Digital Arts at Sitar Center Spring 2016

Meet Your Teacher My name is Josh Weiner. I am 23 years old. I was born in Brussels, Belgium and live in Washington, DC. I attended Washington International School for high school. I graduated from Tufts University with a History Major and Film Studies Minor. My favorite sport is basketball. My favorite type of music is hip-hop. I love movies and am excited to help you make some really good ones!

Introductions! Let’s get to know one another! Here are some good icebreakers. What is your name? What school do you go to? What do you like to study in school? What are some of your favorite activities? What are some of your favorite movies? Who is one of your favorite actors and one your favorite actresses?

Test Your Movie Knowledge! We are going to have a little quiz about movies. You’ll be surprised what you may learn!

1) Which famous inventor is often credited with inventing movies? A) Thomas Edison B) Alexander Graham Bell C) Benjamin Franklin D) Leonardo da Vinci

2) What country produces the most movies each year? A) USA B) France C) China D) India

3) Mickey Mouse wasn’t always a mouse! He started out as a…. Squirrel Hamster Rabbit Boa Constrictor

4) Three films have won a record 11 Oscars 4) Three films have won a record 11 Oscars. Which of these is not one of them? Ben-Hur Star Wars Titanic The Return of the King

5) What effect is achieved by “over-cranking” a camera? A) Slow-motion B) Fast-motion C) A wider angle D) Extra color

Match the Director with his Movie! Steven Spielberg George Lucas Alfred Hitchcock John Lasseter James Cameron Peter Jackson Psycho Titanic Lord of the Rings Star Wars Jurassic Park Toy Story

1) A: THOMAS EDISON Although Thomas Edison is best known for inventing the lightbulb, he also patented a device called the “Kinetograph,” which is often considered to be the first-ever movie camera.

2) D: INDIA Bollywood, the Indian film industry, produces almost 1,000 films every year– by far the most of any country in the world, including the USA.

3) C: Rabbit Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was one of Walt Disney’s first hit characters. He later modified Oswald into a new creature named Mortimer Mouse. On his wife’s suggestion, the mouse’s new name became Mickey.

4) B: STAR WARS Star Wars won seven Academy Awards, but fell shy of the record 11 now shared three ways by the other films on that list.

5) A: SLOW-MOTION Over-cranking the camera means adding more frames to each second of film than there normally are. One second of footage might now take five seconds to pass– hence, slow-motion is achieved.

Match the Director with his Movie! Steven Spielberg— Jurassic Park Alfred Hitchcock— Psycho Peter Jackson— The Lord of the Rings John Lasseter— Toy Story George Lucas— Star Wars James Cameron— Titanic

BONUS ROUND What is the highest-grossing movie of all time? Also…. What about the highest-grossing movie of all time when adjusted for inflation?

The all-time champ…. Except when adjusted for inflation!

Do you know any of these already? TYPES OF SHOTS Do you know any of these already? Aerial Shot Tracking Shot POV (point-of-view) Shot Close-Up Shot Handheld Shot Establishing Shot Panning Shot Over-the-shoulder Shot

Which Scene – Which Type of Shot? I, Robot Jaws The Lion King Raging Bull The Return of the King Psycho Saving Private Ryan The Shawshank Redemption (More than one answer may be acceptable!)

I, Robot: Over-the-shoulder Shot Why use over-the-shoulder shots in a conversation scene?

Jaws: Point-of-view Shot How can we sense that danger is coming in this famous scene?

The Lion King: Establishing Shot Why start the movie by showing all of these parts of the African savanna before the plot even begins?

Raging Bull: Tracking Shot How do you think this tracking shot was achieved?

The Return of the King: Close-Up Shot What is the primary effect of using close-up shots in this intense scene?

What seems exciting about the city in this shot? (trick question!) Psycho: Panning Shot What seems exciting about the city in this shot? (trick question!)

Saving Private Ryan: Handheld Shot Moviemakers generally avoid using handheld shots. When might be good times to make exceptions to this rule?

The Shawshank Redemption: Aerial Shot If you could film any place from a helicopter like this, what would it be?

Talk to your friends! What story would you like to tell in a movie that we make together? Which of these shots we have analyzed would you like to include in your movie? What are some questions about movie-making that you still have? Anything you want!