Capstone Project Rubric

Based on the California Arts Standards

Your grade will be based on points earned by meeting each of the 12 anchor standards below.

You are not required (or expected) to demonstrate all skills of all 12 standards,

rather: by meeting many of them you will earn high marks on your Capstone Project.

Your Capstone Project will demonstrate your arts literacy. Your project may reflect diverse forms and categories of arts including the following areas: photography, imaging, sound, animation, video, web design, graphic design, virtual design, interactive design, as well as their combinations and emerging forms, such as multimedia and virtual design.

What Is Literacy in Media Arts?

The standards do not address the use of specific media, rather they provide benchmarks that reflect your understanding of artistic processes. Technology is embedded, integrated, or used as a tool, but the emphasis is on process.

Literacy in arts is broad, diverse, and addresses creative, conceptual, and technical competencies that exist globally. Art can be the basis for communications, design, and social interaction therefore, students should be able to demonstrate and understanding in production and design that has real-world relevance and applications that can include the following:

Multimedia Communication: The ability to communicate and express in a variety of media forms or combined media, using various tools and processes, for specific purposes, intentions, and audiences.
Interdisciplinary Integration: Art projects can incorporate multiple content areas and artistic disciplines, such as a video broadcast of student-produced documentaries, dramatic stories, and informational bulletins.
Design Thinking: A problem-based approach of producing iterations, prototypes, and models, which are repeatedly tested and revised and lead to a successful result.
Media and Digital Literacies: Art students practice critical autonomy in discerning the quality and veracity of art mediums. They are empowered in producing their own messages and products and in conscientious, civic-minded engagement.

Students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the following standards in their Capstone Project.

Standards will be self-assessed by students in Canvas quizzes and summatively by your teacher.

Creating—Anchor Standard 1: Generate and Conceptualize Artistic Ideas and Work

Ideas, works, and processes are shaped by the imagination, creative processes, and by experiences, both within and outside of the arts.

Essential Questions

How do artists generate ideas?
How can ideas for arts productions be formed and developed to be effective and original?

Prof.MA:Cr1	Acc.MA:Cr1	Adv.MA:Cr1
Use identified generative methods to formulate multiple ideas, develop artistic goals, and problem solve in media arts creation processes.	Strategically utilize generative methods to formulate multiple ideas, and refine artistic goals to increase originality in media arts creation processes.	Integrate aesthetic principles with a variety of generative methods to fluently form original ideas, solutions, and innovations in media arts creation processes.

Creating—Anchor Standard 2: Organize and Develop Artistic Ideas and Work

Artists plan, organize, and develop creative ideas and models into process structures that can effectively realize the artistic idea.

Essential Question

How do artists organize and develop ideas and models into process structures to achieve the desired end product?

Prof.MA:Cr2	Acc.MA:Cr2	Adv.MA:Cr2
Apply aesthetic criteria in developing, and refining artistic ideas, plans, prototypes, and production processes for media arts productions, considering original inspirations, goals, and presentation context.	Apply a personal aesthetic in designing, testing, and refining original artistic ideas, prototypes, and production strategies for media arts productions, considering artistic intentions, constraints of resources, and presentation context.	Integrate a sophisticated personal aesthetic and knowledge of systems processes in proposing, forming, and testing original artistic ideas, prototypes, and production frameworks, considering complex constraints of goals, time, resources, and personal limitations.

Creating—Anchor Standard 3: Refine and Complete Artistic Work

The forming, integration, and refinement of aesthetic components, principles, and processes creates purpose, meaning, and artistic quality in media artworks.

Essential Questions

What is required to produce artwork that conveys purpose, meaning, and artistic quality?
How do artists refine their work?

Prof.MA:Cr3	Acc.MA:Cr3	Adv.MA:Cr3
a. Implement production processes, making artistically deliberate choices in content, technique, and style in media arts productions, demonstrating understanding of associated aesthetic principles, such as emphasis and tone.	a. Effectively implement production processes, artistically crafting and integrating content, technique, and stylistic conventions in media arts productions, demonstrating understanding of associated aesthetic principles, such as consistency and juxtaposition.	a. Synthesize content, processes, and components to express compelling purpose, story, emotion, or ideas in complex media arts productions, demonstrating mastery of associated aesthetic principles, such as hybridization.
b. Refine media artworks, honing aesthetic quality and stylistic elements towards intentional expression and purpose.	b. Refine and elaborate aesthetic elements and technical components to intentionally form impactful expressions in media artworks for specific purposes, audiences, and contexts.	b. Intentionally and consistently refine and elaborate elements and components to form impactful expressions in media artworks, directed at specific purposes, audiences, and contexts.

