INVITATION

How can we engage students to think imaginatively and analytically about the fine line between what is reality and what is fiction? How do we help students use their own cognitive skills to develop visual stories that incorporate fact and fiction? How can we give students opportunities to develop creative skills through meaningful context?

TASKS

Using a variety of software development tools, students role-play Hollywood film crews and create short fictional films that center on real-life conflict. Students are placed into groups and assigned a specific area of film development and each work with different technology.

TOOLS

Computers; the Internet; Sherlock.

AppleWorks; Final Cut Pro; Inspiration; Photoshop LE or Photoshop Elements; SmartSound.

Art Mania 12,000 (optional); Cinema 4D XL (optional).

FireWire hard drive (optional); digital camcorders or digital still cameras; VCR/CD burner for post-production and dubbing (optional).

INTERACTIONS

Divided into groups consisting of a Director, Assistant Director, Screenwriter, Graphics Designer, Set Director, and Sound Director, students work together to create a short fictional film. The students work together to create a screenplay and develop a meaningful conflict and resolution. Once the theme and story line have been determined, students work on assigned tasks, complete the assigned tasks, and bring all tasks together for final production editing.

SITUATIONS

Students work in the classroom, computer lab, media center, and community. If possible, students work together outside of class so that classroom time can become more productive. This project can be completed in two or three weeks depending on the length of the film and expectations of the teacher. This is also a project that can serve as a semester or class final, allowing students to build the project as each of the technical skills is learned.

ASSESSMENT

The teacher and student assess the project based on the depth of the finished movie. Students may want to create their own rubric and present to the teacher what they plan to ask of themselves. The teacher can help students set high expectations and assess the project based on whether or not students meet their own expectations. The teacher also assesses student productions based on their creativity and detail, the understanding they demonstrate of the concepts and process of creating film, and the overall clarity and organization of the final product.

Students are growing up in a society surrounded by media, with immediate access to visual media, and what they see and hear influences much of a young person's thoughts and decisions. This project asks students to go behind the scenes and utilize their own creative abilities to develop a short fictional film focusing on meaningful conflict. By working behind the scenes and developing fiction, students will begin to understand the influence production media has on our society. During the different phases of this project, students break into different groups, each with a defined purpose, and develop specific portions of the overall film. When the product has been completed, each group presents the short films to the rest of the class.

Phase 1: Sherlock does the investigating

As an anticipatory task, students work in the computer lab and use Sherlock to find information concerning film development. Prepare categories of research with which students can begin, but encourage them to continue meaningful research beyond the initial list. The initial list should include the following kinds of questions: How are film scripts developed? How are special effects created? What is the role of a Hollywood director? What do big film budgets look like? What are the different personnel positions needed for developing a film and what do they do? How long does it take to create a film from beginning to end? What are some of the strange occurrences that have taken place during film creation? What is a film storyboard? How do directors cast the actors/actresses?

Allow students to find out interesting facts and present them to the class during class discussion. Students should share Web site addresses for other students to visit.

Phase 2: Cast the crew

Following the Sherlock tour of the film industry, each of the group roles needs to be defined and assigned. Explain to the students the importance of group work and the difference between effective and ineffective group interaction. Divide the students into groups that contain the following roles:

Director is responsible for overseeing all film production and works very closely with the rest of the film crew to bring production together. The Director needs to have the best understanding of the software used, be a strong communicator, and a positive leader. During filming, the Director starts and stops the action.

Assistant Director responds and helps the Director in any circumstances. The Assistant Director also needs to understand the software and needs to be able to take over in any given circumstance.

Screenwriter needs to have the strongest writing skills and may put together a team of writers to work with during the writing phase. Many of the other crew members may join the screenwriter in the initial stages of script development and then move to their assigned positions. For example, the Graphics Designer, the Assistant Director, and the Sound Director could also make up the writing team.

Graphics Designer is responsible for designing any graphics needed and oversees the integration of still graphics into the film production software.

Set Director is responsible for taking the working script and planning any sets that need to be designed or located. Much of the filming will take place outside of class and the Set Director is responsible for planning locations. The Set Director is also responsible for using software for designing any items that need to be built.

Sound Director is responsible for planning interviews and creating sound clips, background music, and special sound effects. The Sound Director should be well informed of copyright laws.

Phase 3: Tell me a story

The initial planning of the film includes all crew members as each member's input into the storyboard is essential. During this phase, students use Inspiration or AppleWorks to develop lists of possible film themes. Each crew member is responsible for creating ten original themes. Themes can include areas such as supernatural conflict, inspiration, politics, idealism, nature, athletics, art, and many more. Once the group members have created ten themes each, they narrow down their ideas to the top two. (It is imperative that each member has input in deciding the final two themes.) The group then decides on a number one and number two choice, the second to serve as a backup in case the first theme does not work out.

Once the theme is determined, students use Inspiration or AppleWorks to create a brainstorm list that focuses on possible story lines. Each student is then responsible for creating five possible story lines that support the group's overall theme and presents the story line and rationale for using it to the rest of the group. The group then decides what story line will serve as the focus for the film. When students present their themes and story lines, they need to take into consideration all possible roadblocks. Will the theme and story line be able to be produced with the resources the students have available? Are there enough crew members to complete the film? Will the theme allow for the audience to associate themselves with the plot? Will there be a lesson learned from this theme or will it provoke thought within the audience? Does the story entail a sense of realism?

Following the decision, the group creates a rough draft of the entire story. The Screenwriter leads this operation, providing an initial outline. Following the presentation by the Screenwriter, the group discusses the possible story and moves toward an acceptable outline. When the story line has been approved, the students take their assigned role and begin development.

Phase 4: Pre-production

Each student needs to clearly define his/her role in the development of the theme and story line. The Director and Assistant Director organize the group and begin deciding what needs to be done and when, developing a schedule for completion of portions of the project and a timeline for completion of the entire film. The Screenwriters begin turning the outline into script form. This may be done in AppleWorks and each member of the group should receive updated edits. If a school is set up for AppleShare use, placing rewritten scripts on the server will allow all students in the group to have access to the latest drafts. The script can then be modified or all members of the group can make suggestions.

The Graphic Designer begins to develop possible backgrounds or still shots to be used in the film. Photoshop LE or Photoshop Elements and Cinema 4D XL will be used for development of graphics along with AppleWorks. The Sound Director begins using SmartSound to develop background music and possible sound effects, and schedules interviews if needed. The Set Director meets directly with the Director and Assistant Director to discuss where the film will be shot and what materials need to be created. The Set Director uses Photoshop LE or Photoshop Elements and AppleWorks to create drawings of scenes or sets to be developed. Suggest that all developers create excess footage, script, sounds, and any other files for the overall film. Students can then edit or cut from excess; it is much more difficult to create additional files when time is running short. It is essential during this phase that all members work together and discuss what each developer is creating. The Director and Assistant Director's job also includes bringing the group together to check updates of development.

Phase 5: A dry read

All members of the group meet to run through a "dry read" of the final written script. Each member of the group, with the exception of the Director, also serves as actors/actresses in the project. This is also a good time to involve community or family members in the creation of the film. The cast should also include others from outside of the class. This may bring about an entire reading of the script outside of school. Students should then discuss the reading and make final changes for production.

Phase 6: Director's Cut

The Director meets with the crew to decide on a shooting schedule and discusses the scenes and sets with members of the group. The Assistant Director is responsible for setting up cameras and finding personnel to shoot the video. The Assistant Director should also ensure that all equipment is ready and that any appointments necessary for using specific areas for various scenes are booked. Once the preparations have been made, the Director lines up the cast and begins shooting, remembering to shoot more video than needed. Following the video scenes, the entire group meets and discusses what should be kept and what may need to be added. The Graphics Designer discusses possible inclusion of graphics to enhance the film, the Sound Director brainstorms ideas for any sounds that can be included, the Screenwriter makes suggestions for changes in the script, and the Set Designer recommends any set changes that need to occur.

Phase 7: Putting it all together

The Director and Assistant Director take the created files and begin final editing in Final Cut Pro. Members of the group are involved in suggestions as final editing occurs. This process takes time and the length of the film is determined by the amount of data storage space available. When the project is complete and all files have been added to Final Cut Pro, the output to tape should be sent back to the digital camera for best quality. Students can then make copies for themselves from the digital copy. If hardware is available, the output can also be sent to CD or if server space is available, students can publish the compressed, Web-ready file on the Internet.

PREPARATION

Search the Internet with Sherlock and bookmark Web sites related to the world of film.

Teach students how to use the software used in developing the final film.

Set up interviews or invite guest speakers from local television stations to discuss pre- and post-production.

Organize a grading rubric or set up appointments with each group and develop the rubric together.

Prepare students for proper use of video cameras and videography basics.

Show documentary videos that focus on filmmaking, special effects, and other relevant topics.

Send copies of the final films to local television stations.

Utilize compression programs and crunch the data for Web-ready files and place the films on the Internet.

Set up a movie night for parents and community members to view the finished product.

BOOKS

Desktop Digital Video by Ron Grebler

Digital Filmmaking: The Changing Art and Craft of Making Motion Pictures by Thomas A. Ohanian

Digital Nonlinear Editing: Editing Film and Video on the Desktop by Thomas A. Ohanian

Digital Guerrilla Video: A Grassroots Guide to the Revolution by Avi Hoffer

Final Cut Pro For Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide by Lisa Brenneis

Nonlinear: A Guide to Digital Film and Video Editing by Michael Rubin

Producing Great Soundtracks for Digital Video by Jay Rose

Apple Final Cut Pro
http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/

2-pop
http://www.2-pop.com/

Computer Video Magazine Online
http://www.computervideo.net/

National Association of Broadcasters
http://www.nab.org/

Digital Video For Education
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/DVE/FusionDVE/

Digital Image
http://www.digitalimage.ca/

Video University
http://www.videouniversity.com/

Worldwide Users Groups Forum
http://www.wwug.com/forums/index.htm

Adobe Photoshop Products
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshople/main.html

Photoshop Central
http://www.photoshopcentral.com/