filmmaking toolkit for teachers...filmmaking toolkit for teachers 2.1 introduction to use the film...

Filmmaking Toolkitfor Teachers

Columbia Primary SchoolClick to start >

Filmmaking Toolkit for Teachers

ContentsModule 1 - Welcome

- 1.1 Welcome- 1.2 About this project- 1.3 Why use film in the classroom?

Module 2 - What do you want to do?- 2.1 Introduction- 2.2 Film ideas bank- 2.3 Planning a film lesson- 2.4 Assessment

Module 3 - Filming in a classroom- 3.1 Group sizes- 3.2 Allocation of roles- 3.3 Additional crew roles- 3.4 Director’s calls- 3.5 Safety 1- 3.6 Safety 2

Module 4 - Using the camera- 4.1 Checking equipment- 4.2 Batteries & power supplies- 4.3 Video cassettes 1- 4.4 Video cassettes 2- 4.5 Tripods (Advanced)- 4.6 Microphones (Advanced)- 4.7 Final Checks- 4.8 Shooting

- 4.9 Shot guide 1 (Advanced)- 4.10 Shot guide 2 (Advanced)- 4.11 Shot guide 3 (Advanced)- 4.12 Shot guide 4 (Advanced)- 4.13 Shot guide 5 (Advanced)- 4.14 Shot guide 6 (Advanced)- 4.15 It’s a wrap!

Module 5 - Editing your film- 5.1 Introduction- 5.2 Capturing: getting film into a PC- 5.3 Windows Movie Maker 1- 5.4 Windows Movie Maker 2- 5.5 Windows Movie Maker 3- 5.6 Windows Movie Maker 4- 5.7 Editing 1- 5.8 Editing 2- 5.9 Being creative- 5.10 Finishing your movie- 5.11 Playing your finished film

Module 6 - Presenting films- 6.1 Presenting movies 1- 6.2 Presenting movies 2- 6.3 Presenting movies 3- 6.4 Being creative

Module 7 - Resources- 7.1 Resources

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Module 1 - Welcome

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1.1 Welcome1.2 About this project1.3 Why use film in the classroom?


1.1 WelcomeWelcome to the Columbia School video toolkit.

The purpose of this toolkit is to present a guide to video and film-making in the classroom.

How to use the toolkitUse the ‘Next’ and ‘Back’ buttons to move through the toolkit. There are a few ‘Advanced’ sections with additional information - Advanced sections have a black background instead of white.

If you just want basic information, skip these pages using the next button, or if there are a few Advanced pages in a row, you can skip them all by clicking on ‘Skip Adv.’

You can also link to any page by clicking on its title on the ‘Contents’ page. Go back to the Contents page at any time by clicking on the button at the bottom of the screen.


Click video to play

Any text which is underlined is a hyperlink which will link to either another part of the Toolkit, or an external document or web page.


1.2 About this projectIn the school year 2005-6, Columbia Primary School, in conjunction with Creative Partnerships, undertook a project to integrate video into the school curriculum.

Three filmmakers worked in collaboration with teachers and children throughout the year to discover ways to use films as day-to-day learning tools.



1.3 Why use film in the classroom?At Columbia Primary School we believe that a creative curriculum inspires children. Film-making is a useful tool to deliver this creative curriculum. It is a great method to teach children how to think and learn. And it can make us think about subjects in new and unexpected ways.

It develops speaking, listening and comprehension skills which in turn contribute to improved reading and writing.

It is fun and it motivates children to participate in classroom learning. Visual media saturates our lives and it is essential that children learn to view and interact with visual media critically and thoughtfully.

You do not have to set out to make a finished film. You can reach for a camera when you might normally reach for a pencil. The process is more important than the final result.



Module 2 - What do you want to do?

2.1 Introduction2.2 Film Ideas Bank2.3 Planning a film lesson2.4 Assessment



2.1 IntroductionTo use the Film Ideas Bank, go to the next page and click on the subject and key stage which applies to you and your class.

You will see a page giving an example of a film that was made for that key stage in that subject. You can watch the film by clicking on 'play film'.

If you want to return to the Film Ideas Bank to choose a different subject or key stage, click on 'back'. Explore the different ideas - there are technical tips for each film which often apply to all filmmaking in the classroom, whatever the subject or key stage.



2.2 Film Ideas BankFoundation Key Stage 1 Key Stage 2

Communication language and literacy Click

EnglishClick Click

Mathematical development Click Maths Click Click

Knowledge and understanding of the world

Click

Science Click Click

D&T Click Click

ICT Click Click

History Click Click

Geography Click Click

Creative developmentClick

Art Click Click

Music Click Click

Physical development Click PE Click Click

Personal, social and emotional development

Click

RE Click Click

PSHE & citizenship Click Click

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2.3 Planning a film lessonColumbia Primary School expects teachers to incorporate film into their planning and delivery of the curriculum at least once every term.

Take a look at the Breadth of Study pages in the National Curriculum.

Sometimes you have to use film, as part of the ICT elements of the different subject areas.

Other times, the learning objectives in the NC don’t explicitly refer to the use of film. But you can still find links, if you look!

Specific learning objectives for film are also set out in Columbia’s scheme on ICT in the Digital Media section of each year overview and the Digital Media Skills Progression Sheets.



2.4 AssessmentFilm is a powerful assessment tool. It can be used to record children’s thoughts and skills, which can then be assessed at a later stage.

It can also be stored in the shared area for children to use for self-assessment and target setting.

At Columbia, children’s digital media skills need to be assessed as part of ICT assessment.

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Module 3 - Filming in a classroom

3.1 Group Sizes 3.2 Allocation of roles 3.3 Additional crew roles3.4 Director’s calls3.5 Safety 13.6 Safety 2



3.1 Group SizesThink about whether you work with the class as a whole or in a small group.



3.2 Allocation of rolesGetting the class to operate as a proper film crew is a great way to involve them in the filmmaking process.

Crew rolesA basic crew might consist of these roles – these could rotate throughout the lesson:

Director – to “call the shots” and direct any cast and crew

Camera operator – to set up the camera and control recording

Boom operator – to hold the microphone boom-pole and point it in the right direction

Sound monitor – this could easily be the camera or boom op, but if you want to involve lots of students, it’s a useful extra role!

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Sound monitor

Boom operator

Camera operator

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3.3 Additional crew rolesYou could also have crew-members for the following roles:Art department – to find props, locations or sceneryLighting – perhaps to control the classroom lights if they need to be turned on or offProduction assistant – to write down details of each take including length, quality of performance, etcMake-up – to make the actors or presenters look rightSound-effects – to create sounds in the background of a scene or to make sound effects directly into the camera which are used on the soundtrack laterPuppeteers – to control any inanimate objects

Another way of involving lots of children is to double-up roles.



3.4 Director’s callsDirector’s callsThere is a set sequence of calls that a director makes to ensure that everybody is ready for the camera to roll. Here’s a video of a possible sequence of calls:

Director (to everybody present): “Quiet on set please”

Director: “Sound ready?”Boom operator and Monitor: “Ready” (or

“not ready” if appropriate)Director: “Roll camera”Camera operator: “Rolling” (once ‘record’

light on camera is lit)Director: “Action!”Director: “Cut!” (when the take is complete –

but not too soon)

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Click video to play incorrect calls

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3.5 Safety 1There are a few safety issues to take into consideration when using video equipment in the classroom.

TripodsIt’s important that a tripod is stable and set up on a firm surface. Make sure that all three legs are properly pulled away from the body and that all the catches are secure. Also try to make sure that the legs are arranged so that one of them points forwards in the same direction as the camera. This means that if the camera is knocked from behind (the most probable accident) it is far less likely to fall forwards.

CablesWatch out for cables.A simple way to reduce cable mess is to use batteries where possible, instead of the power supply.Any excess cable trailing around the floor should be gathered up by the relevant person (e.g. the boom operator) if you’re moving around.



3.6 Safety 2Moving aroundIf you are planning to move around with the camera, always have an extra person guiding the camera-operator, ensuring that the path is clear. This is especially important when moving backwards.

Moving equipment and heavy objectsAlways take care when moving camera equipment around. If you’re moving from one location to another, pack equipment up as much as possible. Don’t walk around with cameras attached to fully extended tripods, for example, and collapse boom poles down and carry them upright.



Module 4 - Using the camera

4.1 Checking equipment4.2 Batteries and power supplies4.3 Video cassettes 14.4 Video cassettes 24.5 Tripods (Advanced)4.6 Microphones (Advanced)4.7 Final checks4.8 Shooting4.9 Shot guide 1 (Advanced)4.10 Shot guide 2 (Advanced)4.11 Shot guide 3 (Advanced)4.12 Shot guide 4 (Advanced)4.13 Shot guide 5 (Advanced)4.14 Shot guide 6 (Advanced)4.15 It’s a wrap!



4.1 Checking equipmentBefore each lesson, it’s a good idea to check that all the equipment is present and working properly. Use this check-list to ensure you have everything you need.

Common things to go missing include:

• Lens cap (advanced cameras only)

• Base-plate (attaches camera to tripod)

• Batteries

• Headphones

• Microphone (advanced cameras only)

• Cables - e.g. microphone cable (advanced), Firewire cable (connects camera to computer)

• Tapes – do you have enough blank tapes for what you are planning to film? Each tape is one hour long.

Also check the following:

• Are the batteries charged? Check the battery icon on the camera’s display.

• With the headphones and microphone plugged into the camera, can you hear anything through the headphones?

• With the viewing screen open on the camera, can you see an image?

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4.2 Batteries and power suppliesCharging batteriesTo charge a battery for the classroom cameras, attach the power supply to the camera, slide the battery onto the camera and leave the power switch in the ‘off’ position. When the battery is fully charged, the red light will stop flashing. To prolong the life of a battery’s charge, try these tips:

• Don’t play back anything you record at the shoot. The added benefit is that you will never accidentally record over your work if you follow this rule.

• Turn the camera off if you know you won’t be using it for a while.

• Try to record only what you need – don’t leave the camera recording unnecessarily.

Always recharge a battery you have been using after each session. It’s a good idea to check all the batteries for your camera before a lesson.

Power supply unitIf you are near a power socket, and you’re not going to be moving the camera around, you can power the camera with its power supply instead of a battery.

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4.3 Video cassettes 1Video CassettesAll of the school cameras use mini-DV cassettes which are one hour long.

Loading a cassetteTo see how to load a cassette into the cameras, follow the video guide on the right.

Never force a cassette. If it won’t load into the camera properly, check that you are loading it the right way round and that there is nothing blocking the way.

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4.4 Video cassettes 2Protecting your footageOnce you have finished recording on a tape, you can protect it from being recorded over by sliding its protect button across in the direction marked ‘SAVE’ – see the video on the right. If you can’t record on a tape, it’s always worth checking that this button is set to ‘REC’.

Labelling your cassettesAlways remember to label both the cassette and its case so you can find footage easily in the future. Important details you could include are the project name, class name, date and, if there is more than one cassette for a project, the cassette, or roll number.

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4.5 Tripods (Advanced)If you want to keep your shots very steady and do smooth pan and tilt movements (moving the camera side-to-side or up and down), a tripod is essential. Although the classroom cameras aren’t equipped with tripods, there are some for use with the advanced cameras which will work fine.

You’ll need a base-plate, which fits on the bottom of the camera and attaches it to the tripod. These should be with the tripod or the advanced cameras.

Watch the video on the left for a quick guide showing how to set up a tripod.

Click video to play



4.6 Microphones (Advanced)To use an external microphone with the advanced cameras, you need to plug the 3-pin plug attached to the microphone (called an XLR plug) into the XLR socket marked ‘input 1’ on the top of the camera.

There are a number of switches round the back of the XLR socket on the camera which relate to the microphone settings and it’s worth checking that these are set correctly:

SWITCH SETTINGREC CH SELECT CH1INPUT LEVEL MIC+48V ON

(Don’t worry about the INPUT 2 settings unless you are using 2 mics, in which case use the same settings as above).


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To make sure that the camera is listening for the XLR mics, press the ‘Audio level’ button at the back of the camera. This will show the audio levels for each mic. Speak into the mic to check that the level is good, but not going into the red.


4.7 Final checksFinal ChecksThere are a few last minute checks you should carry out before you’re ready to start setting up your shot.

Check the lensThe lens is one of the most expensive and delicate parts of the camera, so care must be taken to protect it from dirt and scratches. Always replace the lens cap when you’re not shooting. When you’re ready to shoot, check the following:

• Is the lens-cap off?

• Is the lens clean? Note: only clean with a lint-free cloth or photographer’s compressed air can

Turn onTurn the camera on and set to ‘Camera’ mode, as shown in the video below.

Automatic modeThe classroom cameras are set to ‘Automatic’ mode as default. This means you won’t have to worry about focus and exposure settings.

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4.8 ShootingRecordingThe camera operator’s main job, after setting up the shot, is to set the camera rolling by pressing the ‘Record’ button, and (along with the director) to watch the action on screen as a scene is being shot. After the director has called “Cut!”, the camera operator should press the ‘Record’ button again to stop recording.

Changing cassettesWhen you are shooting, keep an eye on how much tape you have left and have another cassette ready for when you run out. The indicator on the camera’s screen lets you know how much time is left. If it looks like you’re going to run out of tape, change it before you shoot another take.

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4.9 Shot guide 1 (Advanced)Of course, you could just point the camera in the direction of what you want to shoot and press record – the beauty of video cameras is that they are so simple to use. But, with just a little thought and planning you can greatly improve the effectiveness of your shots.

FocusIf you’ve set the camera to ‘Automatic’ mode, as suggested in ‘Final Checks’, the camera should focus automatically on your subject. However, bear in mind that if there is something in the foreground of your shot, the camera is likely to try and focus on this instead, so always double check that the image on the camera’s screen is sharp (in-focus). If it isn’t, you may need to think again about your shot – for example move the offending article from the foreground!

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4.10 Shot guide 2 (Advanced section)Exposure – what’s in the background?The term ‘exposure’ refers to the amount of light that the camera is getting. Because, for simplicity’s sake, we suggest you set the cameras to ‘Automatic’ mode, you don’t have to worry about setting any exposure levels in the camera – it takes care of this for you. However, you can still help the camera to get it right.

If you are shooting a person and you want to see their features clearly, you should not stand them in front of a window, as there will be a good chance that the camera will use the light level outside of the window to set its exposure level. This can result in the light from the window looking normal and everything inside the room (i.e. your subject) looking dark and under-exposed. Similar effects can happen if you stand your subject in front of a plain white wall, or have bright lights behind them. It’s worth experimenting with different backgrounds and settings in any location to ensure your subject is suitably exposed.


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4.11 Shot guide 3 (Advanced)Microphone positionWith your microphone attached to the camera, it picks up most of its sound from the direction that the camera is pointing. You may decide that you want to pick up sound from another direction, or that you’d like to move the camera around whilst recording the sound from one direction. In either of these cases, you’d benefit from attaching the microphone to a boom pole and using a long cable from the camera.Of course, you then need someone to hold the boom and point it in the right direction! Here are some tips for the boom-operator:

Don’t move your hands around excessively on the boom-pole – the microphone will pick up the vibrations.

Use a fairly loose grip – this helps avoid these movements and stops your hands from getting tired too quickly


Click video to play

Always keep an eye on where the microphone is pointing – it’s easy to forget and look at the screen and let the boom drop!

Keep the boom and mic out of the shot.Watch out for any shadows the boom might cast across the shot.


4.12 Shot guide 4 (Advanced)Monitor SoundIf you have a separate boom-operator, it makes sense for them to wear headphones and monitor the sound as well. Alternatively, if you want to involve as many of the class as possible, you could have another student performing this role. If you are using an on-camera microphone, you may want the camera-operator to monitor the sound.

Here are the main things the sound monitor should listen out for:

• Can you hear what you want to hear clearly?

• Is there excessive background noise (e.g. traffic or chatter)?

• Are there any intermittent or one-off noises that obscure the sound you want to record?



4.13 Shot guide 5 (Advanced)Angle and height of shotA common tendency is to shoot a person straight-on, standing in front of a wall. To make the shot more interesting, you could position the camera at a different angle to the wall or the subject.


Length of shotHow far away do you want your subject to appear? If you need to see subtle facial expressions on a person, a close-up would be a good idea. If the background is as important as the subject, you might want to use a longer shot to show more behind them. Think about what information you want to convey.For more detail on shot sizes, visit Atomic Learning’s online guide. For a printable resource sheet to remind you of shot sizes, go to the Resources page.

Click videos to play


4.14 Shot guide 6 (Advanced)Creative IdeasYour choice of shot can help you to convey the message of your film. All of the techniques covered in this section can be used creatively, with just a little thought. Here are some examples:

If you wanted a shot to recall a ‘Crimewatch’ style anonymous witness interview, you could actually use the under-exposure of a subject in front of a bright window to your advantage so that you couldn’t make out any facial features.

If you were shooting a narrative film about a giant, an easy way to enhance the story would be to shoot the giant’s point-of-view shot from very high up – or position the giant on a table and shoot from below.


For more tips on composing better shots, have a look at this online resource.

Click video to play


4.15 It’s a wrap!Wrapping“It’s a wrap” is the phrase used on film sets when shooting is finished for the day and everybody can pack up and go home. It’s tempting to just stuff everything in a bag and get on with that endless pile of marking, but it’s worth spending a few minutes packing away properly to make life easier next time you use the camera kit.

• Check that no equipment is missing or broken

• If anything is missing or broken, report it to the IT manager so that it can be repaired or replaced

• Put any used batteries on charge in the ICT room

• Pack all the kit away neatly

• Check that there are enough cassettes left for next time



Module 5 - Editing your film

5.1 Introduction5.2 Capturing - getting film into a PC 5.3 Windows Movie Maker 15.4 Windows Movie Maker 25.5 Windows Movie Maker 35.6 Windows Movie Maker 45.7 Editing 15.8 Editing 25.9 Being creative5.10 Finishing your movie5.11 Playing your finished film



5.1 IntroductionThis chapter will focus on how to edit your films on a PC using Windows Movie Maker (WMM) software. There are plenty of free training resources on the web for WMM, so rather than go into too much detail here, this guide will sometimes direct you to relevant online tutorials.

If you want to browse Atomic Learning’s WMM tutorials for yourself, visit www.atomiclearning.com/moviemaker2Before you continue with this module, you might want to play some of these tutorials to familiarise yourself with the basics of WMM. Take a look at Tutorials A1-3 in particular.

This diagram illustrates the basic process that you go through when editing, from capturing your footage to showing a finished film on a CD, DVD or a projector.



5.2 Capturing - getting film into a PCTo edit your film on a PC, first of all you have to get your footage off the cassette and into the computer. This process is called ‘capturing’, and simply involves playing your footage on the video camera and recording it onto a connected PC.

ConnectingTo connect the camera to a PC, you’ll need a Firewire cable – there should be one in the camera bag. Watch the video on the right to see the whole process.

Turning onOnce the camera is connected, turn it on in VCR mode by pushing the power selector so it points to VCR. In this mode, the camera acts as a video player, to play back your footage, rather than as a camera. You will also need to turn on the PC and log-in, using your Username and Password, as usual.

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5.3 Windows Movie Maker 1 Opening WMMIf the PC and camera are both turned on correctly, WMM should open automatically and you will be presented with a dialogue box called “Video Capture Wizard”.If WMM doesn’t open by itself, you’ll need to launch it. Click on the Start menu at the bottom left of the PC display, then select All Programs/Utilities/Windows Movie Maker.



