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Echo Effect:A High School Language Arts Curriculumwith a Focus on Film

Toby Wilmet Wiedenmayer


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Contents

Dedication 3

CoreStandards 4Film Activities 4Teen Stories Project 5

WhyFilm? 7

ANotetoTeachers 9

FilmBasics 11

How this book works... 11

Preproduction 11Production 11Postproduction 11

Why is this important? 11Brainstorming 12Outlining 12

Storyboarding 12Image and Composition 13

Rule of Thirds 14Establishing Shots 15

Basic Shots 15Camera Movements 17Types of Sound in Film 17

How Can Sound Be Used? 19Importance of Sound 19

Lighting 19Interviewing Techniques 20

Writing Interview Questions 21Determining a Shooting Schedule 22Preparing for the Interview 22

Beginning to Film 23Editing 23

Now what? 26

FilmActivities 28

Reading Literature (RL) 30Reading Informational Text (RI) 38

Writing (W) 44Speaking and Listening (SL) 64

Language (L) 74

TeenStoriesProject 79 Project Overview and Suggested Readings 79

Using the Class Readings 80


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A Note About Beginning Filming 81 Personal Timeline 82

Brainstorm 83Shots and Movements Scavenge 84

Storyboarding 86Just Write It! 88

Treatment 90Interviewing 92

Lighting 94Audio 96B-Roll Footage 98

Conducting Street Interviews 100Creating an Edit Plan 102

Marketing Using a Blogger 104

Appendix 105

Film Recap Assessment 106109

Storyboard 110Camera Shot Cheat Sheet 111Sample Treatment 112

Sample Interview Questions 113Phone Log 114

Crew Roles and Responsibilities 114Interviewee Release Form 115

Location Release Form 116

Equipment Sign Out Sheet 117Film Logging Sheet 118

iMovie Cheat Sheet 119Exporting and Uploading 120

Peer/Self Shot Critique Form 122

Bibliography 123 Resources 123


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DeDiCation

This book is dedicated to my students who inspire me to be better everyday. A special thank yougoes to Jonathan Gonzalez, Martha Gonzalez, Natalie Rowe, and Marisela Vazquez for their amaz-ing work during the summer school class. Loss of Innocence raised the bar for lm at Rainshadowbecause of your efforts. Also, a special thanks to Rainshadow Community Charter High School andEcho Effect for the amazing support.

Thank you to my family who are always supportive of new ideas, and always willing to provide an earabout educational issues. Finally, I wish to thank Geoffrey and Evelyn for allowing me to work on thisproject instead of enjoying my time with them. I am truly blessed to have such a loving family.


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Core stanDarDs in: aCtivities

Pg.# Activity RL

ReadingLiterature

RI

ReadingInformational

Text

W

Writing

SL

Speaking andListening

L

Language

30 Childrens Story Retell 2, 3, 4 4, 6 1, 5 3

32 Scene from a Novel/Short Story

1, 2, 3, 4 5 1, 5 3

34 Video Poetry 1, 2, 3, 5, 9 6 1, 2 3

36 Linking Film to Novel *Additional suggested activities. Not developed enough to be linked to standards.

38 Developing Topic fromthe Newspaper

1, 2, 3, 6,7, 8

1, 2, 6, 7, 8 1, 4, 5 3

40 Public Service An-nouncement 1, 7 2, 4, 6, 8 1, 4, 5 3

42 Debate: CourtroomDrama

6, 7, 8 1, 4, 8, 9 1, 2, 3, 4

46 Film Critique 7 7 2, 4, 5 1, 2, 3

48 Organic/MechanicSound Documentary

4, 7 4, 6, 10 1, 5 3

50 Organic/Mechanic Im-age Documentary

4, 7 4, 6, 10 1, 5 3

52 Film Trailer 7 1, 6 1, 2, 6 5

54 Soap Opera Script 3, 4, 5, 6 1, 6 3

56 Home Is... 3, 6, 10 1, 2, 558 Genre Project 3, 6, 10 3

60 One Minute Video 3, 6, 10 1, 2, 5 10

62 Commercial Advertising 7 1, 6 1, 2, 6 5

64 Juxtaposition: TwoEmotions

4, 6 1, 4, 5

66 Audio Scavenger Hunt 3, 10 1, 2, 5, 6 3

68 Something Important 6 1, 2, 5, 6

70 Personal Storytelling 6 1, 4

71 Editing With AnothersEyes 6, 7 4 1, 2, 6 3

72 Connections ThroughInterviews

6 1, 3, 4, 5, 6

74 Characterization 3, 6 1 3, 6

76 Developing a Film ClassMission Statement

4, 5 1, 6 3, 5, 6


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teen stories ProjeCt

Pg.# Activity RLReadingLiterature

RIReading

Informational

Text

WWriting

SLSpeaking and

Listening

LLanguage

82 Personal Timeline 3, 5 1, 4, 6

83 Brainstorm 3, 5, 10 1, 4, 6

84 Shots and MovementsScavenge

7 10 1, 5

86 Storyboarding 7 3, 4, 5, 10 1, 4, 5, 6

88 Just Write It! 3, 4, 5, 6 1, 4, 5, 6 1, 2, 3

90 Treatment 4, 5, 6 2, 4, 5, 6 1, 6 1, 2, 3

92 Lighting 7 3, 4, 5, 6 1, 5

94 Audio 7 10 1, 2

96 Interviewing 7 5, 10 1, 2, 3, 4

98 B-Roll Footage 7 10 1, 2, 5

100 Conducting Street Inter-views

7 5, 10 1, 2, 3, 6 3

102 Creating an Edit Plan 7 6 1, 2, 3, 4,5, 6

104 Marketing with Blogger 7 2, 4, 6 1, 2, 3, 4,5, 6


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Why Film?

Working with reluctant learners causes one to

seek alternatives to the traditional methods ofaddressing content as a teacher. The reluctantlearner often gravitates to the aspects of educa-tion that are not tested: the arts, physical activ-ity, computers and technology. Students who dohave difculty with the core curriculum often losethe courses that are most important to them inorder to better prepare for the test. These stu-dents are taught to the test, and many studentswho have difculty with the mode of learning pro-moted by high-stakes testing become disenfran-chised with school all together. In stark contrastto a rich curriculum promoting democratic deci-sion making and authentic problem solving, thecurrent movements for accountability and highstandards have promoted scripted curricula andcountless hours of test preparation. (Schultz &Oyler, 2006). Questions over how to bridge thegaps created between non-core and core cur-riculum must be answered for students to have amore balanced school experience, and indeed for

some students to access the core curriculum atall.

I teach in an alternative charter high school inReno, Nevada. The population of students ispredominantly at-risk, including students whohave not thrived in the traditional school set-ting for a variety of reasons. This school has aproject-based interdisciplinary focus. Project-based learning creates opportunities for groups ofstudents to investigate meaningful questions that

require them to gather information and think criti-cally (David, 2008). I am the Dean of Academics,and am highly qualied in English, art, and spe-cial education. I have been with this school for sixof its seven years. Through the experience, it hasbecome clear that student interest and studentownership are key ingredients to a successfullearning experience. If blended with the content

appropriately, it is

possible to createauthentic learningexperiences fromwhich all students benet. There must be a senseof immediacy to the learning experience, andthere must be a reason for the learning experi-ence. If these elements are in place, retention ofinformation increases (Westwater & Wolfe, 2000)John Dewey saw civics and citizenship as es-sential elements to be taught in our public schoolsystem. He also was a major proponent of learn-ing by doing. This is seldom what is happening inour schools currently (Schultz & Oyler, 2006). Aseducators, it is crucial that we involve students intheir own learning processes and not be afraid toshare authority with them.

