pwitzel
We are in the home stretch. Many of you have already uploaded your video or sent in a physical copy. If you haven’t, there’s still time!
This week I have another “how to” site to feature. Its audience is teachers, but the information is equally useful to student filmmakers in 4th grade and above. Scholastic’s “Teacher’s Guide to Making Student Movies” has movie examples (Real Player needed) and pages devoted to the process of filmmaking. One of the strengths of the site is that it breaks down this process into manageable chunks. Making movies can appear to be overwhelming, but this site helps overcome this fear. Check it out!
Unfortunately, I was not in Shanghai last year to hear Scott McCloud, S2F2’s keynote speaker. In fact, I didn’t even know who he was until I saw a poster from the event. In doing research for a teaching unit on comics, I came across his name and his book, Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. I found the book in the school library and started reading. Even if you are not into comics (you should give them a chance, if you’re not), the book is a fantastic journey into visual literacy–the art of seeing. It turns out that cartoonists and moviemakers share the need to visualize their work prior to drawing or shooting. How should the scene be framed? From what angle? How tight? and so on. I encourage you to check out his book. You’ll never look at comics, or possibly the world around you, in the same way again.
I’ve come across another good moviemaking website that I want to share: the BBC’s “Me and My Movie.” Whereas Kids’ Vid is fairly basic in its presentation of information, Me and My Movie uses loads of Flash animation and video to make its points. A slow internet connection will make the experience of visiting this website frustrating. I started with the HOW TO section. There you will view mini-tutorials on the importance of story and planning, camera shots, editing and more. You can even download a How To guide with some basic advice on how to make a video. Ignore the stuff about uploading your video to the site, unless that interests you. Check it out!
Today, my audience for this posting is film teachers or any other teachers interested in teaching through film. Checking my RSS feeds this morning, I came across a new posting on Edutopia. Created by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, this site showcases best practices in 21st century teaching and learning. Often the postings and articles found on Edutopia have a technology focus, as does today’s. Film director Martin Scorsese established The Film Foundation whose mission includes educational outreach. The Foundation created “The Story of Movies” visual literacy curriculum which teaches students how to look critically at films. Who knows?: watching the classic films may inspire one of your students to become the next Scorsese, and S2F2 is one step in their journey.
First of all, I need to write that I am dual platform guy: I use both Windows and Mac OS. With that written, I must say that Apple’s iMovie has for many years been one of the top video editing applications at the consumer level. Should you have access to a Mac, it would be a great tool on which to create your masterpiece for S2F2.
Today, I want to share with you a website to get you up and running with iMovie ‘09. Apple has developed a series of short videos for its “Find Out How” site. There, you can view tutorials on every major feature in iMovie and how it can transform your video. If you need to learn or review iMovie, this is a fantastic place to start: http://www.apple.com/findouthow/movies/.
Think of filmmaking as a muscle, or maybe a system of muscles. For muscles to work at maximum efficiency, they need exercise. For you to get good at moviemaking, you need to exercise your skills. First get (or check out) a portable video camera (yes, it can be the one on your phone!). Consider small events in your life that you want to share, simple things at first. You might have a pet: what is something silly that your pet does on a regular basis? Make a short video about your favorite hobby. If you play a video game, use an application like FRAPS to capture the footage, and then edit it into a video. YouTube is full of these Machinima movies. The point is to practice storytelling, practice filming and different shots, and practice editing. Keep the video short and focused. This will be excellent practice. Pretty soon you’ll find that your creativity blossoms and your skills increase. Most importantly, have fun!
In any contest it’s helpful to have examples showing what students have produced in the past. If you have a way to access YouTube, do a search for “S2F2” and you’ll see past entries. Look for those that fall in the category for which you are considering making a movie. Note how they are put together. Ask yourself some questions as you watch them:
1. What kinds of shots did they use: wide, medium and closeup?
2. How do the shots work together to create the story/piece?
3. Is the “Big Idea” or concept of the video clear, easy to uncover and understand?
4. What did they use for the set or background?
5. How is the sound?
6. Was the camera on a tripod or was someone holding it?
Of course, TV shows and movies also provide inspiration. On this blog are several excellent movie recommendations (see below). In movies and shows, we see the pros at work. Watch your favorite show for a minute, with the sound off, and note how many shots are used. I think you’ll find that they only spend a few seconds on each shot. To do this kind of filmmaking, you need a plan, and that’s where storyboarding fits in. The more planning you do before you film, the more smoothly the filming will go. Here is a link to a generic storyboard if you need one.
Go out and start seeing like a filmmaker!
This is an exciting time! With the Shanghai Student Film Festival just a little less than three months away (and the deadline to submit work, two months out), aspiring students are brainstorming concepts, storyboarding, filming and editing their productions.
My name is Paul Witzel, and I am the Technology Integration Specialist at the Shanghai Community International School, Lower School, Pudong campus. I work with students, ages 2 to 11, and their teachers. One of the pleasures of my week is working with elementary-level filmmakers and animators. They all have great ideas but need a little help with some of the basics of filmmaking. Each week until the festival, I will be posting an entry to the S2F2 blog. I will explore the skills new filmmakers may want to develop and offer some resource suggestions. My intended audience is both student filmmakers and their teachers and parents. I hope you find the entries useful.
This week I want to share a site that speaks effectively to young filmmakers. Making a video is a process, with lots of steps along the way. Kids’ Vid outlines this process, providing examples and helpful information. I use it during the first few sessions of my filmmaking club. Don’t get overwhelmed by all of the material! Read and understand it a section at a time, and soon you’ll have some essential knowledge and tools in your toolbox.
Follow me on Twitter