Teacher's Course TBErased

Inspiring Pupils

A Teachers' Course

How to get your learners to make films!

Inspiring Pupils

Building a common framework (IO1)

TVR

Teachers' course

LFEE write content text........................................................................

Index

1. Understanding a film
2. Analysing a film
3. Getting an idea and planning a script
4. Storyboard
5. Starting your film
6. Titles
7. Further links!

1. Understanding film

Concept: Making a film is like a story, it has a beginning, middle and an end, with lots of interconnected steps in between. It is a shared adventure where you will learn the different skills which go together to make your end product: a film which communicates the idea which inspired you

2. Analysing a film

To start with the process of filmmaking, first it is important to understand the various parts a film has. Remember to tell your pupils that this is an example, but they will not be asked to make a film like this! Task: Click on the play button below to watch this film. Create groups and discuss the following questions with your friends. The Present, by Jacob Freiser:

Questions to ask about a film!

• Who are the protagonists?
• What is the plot/story?
• What emotions do you feel? What causes this emotion? What is the theme of the film?
• What are the obstacles/the solutions?
• What is the message of the story?
• What is the theme of the film?
• What is the genre of the film? Examples of genre are: action, comedy, drama, thriller, historical, documentary, fairytale, message, animation…(you can choose more than one!)

Answers and Tips

Who are the protagonists in ‘The Present’? The characters are the boy, his mother and a dog. The boy is the main character, the protagonist. The dog is the antagonist of the boy. A protagonist and an antagonist are two characters in a story that have opposing goals. The protagonist wants to achieve something, while the antagonist tries their best to stop them from succeeding. The antagonist is a crucial part of narrative development as well as character development for the protagonist. Protagonists are important characters in a story. The way they interact - or not- is very important and they will change and develop along the film.

Answers and Tips

What is the plot/story? A boy who is very engaged in playing video games receives a dog as a present. The boy realises that the dog has a missing leg and shows disappointment. Once he sees the playful spirit of the dog, he changes his mind and decides to go out and play with him. It’s at this precise moment that we can see that the boy is missing part of his leg too. We then understand that he is angry at the world because of his disability. Stories are infinite in numbers and ideas. We make up stories all the time and you will have an opportunity to share yours if you are determined and can learn how to do it.

Answers and Tips

What do they want to achieve?

Each character wants to achieve something different. The protagonist, the boy, wants to be at home playing video games. The antagonist, the dog, wants the boy to stop playing video games and instead start playing with him and be loved. The mother wants to make her son happy by bringing him a present, so he can go out of the house and enjoy the sun. The way they interact evolves within the story. The boy rejects the dog for missing a leg, but they are more similar than it looks at first and end up having fun together!

Answers and Tips

What emotions do you feel? What causes this emotion? Watching this short film, people may feel moved at different times: first for the dog when the boy rejected him, then for the boy and his disability and finally people will be glad to see that the dog and the boy share something in common and that they can have fun together. People will also feel happy for the mother.

Answers and Tips

What emotions do you feel? What causes this emotion?

When creating a story, you have to think about the emotions that each part of the film will convey to the audience. You should think about different strategies: music, landscapes, plot or a specific character can create various emotions in your audience. Emotions the audience may feel when watching a film are many. Each person watching the same film will experience it slightly differently.

Answers and Tips

What are the obstacles? What is the solution? At the beginning, the main obstacle for the boy is being interrupted by a playful dog (the dog is the antagonist of the story) that has a missing leg while he’s playing video games. Apparently he doesn’t like the fact that the dog has a missing leg. He seems to be angry at the world. The dog finds the solution by persevering and leading by example: you can run and have fun even with a disability. Most stories have clear obstacles or problems that characters have to overcome.

Answers and Tips

What is the theme of the film? Each film can have a main theme and secondary themes. In this film disability, acceptance and friendship are some of the themes. You should decide on the themes you are going to use for your film at an early part of the writing proces. What is the message of the story? The main message is that people shouldn’t judge others by their appearance. Many stories tend to contain a lesson or a message that the writer or director wants to convey to the audience. What will be your message?

Answers and Tips

What is the message of the story? The main message is that people shouldn’t judge others by their appearance. Many stories tend to contain a lesson or a message that the writer or director wants to convey to the audience. What will be your message? What is the genre of the film? The genre of this short film is animation. It is also a drama with a happy ending. Other examples of genre include: action, comedy, drama, thriller, historical, documentary, fairy tale…

Conclusion

Every story is unique and precious! You must spend time thinking about what you want to achieve. This is the creative process, a very exciting and important part of filming. And remember, filming requires good teamwork as it is a collaborative effort!

3.Getting an idea and planning a script

Would you like to make your own film? If you do, what might it be about? Discuss some ideas in your group! Set up a group, with roles such as: a chair, a note-taker, speaker, mediator, reporter, artist: the chair has a responsibility to ensure everyone takes part. Come to a conclusion, and report back your ideas!

Steps towards your film!

The following slides will explain how to start your project

What is the big idea? Discuss your personal favourite films, watch clips, share examples. Reflect upon why we enjoy the stories we do. Interview each other and record video clips of each other person’s thoughts. Watch together and share feedback. Finding inspiration Note potential ideas for different stories onto iPad or paper- what interests me, is there something or someone I want to find out more about? Collaborate with a partner and exchange feedback with each other. What is effective about the idea- how could it be improved? Children present ideas to class, entire group exchange feedback on which stories have 'Film Potential' to be made as a class project.

Selecting genre

Explore through discussion: what are the different ways to present a story through film? Look at different examples through video clips - drama, interview, animation, documentary, silent movie. Remember, what you are going to film should be something that interests you! The more passionate you are about it the better! Create a poster concept board featuring elements, imagery and potential inspiration for your film. Make a pitch Go and watch your favourite movie, look at the blurb on the back of your favourite book. Explore what a Log line is. Research online to find classic film Log Lines. In trios, come up with one sentence that encapsulates what the chosen story for the class project is. Develop this into a synopsis.

Lights, Camera! Interview and record each person’s thoughts explaining the film brief and why you chose to tell this story, think about the origins of your idea- what interests/inspires you, what do you like to watch, what do you want to find out, what excites you about this, begin explaining your concept board for genre and style approaches.

Activity: from script/pitch to storyboard

1. Working in your group, agree on an idea you might try to film.
2. Prepare a pitch to show your teacher or class.
3. Either write a draft script or produce drawings to show what you will film.
4. Sequencing the script, think about camera angles, etc.
5. Now you are going to produce your storyboard.

4. Storyboard

Definition A storyboard is an arrangement of pictures that briefly tell a story to help us plan making a film. Use a pencil and ruler to create a series of boxes on a piece of paper, or fold the paper to give yourself the number of boxes you need.

Definition

The storyboard is a drawing of the film shot by shot from the script. It is composed of: Sketches, actions and camera movements. The role of a storyboard is to translate the words on a script into pictures. The storyboard is a large comic strip of the film produced beforehand to help cinematographers to visualise the scenes, anticipate issues and find potential solutions. Watch more: English https://youtu.be/VMQIlb7t2v4 Spanish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_N3-gap2Sc French https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afFNpPsMhw4

Writing up the storyboard

Each drawing might present:

• action
• dialogue
• frame
• shot: static or dynamic (pan, dolly, zoom, tracking shot)
• camera angle
• music
• subtitles

Read this story, and make up a storyboard of how you would film it!

One day Louise and Andy were walking to school. They stopped at a zebra crossing, but then saw an old lady fall down. They went over to her and picked up her shopping bag for her. They asked her if she was all right, then helped her to stand up. She asked them if they could carry her bag for her to her house, which was just across the road, Louise looked at her phone, and realised they would be late for school if they helped the old lady. However, they decided they would do it anyway. They took her to her door, then ran all the way to the school gates. Their teacher looked at them angrily: you’re late!

Now draw the storyboard!

5. Starting your film

Making a shot list A shot list can include: ➔ The scene number ➔ Shot number ➔ Location ➔ Shot description ➔ Framing ➔ Action/dialogue ➔ Actors involved ➔ Props needed ➔ Extra notes

Types of shot

Next, decide what kind of shot you’ll be filming, such as a Long shot (LS): tells the audience who is in the scene, where the scene is set, and when the scene takes place. The character uses their whole body to communicate or to carry out an action. Medium-shot (MS): captures both details and scope at the same time. Medium shots highlight character details and the setting at the same time. can be useful if the character uses their hands to express an emotion. Close-up (CU): draws the audience's attention to the main characters and communicates the importance of their presence, reactions, and/or behaviour. Good for showing the character’s emotions and seeing their eyes.

(LS)

(MS)

(CU)

Using various angles

Overhead Shot or Bird's-eye view: Overhead shots are great for providing perspective on a scene. It's often used as either a "neutral" or sometimes "divine" point of view. Upshot/high angle shot: the camera is placed down low, pointing upward. It can give the character a feeling of power or domination. Eye level shots: an eye level shot can result in a neutral perspective. Down shot/low angle shot: the camera is placed above the subject, pointing downward. It can make the character feel inferior, helpless or trapped Worm’s-eye view: It can be used to look up to something to make an object look tall, strong and mighty while the viewer feels small or powerless.

Camera moves Static shots: Used for simple and direct framing. Dynamic shots: Pan: reveals additional information Dolly : the camera moves parallel to the ground, as if moving on tracks Zoom: the frame becomes wider or closer Tracking shot: the camera follows a particular subject as they move Learn more : https://downloads.boords.com/boords-camera-angles.pdf

Filming

It is a creative process of recording a series of moving images, which can be made into a film. During filming, a script supervisor will check for script continuity thus ensuring lines are delivered properly and actions planned have been covered. Actors will rehearse their lines and practise their scenes. Camera operators will follow the shooting plan set within the storyboard and shot lists. This footage is then passed onto video and audio editors to select clips from the best takes. This process should contribute to improving competences, collaborative work, autonomy and ability to manage resources. Moreover, it can promote the participation of all students. It is important to fill the checklist below before start filming.

Roles in filming

Have a discussion about potential roles. Think about roles needed for your film. Who wants to do what? Crew Define different roles for crew: camera operator, director, assistant director, producer, script supervisor, sound person, art director, director of photography, etc. Actors Decide on specific roles for the actors, protagonists and antagonists as appropriate, supporting actors etc Ensure you promote the participation of every student, valuing each other’s strengths.

Roles in filming

There are so many different roles in digital filmmaking. You can see this when you watch the credits at the end of a mainstream film: The credits seem to go on for ages at the end of a film as they thank all the people involved, from the actors to the costume designers. The following list describes some of the main roles in making a film. You don’t have to fill every role with your film, of course, but these are your possibilities: Director Directors work with the actors and crew during filming to tell the story and to get the best result for the audience. They also help to refine the story and script before filming and review the edits during post‐production.

Assistant director The person who works with the director to organize the crew and actors and to make sure everything is running smoothly during filming. Producer The person responsible for organizing the production and filming from start to finish. Some of the duties of a producer include working with writers, the director, and the cast to prepare the script ready for shooting; organizing and managing the film crew; planning and scheduling the shoot; reviewing the edits with the director; and organizing the distribution of the final film.

Sound person The person responsible for holding the microphone and recording sound on set. The boom operator also monitors the sound during filming to check for volume levels and any sound issues or background noises. Writer The writer is really involved at the start of the filmmaking process, but occasionally he or she can be invited to be on set when filming Script supervisor The person who supervises the story and script for filming. Art director/props master The person responsible for finding props needed for each scene. Some props need to be designed and built for a scene and others can be bought.

