New to the Core for Fall 2014: JDM 133 – Video & Audio Aesthetics

Lights, Camera, Action!

 

JDM 133 - Video and Audio Aesthetics introduces students to the finer points of shooting and editing video. Whether they have previous experience, or have never used a camera before, students will learn the aesthetics of single-camera shooting technique and non-linear video editing. As part of this course, students create a wide-variety of video pieces including music videos and mini-documentaries. These projects allow them to put into practice the visual story-telling concepts that they study. Students in this course have access to the Journalism and Digital Media editing lab, as well as cameras and other equipment, so they have everything they need to both learn and refine their technique.

It has been said that one can never hope to fully understand an event on the same day it occurs. The world is complex, and what one witnesses on video is often but the tip of much larger icebergs floating along. Any truly knowledgeable representation of news events requires immense critical thinking skills and understanding of the aesthetic features of video. This in turn reveals the premises of a liberal arts education.

In such a course, students learn to think and create, not just watch. The student understands what they see through a variety of lenses, from history, ethics, and sociology, to political science. All are brought to bear in understand video aesthetics. Technology and consumer demands have not eclipsed the fundamental intellectual pursuits of journalistic thinking at the heart of video production.

This class is required for all Journalism and Digital Media majors; however, video skills are applicable across multiple fields. Whether you are teaching, marketing an organization, or doing an experiment, video is an integral part of getting your message out. And video shooting and editing skills can really make you stand out when you are looking for that first job.  JDM 133 is 3 credits and counts toward the Aesthetics Core. JDM offers two sections every fall and one section every spring, with plans to expand those offerings as demand increases. For more information on this course, contact Gretchen Dworznik, Journalism and Digital Media Department Chair, at gdworzni@ashland.edu.