5.4 Windows Movie Maker 2Video Capture WizardIf the Video Capture Wizard window doesn’t appear, you can open it by selecting File/Capture Video.In the Video Capture Wizard, The first thing you need to do is name your footage and choose a place on your computer to save it, in fields 1 and 2 as shown.

When you’ve done this, click ‘Next’. You’ll now see three choices for ‘Video Setting’, which determines the quality of the footage on your PC. You should usually choose the first of these options “Best quality for playback on my computer”.

Click ‘Next’ again and you’ll be presented with two options for ‘Capture Method’. Select the second of these, ‘Capture parts of the tape manually’, and tick the box next to ‘Show preview during capture’. Click ‘Next’ again.



5.5 Windows Movie Maker 3Video Capture Wizard (cont.)Finally, you’ll see the ‘Capture Video’ window, where you control the camera playback and tell the PC to capture your footage.Before you start capturing, look at the three tick-boxes at the bottom left of the window. Firstly, un-tick the box for ‘Create clips when wizard finishes’. ‘Mute speakers’ should be ticked if you don’t want to hear the sound from your tape as you capture (don’t worry, the sound will still be captured along with the picture). The third box, ‘Capture time limit’ should be left un-ticked.

You can control the playback of the video camera using the ‘DV camera controls’ beneath the ‘Preview’ display on the right. Locate the first piece of footage you want to capture and play the tape. Click on the ‘Start Capture’ button to begin recording the footage into the PC. When you’ve reached the end of your required footage, click on the ‘Stop Capture’ button.Note: always capture a little more footage than you actually need – a few seconds extra at the start and the end



5.6 Windows Movie Maker 4Saving your projectOnce you’ve captured all the footage you need, it’s a good time to give your project a name and save it. The project file is the main file, which contains all the footage and information for your film. Every time you open WMM to work on your film, you should open the appropriate project file for your film.To save your project file, click on File/Save ProjectIt’s important to save your files in the right place – ask the ICT co-ordinator if you’re unsure.

For more detail on the capturing process, view tutorials C2 and C3.



5.7 Editing 1Editing overviewEditing involves cutting the ‘raw’ footage which you’ve captured into smaller sections and building a sequence with them in WMM’s timeline. The timeline is the area at the bottom of the display in WMM, as shown here. By looking at the timeline, you can see your edited film clips laid out in sequence, with the flow of clips from left to right representing the flow of time. There are two ways of viewing your sequence, called Timeline view and Storyboard view. You should usually use Timeline view, but as Storyboard view is a little simpler, it can be useful if you are working with small children.

To find out more about Timeline and Storyboard views, take a look at Tutorials D1-14.



5.8 Editing 2CollectionsYour captured footage is automatically saved into a ‘Collection’. This is simply the way WMM groups movie clips together for a project.To learn about Collections, take a look at Tutorials B1-5.

EditingIn Tutorials D1-14, you learned how to put clips into Timelines and Storyboards. The next stage is to edit these clips within the sequence, by splitting, combining, trimming and nudging clips.For detailed tutorials on how to perform these kinds of edit, view tutorials E1-6.

Editing audioYour video footage will usually contain sound of its own, but you can also add sound to a sequence, either by capturing it from the camera, or by bringing an existing audio file (such as an mp3) into your project. To find out how to import audio (and picture) files into WMM, view Tutorial C4.

You can have two tracks of audio in WMM. One is attached to the video clip, and one extra is the ‘music track’. It’s important to get the balance between these two tracks right, so that the music doesn’t overpower the video clip sound, or vice-versa. See Tutorials I1-3 to find out how to control this.



5.9 Being creativeThere are countless ways of being creative in the editing process. Here are some ideas, and links to tutorials to help you realise your ideas.

Adding titlesWMM allows you to add titles, or any text throughout your film. You can also manipulate the text with a variety of motion effects and styles. To learn how to add text to your film, view tutorials H1-4.

Adding transitionsA transition is an effect used to move from one video clip into another, by fading between them, for example. WMM has a wide selection of transitions you can play with. To learn how to apply them to your sequence, take a look at tutorials G1-4.

Adding effectsWMM allows you to add a variety of effects to your movie. For example, you can:

• Slow down or speed up a video clip

• Fade in or out a video clip

• Make the image brighter or darker

• Change the colour of your film, or make it black and white

There are many other effects. To find out how to apply various effects, watch tutorials F1-3.

Music and sound-effectsThere is a useful online resource for teachers (via the London Grid for Learning) with a wide range of music you can download and use in your films. Visit http://audio.lgfl.org.uk

For sound-effects, visit http://www.ljudo.com



5.10 Finishing your movieExportingWhen you’ve finished editing your film, you need to export it from WMM. ‘Exporting’ just means saving the film into a single, smaller file. This file can be played independently on any computer, orburned onto a CD or DVD.