Film and lmmaking have played a major role insupporting student growth at my school. Studentsgain skills in technology, working with others,writing, communicating through speech and

discussion, consensus building, understandingsymbol, meaning, and message, and storytelling(Czarnecki, 2009). Most importantly, however,they gain condence to see a project through tocompletion and to share their project with othersin an authentic way. Films can be used as tools tobe viewed, critiqued, discussed, and investigatedMore than viewing lms, however, students canuse lm as a means to tell stories and take a rolein being change agents by sharing their voice ina public manner (Education Development Cen-

ter, 1994). The basic structure of lmmaking isvery similar to the writing process: preproduction,production, and post production. Film offers animmediacy and accessibility that the printed texttypically does not. Students who are intimidatedby, or impeded from, accessing print text are ableto discuss lm with acuity and insight. (Smilanich& Lafreniere, 2010). For reluctant learners and


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non-native students, lm affords an opportunity to

express and access information in a non-threat-ening way.

Proponents of the term 21st century skills de-scribe a new workforce reality that will demandindividuals be independent thinkers, problemsolvers, and decision makers (Silva, 2009). As-sessments that are currently used do not demon-strate this shift in educational focus. Assessingstudent knowledge and understanding can bedone in a variety of ways, including through trans-

formative assessment, portfolios, presentations,video and other technological means. Using toolsthat many students are already passionate about,such as technology and lm, to meet languagearts standards has the potential to engage morestudents to be productive members of a schoolcommunity


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a note to teaChers...

If you are a teacher who is new to incorporating

technology in the classroom, especially lm tech-nology, do not fear. Remember that often yourstudents can unlock the keys to the lmmaking.You just have to supply to framework. This bookwill help you do that.

The book is organized into sections, beginningwith the basics of lmmaking. This section in-cludes details about the stages of lmmaking,composition, camera shots and movements,sound techniques, interviewing and script writ-

ing, and editing basics. Following the lm basics,tabbed sections of projects are listed accordinglanguage arts core standards: Reading Litera-ture (RL), Reading Informational Text (RI), Writing(W), Speaking and Listening (SL), and Language(L). A full length documentary project entitledTeen Stories is included that might be used as afull length course. The appendix includes a va-riety of printable sheets to be used throughoutthe projects, as well as supplemental material.

Finally, a resources section displays a numberof websites and books that might be useful forteachers interested in implementing lm in theclassroom.

With the book is a DVD that features studentsexamples of several projects, presentations thatcould be used to address lmmaking basics inthe classroom, and clips of how teachers couldincorporate some of the lessons in their class-room.

As you begin to read about the basics of lmmak-ing in the next chapter, please note that the infor-mation is written to your student lmmaker. Thismeans that you can copy sections that you needto read aloud in class. Please note that I am nota professional lmmaker. Information gatheredhas been gathered over time, and is very basicin nature. As you read along, you will see icons

at the start of most

sections. The iconsalert you that there iseither DVD material,Appendix material, oractivities that relates to the information present-ed. The icons are as follows:

TeacherDVDMaterial

AppendixMaterial

ActivityAvailable

If you nd that your students wish to get intomore in depth lmmaking techniques, the Re-sources section of this book will help you tolocate what you need. Also, check with your locacable access channel. They often have equip-ment and knowledge that will be benecial to youand your students.

The nal piece of advice to you, teacher: let go.As the process begins, let your students be yourguide. You will help provide structure, but theywill provide the ideas and themes. This will helpthe engagement process. You may be surprisedat how naturally lmmaking comes to many stu-dents that you never saw do work in class before.Enjoy the process!


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Film BasiCs

Howthisbookworks...

This book will work along the same lines as theway one makes a lm. The three stages of lm-making include: pre-production, production, andpost-production. In every project you undertake,these will be the stages that your project goesthrough. So, the rst lesson you will receive is adescription of exactly what the stages of lmmak-ing are.

PreproductionBelieve it or not, the idea might be the mostimportant element in creating a lm. Preproduc-tion is the planning phase of the lm. It includesoutlining or brainstorming the idea, convertingthe idea to a storyboard, writing a script, writing atreatment, securing funding, and hiring individu-als. Before anyone runs out to get footage, thepreproduction phase must occur.

The rst person to get hired for a project (or whochooses to get involved in a project) is the pro-

ducer. The producer is in charge of launching theentire production, and that includes hiring of keyindividuals who will actually see the project frompreproduction on through postproduction. Any ofthe major lm decisions will pass by the producerprior to coming to fruition.

ProductionOnce all the plans have been laid out, the pro-duction phase of the lmmaking process occurs.This is the phase where the actual shoot is occur-ring, and everything should come together. In theproduction phase, the entire plan is lmed. It isthe phase where the principal photography oc-curs.

PostproductionPostproduction is usually associated with edit-ing and adding visual effects. But there is more

to postproduction,

including: striking(taking down) thesets, dismantlingand packing equip-ment, and handling nal nancial obligations.Postproduction also refers to advertising the lmor entering the lm into competitions. This is thephase of lmmaking where the idea gets put outto the masses.

These three phases will be used to describe mos

projects. Just think of it this way:

Phase What it Means

Preproduction Brainstorming

Production Group Work

Postproduction Finishing up the task/ presenting/reecting

Whyisthisimportant?It is important for you to understand the basicformat for the completion of a lm project.Use this model as a model for how to completeother school projects as well. Beforebeginning any project, you should start rst bythinking about the steps involved in the project.What are you going to use as the focusfor your project? What are you most interestedin learning and showing? Once you beginworking on the project, you can sometimes be

completely focused on the result instead ofthe process. It is really important that as youcomplete the project, you reect on what youachieved.

By the way, this strategy doesnt disappearafter you leave this lm class or leave highschool. It just takes on a different shape. Case in


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point: my husband and I are looking to build an-

other bathroom in our house. We have spent thepast couple of years brainstorming how we coulddo it. Would we raise our roof so that we have acomplete second story on our house? Would weadd on to the back of our house? Could we usespace we already have without dealing with theexterior?

Once we decided how we might add thebathroom, we began to create to-scale drawings

to decide if it was workable. We also looked atcost, and where to nd a good contractor.Were still in the preproduction phase of this idea.Production will happen when we actually breakground, and postproduction will allow us to usethe new bathroom and determine whether or notwe were successful.

BrainstormingIdeas are sporadic, and can come in a variety offorms. The rst question you will need to ask

yourself is what is interesting to you? What wouldbe something you would wish to see? There aremany ways to document the brainstorming: youcan create a mind-map, which is a pictorial rep-resentation of your thoughts. You could create alist. You might just do a free write. You can also

just discuss with another person and jot downthoughts as you discuss, or tape your discussion.

The brainstorming process is one where you

should not limit yourself or your ideas. There areno stops to what you can create, so dont allowyourself to think that something is too over thetop. Often, over the top ideas lead to other ideas.Thats what make brainstorming so much fun.To begin the brainstorming process, rememberthat you are already an expert in many ways justby living the life you have lived over that past 13+years. So much of what you know and how you

will approach situations has already begun to

unfold.

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do

and I understand.

-Confucius

You have already heard, seen, and done hun-dreds of things by the age of three. So, nowwhat? Its time to take your ideas, thoughts, andunderstandings and place them in a medium to

share with others. Filmmaking is like starting aconversation with the world. What will you talkabout?

OutliningHaving an idea is a great start, but now, where doyou want to go with your idea? What will happenrst, second, etc. in your lm? The outlining pro-cess allows you to begin thinking about the actuachain of events that you wish to occur in the orderyou wish them to occur. In creating a ctional

story, this process is thinking about the stages inthe story that need to occur, the characters andsettings, and any other major story details. In cre-ating a documentary, this refers to securing theplaces and people that will be presented in thelm, as well as the order they will be presented.

StoryboardOnce the brainstorm and script are complete, astoryboard is created. A storyboard is basically

a sheet of paper that has been organized intoa grid. Each of the squares on the grid symbol-izes a shot in the lm. For each shot, a pictureis drawn to show the style of the shot (i.e. close-up, establishing shot, etc.) and the subject of theshot. Camera movement is also shown in thissquare using arrows. In addition to the visualimagery of the shot, words from the script are


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written either in the square or below it. Sound isalso described.

Storyboards can be as simple as stick gures,and as complicated as three-dimensional render-ings. Often, directors will look to storyboard artistrenderings to support the vision of their nal lm.Good storyboards serve as maps for the lm tofollow, and they are much easier to change andmodify than changing and modifying once lminghas begun.

ImageandCompositionComposition in lm is a spatial concept, referringto how things are arranged as a whole. It is arelationship between form and content, and bothshould work together in harmony. Composition is

an orderly arrangement of elements in a scenewhich, when taken as a whole, conveys intentand meaning. The rules of composition are re-ally just guidelines. After all, composition is an artrather than a science!

There are many ways a director controls thelms composition. One way is for the director tomanipulate the shot selection. Examples of shots

include an insertshot, cutaway shots,as well as your stan-dard shots such asclose-ups, medium shots, long shots, wide shots,etc. More will be discussed about shots in a laterchapter. Other ways for the director to createa strong composition is by using the camerasfocus to highlight certain points of view. Composi-tion should occur around a single center of inter-est. What is the focus of the shot? Whenever a

shot is used, it should enhance the main point ofinterest. Changing focus within a shot also allowsthe director to make specic statements. This iscalled rack focus. Leaving visual space for a theaudience and subject to visually to move into isanother way to make a statement with composi-tion. This is called leading the subject. Atmo-sphere, sound, and lighting are also componentsa director can work with to create a strong com-position.

One of the most important steps in creating astrong composition happens before you startlming at all. You must clearly establish yourgoals for the shot. This means that when youthink about making your lm, you should havesome pretty denite ideas about what you wishto accomplish with the creation of the lm. Whenthe director begins lming, each shot that is usedshould contribute to the story or idea that is beingconveyed. If the director wants to show a frantic

emotional state, only frantic experiences shouldbe shown. Otherwise, the message might be-come confused.

When the elements of the shot, such as sound,lighting, wardrobe, the set, the setting, etc., com-bine to support a basic visual statement, the shothas unity. All of these elements composition willbe discussed more in detail as you begin to work


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on specic projects for this class.

RuleofThirdsAlthough its often desirable to place the center ofright in the middle of the shot, this is not neces-sarily the most visually pleasing shot. To createstrong visual interest, lmmakers follow the ruleof thirds. The concept is to divided the viewnderon the camera into thirds. One might think thatthe desirable place for the center of interestwould be along the two horizontal and vertical

lines, however, generally the composition is evenstronger if the center of interest falls near one ofthe four intersections. Generally speaking, thehorizon line should never be right in the centerof the shot. This is also true of the vertical line;it should never break the scene into two equalparts. Shot composition is one area where per-fect symmetry is typically not preferred.

Besides following the rule of thirds to help sup-port a strong composition, it is also importantfor the lmer to think about headroom and leadroom. Headroom refers to the amount of spacebetween the subject and the top of the screen.If the placement of the subject is too low on the

screen, there will be too much headroom. This

can be visually unappealing, and can make thescreen seem unbalanced. There are times wherehaving too much headroom might be appropriate.For example, if the director were shooting a per-son climbing a ladder, he might lm the personlower in the screen looking up as he were climb-ing. The director would be leading the subjectupwards, and the audience would understandwithout watching the individual climb every stepthat he was heading upwards. Too much head-room would be appropriate in this scene. Too

little headroom would occur if the subject of thescreen was very close to the top of the screen.Once again, this shot might be appropriate if thedirector was shooting a scene where an extremeclose-up was appropriate. For interviewing, a ruleof thumb for having the right amount of headroomis to visualize the space of a thumb or two n-gers between the subjects head and the top ofthe screen. As long as the director and lmer arein agreement as to why they are lming as they

are, and the shot works with the script and story-board, then headroom is something that can beplayed with.

Lead room refers to the amount of space be-tween the edge of the subject and the horizontaledge of the screen. Too much lead room occurswhen there is too much space between the sub-

ject and the edge, and too little lead room meansthere is too little space between the subject andthe edge of the screen. This doesnt mean that

we shoot footage with the subject directly in thecenter of the screen. There is no magic measure-ment for how much lead room should be used.Lead room is something that should be lookedat when lming, especially lming interviews. If astory is occurring, too much or too little lead roommight be appropriate to help the director displayhow a person is moving through the space.


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The rule of thirds, headroom, and lead room

are all elements of lm that a director and lmershould evaluate as they lm to make sure that theoverall composition is appropriate.

EstablishingShotsCreating lm is like creating a world. All of thestructure of that world is developed through im-age and sound. Establishing shots are shotswhere the setting is depicted. For example, thedirector wants the audience to know that theaction of the lm takes place in Reno. A clicheestablishing shot would be to take a shot of theReno Arch. This image is one that most individu-als attribute to Reno. The audience memberswatching would know that the action of the lmwas taking place in Reno. A less obvious exam-ple of an establishing shot would be if the direc-tor wanted the audience to know that the actionof the shot was taking place inside of a house,he might show the exterior of the house prior tobeginning to lm inside the house. This serves

several purposes. The rst purpose of lming theexterior of the house is that the house itself canprovide valuable information. What does it looklike? Is it daytime or nighttime? What is the feel-ing one gets from the house? Is it in the coun-try, suburbia, or the city? The second purpose,besides providing information about the setting,is that it helps the audience visualize a progres-sion within the storyline. It serves as a transitionbetween one action within the lm and anotheraction. Establishing shots are used throughout

the lm.

When lming, think about capturing establish-ing shots. How will you transition from action toaction, place to place? The audience uses thesevisual clues as a structure to better understandthe progression of the plot.

Besides establishing

shots, you shouldalso think aboutshooting b-roll foot-age. This type offootage is secondary to the main footage youwill capture. Example b-roll footage might bepeople walking down the street, nature imagery,other shots that help to describe the setting, andcharacters not doing any major actions. All of thisfootage can be used to help support the majoraction of the lm, portray the setting, and help the

audience better understand the characters.

Think of your lm as a structure composed of im-agery and sounds. Using different types of shotswill help to give your lm structure, and will helpyour audience follow a path that winds throughthe lm.

BasicShotsBesides establishing shots, and b-roll footage,

there are many ways that the shots themselvescan inuence how a story is told. The director andlmer collaborate to determine the best way toshoot individual scenes.

1. Close-up:A close-up shot is a shot where thesubject of the shot is appears very close in thescreen. An example of a human body close-upwould be a persons face.

2. Extremeclose-up: An extreme close-up is a

shot where the camera is zoomed in closer onthe subject to show more details. An example ofa human body extreme close-up would be if theshot was focused on a persons eyes.

3. Mediumshot: A medium shot is a shot takenat medium distance from the subject. An exampleof a medium shot of a human body would be a


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shot from the persons waist up.

4. Longshot: A long shot is a shot that is meantto show a length of something, from the audiencemember through to the back of the screen. Anexample of this type of shot would be a hallwayor a set of stairs.

5. Overtheshoulder: An over the shoulder shotis a shot where the camera is placed behind oneof the subjects so that the shoulder and possiblypart of the head is shown, and the subject being

viewed (such as another person) can be seenhead on.

6. Twopersonshot: A two person shot showstwo people together on the screen. In an inter-view, a two person shot is a shot that shows boththe interviewer and interviewee in the shot. Anexample would be on a daytime talk show.

7. Highangleshot: A high angle shot is a shot

taken from above the subject looking down. Thistype of shot causes the subject to appear small.

8. Lowangleshot: A low angle shot is a shottaken from below the subject looking up. Thistype of shot causes the subject to appear larger.

9.Leadingthesubject: A shot where the di-rector leads the subject is a shot that allows forspace on the screen for the subject to move into.

10. Selectivefocus: When the director and lm-er choose to focus in on one particular element inthe shot, such as a glass in the foreground, buteverything around the glass is blurred, rack focusis being used.

11. Firstperson,orpointofviewshot: A pointof view shot is a shot taken where the camera

is actually meant to be the eyes of the subject.

Where the subject looks, the camera looks.

12. Wideshot: The wide shot is a panoramicshot that can often be used to establish a settingor feeling.

13. Cutawayshot: A cutaway shot is a shot thatmoves away from the main action to show thesurrounding environment. An example of thistype of shot would be if there was a scene wheretwo people were arguing in the checkout line of

a grocery store, and while they are arguing, thescene cuts to show the checkout person while theaudience can still hear the arguing occurring. Thescene would then cut back to the two arguing.

14. Insertshot: These shots allow the directorto show, rather than to tell, what he wishes theaudience to see. For example, if a scene is lmedwhere a person is really stressed out, the scenemay begin by showing the actor being stressed

and then focus in on an object that shows whyhe/she is stressed. Perhaps it is a report cardwith bad grades. The close-up on the report cardis the insert shot.

15. Rackfocus: When the focus of the shotchanges without the background changing. Forexample, if a table top is lmed and the shot be-gins with a focus on a glass (and everything elseis blurry) then changes to a focus on an emptyplate.

The director and lmer work with different shotsto help them describe their story. These shotsshould be thought about and discussed as astoryboard is drawn. The director and lmer painttheir canvas with the shots they choose to use,focusing in on specic details to enhance thestory. The shots can give an underlying emotion


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to the lm. An example of this is if the director

and lmer decided to use many high and lowangle shots, this might make the audience feel onedge. As a lmer, it is important to practice usingdifferent shots so that you can effectively tell thestory.

CameraMovementsThe way a camera moves is also an importantelement to how a lm is viewed. There are manyways that a camera can move. Some of the ba-sic camera movements are described below.

1. Pan: When a camera moves from left to rightor right to left on a camera axis, this is called apan.

2. Tilt: When a camera moves up to down ordown to up on a camera axis, this is called a tilt.

3. Zoom: A medium shot is a shot taken at me-dium distance from the subject. An example of a

medium shot of a human body would be a shotfrom the persons waist up.

4. Dolly: A long shot is a shot that is meant toshow a length of something, from the audiencemember through to the back of the screen. Anexample of this type of shot would be a hallwayor a set of stairs.

These are basic lm strategies. There are a vari-ety of ways that these shots and movements can

be put together to form a story. There are a multi-tude of other types of shots and movements. Thebasic shots and movements can be combined tocreate more advanced effects. For some greatideas about how to set up more advanced shots,with some examples, see the Resourcesection atthe end of this handbook.

TypesofSoundin

Film

The sound of a lmis a direct cue to theaudience regarding the quality of the lm. Thereis nothing worse than poor sound quality, whichcan leave your viewers wondering what is go-ing on in the lm. There are three major types ofsound in a lm: human voice, sound effects, andmusic. These three elements work together tosupport the lms message.

Sound can work in harmony with what is happen-ing in the lm, or it can work in discord. When thelms sound directly works with the theme, andthe sounds link directly with the action of the lm,the director is using synchronous sound. Exam-ples of synchronous sound include the sound thacorresponds to a punch on the screen occurringat the same time that the action of the punch hap-pens on screen. Synchronous sound also refers

to the feel of the sound when it directly links withthe appropriate emotion. For example, a joyfulscene in a lm has joyful music playing simul-taneously. Synchronous sound is used for mostlms. Sound and action are linked. The oppositeof this is called asynchronous sound.

Asynchronous sound is more often used to makea statement. When the sound does not link withthe action, asynchronous sound is being used.An example of this occurs in the lm Good Morn-

ing Vietnam in a scene where the music What aWonderful World by Louis Armstrong is playingwhile the images are of destruction and war. Thetwo elements are not in harmony with one an-other, and the use of asynchronous sound allowsfor the audience to critique the world and what itshould be like. Asynchronous sound can invokeemotion as easily as synchronous sound, how-


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ever the emotions are more uneasy and ironic.

The music of the lm is layered together to formthe soundtrack. Music includes songs with andwithout words, and also includes basic riffs thatmay play throughout the lm. Sound effects canoccur naturally, but often must be created. Theperson responsible for creating the appropriatesound for an action are called foley artists. Forexample, the sound that is heard when a personpunches another person is created by a foleyartist. Creating sound effects for lm is a creativeexercise, and one that requires a person to seek

unusual sounds from all kinds of objects. With theinnovations of technology, more and more soundeffects are being digitally created and remas-tered. Basic lm editing programs have access tothese sound effects, and many internet sites alsomake them available. The only concern is copy-right infringement, which will be discussed moreat length in a later chapter.

Human voice can be recorded live, provided

good microphones are being used. Often, themicrophone on the camera is not good enoughto capture dialogue, especially when there is anabundance of background noise. If the voice isrecording live, examples of appropriate micro-phones include:

1. Handheldmicrophones: These microphonesare the basic reporter style microphone that isheld during the interview. The microphone will bein the shot, which may or may not be appropriate

to what students are looking to lm. In addition,these microphones are not multidirectional, sohaving the microphone in the appropriate positionto handle sound is a must.

2. Lavaliereorlapelmicrophones: These mi-crophones will be attached to the subjects cloth-ing. They are multidirectional meaning that they

will pick up any sound. The benet is that there is

little concern for how the microphone is receivingsound, the negative is that these microphonescan pick up any and all background noise.

3.Boomand/orshotgunmicrophones: Boommicrophones are so named for the apparatus themicrophone is attached to, the boom. Usually,a shotgun microphone is the type of microphoneattached. The boom or stand allows the shotgunmicrophone to hang above the subjects headsand capture sound. These are highly directional

microphones, and because of that, they pick upvery little background noise in the shot. Smallerboom stands are known as sh poles. Thedisadvantages are that if there is a lot of move-ment in the shot, often extra boom operators willneed to be available to move the equipment, andthe lmer and boom operator must be sure not tocapture the boom in the shot.

4.Boundarymicrophones: These microphones

are ideal when placed on a table, on the oor,or against a wall. They pick up sound directly infront of them, and are ideal for large meetings orlarge groups of people.

If the voice recording is not live, it will be im-portant to use the voiceover tool during editingprocess. Voiceover allows one to add dialogueand other sounds to the project after lminghas occurred. Different editing programs handlevoiceover differently. Most computers have built-

in microphones, although it is also possible toconnect a microphone directly to the computerfor an even better sound. With more basic editingprograms, it is important that you do not expectto be able to sync your narration with the precisemovement of the mouth. This can be a difcultprocess with a program such as iMovie or Movie-maker. It is possible, but should be thought about


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in advance. Using the appropriate microphones

during the shots as they are happening will helpto avoid needing to do a voiceover.For narration, a voiceover during the editing pro-cess is appropriate. You should be thinking aboutnarration throughout the editing process, andshould edit with the narration in mind.

HowCanSoundBeUsed?Sound is used in a variety of ways in lm. It isan informational tool, adds an important sen-sory experience to the lm, and contributes tothe emotional feeling of the lm. It can be soundeffects, some which are enhancements of theregular sound of the activity, music, or humanvoice. Sound can be an omniscient presence inthe video in the form of narration, it can serve asones internal monologue providing insight intocharacter, it can serve to set the mood.

ImportanceofSoundinFilmSound is crucial in lm. Being able to hear the ac-

tion is just as important as not hearing anything.Sound contributes to the emotional content of thepiece. It also contributes the important informa-tion and the perspectives and symbols within thelm. When sound is doing its job, it should not benoticed. Rather, it is like an additional supplemen-tal character that supports the overall meaning ofthe lm.

When sound is not doing its job, it is noticed. Ifthe subjects in the lm are not heard, the audi-

ence will notice and will most likely be turned offby the lm. It is easier to mask a poorly shot lmthan a lm with poor sound.

LightingJust as valuable as sound is in lm, lighting has asimilar value. There are some basics that one canfollow without even having a lighting kit. Some of

these strategies will

be known to indi-viduals who alreadyshoot still photogra-phy.

1. If you are lming a subject and there is a directlight source behind your subject, a shadow orsilhouette will mask the subject you are shooting.For example, if you shoot a person with the sundirectly behind, you will not be able to see theperson very well because he/she is shielding you

light source.

2. Use light to your advantage. Light is a toolthat can be used to draw your audiences focusto a particular element in the shot. Think aboutthe master painters and a method known aschiaroscuro which literally means light in thedarkness or obscurity. Artists would use a lot ofdarker lighting , and then would use light to focusin on a detail they wished to show. This has an

intense emotional effect on the audience as well.See the example below by Georges Le Tour.

Georges Le Tour, Magdalen withSmoking Flame, c. 1640


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3. Think about what you are lming and ways that

light can be used naturally. For example, if youhave a rainy day and you are looking to shoot agloomy scene, use what nature is providing foryou.

4. Play with basic lights. While a lighting kit iscertainly preferred, you can do a lot with somebasic lights. Check out your local hardware shopto nd clamp lights, uorescent work lights, or ahot-light set-up on a tripod. The biggest issue thatyou may have is that the light that is thrown is

often very yellow. Look into getting replacementbulbs that are ultra white. You may need to playwith lights, or check online for some real simpleways to create your own lighting kit for less than$100. See Resourcesection at the back of thishandbook for some ideas.

5. Three-point lighting is a method of setting up alighting plan using three different lighting sources:a key light, back light, and ll light. See diagram

below for how to set this up.

6. To reect additional light, lling in shadows,think about using a reector. This can be done

several ways fairly easily. The rst way is to use a

large white sheet mounted onto a wall or a roll-ing closet cart. You can also use students to holdwhite sheets of poster paper. If you would liketo capture more sunlight outside for a shoot, thewhite paper will work but silver will bring morelight. Think about using car windshield sunshadesor a roll of silver window lm for a house.

7. Its important to think about light when you lm.Sometimes, effects can be added through theediting process. You can now lter your clips with

different colors, and even change the exposure ofthe shot. If you wish to modify color in the shoot,try using colored transparency paper in front ofthe light. Blue is typically used on a regular lightto create the appearance of daylight. Using differ-ent colors will create different effects. Think aboutemotions, and the colors associated with them.This may help you to decide how you to incorpo-rate color.

InterviewingTechniquesThe ability to interview will serve you in a vari-ety of capacities in this class and beyond. It isa people skill, and one that will help you in thefuture as you look to apply for jobs or to eventu-ally hire others. More than that, it is a skill that im-proves your ability to listen to the ideas of othersand share ideas and questions of your own. Inour society today, most of us are constantly multi-tasking. Even in our discussions with friends, weare often thinking about what we want to say and

possibly doing other activities simultaneously.Being able to listen and respond is a skill that youwill use throughout your life, and it may even helpyou to have a better quality of life because youwill be able to be present in the moment.In the documentary lm genre, journalism, andnews broadcasting, interviews are the basis ofthe story. It is the questions and responses that


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take the directors or journalists idea from point

a to point b. Being able to write strong ques-tions is key in this process. But even more im-portant is the interviewers ability to let go of thequestions that he/she has written, and listen towhat the interviewee is saying. This skill mayseem easy, however when one is speaking infront of the camera and asking questions, it canbe difcult to get the mind to stop. Often, the in-terviewer is thinking, I need to see what my nextquestion is, or I should ask this question nextsince the person said this. As an interviewer, you

should be thinking while listening. You shouldnot, however, be thinking so hard that you havestopped listening. Some of the strategies youmight use in an interview include follow-up ques-tions, paraphrasing, and devils advocate. Thequestions at the beginning of the interview arereally just a departure point. Often, there is noway to anticipate an answer to the question beingasked. Good interviewers think on their feet, andform follow-up questions. A follow-up question is

a question that directly corresponds to the previ-ous response to a question. It can be as simpleas, can you tell me more about that? or canyou share an example of that? They can bemore advanced, citing specic information aboutthe topic and moving the interview in a particulardirection.

When an interviewer paraphrases, they basicallysum up what the interviewee has stated in his/herown words, and restate the information for the in-

terviewee. The goal for this strategy is to providethe opportunity for the interviewee to commentfurther, to agree with what was said, or to dis-agree and restate what they believe, and for theinterviewer to highlight specic information. Boththe follow-up and paraphrase techniques aregreat listening skills, as they both demonstratehow one shows he/she is listening.

The devils advo-cate strategy is amore confrontationalstrategy. It involvesthe interviewer stating the arguments or positionsin opposition to the interviewees opinions. Thegoal is to prompt the interviewee to defend his/her position.

There are different reasons you might wish tointerview a person. It is important that you deter-

mine why you are interviewing a person beforethe interview occurs. Sometimes, you are inter-viewing a person so that the individual can telltheir story to an audience. Sometimes, you aretrying to shed light on a particular situation. Afteryou have selected a person to interview, the nextstep is to write effective questions. This will bediscussed in the next section.

WritingInterviewQuestions

Once again, the interview questions you arriveto an interview with are really just a jumping offpoint. Prior to the interview, you should havealready decided what you hope your intervieweewill contribute to your lm. Questions shouldrelate to that expectation. Dont just ask ques-tions to ask questions. Interviews should take ona certain ow. At the start of an interview with aperson, you should try to make the person feelcomfortable. You establish rapport. This may noteven be lmed, but it can be very important to

the lming. As you complete this course, therewill be times that you will be expected to be infront of the camera. It can be a very uncomfort-able, nerve wracking feeling if you have neverdone it before. That is why it helps to make yourinterviewee feel more comfortable. Share withyour interviewee who you are, the project you areworking on, and why you feel that their interview


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would be benecial to your project. This process

will also make you feel more comfortable in theinterviewing process as well. You are looseningup.

After establishing rapport, you can begin withyour meatier questions. These are the questionsthat you wrote down in anticipation of the inter-view, and they are the ones that you felt neededto be answered for your lm. Bear in mind that

just because you have these meatier questions,they may not all be answered. They may also

lead the interview in other directions, and that isokay too. A good interviewer can both stay oncourse and get the main questions answered,and still be open to bumps and curves in theroad. That is where your interviewing techniquesand strategies will shine. Dont feel limited byyour questions. If a person shares informationthat you didnt know prior to the interview, it maybe better for you to use follow-up questioning asopposed to jumping to the next question on your

list just because its there.

DeterminingaShootingScheduleAs you begin to think about what you are goingto lm, you will also need to think about how youare going to lm. There are many variables in thisprocess. What is the environment of the shoot?What time of day is the shoot? Are there individu-als (talent or interviewees) that you are planningto work with who are only available at certaintimes? Your shooting schedule reects these vari-

ables. It is not always appropriate to lm from thebeginning of the lm to the end, in accordancewith the script and storyboard. Use the shootingschedule form in the Appendixto help you mapout how you will handle your shoot. Items thatyou will include on the shooting schedule include:the talent needed, who will direct, who will shootthe lm, who will be in charge of lighting and

audio, what portion of the script/storyboard will

be covered, and the location of the shoot. Havingall of this information mapped out in advance willhelp you to stay on track during the actual lming.

PreparingfortheInterviewThere are several steps that you must undertakeprior to interviewing. The rst step is to set upthe appointment with the individual you are inter-viewing, if you are doing a formal interview. Thismight entail making a phone call, or sending ane-mail to the individual. If it is someone that youknow very well, it will be very easy to set up theappointment. If, however, it is a new individualthat you do not know, it can be difcult. You willneed to practice saying what you wish to say onthe phone prior to calling the individual. There isa sample script in the Appendix. Fill out the formprior to calling your potential interviewee, and thaway you wont forget to ask the important infor-mation. If you are going to set up the appoint-ment through e-mail, make sure that you com-

plete the same information that you would for thephone conversation. Use your basic letter writingskills, and do not use text talk. This is a pro-fessional letter. Make sure that when you havenished typing the e-mail, you spell check yourwriting. You may even wish to have your teacherread over your work.

This process is a good reminder to all that thereare different ways you speak and present yourselto different people, and in different situations. For

example, how you speak to your friends is not thesame as how you speak to your principal. Whenyou are meeting someone for the rst time tocomplete a project, you will want to put your bestfoot out there. Make sure that you are presentingyourself professionally.

If you are getting ready to conduct street inter-


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views, you do not need to set up an appointment.

Your preparation comes into play by making sureyou are comfortable with your interview ques-tions and your treatment. Your people skills arealso a key to street interviews. You will have tobe able to walk up to people to ask if they wouldbe willing to do a candid interview. Many peoplewill say no. Depending on your goals for yourproject, you will want to continue until you haveenough candid information to edit down for yournal lm. Sometimes you will get lucky, and youllsee someone you know on the street. Most of

the time, however, this will not be the case. Thinkabout where you go to do your candid interviews.You might set up on the sidewalk, or you mightchoose to go to a park. Be careful of going intopublic places that are owned by a group, such asmany shopping malls. Due to copyright laws, youcan get into trouble if you are lming the locationwithout permission. If the location is essential tothe shot, look into getting permission to lm. Itis often easier to get the permission to lm at a

store or other similar public place if it is locallyowned instead of a big chain like Walmart orHome Depot.

When you go to do the interviews, you can workalone if you need to, however it is preferable towork with more than one person if possible. Thisallows one person to focus on the lming, oneperson to focus on the interviewing, and oneperson to focus on the paper details such as hav-ing a release signed and taking notes during the

interview. For a formal interview, depending onyour supplies, you might even wish to include afourth person to focus on the lighting and audio,and to direct the shoot. Assigning duties for theshoot helps to take the pressure off of one personto do everything. It allows all individuals involvedto have a clear focus of their task, and can alsohelp relieve some of the nervousness that might

arise from conduct-

ing interviews.Beginningto

FilmOnce lming begins, you will nd that it is anextremely enjoyable process. While lming, youwill want to ll in a log for the shots that you take.This is especially true for interviews that you areconducting. In the beginning, it may seem te-dious. When you begin to edit, however, it will notseem as tedious. The information that you shouldlog is the shot number, the length of time of theshoot, the gist of the shoot (if you are makinga documentary, what was said in the interview),and the involved parties in the shoot (the charac-ters or the name of the interviewee). There is atemplate to complete this task in the Appendixofthis handbook.

EditingThe rst step of the editing process is to begin towatch footage. Often, it is helpful if you watch the

footage prior to uploading because it will help youto determine if it is necessary to upload every-thing you have captured on lm. For programslike Final Cut Pro, your uploading will also allowyou to log the shot. Logging the shots can bedone by hand as well. Logging the shots basi-cally means that you create a written record ofall the shots on the camera. There is a samplelog chart in the Appendix. The key informationin a log is the shot number or timecode (depend-ing on whether you are using digital memory orvideotapes), the take of the shot (if you are usingtakes), the duration of the shot, and some of thebasic details of the shot including the audio andcomposition elements. You might also wish toput comments by the log so that you know wheth-er or not it is something worth using for your lm.The reasons why a shot might be While youwatch your footage, log the footage as well. This


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will save you time when you begin uploading.

Now you are ready to begin uploading. The rststep to uploading your footage is to look overyour log sheet. What clips did you wish to use?Which are not necessary? This is where yourcomments and description will be helpful. Up-loading can take on two different forms: you willeither capture the footage or you will importthe footage. Once youve connected your cam-era to the computer, the capture/import screenwill often automatically pop up once you haveselected the USB connect button on your device.

You capture footage if you are using a video cas-sette. This is where the timecode for your shotsis crucial. Capturing footage works very similarlyto recording from cassette tapes. You will be ableto play your lm on screen once the camera isconnected. You will have all the basic controlsof a VCR, such as play, fast forward, rewind,stop, pause, and most importantly, record. Youcan watch through your video or fast forward to

the sections you would like to use based on theirtimecode. Once you have come to the shot youwish to use, press the record button while playingthe clip. Push the record button or stop buttonwhen you are nished with the clip. The clip willbe converted to a digital clip that you will be ableto edit digitally.

Cameras have improved drastically over the pastve years. You can now shoot video digitally, andsave the step of capturing your video clips. If you

are lming with a basic digital camera, often youwill have features that allow you to shoot video.Often, you can even shoot video with your cellphone. Whether you have digital video that youare using from a cell phone, digital camera, ordigital video camera, you will be importing foot-age. When you connect your device to the com-puter, if you are using a digital video camera, the

import/capture screen will pop up. This screen

will allow you to import your clips by selectingthe clips you wish to use. Then it is as simple asselecting the import button, and your digital clipwill be imported and ready to edit.

Every program is a little different, but all have the

same capabilities. Check out the manual for yourprogram to see what its uploading capabilitiesare.

Once you have uploaded your footage, you willnd that your clips are all located in a particularspace on the screen. You will also have a projectspace, which is the place where you will place theclips you wish to use with text, audio, transitions,and other items. The project space is where theactual editing occurs. Finally, there is a viewer.

The viewer allows you to watch either your proj-ect, or the uploaded clips. Every program isdifferent in the way it set up. Some programshave two viewers, some one. The way that clipsare displayed on the screen is also different. Thishandbook will show some basic information aboutusing iMovie, however you can use whatever pro-gram you are comfortable with. Other programs

The capture screen in iMovie. If you were using digital footage, it wouldautomatically give you the import option, with thumbnails of your clips soyou could easily select what you would like to use.


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include Microsoft Moviemaker, Sony Vegas Stu-

dio, Corel Ulead Videostudio, or Final Cut Pro.There are many other programs available as well.While there are many programs out there, they alluse a variation on the set up just described.

Now, you are ready to edit! Editing is reallywhere the art of lm happens. It is where you areable to make the statement you wish. Placingdifferent shots next to each other using differ-ent types of music and sound effects can reallychange the mood and even the meaning of a

piece. You will be able to play with this idea asyou edit. What are you really trying to say? Howcan you organize the shots you have taken insuch a way to convey the meaning you are tryingto convey? This is a challenge.

Beginning to lay out your lm can be intimidating.Here are some ideas to get you started. Re-member to begin using some of your establishingshots to introduce your story. You could incor-

porate narration at the start with the establishingshots, or some of your interview footage. Whatshots will lay the groundwork for the rest of yourlm?

Once you have used some establishing shotfootage, you might try starting in the middle of thestory. What does that mean? To introduce yoursubject, jump right in with a key moment fromyour interviews. For example, in the Teen StoriesProject presented on the Teacher DVD, Loss of

Innocence, the divorce sequence begins with allindividuals discussing the actual moment that thedecision to go through a divorce was made. Theperspectives shared help to frame the larger idea.Then, the student chose to go back to the begin-ning of the story and share the events as theyunfolded and how it changed him.

Think about how sto-

ries and novels arewritten. Just as in astory or novel, therehas to be somethingin the beginning that provides interest and makesthe reader want to continue to read. The same istrue of lm. Look through your footage, and seeif you can nd a clip that might serve as a hook.

There is no right way to put your work together. Ireally comes down to whether or not it is appeal-

ing to watch and it conveys the message you aretrying to convey. The editing process allows youto work with video, text, audio, and transitionsto help tell your story. All programs have thesecapabilities. For a cheat sheet as to how to usebasic functions of iMovie, check out the Appen-dix.

LegalIssuesThere are many things to think about when creat-

ing your lm. One important bit of information iscopyright. Music, trademark logos, photo illustra-tions, drawings, published texts, locations, andinterviewees are all things that should be consid-ered from a legal standpoint.

Copyrighted material is material that cannot bebroadcast or reproduced for distribution withoutpermission from the copyright holder. Copyrightsextend for the life of the artist plus 70 years. Ifit is a copyright owned by a corporation, the

copyright lasts 95 years. If you are interested inusing material that is copyrighted, you should getpermission to use the material from the copyrightholder. This is especially true if your goals for thelm are to distribute to the masses. Programslike YouTube will actually mute your lm if youhave used music without permission, and havenot given credit for the music in your lm. If,


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book will provide you with a variety of websites

that will help you meet your goals.For purposesof our projects, we will look to broadcast our lmsin a more informal way. With technology becom-ing more and more available, we can now createour own websites and broadcast our lms forfree.

The rst step is to think about setting up a freewebsite. There are many different ways youcan do this. Check out Google Sites, Weebly,or Blogger to create a site for free. There are

many others out there, but these three have aneasy learning curve. After youve created anaccount, and a URL for your site, you are readyto begin posting. These sites will enable you topost information about your lm, and using You-Tube, embed your lm as well. Link your websiteto your schools, and people can come and viewwhat you are creating, comment on the work, andeven interact with you, the lmmaker.

There is no end to what you can do with yourlm. Create yers for your lm, and distributethem around to have a screening. Gather lmsfrom your classmates and host a lm event asa fundraiser for your school. Burn your lms toDVD and have the lms available for sale for theschool. Use your lms as a portfolio elementto help you get into college or lm school. Youhave a real opportunity to make your voice heard.Once youve created something like lm, it willnever go away. You will always have it, and it will

always be a part of you. Enjoy the process, andexpect to be proud when you complete it!


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Film aCtivities

ReadingLiterature(RL)

ReadingInformationalText(RI)

Key Ideas and Details1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specic textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of the text.

Craft and Structure4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and gurative meanings and analyze how specic word choices shape meaning or tone.5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specic sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of the text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specic claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufciency of the evidence.9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and procient ly.

Writing(W)Text Types and Purposes1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufcient evidence.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagine experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Production and Distribution of Writing4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reection, and research.

Range of Writing10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

SpeakingandListening(SL)Comprehension and Collaboration1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in divers media formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.3. Evaluate a speakers point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas4. Present information, ndings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and

audience.5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Language(L)Conventions of Standard English1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Knowledge of Language3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listen-

ing.

Vocabulary Acquisition4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning-words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized refer-

ence materials, as appropriate.5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.6. Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specic words and phrases sufcient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level;

demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

12

3

4

5

Section


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RL

TIME:180 minutesStudents will focus on two key items for telling a story through lm: developing aperspective for the lm and using lighting to describe an underlying mood.

Childrens Story RetellSTANDARDS

RL

2

3

4

W4

6

SL1

5

L 3

ACTIVITYSTEPS1. Films are made from childrens stories all the time. Just recently, there have been

lms based upon Where the Wild Things Are, Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, TheChronicles of Narnia, Shrek, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs-- just to namea few. Some of these stories are novels, and some are short childrens books. Yet,theyve been adapted to become a lm. To create the lm, sometimes stories have

to be added to and sometimes elements of the story must be discarded. Sometimes,the story doesnt even seem to go with the original story.2. Break students into groups of 3-4.3. Have students choose a short childrens story in their groups. You can either bring a

selection into the school, or make it a library excursion.4. Once they choose the story, provide time for students to read and re-read their story

out loud. Encourage students to read with the kind of feeling they would use toentertain a small child, paying attention to the tone, emotion, and inections in theirvoice.

5. Once the group is comfortable with their story, have them ll out the story map on theaccompanying page. This will serve them as they begin to brainstorm their ideas forreinterpreting the story.

6. Have students rewrite the story as a script for the group to follow. If you have any

script writing questions for a standard script, see the Soap Opera Scriptlesson in theWriting section (page 30).

7. Students will then need to complete a storyboard prior to lming. A blank storyboardis available in the Appendix.

8. Encourage students to think about who the target audience will be for their retell, aswell as the underlying mood. Take a look at the Film Basicssection on lighting (page17) for some ideas.

9. Remember, students may need some props. Its always good to allow time for themto gather their props from home and bring them in the following day.

10. Once the story map, storyboard, script, and props are all in order, students can feelfree to lm away! They will edit upon the conclusion of lming.

MATERIALS

Childrens Stories

Teacher Handbook and DVD

Story Map

Storyboard

1 camera for 4 students

1 computer with editing soft-ware for 4 students

DISCUSSIONQUESTIONS

1. What will you add to, or take away from, your story?2. How will you adapt your story? Think about telling your

story not as the characters in the story, but as yourself.3. What are the key points of your story? There is the

thought that every story has been told before. What is theunderlying theme of your story?

4. How can you incorporate lighting into this project to evokea particular theme?

EXTENSION

Once youve completedyour projects as a class,screen them at a localelementary. Allow yourstudents to be present forthe younger students to askquestions to.


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StoryTitle:

Characters: PerspectiveofStory:

SettingofStory:

location, time period, time of day, etc.

Requirementsforlming:

Plot:

Event: Event: Event:

Solution:

PartsAdded/Omitted: UnderlyingTheme: LightingUse:

Story Map


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TIME:180 minutesAfter completing a close reading of a novel or short story, students will select onescene to recreate in the form of a short lm.

Scene from a Novel/Short Story

ACTIVITYSTEPS1. After you have completed either a novel or a short story in class, have students think

about a major scene in the novel or story that could be acted out.2. Break students into groups of 3-4.3. Students will select their scene. It is okay for more than one group to select the

same scene, as it will lead to great discussions about how both groups interpreted

the scenes.4. Once the scenes have been chosen, have students do a close reading in theirgroups of their passage. While doing the close reading, students should be lookingat the descriptive elements of the scene, and how to incorporate that into their story.Use the sheet on the accompanying page to help students frame the events, details,and characters of the scene and how to portray them.

5. Explain to students that this will not be a full length lm, but rather a short scene fromthe overall picture. It should be no more than ve minutes in length.

6. After evaluating the descriptive elements, students will need to complete a script fortheir scene. If there is dialogue in the scene, that will need to be recreated. If thereis no dialogue, the script should describe the scene, what happens, and how thecamera will move through the events.

7. Students should create a storyboard for their scene after they are nished. The sto-

ryboard should make note of the dialogue if there is dialogue in the scene.8. Again, provide time for the gathering of props. Sometimes students will become

concerned if they cant get all the exact details. Talk to students about modifying ele-ments so that the main story comes through.

9. Once all the preparation has been completed, provide time for students to lm inclass. Make sure to stress that they think about the ways they are conveying theunderlying theme of the story. How will they use shots and movements to help de-scribe the details of the story?

10. Upon the conclusion of lming, provide time for students to edit. Think about usingthe voiceover tool to add narration, or allow for no narration and only visuals in thelming. When the nal project is done, screen the lms in class. Once one classhas gone through the process, save the lms for future use as you begin your nextunit!

MATERIALS

In class novel or short story

Descriptive Elements FromStory

Storyboard

Video camera

Computers with editing soft-ware

DISCUSSIONQUESTIONS1. Was it easier or more difcult to convey the details of the

scene with the use of a novel or short story?2. How did you use the details of the story to dene your sto-

ryboard and lming? Do you have any examples?3. Now that youve nished your lm, how accurate were you

in retelling the scene? Would others know what story thescene came from?

EXTENSION

Do a short story as a class,and have each group com-plete a different scene. Putall the scenes together toretell the story, then evalu-ate as a group for accuracy.

RL

STANDARDS

RL

1

2

3

4

W 5

SL1

5

L 3


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QuotefromNovel/ShortStory Interpretation HowtoFilm

Descriptive Elements from Story


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TIME:180 minutesThis activity encourages students to share how they connect, and respond to aselected poem. Students will be adding imagery to words to create and emotionalimpact.

Video Poetry

ACTIVITYSTEPS1. For this project, students will choose a poem to create a 1-2 minute expressive

video, in order to explore the relationship between text and symbolic image.2. Students will begin by selecting a poem that has personal meaning. (If you are doing

a poetry unit, the poem might be selected from this unit.)3. Students will use at least two digital effects to tell their poems story, such as experi-

menting with color, composition, lighting, music, and/or sound.4. Provide time for students to read through their poem very carefully, making notes inthe margins. During this process, students will need to choose at least 10 symbolicor expressive images to link to their poem. The instructor can use this project as away to incorporate poetic devices into the discussion, such as gurative language,metaphor, simile, etc.