Editor Editors are responsible for placing the footage together in the editing tool to tell the story. They often work to make sure the director is happy with the final result. Director of photography The person who works with the camera and lighting crew to make the shots look great. They also work with the director to decide on what types of shots to use. In small productions, sometimes the director of photography is the camera operator. Actors These are the people who play the characters in the film. They take advice from the directors to bring the character to life using the dialogue written in the script.

Planning your film

• Create a shot list to check the scenes (refers to the storyboard) See storyboard and shot list sections above
• Equipment: ipads/tablets, phone, microphone, tripod… Dom to upload checklist as new slide
• Permissions (parents and locations) take from Output 1
• Location scouting : places where you are going to film. If filming outside, consider the sunlight, wind and external noises.
• Create a list to check everything is ready.
• Sound, camera and action
• Start filming!

CREATE A CHECKLIST (to keep an eye on your progress)

Fill out the form as you go along!

ITEM

NO

IN PROCESS

YES

GROUP ORGANISATION

ROLES

STORYBOARD SCENES

EQUIPMENT

PERMISSIONS

LOCATION

Editing

Video editing is a process by which fragments of video, photography and audio are arranged in an order that allows us to follow the story presented to us. The goal of editing is to present a finished video suitable for viewing.

How long is a film?

The length of a short film can be very flexible. We can find short films of very different lengths, depending on various factors. Generally speaking, a film is considered to be a short film when it has a duration of thirty minutes or less.

Free editing programmes

IMOVIE

KINEMASTER

Video Editing software

KINEMASTER

Recording or photographing with a tablet/iPad

Step 1. Create a new project

Step 2. Choose a name and select a format

Step 3. Click on the central red button to record or take a photo

Step 3. Click on the central red button to record or take a photo.

Step 4. You can select photos and films you have already made from your gallery.

Step 5. Select a video or photo

Step 6. From “Capa/layer” we can add these options.

• Gallery: vídeo or photos
• Basic effects: gaussian and mosaic
• Text
• Stickers
• Writing: edit text on the clip

Step 7. From “Gallery” you can select different options

• Replace
• Trim/split the clip
• Slide
• Mixer
• Entrance, general, exit animation
• Speed
• Invest
• split screen
• Cutout
• Rotate/Mirror
• Filter
• Adjustment
• Color key
• Magic remover
• Alpha (opacity)
• Combination
• Volume envelope
• EQ
• Reverberation
• Voice changer
• Extract sound
• Transcode
• Information

Step 7. Add audio

Step 8. Record audio from “REC”

Step 9. Upload recording with green background and create chroma key

Step 10. After editing, the film is ready to be published

Audio

To record audio while recording a video, you can use an external audio recording device, such as a digital voice recorder or a video camera with a built-in microphone such as a tablet. It is important to ensure that the device or software used has the ability to record high quality audio.

Transitions

Transitions in video editing refer to the changes and adjustments that are made to the video content during the editing process. This may include cutting and trimming scenes, adding special effects, adjusting audio, changing speed, adjusting lighting and colour, and adding titles and subtitles. Video editing involves working with editing software, where a timeline is used to organise and adjust the different audio and video tracks. Changes and adjustments are made by selecting and manipulating clips on the timeline. It is important to have a prior planning of the transactions to be made in order to have a general idea of the final video and to be able to work efficiently.

Credits

The film credits are the list of names that usually appears at the end of a film and in which the names of all the people, companies, brands or institutions that have had something to do with the production, recording or making of the film appear. To do this, we can use, among others, the following tools: VideoPad Video Editor, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro.

