Welcome to Digital Media and Design at RIC, where it's all about getting hands-on and creative! Unlike your typical Media Studies A Level, this course is 100% production-based. We're all about teaching a range of digital media skills, starting with moving images and digital photography, and we're buzzing to dive into mobile and multimedia applications next year.
The heart of our course? Media and design, plain and simple. We encourage our students to dig deep, experiment, and come up with fresh, innovative ideas inspired by a mix of artists from all sorts of fields. We're not just stuck in the digital realm either. We've taken cues from theatre set design, performance art, sculpture, and architecture to spark our creativity. And when we say 'we', we mean everyone. Ideas fly around here—from students to teachers and back again—because as the internet evolves, so do we. It's all about sharing what we've discovered on our digital journeys.
Throughout the year, you'll tackle loads of 'mini-projects' that introduce a variety of skills, using a broad spectrum of software. It's a dynamic, collaborative environment where pitching ideas and evolving projects together is just part of the daily fun. So, buckle up and get ready to explore the ever-changing landscape of digital media with us at RIC!
Music videos
Visual poetry
Short films (fictional, experimental and documentary for example)
Animation shorts including stop frame
Photostories and Photo essays
Photographic installation or projections
Animated visitor guides
Web design
Social media promotional films as part of an online campaign
Mobile phone games
Creative multi-media displays
Once basic skills have been established, our students follow their own interests and create their own path. Their final production is self-led which means they are free to write their own brief and target a suitable audience. This year’s students all chose to create products they were passionate about, with three students dealing with real clients to create digital media content for an existing brand and target audience. Products included:
Digital Media and Design suits UK based students as well as international students as the nature of digital content creation means that students can share their own experiences from across the globe. This year we had students from the UK, Ghana, Zambia, Reunion, Egypt, China and the Philippines.
75% coursework, 25% controlled assignment
Length of exams: controlled assessment which lasts for 10 hours.
• Digital photography
• Moving image
• Mobile and multimedia applications
• Communication • Creativity
• Innovation
• Intention
• Critical reflection
• Research and context
Students choose a theme from the list in the syllabus. There are two elements to the portfolio:
• supporting studies
• a proposal
Students choose one assignment from the question paper.
There are two elements to the assignment:
• supporting studies
• a final outcome, produced during a supervised test of 10 hours’ total duration
This is a practical component with written work. Students research a topic/theme of their choice. There are two elements to the investigation:
• a final practical outcome
• written analysis (1000-1500 words)
Online Magazines
https://www.creativebloq.com/ Art and Design Inspiration magazine with articles relevant to digital photography, moving image and mobile and multimedia applications
https://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/ online magazine with articles and tutorials for digital photography, moving image and mobile and multimedia applications. It introduces a wide range of artists outside of the areas studied for A Level but these can be used as inspiration and are influential
https://www.commarts.com/ online magazine covering a wide range of disciplines but with a focus on interactive digital art and digital photography too
https://nofilmschool.com/ - a great website on all aspects of filmmaking
https://www.indiewire.com/ - a great website on all aspects of moving image
https://digital-photography-school.com/ - articles and tutorials on digital photography including a wide range of techniques
https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/projects/connected-studio - a website linked to a wide range of current and planned digital media projects to keep the BBC on the cutting-edge of digital broadcasting
https://econsultancy.com/how-museums-are-using-immersive-digital-experiences/ - an article about immersive digital experiences in museums relevant to multimedia applications
https://khoros.com/resources/social-media-demographics-guide - articles on target audiences for digital media products via social media
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/en-gb/blog/social-media-what-countries-use-it-most-and-what-are-they-using - an article on social media use across the world
https://nofilmschool.com/tags/podcasts - listen to podcasts about all elements of filmmaking
https://www.colesclassroom.com/podcast/ - listen to podcasts about all elements of digital photography including targeting audiences
https://www.shortoftheweek.com/ - watch a wide range of short films (in all genres) including a new featured short film every week
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Pksdbj37CdE00kmE7Z1dw - Adorama Tv have a range of videos on photography and their series ‘Through the Lens’ is very good for introducing a wide range of contemporary photographers and the changing aesthetic of digital photography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuDSNLi_mbc&list=PLwm6LvGc5xq2T3_GgS5UnhGwMnUlHDcywhttps://wistia.com/learn/culture/wistia-cribs - a look inside some smaller exciting digital production studios
www.skillshare.com – a site dedicated to creative tutorials in all fields including digital photography, moving image and mobile and multimedia applications
https://scratch.mit.edu/download - scratch is a basic educational tool to create programmes and games (aimed at ages 8 to 16). If you have an interest in creating games and haven’t been introduced to this, it’s a great place to start
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I've told the people on my CGI staff not to be accurate, not to be true. We're making a mystery here, so make it mysterious.
Art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed