Learning to Make Films (Key Stage2)

Outline of Event

Aims:

  • To study early examples of film making and explore what these teach us about the medium and how it works
  • To collaborate in groups to plan and create a ‘silent movie’ that mimics and parodies the genre of silent film
  • To share these films with other groups on the day and with a wider audience back in schools

Who attended?

Most events were for 5 schools, each sending one adult and 5 children, making a total of 30 participants at each. Characteristics which influenced children’s selection included:

  • a particular interest or high degree of motivation and self-directedness, and a tendency to return frequently to refine and develop their work
  • exceptional enthusiasm, commitment, focus and enjoyment of practical engagement in the arts
  • the capacity to assimilate instruction and direction related to art forms with ease and make use of previous information or experiences in new situations (creative thinking)
  • the capacity to analyse, evaluate critically and modify their work and respond thoughtfully and perceptively to the work of others.

(These indicators are adapted from the generic indicators for the arts, see )

Resources:

A number of examples of silent film which can be downloaded from the internet, including:

  • Thomas Edison films of Vaudeville acts from 1901 – 1905 including A Ballroom Tragedy, a very early example of film being used to tell a very short story
  • Fatty Joins the Force – an early ‘Keystone Cops’ movie, 1913
  • An early adaptation of Conan Doyle’s The Lost World(1925) which can be used to show how still screens with textare used to convey dialoguecredits
  • A Night Out – Charlie Chaplin, 1915

Digital Blue Movie Creator 3s (DMC3s) and associated software – one per group plus some spares to cover for possible technical problems

Laptop computers – one per group plus some spares to cover for possible technical problems

A large screen, laptop and data projector for demonstrating the software and viewing the finished films

A range of props and costumes, some supplied by EDS, some brought along by individual schools

Outline of the work

  • Begin by looking at the very early examples of silent film and talking about how these compare with contemporary film which the children have seen. This discussion should encourage everyone to think about some of the limitations and constraints of early film technology (no sound, no colour, heavy cameras etc) and how early film makers worked very creatively within these constraints. Talk about some of the characteristics of the genre and playfully mimic these with the children (running, fainting, horror etc).
  • Having talked about the sorts of content they have seen (for example, murder, robbery etc), ask groups to produce one still from a possible film in the form of a tableau or still image. Share these and ask other groups to infer what sort of film is being depicted.
  • Ask groups to think about where in the film their tableau or still might be, and then to build a further five images around it to create a six tableau ‘living story board’ that gives a clear idea of the kind of film they might make. Make it clear to them that they might adapt and modify the plan once they have started filming.
  • Introduce to the camera and its software. The DMC is a very simple device that needs only one button to start and stop filming. Clips are then easily downloaded into the software so that they can be edited. Each group is provided with a simple guide to the camera and the major features of the software.
  • The groups are then encouraged to look through a range of props and costumes and think which might best suit their films – they also need to be encouraged to share these between groups as each is needed for a particular shot.
  • The major features of the software for this project are: the ‘trim screen’ which allows children to trim film from the beginning and end of a clip; a filter which turns the film into black (sepia) and white; a function which allows them to remove sound; and a text tool which can be used to add text over a ready prepared still screen with an appropriate background and border. Demonstrate these features to the children as the day develops.
  • The filming project takes most of the rest of the day. Encourage children to be very inventive not only with the story the film depicts, but also with costume, props and settings. Encourage them to work outside and be very careful in choosing locations that do not give away when the film is made – a brick wall, for example, can be quite timeless, a metal gate in close-up can look very convincing as prison bars.
  • Intervene with groups as appropriate, but do not be afraid to encourage very high standards. It is a very important feature of film that clips can be taken again if the group is not completely happy with how they look on the screen.
  • As the films grow towards completion, add title and dialogue screens, and review them very carefully before each is exported so that it can be show on a large screen at the end of the day.
  • Finish the day with a film show of everyone’s finished products. If you are lucky enough to have a good pianist, they can add improvised soundtracks for the films. If not, talk to the children about the impact that sound might add and how they might create soundtracks of their own once they have their films back at school.

Miles Tandy, EDS, 2009