Fundamentals of Digital Media - It's a Wrap!

What a long, stressful, fantastic semester it has been. I've learned a ton, gone through multiple rough patches, and worried like there's no tomorrow. The good news is, a break has arrived!

Fundamentals of Digital Media is the first online class I have ever taken. It was certainly a learning experience - not having to meet in a classroom, getting to know your classmates via discussion sessions (honestly, it almost feels like I know more about my classmates than any other class because of this feature!), and using all online resources for assignments. I have been introduced to many aspects of art I had never even heard of prior to this course. Generative and Text-based were words that I had never seen behind the word "art" before. In addition to this, I gained many skills that I never would have imagined I would be working with. 3D modeling was definitely the standout in this area. I was completely amazed viewing how it's done. Even though the program we used for the course was quite user friendly, watching the assigned videos to get an in-depth look at how these models are created was fascinating. I also gained skill in creating Generative Art using online drawing applications, making vector graphics, making my own text-based art, and creating a typology grid. I built upon some of the skills I already have as well, including photography framing, identifying proper resolution.

Still from This is Your Brain On Insomnia
The skeletal-looking image was created with
the Generative software, "Scribbler."

These hard skills that I have learned will certainly help me moving forward with making films in the future. Generative software can produce some stunning images. I have already taken two of my generative images, shot them on high-contrast negative film, and used them in a short that I just recently made (see photo on the right). Now that I have the basics of 3D modeling, I can learn more about that in the future and apply that to my work if I so choose. I can't think of a single thing that I learned in this course that would not apply to my future endeavors, and I am grateful for that.

My biggest obstacle this semester was time-management. It has been an ongoing problem, and is still a skill I need much improvement on. However, I did learn to try my absolute best to avoid procrastination with assignments, especially in online courses. Being occupied with my other classes, I often overlooked dedicating the right amount of time for assignments in this course. This resulted in a few being rushed, late, and sometimes I missed giving feedback on the discussions completely. I plan to make an effort to improve my time management issues next semester. After all, I am taking two film production courses!

All in all, it's been one rocky road this term. I'm glad it's over, but I'm also very grateful for what I've learned, the skills I've picked up, the ones I've improved on, and the realization of the ones that still need improvement.

Until Next Term, Peace & B Wild.