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Ben is the course author and instructor for DART 100, Introduction to Digital Arts and Media Design. His approach here is a bit unique. Like Peter, he does appear onscreen throughout the video, but only in a "window." The truly novel aspect here is that he does not use slides—he uses a large FigJam canvas where he has laid out every visual he plans to show. He then navigates around the canvas, zooming in and out when necessary, as he tours students through a variety of media. See our commentary below and the annotations in the videos themselves.

Video 1 of 2
Case Study: Saul Bass

Commentary on the Video as a Whole

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Ben’s approach in using a large FigJam layout of images feels informal, but a lot of planning went into this case study. Note his careful selection and presentation of media (including video clips edited or length), various points of emphasis prepared in advance using large text, a well-planned narrative that smoothly flows from topic to topic, and a purposeful tour of the “Art of the Title” website. This feels casual and unscripted (it is), but succeeds because of his thorough planning.

 Ben’s delivery is personal, well-paced, and natural. This is an effective video that would benefit from two improvements: breaking it into two parts for shorter duration, and using a stronger active learning approach.

There are no guided questions that precede the video, and there are no interactive questions posed that require the student to answer. The case study is assignment-centric however, as students can apply many things learned here to their projects.

This case study anchored a module dealing with the concept of movement in Ben’s “Introduction to Digital Arts and Media Design” course. Ben’s goal was multi-faceted: to familiarize students with the work of Saul Bass and others like him, to explore effective techniques in implied and animated motion, and to inspire his students’ creativity in their upcoming projects dealing with movement.

His strategy was to dive into the title sequence from Walk on the Wild Side, followed by viewing the complete sequence that opened the film Anatomy of a Murder. Ben provides a tour through a whole gallery of examples that serve to educate and inspire.

 Ben excels at gaining and maintaining student attention. In the all-important first moments, he launches directly into an attention-grabbing movie title sequence by Saul Bass, followed by a cinematic transition to his own appearance onscreen, quickly followed by his own animated title sequence (with music) for this case study.

In the video proper, his pacing is fast but not rushed, and the visuals are constantly changing. He uses a combination of graphics and sound effects to emphasizes an important point, pose a pop question, or correct an occasional mistake.

Best Practice Guideline Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Example 5
Scripting/Narration and Signaling 1:03 17:23 17:39 --- ---
Grab Student Attention 0:00 0:26 0:38 6:33 9:10
Complementary Visuals 0:54 4:25 5:55 15:26 ---
Conversational Style 8:24 10:28 --- --- ---
Leveraging Verbal Skill 1:34 4:13 --- --- ---
Signaling & Modality
2:13 5:03 7:28 16:33 ---
Matching Modality 11:04 --- --- --- ---
Narration and Timing 14:01 --- --- --- ---
Primary Audience 8:35 12:31 --- --- ---
Eliminating Distractions 1:19 --- --- --- ---

Video 2 of 2
Case Study: Super Metroid

Note: The video below is not the full-length video as it appears in the course. The original is quite long at 37:38 minutes in length. The edited video below showcases many excellent examples, but does so in a series of three excerpts lasting 11:58.

Commentary on the Video as a Whole

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You can see his effective planning right from the beginning in the overview he provides, the sequence of his topics, and the most important takeaways he emphasizes near the end.

 Just as in the previous video, Ben’s delivery is quite effective. He always knows where he is going next and he makes those transitions clear for the student. His narration is efficient and compelling; he is enthusiastic and modulates his voice accordingly; and he reserves strong emphasis for only the most important points.

Duration is a real issue here at 37 minutes and 38 seconds, working against an otherwise well-orchestrated strategy. This video should be chunked down into four shorter videos along topical lines.

 Ben’s instructional goal here is to increase his students’ skill in the use of color in whatever digital media they are creating. Students will need to learn some color theory and technical aspects first, including how to adjust color properties in popular software.

His strategy is to use a video game interface as the subject for a case study in effective use of color. A gaming interface is at once familiar and instructionally rich, as the gamer’s informational needs while playing drive color design. Students may apply these principles in everything they produce.

 A simple but effective way to engage students more deeply is to pose direct questions to them, even in the video itself. Ben shows them a screenshot of a game interface and asks, “If you look at this image, what is the first thing your eye goes to?” Emphasized statements work well also: “This is a really quick hack to improve your design skills a lot.”

Best Practice Guideline Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Example 5 Example 6
Scripting 0:49 3:07 6:57
Grab Student Attention 0:00 10:32 10:44
Complementary Visuals 4:20
Conversational Style 5:28
Signaling & Modality 1:20 2:15 6:36 7:27 8:31 9:50
Narration and Timing 1:42 2:59
Maximize Shelf Life 6:44