feedback [ barry jones ]

Project 2 Virus Storyboarding

Required: Three, nine-frame storyboards

Virus: any large group of tiny infective agents causing various diseases, any harmful influence.

Biologically or electronically, we have all been infected with viruses.  How do viruses infect? What do they look like and, most importantly to us in regard to motion, how do they move? Students should research what a virus is/can be as well as how it may move, morph, and infect. Is there such a thing as a good virus – what does that look like and how does that move and infect over time? How will students viruses move from host to host – will they split, divide, morph, mutate, kill, breed, multiply, etc.?

Students may use an existing virus or fictionally invent a virus based on the research of actual viruses. Is your virus friendly? Is your virus deadly? How does the virus survive? Is the virus a single celled organism or is it part of a billion-cell colony? Will your virus be electronic? Consider how to visually show the life span of the virus – from its inception to its successful infection, mutation, or death. Also consider the “tone” of your virus – will it be serious, playful, sad, empathetic, strong, cunning etc.?

Use the storyboard process: writing, drawing, building  / designing frames, and describing as outlined below.

Step 1: Research Viruses. Begin this project with simple research into the world of viruses. Attempt to become a brief virus expert to understand the subject matter.

Step 2A: Concept, Invent, Sketch, and Write. After conducting simple research into the world of viruses, begin free writing and free sketching ideas that will lead to a narrative. Consider what the virus is composed of. Show how your virus moves. Show how the virus feeds, infects, and multiplies. What tone / personality will your virus communicate? Consider how you will be able to tell three different stories about you virus.

Step 3: Build Final Frames in Sequential Order. After you have made a sequence of drawings that tell the story, start editing and building the final nine frames for each story. Storyboards should clearly tell the story of the motion in logical, sequential order – in other words, the events of the story should come right after each other to make sense. Students should look critically at how the sequence will begin, how the motion is conveyed, and how the story ends. Give attention to how much information you need from frame to frame to tell the story.

Organize your storyboards into a Keynote presentation.  Export the presentations as a QuickTime movie.

Grading out of 100

Concept 70 %. Student was able to visualize an appropriate, clear, well-organized, and memorable solution to the given problem.

Presentation / Craft 30 %. Level of finish achieved in the final frames as well as the final presentation.

Progress Critique: Sept. 19