CLASSROOM VIDEO PROJECT

I used to teach a middle school broadcasting class. I had several video cameras, so each

group had one to work with. You need to give them very specific guidelines on time and

it won't seem very structured at times. With the Windows Movie player they can even do

some of the editing themselves and add music and voiceovers. They will have a lot of fun

and realize how much work goes into making a movie.

888888888888

I have done commercials with them before. They write commercials and then you video

them. Also, we did skits for the school. Every month there was a value that the school

promoted. We did skits to illustrate the value. Also we did a movie/documentary thing. It

was sort of like the Croc hunter, but they were at my farm. We also interviewed a cancer

survivor for an anti smoking piece.

888888888888

I have just completed this with my S2 (13 - 14 years old) they had to film a dramatized

bank robbery using a variety of camera shots (MS, LS, CU etc) they had to shoot it so

they wouldn't have to edit it, some of the videos are fantastic and get's them into video

and film in a fun yet creative way, good link to editing next year when we film soap

operas and they learn editing skills as this unit was based on angels and camera use.

8888888888

I did poetry videos a few years ago with an older group, but they turned out wonderfully.

I had a few kids that even wrote their own. They could use any poem (Dr. Seuss, and

Shel Silverstein work well) and worked in groups of 3 - 5 people. They had to find a

poem, break it down into scenes, storyboard it, and get together and do the filming. Then

we all watched them as a class. They were about 2 -3 minutes long, but the kids loved it.

They were responsible to film it, but the finished products were hysterical. They came up

with really clever ideas, and even the outtakes were fun to watch.

88888888888888

I have mine create silent films. They have to tell a story, be the style of a silent film..

have background music that helps tell the story.. and old fashioned paper credits and

scene changes. They love it!