINAL PROJECT OUTCOME TWO: Each team will create a pitch for their video game.

•       Overview: How do the game’s objects (characters, enemies, puzzles, weapons, environment, and so on) interact with each other, what is your game is about, and how it looks.

•       Marketing/Game Appeal: Explain the major commercial aspects of the game, like public target, deadlines, competitors and selling points. This section shows how it meets the consumer demand.

•       High Concept: Clarify the core concept of your game.

•       Victory Conditions: What must be done to win the game, when the player loses and under which conditions this happens. In other words, this section explains the goals of the game.

•       Art: It’s important to show the style of art behind your game, since the art will influence how the elements of your game’s universe will coexist and how it will affect the emotions of the gamer. 

The Big Event

Students will develop an understanding of the importance of telling their stories to a wider audience. In business this is an important facet of marketing. In life, it’s an important means of gathering and expanding community and building a shared understanding of values. We grow as a community through celebrations. We begin to invest more in each other.

This big project could have many ways of expanding into a wider audience. When we look at potential community spaces and partnerships we see potential in these areas:

•       Telus Optik TV screening the projects

•       Telus builds an app to show them

•       Big Community screening at movie theatre

•       Online Film Festival on LTTA YouTube channel or any online delivery

•       (in Calgary) EPCOR Gallery walk in downtown.

•       Online Film Festival on our YouTube channel, MC'd by someone from the Video Game industry

•       Big Screening event for the community at Community Centre in community

•       BioMassive representatives attend the event and provide question and answer sessions.

•       Guest Video Game developers and narrative specialists from Bio Ware or the Vancouver Film and Video Game Design School.

•       Telus Webseries developers attend the event and provide feedback

•       An awards night/pitch session.