The film activity on Creative Explorer takes students through the editing process, having provided them with the shots to make a story. To extend students' understanding of the creative process of film-making, use this activity, which takes students through from the initial idea to the production of a video.
1. Have students get into groups. The first step of the process is to brainstorm some ideas that would make a good video. These could take the form of a storyline, a word, a picture, an idea, or a feeling. At this first stage, encourage students to write down all the ideas that they come up with rather than evaluating them, because some thoughts might be useful later. The group might like to create a film about a place or person they know, a story they have heard, an advertisement, or a news story. However, help students to understand that often the best stories we can tell come from our own experiences. This idea is reinforced throughout the CD-ROM.
2. Once all the ideas are noted, the group needs to decide on one idea to work with. An important aspect of film-making is teamwork. It may be helpful to discuss this aspect with students, encouraging them to see that even if the idea being used wasn't their first choice, it can work out well if they work as a team and turn their minds and creativity to it.
3. The third step for the film-makers is to create a storyboard. Sima Urale says, "I think you do whatever works best for you. You have to sort out what you want before you start filming, and a storyboard is one way to do that." Explain to students that the storyboard is an outline of the story they want to tell and is used to show how they will go about telling that story in words, sounds, and pictures. It is a bit like a comic book version of the film. Usually, a storyboard includes pictures, text, and what types of shot will be used to film each part of the video. It is a tool that allows everyone to see exactly what should happen in each part of the film.
4. Once the group have worked out the story, they will need to work out the details, such as where to shoot the video, what characters will be needed and who will be playing these characters, and what props will be needed.
5. Each person in the group needs to have a particular job as part of the crew. Have the students sort out who will do what job, including such things as costumes and props.
6. Next, they need to sort out a schedule and give everyone involved a copy. The schedule should take the form of a timetable that lets everyone know where they have to be, at what time, and for how long. Generally, it also helps the crew to keep track of which bits of the video have been shot and which bits haven't.
7. The final step is the actual shooting. If you have access to a video camera in your school, encourage your students to follow their schedule and to take responsibility for the technical requirements and checking. For instance, one of the group should be assigned to make sure that they have a video cassette in the machine and have taken the lens cap off!
It is unlikely that your students will have access to an editing desk. This means that they will have to do "in-camera editing" instead. "In-camera editing" simply means that they will have to film all the shots in the right order because they can't change them later. This means they will have to plan very carefully in the early stages of the process.
Note: Most cameras your students use will "roll back" some videotape when stopped between each shot. The best way to find out how this works on the camera being used is to experiment with it before beginning to film the story. Get your students to shoot someone counting up to ten in front of the camera and turn the camera off right after they say ten. Then they turn the camera back on and shoot something else. Have the students play back what they recorded. They may see that the camera rolled back and lost the person saying "8, 9, 10". This means that they will need to leave the camera rolling for a couple of extra seconds at the end of each shot. This way, when the camera rolls the videotape back and they begin recording again, they will just record over the extended end of the shot, not the videotape that holds the best part of the story.
Curriculum Links
Levels 3 and 4 of the Visual Language strand in English in the New Zealand Curriculum (Learning Media, Wellington, 1994) gives opportunities to focus students' attention on the medium of film. For example, the achievement objective for Level 4 of Visual Language: Presenting says, "Using static and moving images, students should combine verbal and visual features to communicate information, ideas, or narrative through drama, video, computer, or other technologies and media".
Some Additional Resources
Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Film Archive. Tracking Time: 100 Years of Film in Aotearoa New Zealand. Learning Media, Wellington, 1997. This set, containing a videotape and notes for teachers, was distributed to secondary schools.
Ministry of Education. The Making of Bread and Roses. Learning Media, Wellington, 1994. This package was distributed to secondary schools. Item 94181.
Ministry of Education. Blues for Miss Laverty. Learning Media, Wellington, 1993. This set contains a videotape, notes, and a film script and was distributed to secondary schools. Item 93295.
Ministry of Education. Shining with the Shiner. Learning Media, Wellington, 1993. This set contains a videotape, notes, and a film script and was distributed to secondary schools. Item 93296.
Holloway, J. "Making Pictures Move". School Journal, Part 3, Number 2, 1980, pages 26-36.
Hames, J. "Filming In Cuckooland". School Journal Part 3, Number 2, 1986, pages 33-42.
The Nightwatchman. Learning Media, Wellington, 1993. This kitset introduces the techniques of animation and includes an example of a storyboard.
