Filmmaking for Teachers Sandra Lipkind United Nations International School IB Film teacher, ICT teacher, Technology Integrator slipkind@unis.org http://tinyurl.com/ecisitfilm101

So, you want your students to make a film… What often happens is that teachers either Give the students a film as an option for a project Some motivated students will go ahead and try Most of these films aren’t particularly good - unless parents are really savvy and help a lot. Assign students to make a film but don’t teach any filmmaking. Get a lot of really bad films Students don’t know enough to analyze what went wrong. Some do a good job but most do not.

Problem Example Good Example Be an Ally - Films from M3 Problem Example Good Example

What stops many teachers Not sure how to teach filmmaking Time Classroom Management Equipment Support

Importance of teaching Film and Filmmaking? Critical Thinking Learn about cultures, the past, different points of view Engages Learners Creativity Collaboration Fun! Learn about cultures, the past, different ways people live life Engages Learners (Talk about when a teacher shows a film in class - getting kids to be active viewers of film - not passive - very important) Teaches Media Literacy Creativity - communication, teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking - highest level of Bloom’s Taxonomy - creating - designing, construcint, planning, producing, inventing) Teaches Collaboration Critical Thinking - social, emotional, education Fun!

What’s More... Most everyone loves film We live in a visual world Visual Literacy skills Powerful way for students to express themselves Most everyone loves film We live in a visual world where we are bombarded with sound and images everywhere we turn Visual Literacy skills are very important Creating quality films is a powerful way for students to express themselves

So, Where to begin? It depends! Basics of Film Language Mini Lessons Short production exercises Editing exercises Do you want to just have your students create a film for a project over the course of two weeks? Do you want to spend some time teaching before you get to the unit so your students are better prepared? The more time you spend, the better the films will be. If you want your student to develop these skills over time before you get to the filmmaking project, perhaps have film Fridays where you spend 10 minutes doing a film related activity. For this workshop, I will outline the bare minimum as well as outline ideas and times where you can teach different skills.

Teaching Film Language Film High Five (from The Film Space) Teaching Trailers (Primary & Secondary) Watch short clips and analyze (Short lessons) Mise en Scéne analysis

Using the Film High Five Show the website and the resources https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzCJ5GmRctfuMGRadHAwX0c4bDg/view?usp=sharing Hand out the film High Five here and go over it. (The Frame - Camera Angle and Camera Movement, Sound/Music - Sound Effects and Mood Music, Color/Light - Dark or light? color Patterns, Mise en scene - props, characters, body language, everything in the frame, Sequence - does the pace get faster/slower? How many edits can you spot?) From Teaching Trailers Primary

Establishing shot of The Shining - Used to set the scene Establishing shot of The Shining - Used to set the scene. Usually an exterior of a building or a landscape and give the viewer a general overview of the setting. This is a also a bird’s eye view - camera angle - puts the audience into a god-like position. The people are like ants. 1980 Stanley Kubrick

Close Up of Audrey Tautou in Amelie - Close up shots put the viewer into the mind of the character. In real life we only get this super close to people who we really trust. Our babies, our loved ones. This is a very intimate shot. These shots are meant to make us feel extra comfortable and trust a character or, 2001 - Jean-Pierre Jeunet

really uncomfortable about a character. 2006 Pan’s Labyrinth - Fuillermo del Toro

Low angle shot - Uma Thurman in Kill Bill - Lots of low angle shots show ceiling or sky and add to our disorientation. The angle of the camera makes the actor seems powerful in the shot. 2003 Directed by Quentin Tarantino

High angle shot from Matilda- High angle shots make the actor seem smaller and less significant. The angle of the camera makes the actor seems less powerful in the shot. Directed by Danny DeVito 1996

Color - Romantic Comedy - Wedding Crashers - High key lighting - bright with an orange tint 2005 film - david dobkin

Color - blue tone - from the Matrix - Directed by The Wachowskis 1999 low key lighting shadows - Mysterious, disturbed, unhappy

Teaching Mise en Scene Everything in the Scene - How do all of the elements work together to: Tell the story Create the atmosphere Highlight key themes Give information to the audience

Activity: Analyze a scene using the High Five Only use the first two - camera angle and movement and sound/music to analyze. Pair and share (or three) then share (three things each) and then one group member share two things with the group. 2012 film - Stephen Chobsky Point out: Slow acoustic melodies - feel a sense of forlornness. The shots are slow and steady Then music tempo increases - uplift the viewer and feel an emotional tie and connection. Shots pick up speed Shots are of outside person observing his life on the outside. We only see a POV shot when he sees Sam. Voiceover - to connect with him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5rh7O4IDc0

Activity: Imagine a Room What would you put in a room for the following inhabitants? A classroom in a private school A middle class suburban family An American spy in 2015 The living room of a wealthy family in the 1920s Exercise for teaching humanities

The Great Gatsby directed by baz luhrmann 2013

What are the steps? Pre-production (Planning Process) Production (Shooting the Film) Post-Production (Editing)

Pre-Production Make groups and come up with an idea Propose idea Write and rewrite a script Create storyboards Create Character Profiles Create shot lists The more work you put in here in the preproduction stage the better the film will be. Students often want to rush through this step and it is imperative that you have them work this through before moving on. What is interesting about these activities is that they are excellent ways to teach other subjects and not just film. You could teach students to write a scene from a book they are studying. They could create character profiles for historical figures and storyboard a novel. They don’t have to necessarily lead to a film (although they should at some point!)