To export your movie, select Save Movie Filefrom the File menu. A wizard will take you through the few steps needed. You will be asked where you want to save the movie. Always choose to save to ‘My Computer’. If you want to burn the film onto disc, it’s best to do it afterwards.

It’s important to save your files in the right place – ask the ICT co-ordinator if you’re unsure.

You’ll also need to choose the format of the final file - "Best quality for playback on my machine" will usually fit your needs.



5.11 Playing your finished filmOnce your movie is exported, you can close WMM (find your exported file and check your final movie.

Sharing your film on the networkYou can copy your final exported file over to the network if you want it to be available to other computers and classes.

Burning to discIf you want to make a DVD of your film to play on a DVD player or a computer, or if you want to save the file onto a CD to play on another computer, you can easily burn it onto disc.



Module 6 - Presenting films

6.1 Presenting Movies 16.2 Presenting Movies 26.3 Presenting Movies 36.4 Being creative



6.1 Presenting movies 1Once you’ve exported your final movie, all that remains is to show it to the class! The best way to present your movie, especially to a whole class, is using the projector in your classroom, which is already hooked up to your PC.

Testing picture and soundBefore your class starts, it’s essential to check that the equipment you are using to show the film is working properly. Set up everything you’ll need and make sure that the picture and the sound are in order – there’s nothing worse than the magic of a film being lost as the class see half of it without sound while you look for the problem!

It’s also a good idea to set the volume to the right level beforehand.

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6.2 Presenting movies 2Connecting camera to projectorYou can connect the video camera directly to the projector - there are two reasons why you might want to do this – to play CCTV live from the camera, and to play footage from a tape in the camera.

To connect the camera to the projector, follow the video guide on the right.

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6.3 Presenting movies 3Playing CCTVWith the camera turned on in ‘Camera’ mode, you can directly project the image that the camera is seeing in real-time. This is really useful for demonstrating how to use the camera, so that the whole class can see the results at once without trying to peer into the tiny camera display.

Playing tapes from cameraWith the camera turned on in ‘VCR’ mode, you can use the playback controls on the camera to play footage directly from a cassette.An advantage of this is that you don’t have to go through the editing process to show something you’ve shot - you can play your raw footage instantly for an immediate impact.

Playing from PC through projectorThe easiest way to show your finished, edited film is to play it on the PC linked to your projector.

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Double-click on your exported movie file to open it. You can expand the movie to fill the whole screen by holding down the ‘Alt’ key and pressing ‘Enter’ on your keyboard.


6.4 Being creativeTo make your screenings even more of a special event, you could organise the classroom to be more like a cinema. For example:

• Have an usher/usherette show people to their seats

• Have somebody giving out tickets beforehand, and someone collecting them

• Have a ‘lighting technician’ to dim the lights for the screening

• Have a ‘projectionist’ controlling the playback of the film



Module 7 - Resources

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7.1 ResourcesThis module consists of a collection of resources for you to refer to during filming sessions. Because it may not be easy to refer to this Toolkit while you are shooting, these resource sheets are Word documents which you can open and print out - you can keep copies of any that you need with you during a shoot.

To launch a resource sheet, click on its title.

• Camera kit checklist• Crew Roles – what they do• Director’s calls• Shot sizes - examples• Storyboarding template

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2.2.1 Film Ideas Bank1: Foundation / Communication, language and literacy

Example project: Gigantic Turnip

Brief Description: Involve the whole class retelling a story from a familiar book.

Technical Tip: Using the camera, the soundtrack of this film was recorded separately from the visuals. The visuals were then laid over the soundtrack in Movie Maker.

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2.2.2 Film Ideas Bank2: Foundation / Mathematical Development

Example project: Numbers 1-10

Brief Description: The children cement their knowledge of ordering numbers by queuing to use the slide based on the number they hold.

Technical Tip: This film uses a very simply set up where the camera is left running on a tripod in a fixed position allowing the teacher to concentrate on the children and the action.

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2.2.3 Film Ideas Bank3: Foundation / Knowledge and understanding of the world

Example project: Park trip

Brief Description: Film the class on a visit to the park. Watch the footage and discuss the trip and the people you saw.

Technical Tip: Just as with a stills camera, avoid shooting into the sun, unless you want the effect of people’s faces being very dark and underexposed.

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2.2.4 Film Ideas Bank4: Foundation / Creative development

Example project: Filming the classroom

Brief Description: Film the classroom and ask children to point out and describe their favourite things.

Technical Tip: When first using the camera in EYU, children often get too close to the lens so that you can not see them when you watch it back. Flip the monitor screen round so they can see the problem without getting too close.

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2.2.5 Film Ideas Bank5: Foundation / Physical development

Example project: Filming PE

Brief Description: Film the class doing PE and watch the footage back. Use the film to lead a discussion of how people move and what the PE class involved.

Technical Tip: When filming movement, try to keep the camera moves as smooth as possible to avoid a jerky result when you watch it back. If the subject is moving too fast - move further away and they will appear to move slower.