Producing—Anchor Standard 4: Select, Analyze, and Interpret Artistic Work for Presentation

Artists integrate various forms and contents to develop complex, unified artworks.

Essential Question

How are complex media arts experiences constructed?

Prof.MA:Pr4	Acc.MA:Pr4	Adv.MA:Pr4
Integrate various arts, media arts forms, and content into unified media arts productions, considering the reaction and interaction of the audience and experiential design.	Integrate various arts, media arts forms, and academic content into unified media arts productions, such as transmedia productions, that retain thematic integrity and stylistic consistency.	Synthesize various arts, media arts forms, and academic content into unified media arts productions, such as transdisciplinary productions, that retain artistic fidelity across platforms.

Producing—Anchor Standard 5: Develop and Refine Artistic Techniques and Work for Presentation

Artists require a range of skills and abilities to creatively solve problems within and through media arts productions.

Essential Questions

What skills are required for creating effective artworks and how are they improved?
How are creativity and innovation developed within and through arts productions?
How do artists use various tools and techniques?

Prof.MA:Pr5	Acc.MA:Pr5	Adv.MA:Pr5
a. Demonstrate progression in artistic, design, technical, and soft skills, as a result of selecting and fulfilling specified roles in the production of a variety of media artworks.	a. Demonstrate effective command of artistic, design, technical, and soft skills in managing and producing media artworks.	a. Employ mastered artistic, design, technical, and soft skills in managing and producing media artworks.
b. Develop and refine a determined range of creative and innovative abilities, such as applications of tools, risk taking, and design thinking, in addressing identified challenges and constraints within and through media arts productions.	b. Demonstrate creative and innovative abilities, such as resisting closure and responsive use of failure, to effectively address sophisticated challenges within and through media arts productions.	b. Fluently employ creativity and innovation in formulating lines of inquiry and solutions to address complex challenges within and through media arts productions.

Producing—Anchor Standard 6: Convey Meaning Through the Presentation of Artistic Work

How does time, place, audience, and context affect presenting or performing choices for artworks?

Enduring Understanding

Artists purposefully present, share, and distribute media artworks for various contexts.

Prof.MA:Pr6	Acc.MA:Pr6	Adv.MA:Pr6
Design the presentation of media artworks, considering the relationships of formats and contexts, and desired outcomes.	Design the effective presentation and promotion of media artworks for a variety of formats and contexts, such as local exhibits, mass markets and virtual channels.	Curate, design, and promote the presentation of media artworks for intentional impacts, through a variety of contexts, such as markets and venues.

Responding—Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and Analyze Artistic Work

Identifying the qualities and characteristics of artworks improves one’s artistic appreciation and production.

Essential Questions

How do we ‘read’ artworks and discern their relational components?

How do artworks function to convey meaning and manage audience experience?

Prof.MA:Re7	Acc.MA:Re7	Adv.MA:Re7
a. Analyze and describe the qualities of and relationships between the components, content, and intentions of various media artworks.	a. Analyze and explain the qualities of and relationships between the components, form and content, aesthetics, intentions, and contexts of a variety of media artworks.	a. Analyze and synthesize the qualities and relationships of the components and the audience impact in a variety of media artworks.
b. Analyze how a variety of media artworks manage audience experience and create intention through multimodal perception.	b. Analyze and explain how diverse media artworks manage audience experience and create intention and persuasion through multimodal perception.	b. Examine diverse media artworks, analyzing methods for managing audience experience, creating intention and persuasion through multimodal perception, and systemic communications.

Responding—Anchor Standard 8: Interpret Intent and Meaning in Artistic Work

Interpretation and appreciation require consideration of the intent, form, and context of artwork.

Essential Question

How do people relate to and interpret media artworks?

Prof.MA:Re8	Acc.MA:Re8	Adv.MA:Re8
Analyze the intent, meanings, and reception of a variety of media artworks, focusing on personal and cultural contexts.	Analyze the intent, meanings, and influence of a variety of media artworks, based on personal, societal, historical, and cultural contexts.	Analyze the intent, meanings and impacts of diverse media artworks, considering complex factors of context and bias.

Responding—Anchor Standard 9: Apply Criteria to Evaluate Artistic Work

Skillful evaluation and critique are critical components of experiencing, appreciating, and producing artworks.

Essential Questions

How and why do media artists value and judge media artworks?
When and how should we evaluate and critique media artworks to improve them?

Prof.MA:Re9	Acc.MA:Re9	Adv.MA:Re9
Evaluate media artworks and production processes at decisive stages, using identified criteria, and considering context and artistic goals.	Form and apply defensible evaluations in the constructive and systematic critique of media artworks and production processes.	Independently develop rigorous evaluations of, and strategically seek feedback for media artworks and production processes, considering complex goals and factors.

