VideoProduction: PlanningAVideoExercises
Exercises
Preparation exercises
- Decide what type of film you are going to make. Could your project fit into different types of genres/documentaries? Could you use elements of different types or is one more appropriate than the others?
- Discuss the outline of your story and how you are going to present it. Think about narrative structure - are you going to use flashbacks or tell the story from one characters point of view? If it is a documentary, will you use a narrator, talking heads, dramatised sequences etc? Use the narrative structure chart in the appendix to help you plan this out.
Homework exercises
- Write a script! Decide whether this will be a group process or not; it is perhaps best to designate one person to be responsible for writing the final document that you will work from.
- Once the material is down, fit it into the appropriate format - a fiction or documentary script. Discuss and agree answers to any further questions arising from this process.
Storyboard exercises
Equipment; pencils, rubbers, storyboard templates.
Key words; Extreme close up, mid shot, reverse shot, tracking, pan.
Lesson plan (Whole session duration 1 hour)
Introduce the theory of storyboarding with examples and explain the plan for the lesson.
Duration 5 minutes
Separate them into working groups. Either working with the fictional idea formed in the previous chapters exercises or with an actual "live" idea, get them to break it down and do a storyboard for it. Ask them to think about:
- What size shots you will use?
- What you can include in them to get the message across?
- How they will link together?
- How you will connect scenes?
- Will you be using graphics, titles etc?
Aim for about 6 panels (see appendix for a storyboard template).
Duration 25 minutes
Back in the main group, ask one member of each group to explain the storyboard to the rest of the group. Remember, if people are judgemental about others drawing no one will want to get up!
Duration 15 minutes
Ask them to go back into their groups and think about planning. Get individuals in the groups to do these separate tasks;
- Make a shooting list from your storyboard
- Revise your shot list and divide it up by:
- location
- actors/volunteers
- equipment needed
- List the equipment/people necessary to make the production and try to devise a schedule that makes the most economic use of the resources you have.
Duration 10 minutes
Summarise the session for everyone asking them what they feel they have learned whilst giving them a chance to see each others work.
Duration 5 minutes