SHIFT: Using Filmmaking in the Classroom

Objective: Teachers will see the benefit in using storyboards before having students make movies. Teachers will see that the using the SHIFT materials will help students have a better understanding and there is no need to make up your own lesson plan for it.

Materials:

SHIFT DVD

DVD player or computer

Projector

Lesson:

  1. Talk about kinds of videos that can be made
  2. Personal Narrative
  3. Instructional Video
  4. Personal Service Announcement
  5. Documentary
  6. Preproduction measures will help out with whatever video you decide will work the best for your class.
  7. Visual storytelling is important. Show Let Them Eat Cake (on Shift DVD)
  8. Show them Shot Style and Compositions (on Shift DVD)
  9. Other sample videos of student work (see Nancy’s shared videos)
  10. Screen Shots:
  11. Rescreen Let Them Eat Cake and have people name the shots as they watch.
  12. Another way to get students to think about the shot styles to go on a shot scavenger hunt. Make up a list of 5 to 10 objects and assign a type of shot or camera movement.
  13. There are questions to ask on paper to get your students thinking about their movie. Here are some examples:
  14. What is the purpose/message of the PSA? What is it trying to get the audience to do?
  15. Who should watch the video? Who is the intended audience?
  16. How did the video “hook” or grab your attention?
  17. Is there a tagline?
  18. What facts did you learn?
  19. Do you understand the issue/problem? Do you want to solve it?
  20. What could happen if this problem/issue is not solved?
  21. What do you need to learn or research about your topic? Brainstorm
  22. List out 5 facts and their sources.
  23. Storyboarding:
  24. I love the storyboarding part of the movie because it helps them work through the thinking part of the project. And it also shows them that the work that goes into an actual movie.
  25. FINALLY they are ready to storyboard. Storyboarding is making the movie on paper BEFORE even touching the camera equipment. Students make their decisions about shots and shot styles before they have a camera in their hand. They know what props they need to their picture. They have the script already written onto their storybook so they know what wording goes with each picture or shot.
  26. http://www.create.cett.msstate.edu/create/howto/Storyboard_Handout.pdf
  27. Showing them examples can help them understand that they may use stick figures in their storyboards. They just need to make it look like the shot they are going to use.
  28. Storyboards should be approved or signed off by teacher before proceeding to shooting the movie.