Connecting—Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and Relate Knowledge and Personal Experiences to Make Art

Artwork that synthesizes meaning and form cultural experience.

Essential Questions

How do we relate knowledge and experiences to understanding and making media artworks?
How do we learn about and create meaning through producing media artworks?

Prof.MA:Cn10	Acc.MA:Cn10	Adv.MA:Cn10
a. Access, evaluate, and integrate personal and external resources, such as interests, research, and cultural experiences, to inform the creation of original media artworks.	a. Synthesize internal and external resources, such as cultural connections, introspection, independent research, and exemplary works, to enhance the creation of compelling media artworks.	a. Independently and proactively access relevant and qualitative resources to inform the creation of cogent media artworks.
b. Explain and demonstrate the use of media artworks to expand meaning and knowledge, and create cultural experiences, such as learning and sharing through local and global networks.	b. Explain and demonstrate the use of media artworks to synthesize new meaning and knowledge in addition to reflecting and forming cultural experiences, such as new connections between themes and ideas and personal influence.	b. Demonstrate and expound on the use of media artworks to consummate new meaning, knowledge, and impactful cultural experiences.

Connecting—Anchor Standard 11: Relate Artistic Ideas and Works with Societal, Cultural, and Historical Context to Deepen Understanding

Artwork and ideas are better understood and produced by relating them to their purposes, values, and various contexts.

Essential Questions

How does media arts relate to its various contexts, purposes, and values?
How does investigating these relationships inform and deepen the media artist’s understanding and work?

Prof.MA:Cn11	Acc.MA:Cn11	Adv.MA:Cn11
a. Demonstrate and explain how media artworks and ideas relate to various contexts, purposes, and values, such as social trends, power, equality, and personal/cultural identity.	a. Examine in depth and demonstrate the relationships of media arts ideas and works to various contexts, purposes, and values, such as markets, systems, propaganda, and truth.	a. Demonstrate the relationships of media arts ideas and works to personal and global contexts, purposes, and values, through relevant and impactful media artworks.

Media Arts Glossary

The media arts terms defined in this section include only those terms that are underlined in the standards. The meaning of the terms is specific to their use in the standards and the artistic discipline. The definitions included here are not meant to be an exhaustive list or used as curriculum.

The following defined terms are commonly accepted definitions, most of which are provided by the National Coalition for Core Arts at https://www.nationalartsstandards.org/content/glossary.

aesthetic principles: Fundamental sensory quality or organizational rule within the diversity of media arts production and appreciation.

attention: Principle of directing perception through sensory and conceptual impact.

balance: Principle of the equitable and/or dynamic distribution of items in a media arts composition or structure for aesthetic meaning, as in a visual frame, or within game architecture.

civic values: Valuing the rights and well-being of individuals, collectives and community through tolerance, appreciation, open-mindedness; having a sense of duty at local to global levels, and awareness of power and predisposal to take action to change things for the better.

components: The discrete portions and aspects of media artworks, including: elements, principles, processes, parts, assemblies, etc. (such as: light, sound, space, time, shot, clip, scene, sequence, movie, narrative, lighting, cinematography, interactivity, etc.).

composition: Principle of arrangement and balancing of components of a work for meaning and message.

concept modeling: Creating a digital or physical representation or sketch of an idea, usually for testing; prototyping.

constraints: Limitations on what is possible, both real and perceived.

context: The situation surrounding the creation or experience of media artworks that influences the work, artist, or audience. This can include how, where, and when media experiences take place, as well as additional internal and external factors (personal, societal, cultural, historical, physical, virtual, economic, systemic, etc.).

contrast: Principle of using the difference between items, such as elements, qualities, and components, to mutually complement them.

convention: An established, common, or predictable rule, method, or practice within media arts production, such as the notion of a ‘hero’ in storytelling.

copyright: The exclusive right to make copies, license, and otherwise exploit a produced work.

design thinking: A cognitive methodology that promotes innovative problem solving through the prototyping and testing process commonly used in design.

digital identity: How one is presented, perceived, and recorded online, including personal and collective information and sites, e-communications, commercial tracking, etc.

divergent thinking: Unique, original, uncommon, idiosyncratic ideas; thinking “outside of the box.”

emphasis: Principle of giving greater compositional strength to a particular element or component in a media artwork.

ethics: Moral guidelines and philosophical principles for determining appropriate behavior within media arts environments.

exaggeration: Principle of pushing a media arts element or component into an extreme for provocation, attention, contrast, as seen in character, voice, mood, message, etc.

experiential design: Area of media arts wherein interactive, immersive spaces and activities are created for the user; associated with entertainment design.

