Ages 6-12

Day 1: Intro to Computer Art
Firstly, and most importantly we will learn about internet safety. Then we will explore artists and directors working with stop-motion using digital photography, claymation/lego, and digital rotoscoping. The class will watch examples of basic techniques, which we will use later in the week. We will learn about lighting, directing terms, camera angles and how to use stop motion software. Then in groups, students will storyboard, and get ready to direct a short stop-motion movie. The basics of Adobe Photoshop will be introduced.

Day 2:Adobe Photoshop
Students will be taught how to edit photos by removing backgrounds, using layers, changing colors and adding text. Important terms and file types are discussed as they will also be relevant for stop motion, flash and html lessons. The pictures we make here will be the beginning titles of our movies and background images for our final DVD videos.

Day 3:Html

Students are taught how to make a simple web page. Students will create a webpage that promotes the movies/dvds we are making. We will learn about hyperlinks, html code, inserting pictures, formatting text and font colors, etc.

Day 4: Stop Motion
Students are the basics of video making and stop motion animation. We start with storyboarding then move to prop making and image capturing using the freeware program Anasazi.

Day 5:Video Editing
We will edit our footage and add effects/transitions using Windows Movie Maker.

Made by the kids @ The Hotspot Cyber Camp 2007.

Adult Cyber Camp

Day1:
Demos are performed showing students the capabilities of photoshop. Examples are shown of photos that have been corrected. File extensions commonly used in photoshop are explained. Students bring in at least 3 photos to be altered(make the sky bluer, lighten or darken shadows etc). How to replace/install simple parts of a computer like RAM, hard drive, firewire/graphics cards and cd roms. System requirements: Students will learn what the system requirements really mean and why certain programs require certain components.
(How do you find out what your computer has if you’ve lost the specs from when you bought it?)

Day 2:
Students bring in digital video footage on mini dv tape and are taught how to upload using usb or firewire. Students take turns uploading their footage onto the server to be edited. Students learn about video file types and terminology used when working with simple editing programs. How to import footage from the computer into their project. Using Windows Movie Maker. Students will be taught how to edit out scenes, apply effects, transitions and titles. The remainder of the class will be spent on experimenting with effects and filters.

Day 3:
Students will upload new(or existing) footage to piece together a video with a title logo made in photoshop, complete with end credits. Family Vacations, weddings, Baby’s First etc. Students are encouraged to have fun with the style some ideas include narrating like a documentary, adding music, incorporating subtitles etc. Students will then learn how to export and compress files in different formats and compression for upload on youtube or for use on a home dvd player.