Video Pad Video Editor

VideoPad Video Editor, from NHC software, is an application that can be used to add moving credits like those in a movie. You can enter your text and use different fonts. There are a lot of options you can take advantage of to improve the quality of your video.

https://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad/index.html

Formats

The most common formats for short films are: AVI: Among its advantages, it can include several audio channels and host content generated with different codecs (AC3 or MP3 for audio, DivX or Xvid for video), which can be an advantage but also a disadvantage with some players. MP4: MP4 also supports multiple audio channels, but has the advantage of allowing more picture and sound quality in a lighter file, as it compresses the data better. Apple, for example, relies on this format and derivatives for its iTunes content. MKV: The MKV video format is an open, royalty-free format, whose full name is Matroska, like the traditional Russian dolls. Like MP4, it offers very good audio and video quality in a small space. And as a curiosity, the WebM format, which allows to embed online video via HTML, is inspired by Matroska. MOV: MOV, from QuickTime Movie, is also known as QuickTime File Format, and is still the default format of QuickTime, the macOS video player. This format can also be found in many digital video cameras, as it offers very good picture and sound quality without compression.

Exporting

Exporting a video means saving or saving the video file in a specific format for use or distribution. The export process varies depending on the video editing software used. In general, the process is as follows: In the video editing software, open the video project you want to export. Go to the "File" menu and select "Export" or "Export As". Select the desired output format. Common formats include MP4, AVI, MOV, WMV, among others. Select the desired video and audio quality. Select the destination folder where you want to save the exported file. Click on the "Export" or "Save" button to start the export process. It is advisable to export in a format compatible with the devices that will be used to play the video.

6. Titles (examples from all three kinds taken from our films?)

We will find in films at least three different kinds of ‘titles’. These are words superimposed on the screen when we make a film: let us look at three of them: Opening titles, Subtitles and captions and Closing titles. Opening titles: are shown at the start of a film, and may be stand alone, or shown along with the action taking place. They may give the name of the film, names of participants (actors, directors, etc). They should not be too long, otherwise they can distract from the message of the film. You can of course use these kind of titles throughout the film, to mark for instance different segments.

6. Titles (examples from all three kinds taken from our films?)

Subtitles accompany the film: they will be a written version of what is being spoken. Subtitles can translate what is being said into another language. That might be because you are interviewing someone in their own language, or because you want to show the film to a different audience. As captions, they can support those who find difficulty in hearing or understanding what is being said or what is happening. Closing titles are used to show who participated in the making of the film, and also to acknowledge anyone you wish to thank for their support.

6. Titles: activity 1

Opening titles: look at any films and TV programmes you are watching, and note down three different ways the opening titles are run. Subtitles and captions: Three activities to try!

• Watch a film in a language you are not sure of, and look at the subtitles. Do they help?
• If you are watching the news, see if you can find any examples of subtitles being used.
• Try watching a programme with subtitles for the hard of hearing to see what is written.

Closing titles: again, look at any films and TV programmes you are watching, and note down three different ways the closing titles are run.

6. Titles: activity 2

Opening titles: look at the film you are planning, and imagine what you would like to show at the start. Write it down! Sub-titles: decide if you would like to have people who speak more than one language taking part, and plan how you could have a version of what they are saying written at the bottom or top of the screen. If you are going to show your film to people who speak a different language, write a brief version of what is being said, to help these people understand what is going on. Closing titles: plan the titles to show who who all took part in the film, what their role was, and decide if there is anyone you would like to thank!

6. Titles: activity 3

We can now try a practical exercise: adding titles and subtitles to your own video. This could be a project you have worked on, or a just a short video introducing yourselves to students in another country. First, put in opening and closing titles. Then try to put in subtitles. It's easy to do on youtube. When you upload your film, automatic subtitles are generated and you just need to correct them in the editor. (you can also translate what you want with the help of google translate and use that instead!) https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796?hl=en-GB

7. Further links

A trilingual glossary! How to add subtitles How to add opening and end credits Camera moves Camera shots Trimming your film Using a clapperboard