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2.2.6 Film Ideas Bank6: Foundation / Personal, social and emotional development

Example project: Funny Faces

Brief Description: Set the camera up on a tripod near a whiteboard. Project a live feed from the camera onto the white board. Ask the children to look at themselves on the white board and to make a funny face. Encourage children to move the camera and to film other children. Ask the children to out how far and wide the camera can see. As the project progresses, encourage the more shy children to make funny faces to camera too.

Technical Tip: To see how to connect the camera to the projector in your classroom, go to 6.2 - Presenting movies 2.

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2.2.7 Film Ideas Bank7: Key Stage 1 / English

Example project: Describing words

Brief Description: Each child makes a pig or wolf mask which they wear when it is their turn to be in front of the camera. Each child says a sentence from ‘The Three Little Pigs’ story. For example “Little pig little pig let me come in.” (Wolf) and “Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin.” (Pig) Play the footage back immediately and ask the children to think of a describing word for each character. Ask them to hold up a card with the word on it and then to repeat their performance but this time to think of the describing word when they do it.

Technical Tip: When filming written words, it is vital to keep the camera as still as possible but also to keep the paper on which the word is written still. Ask to see how steadily they can hold the paper.

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2.2.8 Film Ideas Bank8: Key Stage 1 / Maths

Example project: 3D Shapes

Brief Description: Ask the children to look for cones, spheres, cubes, cuboids, cylinders and pyramids around the school and playground. Once they find one, film them pointing to it and saying what it is. Help them to find the more difficult shapes or make them out of objects. You can play the film back with sound on - but if you turn the sound off, you can use the film as a test where the children have to identify the shapes as they appear.

Technical Tip: To play the film back with no sound you can either turn down the volume in Windows Media Player, turn the sound down of the computer overall, or turn off the speakers.

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2.2.9 Film Ideas Bank9: Key Stage 1 / Science

Example project: Time-lapse

Brief Description: Film seeds growing every week so you can make a time-lapse film of them growing at the end of experiment. To explain the concept, make a time-lapse sequence of a glass of water being emptied into another glass. When played back it looks like water is moving from one glass to other all by itself.

Technical Tip: Make sure that as children empty and fill the glasses that they put them back in the same position and that the camera is not moved. The seeds also have to be placed in the same position each week.

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2.2.10 Film Ideas Bank10: Key Stage 1 / D&T

Example project: Shadow Puppetry

Brief Description: Make puppets with the children. Switch on the projector so that it emits a blue light onto the whiteboard. Ask the children to take turns to record a puppet show. The whiteboard is the stage for the show and the children can use their hands to make puppets. Ask them then to use different objects in the classroom to make puppet creatures, e.g. rulers and string.

Technical Tip: Film in a dark room to increase the effect.

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2.2.11 Film Ideas Bank11: Key Stage 1 / ICT

Example project: Adding 10

Brief Description: Explain the editing process to children in ICT. Explain the basics of Windows Movie Maker and show them how to order clips on the timeline. To do this, make very short, simple films exploring the various ways to add 10 onto numbers and use the results as the raw material for the edit.

Technical Tip: Encourage the children to have a rough edit in mind before starting to edit the film. Otherwise the end result can be rather muddled.

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2.2.12 Film Ideas Bank12: Key Stage 1 / History

Example project: Greek film

Brief Description: Ask the children to re-enact a historical or mythical story. Film the various scenes and cut the film together to make the story.

Technical Tip: You can use this exercise to explain that there is no need to film the scenes in the order that they take place because you can cut them and swap them in the edit process. Also this is a good example of how you can leave out sound altogether and still tell a story clearly and in an entertaining way.

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2.2.13 Film Ideas Bank13: Key Stage 1 / Geography

Example project: City Buildings

Brief Description: Take the class on a trip to look at buildings. Ask them to draw buildings in their sketch books and to film the buildings that they were drawing and concentrate on parts of the building that they find interesting. You can cover tilting the camera up and down on a tripod to record tall buildings.

Technical Tip: Spend some time finding a vantage point from which you can see and film the buildings without getting in other people’s way.

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2.2.14 Film Ideas Bank14: Key Stage 1 / Art

Example project: School painting

Brief Description: Film the children printing a picture and then edit the film to speed up the action.

Technical Tip: Setting the film to music really keeps the energy going and if you use lots of cuts between different stages of the painting or printing process, then you can play it back and show very quickly how the entire project took shape.

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2.2.15 Film Ideas Bank15: Key Stage 1 / Music

Example project: Choir

Brief Description: Film the choir singing and when you replay, discuss the performance.

Technical Tip: When filming large groups, don’t stay on a wide shot too long because it is hard to see the faces of individuals. Individual faces can really help to make films interesting.

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2.2.16 Film Ideas Bank16: Key Stage 1 / PE

Example project: Carry safely

Brief Description: Make a short film about how to carry PE equipment safely. You can use this film to remind the class at the start of term.