5. Storyboard and shoot a sequence of images to express the poem, using the poemas the script.

6. See the following page for interesting ways that students can shoot their clips.7. Once all of the footage has been shot, students should begin logging and capturing

the selected images.8. Allow students to place ten 4-second images randomly on the timeline. In this way,

students can experiment with digital effects on the images. After this experimenta-

tion, students should render and save at least ve effects on the project9. Add beginning title and end credits.10. Add sound effects or original music to the piece including opening and end credits.

MATERIALS

Poetry

Taking Interesting Shots

Storyboard

Digital camera or video camera

Computer with editing software

DISCUSSIONQUESTIONSAfter Screening Films1. What makes the piece successful?2. What aspects of the piece could be changed to make the

piece better?3. List 5 adjectives that describe your video.4. Describe the theme.5. How do the digital effects relate to the theme?6. Describe the opening and closing shots, and their relation-

ship to the sequence.7. List and describe why the colors are used in the videotape.8. List three ways the image related to the text in a symbolic

way.9. Describe the meaning of the piece and how you respond to

it personally.

EXTENSION

1. Have students write theirown poems and create avideo with the poem.

2. Save the videos to shownext year when reading thesame poetry to a new class.Discuss the video, andwhether the meaning of thepoem comes through.

RL

STANDARDS

RL

1

2

4

5

9

W 1

SL1

2

L 3


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Taking Interesting Shots

IDEAS FOR INCORPORATING VISUAL IMAGERY

use a small camera light to follow a subjects movement close up with a strange camera angle follow source movement only reection of movement: think of mirrors, windows, or shadows. sideways shot

silhouette dramatic lighting where lighted parts seam to emerge from surrounding dark areas (for great ex-amples of this, look at Renaissance works of art that use chiaroscuro.)

highly saturated colors: this can be done either through editing, through the actual subjects of theshot, or by using gels for the light sources. (If you dont have professional lighting, try getting col-ored cellophane to hold in front of the light sources you are using.)

creating depth by using an object or subject in the foreground and a contrasting subject in thebackground

dolly shot: think about placing the camera on a cart and moving the cart toward the object you arelming

If using Final Cut Pro for the editing process, students will use motion key frames, transitions, dropshadow, scale, wire frame, and matt color. Remind students that they need to think how they can rep-resent the meaning of the words of their poem. For example, if the poem talks about birds ying away,the words in the line might y outside of the frame as if they are birds.

If using iMovie, there are more simplistic ways of incorporating some effects including transitions,adding text, changing colors, adding sound effects, and speeding up or slowing down the shot. Thekey is to get students to think outside the box, and to show not just tell.


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Film can be a great tool to help students understand key ideas in something theyare reading. The following list contains additional ideas that can be used with lm tosupport your novel reading in the classroom.

Linking Film to Novel: Ideas for Implementation

ACTIVITIES

1. It is not necessary to watch an entire lm just because it has the same title as the novel you arereading. While reading a novel, select a current passage and nd the corresponding clip in thenovels lm to compare. Look at some of the specic details of the scene as compared to how it

was described in the novel. Discuss.

2. Take a look at how the novel is structured. It has a number of chapters, each serving to share anew idea or thought. In the short story, each paragraph of the story serves the same purpose.Films do the same thing. There is a way that lms let one know that there will be a new idea pre-sented. Often, there is a change of scene or a change of character. Between the change, theremight be a transition that leads the audience to that place. With your class, take a look at thetransitions between ideas in the novel or short story, and compare it to the lm transitions. Howare these movements from idea to idea similar? Different?

3. Have students create a soundtrack for the novel they are reading. What songs epitomize certain

characters? Places? Have students create a playlist with their songs to play in class. For eachsong, students should explain why they chose the song and how it relates to particular character,theme, or location in the book. With the nal playlist, students can write the name of the song fol-lowed by a brief paragraph describing the connections they made.

4. For lists of vocabulary words, have each student take a different word and type it in YouTube tosee what comes up. Have students write an explanation of the video, and how their word relatesto the video. Go back and revisit the vocabulary denitions while each student shares their videoand explains their word. How close are the denitions?

5. Look online for silent lms, or short lms that have no words. Use these lms as prompts fordiscussion. Have students write what they believe is going on in the lm, telling the story of thelm. Read the stories aloud and discuss how many of the descriptions have similarities, but allare different.

RL


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Reect: Film & Reading LiteratureThink about how youve incorporated lm with your read-ings in the past. What ways were most successful?Describe:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How could you incorporate lm in ways that will get your students more engaged, and thinkingabout the novel or short story they are reading in class?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is one idea from Reading Literature that you can take with you into your English class andimplement?______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Notes:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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TIME:180 minutesStudents will closely read the newspaper to develop issues current local issues intofuture projects. Students will present their articles to the class, and will write anexpository essay.

Developing a Topic Through Newspaper Issues

ACTIVITYSTEPS1. Students will read through the newspaper to nd local issues that are of interest

to them. Once they each locate one story, they will write a summary of the article,including any key details.

2. Students will present their articles to the class, highlighting the underlying issue thatwas most interesting to them.

3. As each student presents, the instructor will write the issues presented on a white-board, or large piece of paper. If the same issue appears more than one time, makenote of that.

4. Once a list has been gathered, the class can discuss the top three issues that werepresented. The decision about the top three issues can be done in one of two ways.Either the instructor will only select issues that have be chosen by the students mul-tiple times, or the class can go through a voting system for each issue, and the mostvotes for the top three issues are the winning choices.

5. Break the class into three research teams. Each team will have one of the three is-sues to research in depth. They will begin by looking online for information related tothe issue, and might also contact the individuals listed in the article or the author ofthe article for more details. If there are specic businesses or locations involved, thegroup will nd out everything there is to know about the issue. If making contact is a

major part of this project for you, the instructor, students will write interview questionsto be asked either over the phone or over e-mail. Use the phone log in the Appen-dixof this book to help students frame what they will say on the phone.

6. Any information or further articles the group gathers will be saved in a group folderrelated to the issue. This includes contact information, websites, other newspaperarticles, phone conversations, etc. They will act as investigative reporters. Withthe information they gather, they will write an article outlining all the details of theirsearch.

7. As students begin to gather information, they will need a folder to put the informationinto for later. This project might take some time to unfold, and would be useful to doas a bell ringer for a couple of weeks.

8. Each group will present their articles to the rest of the class. They will discuss theirndings, and whether or not it would be a good lm to make and why.

MATERIALS

Newspapers or online access

Online access and computers

Phone Book

Teacher Handbook

Whiteboard or large paper

Paper and pencil

DISCUSSIONQUESTIONS1. Are you happy with the chosen issues? Why or why not?2. What is the most difcult part of gathering information?3. If you have contacted individuals, what was the most dif-

cult part of that process? Were you able to get the infor-mation you needed?

4. Do you think that your issue would be a candidate for themaking of a great documentary? Why or why not?

EXTENSION

1. Make the lm! So, youhave three issues that havebeen researched in depth.

You could either make threeshort lms about each topic,or one long lm about oneof the topics. Use some ofthe Teen Stories Projecttohelp you with basic lessons.

2. Make a PSA! See nextlesson to use the issue fora PSA.

RI

STANDARDS

RI

1

SL

1

2 4

3 5

6 L 3

7

8

W

1

26

7

8


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Article Summary

ArticleTitle:Resource:

Date: Author:Contact:

ArticleSummary:

InvolvedParties:

(includecontactinfo.)

Location(s): MajorUnderlyingIssue:

Gathering InformationThe information that should be gathered includes:

1. Any additional newspaper articles relatedto the topic

film project revamp

Documents