2. Filmmaking for Teachers
Sandra Lipkind
United Nations International School
IB Film teacher, ICT teacher, Technology Integrator

6. 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.

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

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

9. 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!

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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

13. Using the Film High Five
Show the website and the resources
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

14. 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

15. 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,
Jean-Pierre Jeunet

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

17. 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

18. 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

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

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

21. 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

22. 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.

23. 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

24. The Great Gatsby directed by baz luhrmann 2013

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

26. 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!)

27. 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

28. Three Act Structure - for Fiction Film
Beginning
Middle
End

29. 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

30. 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
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.

31. 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

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

33. 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

34. Storyboard

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

36. Character Profile

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

38. 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 -

39. 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

40. 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

41. 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.

42. 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.

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

44. 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.

45. 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

46. 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.

47. 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.

48. 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.

49. 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

50. 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

51. 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

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

53. 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

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

55. Any Questions? Sandra Lipkind United Nations International School
Presentation: