Producing Digital Art by Using Digital Video and VJing Software

Which of the CLC's aims and objectives did the project hope to cover?
- Improve access to, and use of, the latest education technology for pupils, teachers and the community.
- Increase attainment levels through use of that technology.
- Improve the quality of teaching and learning.
- Act as test beds for innovation and new ways of working.

The Project and its Aims
The focus of the project was to support Year 9 students from the Host School with a cross-curricular programme including Art, ICT and Music. This project was designed by the class teacher and the CLC staff in order to introduce students to a new approach of making art through creative possibilities using digital media. The objectives of this project were to: -
- Encourage creativity in art through the use of digital media.
- To create the content for live performance under the influence of artists and designers.
- Work with industry professionals in order to provide a vocational context.
- To perform a final piece both inside and outside of school.
- To create a scheme of work as a pilot for Year 9 Digital Media Studies.

The students were working at levels 4/5 in Art & Design, targeting the Programmes of Study in 1a, 1b, 2a, 4c and 5c. This covered exploring ideas for different purposes/audience, manipulating materials and images in the styles of artists and using ICT as a tool to create a final outcome.

How was the Project Run and Catered for?
A planning meeting was held with the Art teacher from Shireland Language College to complete a programme matrix, to agree the target group, levels and objectives of the programme, the hardware and software to be used and training needs. It was also agreed that this programme would run for 10 weeks during lesson time of one and a half hours. The task was to ‘Combine video and sound with VJing software to produce a multimedia piece of digital art’. A training session in the afternoon was organised in which Julian Coultas from Apple UK delivered training of how to use Modul8 software. This software enables video jockeys to digitally sequence clips and images by using an editing process. Staff were given training on how to use key elements to video craft a simple performance. This included fading from one screen to another using the MIDI Mixers, importing video clips and exporting as a live performance.

The first session of this project was an organised visit by Jim Horsefield, a professional video jockey who introduced the students to VJing. He showed examples of live performances and demonstrated how to use professional equipment in order to carry out a live performance. This was an exciting morning as all staff and students had the opportunity to experience being video jockeys.

Prior to the visits to the CLC, the Art teacher worked with her students at school in order to prepare for the project. This included researching information based on the chosen artist Kandinsky and then creating mobile structures in his style. All the artwork was then filmed at the CLC and imported into iMovie, an editing software where each clip was then converted to Quicktime files.

A demonstration of how to use Modul8 software was delivered to the students. It was during this process that the students worked in pairs to manipulate their video clips, add effects and use the MIDI Mixers to control the output of the live performance. Also, as part of this project, a session on GarageBand was introduced in which students created their own digital music compositions. Students used keyboards and existing music loops on GarageBand to compose a music track for their live performance. Students were able to play their music piece together with their video clips, making sure that it all matched with the beats. Towards the end of the project, students performed a live video display to their peers and staff.

Outcomes of the Project:
The final outcome of the project was a creation of live video mixing with music using the latest technology and software. The live performance illustrated a combination of visual art, ripping, dynamics and rhythmic compositions which, enabled students to further develop their artistic, musical and editing skills in Digital Art. Students were very enthusiastic about the project and were very delighted to perform the live video performance to the rest of the group. Students will also VJ at the end of year school production at Shireland Language College and for the Summer Showcase at the City Learning Centre. Students are currently assisting a new target group in delivering demonstrations of the software and equipment. The work completed by students has contributed towards the assessment criteria for the National Curriculum and their progress is also being monitored through the CLC Tracking System.

Lessons learnt:
The mixture of work at the schools integrated with the visits to the CLC worked very well and ensured that the programme was a success in order to build a new scheme of work for Art & Design, (Digital Art). This scheme of work has been developed by the Art teacher and is being delivered again to a new target group in Year 9. Working intensively with the Art teacher and the students for the duration of this project meant that the live video performance could be completed to a high quality standard. Involving Julian Coultas and Jim was very inspirational for staff and students as they had an opportunity to learn and experience the work of industry professionals. It has been agreed by staff that more practise for students on Modul8 is needed in order to further develop VJing skills to an advanced level. Practise sessions may be delivered as part of study support workshops after school.