| Description
Background
This learning experience was developed as a professional development sequence. It included:
- introducing staff to video making techniques and components
- developing their knowledge and skills
- and then working with students to teach them the necessary skills and understandings so they can take on the role of experts in video making and transfer these skills to other students.
Introduction
The staff viewed and discussed a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation that identified and showed examples of different types of camera shots.
They then deconstructed a video. This involved identifying the different types of camera shots, angles, and special effects that were used.
The teachers worked through the same process with their class, introducing them to the components of a movie.
Skill development
Student representatives from each class participated in a session on how to use a video camera. They practiced the skills they learnt in pairs.
Applying skills
The next step was for the students to produce a simple movie. To generate ideas for their movie they started by brainstorming words and concepts. They selected one that was meaningful to them to base their movie on.
Movie making
In pairs, the students planned their movie using the guide sheet What's in a Video? to help them. This involved writing a script, and identifying the types of shots and visual effects they would take to create a movie that conveyed their idea to others.
The students took shots for their movie around the school grounds. They then downloaded these on to a computer.
Editing
Basic video editing skills were taught to the students using iMovie software. They then worked in pairs, and applied these skills to edit their movies. It was during this process that the students sometimes found they required specific skills to assist them with their editing. When this arose the teacher or a fellow student who was confident with using this particular area of the program would then teach these skills to the pair.
Manipulating still images (frames)
To develop student's knowledge further of how images can be enhanced to convey an idea, they were shown how to capture a still image (frame) in a video and edit it using an image editing program.
The students selected a frame from within their movie, and saved it as a still image. They opened it in Adobe PhotoShop and used the tools available in the program to enhance the image, by adding or editing the colour and effects. They needed to keep in mind the idea/mood that they were trying to communicate in their video whilst doing this.
The size of the still image was then adjusted to fit the video editing software parameters (768 x 576 pixels), and saved as a JPEG file.
The students imported the frame into iMovie. The timing was adjusted, and the students completed editing their movie.
Following this experience the students then transferred the skills they had learnt to their classmates.
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