Month: November 2022

by Justin Bernardy

This week we have been tasked with talking about our counterpart programs, and the little piece of that world that we’ve begun to understand through our New Media classes. The more material we learn from these courses, the more I realize that each program has its own unique facets, yet still manage to compliment one another profoundly. While design seems to approach problem solving primarily with strategic and logical methodology; visual media such as film making seems to allow the creator to invest more energy into creative thinking to solve problems.

Regarding the statement I made above, I am not saying that both fields do not have aspects of creativity and problem solving. For instance, film creation and editing is an art form, absolutely, but it is also a science. Implementing specific camera angles to produce a desired emotion among the audience or insinuate what is to come in the scene is just one example of this. As part of the narrative film making course, we watched segments of movies and studied the camera angles used in specific scenes. Even if you had not seen a film, understanding these angles would help you make an approximation of what was in store, such as a ‘Cowboy shot’ indicating tension or conflict. Following the actual act of filming, enter editing. The process of cutting footage, adding and adjusting sounds and transitions, filters, effects and etc. requires precision and skill. So in effect, while filming has a large degree of creative freedom, a practical, skillful, and informed approach is required to bring a vision to life in the most effective way possible; much the same way one might approach a design problem.

Some of the ways that visual media and design can work in tandem are obvious. For example, a person whose primary expertise lies in visual media might be skilled in film, photography, animation etc. A designer might use some of that artwork, film, or photos in web design, printing, advertisement…there are numerous possibilities. However, I believe as a designer or photographer/cinematographer, if we are able to understand the thought process behind one another’s workflow, we can incorporate it more effectively into our own, and we can also work together more harmoniously.

An example of how I might use this personally, goes back to the narrative film and after effects classes that I mentioned briefly earlier. My primary passion and goal is to be a professional illustrator or animator, and in either of those professions your aim is to breathe life into the subject matter and make the audience feel something. Doing so is almost certainly made easier just with the basic knowledge of camera angles, and meticulously crafted shots, which can be carried over to animation or illustration to add a sense of dynamics. More specifically in line with that goal, we are learning the basic principles of animation, such as squash and stretch in the after effects course, which is a principal that gives the animated person or object a sense of weight and gravity.

In conclusion, while in the worlds of visual media and design, t is typically better to specialize in something, there is absolutely merit in having a degree of understanding of both sides. Moving forward, I will have a fresh outside perspective and new tools to approach creative problem solving with.

Justin Bernardy

Last Friday, our guest speaker discussed leadership principles with us. We were then prompted to write about some of these principles and provide examples of times that we exhibited them. This is another prompt which resonates with me as prior military. The entire culture of the military is based on personal achievement, growth, and demonstrating leadership capabilities. In fact, each year we were required to draft reports specifically detailing events and actions where we were “leaders” or demonstrated the qualities of one . In particular, ‘learn and be curious’. Pursuing education is a huge stepping stone in military culture when working towards promotion, again going back to the idea of personal growth, which in turn yields greater leadership.

“Insisting on the highest standards” is another aspect partial to me. When I was enlisted, my work entailed maintenance on weapons systems of fighter jets, as well as the loading of munitions onto said jets. It kind of goes without saying that if you do not pay the utmost attention to detail when loading a live bomb, it spells disaster, and thus, we had to insist on the highest possible standard; there was no other option.

“Ownership” is yet another example of a leadership quality that I personally believe is one of the most important. We are all human, and all fail. If we do not accept responsibility for our failures, we cannot learn from them, move on and grow; we cannot only accept our victories. I say this from experience, as I am typically a fairly slow learner and have to fail more than most to finally reach success. More specifically in recent history, I failed to grasp the concept of HTML and CSS in interactive design, causing me to fall behind my peers in a group project, and slow our entire process down. I had to first admit where I was failing, and then put in extra time and effort, sometimes losing hours of sleep, to reach a point where I was a little more able to keep up with my team.

I think the hardest principle for me to apply to myself is “backbone”. I find confrontation and conflict highly undesirable and avoid them when possible. Sometimes I find I am unable to stand up for my work/art/designs because I am unconfident about them and the way others will perceive them, even when I feel that they are solid. I’m told repeatedly that ‘backbone’ is essential in fighting for your designs, and sometimes its better NOT to avoid conflict.