Technical Tip: FILM TO BE ADDED

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2.2.17 Film Ideas Bank17: Key Stage 1 / RE

Example project: RE puppet story

Brief Description: Ask the children to make puppets of the characters in the Rama and Sita story and film them acting out the story with puppets. Note that this also links in with puppet-making in D&T.


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2.2.18 Film Ideas Bank18: Key Stage 1 / PSHE and Citizenship

Example project: Feelings and expressions

Brief Description: Ask the children to make expressions that usually relate to certain feelings. Film them and make a film and ask the children to identify the feeling from the expression.


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2.2.19 Film Ideas Bank19: Key Stage 2 / English

Example project: When I went out for a walk

Brief Description: Record a film version of a favourite poem. Plan how you will make the shots work and how they will tell the story of the poem.

Technical Tip: You can get away with a lot on camera! In this film, the head is a yellow ball.

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2.2.20 Film Ideas Bank20: Key Stage 2 / Maths

Example project: Squares

Brief Description: We shot an exercise to see whether six people would fit in different sized squares on the floor. From this you can work out the area that one person needs to stand in.

Technical Tip: The overhead shot in this film is achieved by putting the camera on the tripod and holding the tripod it above your head (like a sound boom).

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2.2.21 Film Ideas Bank21: Key Stage 2 / Science

Example project: How we see things

Brief Description: Hook the camera up to the whiteboard. Show how the lens cap is like an eyelid and how the camera and the eye both need light to see. Explore how different surfaces reflect light differently. Use the camera to demonstrate transparency and opacity.

Technical Tip: Be aware when holding objects close to the lens that it is easy to scratch the camera lens with hard objects.

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2.2.22 Film Ideas Bank22: Key Stage 2 / D&T

Example project: Weather report

Brief Description: Make a film about a weather presenter making mistakes about the weather which lands him, or his viewers, in trouble.

Technical Tip: The challenge here is to recreate outdoor weather in the classroom. This is where D&T comes in.

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2.2.23 Film Ideas Bank23: Key Stage 2 / ICT

Example project: Victorian classroom

Brief Description: Using Windows Movie Maker, ask the children to shoot and edit a film showing what a Victorian classroom might have been like. They might choose to use black and white and speed-up effects to make the film look older.

Technical Tip: The effects used in this film are very easy to apply in Windows Movie Maker. In the timeline, right-click on the clip you want to treat with the effect and select ‘video effects’.

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2.2.24 Film Ideas Bank24: Key Stage 2 / History

Example project: WW2

Brief Description: Split the group into two. One sub-group plans the shoot with the camera and the set-up. The other works on the interview questions and answers. Then they come together and film the interview. The idea is that that the viewer of the film should guess who the interviewee is (at no time in the interview should you say their name). Characters might be: Anne Frank, a British bomber pilot, or a London housewife.

Technical Tip: In the housewife clip, we flashed the lights and made a siren noise to recreate the blitz.

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2.2.25 Film Ideas Bank25: Key Stage 2 / Geography

Example project: Local Area

Brief Description: Give the children a map to follow of the local area. Give each group a turn at filming what they think is interesting along the way. This might include graffiti, old houses etc. Each group can record a different section of the map so that there is no repetition.

Technical Tip: Be prepared for rain if you are shooting outside! You’ll need a spare coat to go over the camera, or an umbrella if you want to carry on shooting.

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2.2.26 Film Ideas Bank26: Key Stage 2 / Art

Example project: Star travelling

Brief Description: Get a group to read a poem and film paintings that the class has done to illustrate the poem.

Technical Tip: When filming artwork, make sure that there is plenty of light on the painting and that shiny paint is not reflecting light into the camera which can make the painting difficult to see on screen.

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2.2.27 Film Ideas Bank27: Key Stage 2 / Music

Example project: Waves

Brief Description: Record a child or group of children singing a song about waves. At the same time film a puppet mouthing the words to the song while floating in a sea of blue fabric.

Technical Tip: You need to be organised to make sure that everything happens at the right time. Lots of rehearsals is the secret.

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2.2.28 Film Ideas Bank28: Key Stage 2 / PE

Example project: Gym sequence

Brief Description: Ask the children to film their partners doing a sequence of gym moves. Ask them to discuss the resulting films with their partners to help them to assess and improve their performance.

Technical Tip: During this film, the light levels changed in the room. If the exposure had been set to automatic, then the camera would have adjusted itself.

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2.2.29 Film Ideas Bank29: Key Stage 2 / RE

Example project: Re-enact rituals

Brief Description: Ask the children to re-enact religious rituals such as the washing sequence before Salah (Muslim prayer) or a baptism (Christian).


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2.2.30 Film Ideas Bank30: Key Stage 2 / PSHE and Citizenship

Example project: Recycling feature

Brief Description: Ask the children to film an interview with an adult about recycling in the school.

Technical Tip: When filming in a darker room, make sure that you have some artificial light on the subject’s face so that the camera can ‘see’ them.

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filmmaking toolkit for teachers...filmmaking toolkit for teachers 2.1 introduction to use the film...

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