There are a number of supplemental materials that accompany this lesson. Email Justin Baumgartner at
[email protected] for these materials.
From The Ground Up Film Festival:
Phase One: Teaching the Basics
- Teach the Video Production unit
o Production Slideshow
o Composition Slideshow
o Editing Clips Special Feature
o Spend one day on each phase of production
o Much of the learning will occur as the unit progresses
- Go over group roles
o Producer
„X Organizes the staff, equipment, props, and budget
„X Has the final say on plans and makes all final decisions
„X Is responsible for making sure the entire project gets completed
o Director
„X Is in charge of the creative element of the video
„X Manages all talent and production staff during shoots
„X Is responsible for making sure the producer¡¦s plan is executed on time
o Camera
„X Must understand the different shot types and camera movements
„X Needs to understand how the camera works
„X Responsible for checking out/in and maintaining equipment
o Grip
„X Anyone not in an active role during shooting is a grip
„X Takes direction from the Director and Camera positions during a shoot
o Talent
„X Must memorize roles and provide own costumes
„X Needs to understand their character and write a character background
„X Responsible for being on-time, prepared, and prompt
o Editor
„X Keeps track of and organizes all footage taken and makes sure no copyright violations occur
„X Must understand sequencing and other editing techniques
„X Responsible for finishing the product from download to dvd creation
- Have each student assess their skills and interests
- Put students into pools based on skills and interests
Phase Two: Producing the Video
- The producers choose their groups from the pools of people
- Once the team has been chosen, production meetings start. Once they have their topic, they write a 3-5 minute script
- The producer organizes schedules and times to work on their video. They assign roles to different people in the group. Possible roles for people to do for pre-production:
o Location scouting
o Prop gathering
o Script writing
o Set building
o Costume making
- Each week Monday morning the producer must submit a progress report to the teacher that contains:
o The goals that were set for that week
o The goals that were completed that week
o Goals missed
o Goals for the next week
o Needs the group has that they require help figuring out
o Performance evaluations of their group members
- Each week the team members submit a similar report to their producers. This report should be submitted no later than the end of the school day on Friday.
- The producer may request a meeting with a Technology staff member for some guidance. These meetings should primarily serve as a reminder of the various roles and responsibilities.
- An end date will be supplied to the teams, but organizing their schedules is up to them. They need to make sure that they have at least 4 meetings with tech staff:
o A pre-production meeting at the beginning of the project. This meeting is to help the team get started.
o A pre-production/production meeting. This meeting should be scheduled as a transition point from pre-production into actual production to make sure the group has everything they need.
o A production/post-production meeting. This is the transition into the final stage.
o A post-production meeting when the team thinks they are finished.
- Grading for this project will be on an individual basis. Each member has a list of tasks they must complete.
- The main motivation for creating something beyond what the rubric specifies is the film festival itself. At the end of the project, there will be a screening of each video to the school, and the top videos will be given awards.