Developing the Idea & Proposing It Teacher is the producer Type of film (documentary or fiction) Short films are a genre themselves. Must be visual - use pictures and sound. Not too much dialogue. Have students brainstorm ideas Use the Brainstorming Planning Sheet A producer will oversee each project from conception to completion and may also be involved in the marketing and distribution processes. Producers work closely with the directors and other production staff on a shoot. - In this case - The teacher is the producer who will make the decision whether or not the film gets made. Type of film means that the planning is different - for a documentary students would need to plan what they need to research as well as who they need to interview as well as the questions they might need to ask. Brainstorming Planning Sheet (from Ally films) Older students: Film planning guide

Three Act Structure - for Fiction Film Beginning Middle End

Research format for Documentary Research - What research do students need to do? Interviews - Who will they interview? What questions will they ask? What found footage will they need? Take B roll Visual (What is shown on the screen) Audio (What is heard? Narration?) supplement the interviews with 'B' roll material that shows other aspects of what they are talking about, then cut back to the main person their voice can be a voice over in this instance

Writing the Script Type of script depends on the type of film All group members should be involved even if there is one writer. Can use free script writing software www.Celtx.com Show celtx - teachers should make a class account for younger students - for older students - have students create their own accounts and share the scripts with you.

The Screenplay Dialogue Actor Movement & Emotions Camera Directions Sounds / music / sound effects Lighting Location & Props Timing when things should occur Show a screenplay that kids have done

Sample Screenplay Script Breakdown Show a screenplay that kids have done Script Breakdown

Storyboard Sample Storyboard drawings camera angles music dialogue sound effects notes Are like comic strips Each square represents frames The storyboard represents time - Sequence of events, what happens next, tool to structure time (this does not necessarily mean that everything is in chronological order). Sample Storyboard

Storyboard

Character Profiles Presentation for teaching developing characters Template for students on developing characters

Character Profile

Shotlist A list of all the shots that need to be filmed in a scene.

Genre Exercise How many conventions of an horror film can you think of in 1 minute? Discuss these in groups of two or three. Report back. The Babadook Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szaLnKNWC-U

Activity: Genre Conventions Spend a few minutes brainstorming the conventions of a genre Science fiction, Western, Horror, Romantic Comedy, Action, Adventure, Musical Show a trailer from that genre Discuss

Production - Camera Basics Cameras - don’t need anything fancy - use what you have Hold camera in two hands Never wave camera around Tripod or no tripod - depends on film Use your body as a tripod Use a rolling chair as a dolly

Shooting Practice with actors Practice with camera Film master shots Film other shots (different angles, OTS, Cutaways, Inserts) Do not zoom - move the camera Pan sparingly - makes people dizzy Leave sufficient heads & tails on shots A master shot is a film recording of an entire dramatized scene, from start to finish, from an angle that keeps all the players in view. It is often a long shot and can sometimes perform a double function as an establishing shot.

Capturing Footage Steps to capture footage (when to hit record) Say, “Ready” (make sure the actors are ready or the scene is ready) Say, “Roll Camera” Press the button Silently signal to the people in the shot by pointing at them.

Multiple Shoot Days Continuity Take photos of people’s outfits Take photos of set design Be aware of the light and time of day

Recording Sound Recording sound while filming Make sure the camera is close to the actors Film in a quiet location Slate the sound Capture room tone (at least a minute or two) Foley - Adding sounds to your film Teach students to watch each action in the film and record sounds for each action. Music - Soundtrack If there is dialogue is in the script, use instrumental music. Songs with voice in the background are distracting.

Activity: Count the cuts Scene from Dil Se Teach students to clap when they see a cut so they can begin to understand the editing in a film Scene from Dil Se

Post-Production Transfer footage to the computer as they go. Check for sound issues Check to see if they need to reshoot right then Much easier to reshoot when everyone is there and everything is set up All students should be involved with the editing - even if it isn’t their role. Option - Have all students edit their own film from the same footage.

Editing Import All Footage to the Program Put footage into an event Go through footage with group and favorite the clips they like Create an assemblage. (Assemble the clips in order) Work on creating a rough cut.

Editing Continuity Editing Use room tone captured when filming Smooth over the cuts so they are invisible and logical Use room tone captured when filming Use transitions for specific purposes Continuity editing is the predominant style of film editing and video editing in the post-production process of filmmaking of narrative films and television programs. The purpose of continuity editing is to smooth over the inherent discontinuity of the editing process and to establish a logical coherence between shots.

Peer Critique & Feedback Talk to students about how to provide feedback to others What you like What questions you have Suggestions Can use index cards Show rough cuts

Final Cut & Reflection Create a fun day to view films Have popcorn Writing assignment about process Reflection Write about their role in the film and what their original vision was and how it compared to the final film. What worked, what didn’t, what would they do differently next time

Activity: Editing Exercises Give students some footage to edit. Have students create a movie trailer for a short film Have students create a soundtrack for a film Voice over and foley (Despicable me) Example of voice over

Teaching Sound ADR - Additional Dialogue Recording Foley - Adding sounds to your film Music - Soundtrack

Activity: Listening to a film October Sky - opening scene Listen once (no visuals) write what you hear Discuss Listen again (no visuals) and discuss Watch and listen

More Resources There are resources linked throughout the presentation Teaching Trailers The Story of Movies BFI - Thinking Film Into film Learn About Film

Any Questions? Sandra Lipkind United Nations International School slipkind@unis.org Presentation: http://tinyurl.com/ecisitfilm101