This site outlines some ideas for project work to be
designed for my year 8 digital art students. The main
proposal is a web based application based very loosely on
the categorisation of character and plot defined by
Christopher Vogler in his book
The Writer’s
Journey, designed to guide students through the
writing of a fractured script, with the idea of creating
original hybrid fairy tales along the lines of the the
Surrealist game Exquisite Corpse (aka consequences). The
site would be supplemented by other explorations into the
realms of digital storytelling, illustration and animation.
While the main proposal is intended as a teaching resource
created by me for my students, I also bear in mind the
possibility of project work that the students themselves
can achieve, perhaps targeted at a younger audience. The
story teller will be a starting point for the project, the
students illustrated and animated stories will be the end
point.
I am keenest on digital solutions that do not take a lot of
learning, where originality and creativity are key, the
technology is hidden, students can be creating in minutes,
and above all, can enjoy the process. I believe that there
is a close relationship between creative energy and play,
the worlds of fantasy and the imagination.
Using web based media alters the traditional
teacher/student relationship, adding a new dimension to
this dialogue. I am interested in exploring this new form
of communication in relation to my relationship with my
students.
I am also interested in the silhouette as an illustrative
device, particularly in relation to the fairy story and to
myth, the relationship between the still and the moving
image, the space between real and virtual; trompe-l'œil,
and the concept of the window, be it screen or frame. All
these elements go into the mix.
Ross Wallis. December 2008
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