fairness: Complying with appropriate, ethical, and equitable rules and guidelines.

fair use: Permits limited use of copyrighted material without acquiring permission from the rights holders, including commentary, search engines, criticism, etc.

force: Principle of energy or amplitude within an element, such as the speed and impact of a character’s motion.

generative methods: Various inventive techniques for creating new ideas and models, such as brainstorming, play, open exploration, prototyping, experimentation, inverting assumptions, rule-bending, etc.

hybridization: Principle of combining two existing media forms to create new and original forms, such as merging theatre and multimedia.

interactivity: A diverse range of articulating capabilities between media arts components, such as user, audience, sensory elements, etc., that allow for inputs and outputs of responsive connectivity via sensors, triggers, interfaces, etc., and may be used to obtain data, commands, or information and may relay immediate feedback, or other communications; contains unique sets of aesthetic principles.

juxtaposition: Placing greatly contrasting items together for effect.

legal: The legislated parameters and protocols of media arts systems, including user agreements, publicity releases, copyright, etc.

manage audience experience: The act of designing and forming user sensory episodes through multi-sensory captivation, such as using sequences of moving image and sound to maintain and carry the viewer’s attention, or constructing thematic spaces in virtual or experiential design.

markets: The various commercial and informational channels and forums for media artworks, such as television, radio, internet, fine arts, nonprofit, communications, etc.

meaning: The formulation of significance and purposefulness in media artworks.

media environments: Spaces, contexts, and situations where media artworks are produced and experienced, such as in theaters, production studios, and online.

media literacy: A series of communication competencies, including the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information in a variety of forms, including print and nonprint messages (National Association for Media Literacy Education n.d.).

media messages: The various artistic, emotional, expressive, prosaic, commercial, utilitarian, and informational communications of media artworks.

movement: Principle of motion of diverse items within media artworks.

multimodal perception: The coordinated and synchronized integration of multiple sensory systems (vision, touch, auditory, etc.) in media artworks.

multimedia theatre: The combination of live theatre elements and digital media (sound, projections, video, etc.) into a unified production for a live audience.

narrative structure: The framework for a story, usually consisting of an arc of beginning, conflict, and resolution.

personal aesthetic: An individually formed, idiosyncratic style or manner of expressing oneself; an artist’s “voice.”

perspective: Principle pertaining to the method of three-dimensional rendering, point-of-view, and angle of composition.

point of view: The position from which something or someone is observed; the position of the narrator in relation to the story, as indicated by the narrator’s outlook from which the events are depicted and by the attitude toward the characters.

positioning: The principle of placement or arrangement.

presentation: A diverse range of activities of exhibiting media artworks, which can include sharing, distributing, installing, publishing, broadcasting, posting, showing, performing, etc.

production processes: The diverse processes, procedures, or steps used to carry out the construction of a media artwork, such as prototyping, playtesting, and architecture construction in game design.

prototyping: Creating a testable version, sketch, or model of a media artwork, such as a game, character, website, application, etc.

resisting closure: Delaying completion of an idea, process, or production, or persistently extending the process of refinement, towards greater creative solutions or technical perfection.

responsive use of failure: Incorporating errors towards persistent improvement of an idea, technique, process, or product.

rules: The laws or guidelines for appropriate behavior; protocols.

safety: Maintaining proper behavior for the welfare of self and others in handling equipment and interacting with media arts environments and groups.

soft skills: Diverse organizational and management skills useful to employment, such as collaboration, planning, adaptability, communication, etc.

stylistic convention: A common, familiar, or even “formulaic” presentation form, style, technique, or construct, such as the use of tension-building techniques in a suspense film, for example.

systemic communications: Socially or technologically organized and higher-order media arts communications such as networked multimedia, television formats and broadcasts, “viral” videos, social multimedia (e.g., “vine” videos), remixes, transmedia, etc.

systems: The complex and diverse technological structures and contexts for media arts production, funding, distribution, viewing, and archiving.

technological: The mechanical aspects and contexts of media arts production, including hardware, software, networks, code, etc.

tone: Principle of “color” “texture” or “feel” of a media arts element or component, as for sound, lighting, mood, sequence, etc.

transdisciplinary production: Accessing multiple disciplines during the conception and production processes of media creation, and using new connections or ideas that emerge to inform the work.

transmedia production: Communicating a narrative and/or theme over multiple media platforms, while adapting the style and structure of each story component to the unique qualities of the platforms.

virtual channels: Network-based presentation platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, DeviantArt, etc.

virtual worlds: Online, digital, or synthetic environments (e.g., Minecraft, Second Life).

vocational: The workforce aspects and contexts of media arts.