VideoProduction: WorkingOutYourIdeaExercises
Working out your Idea Exercises
Preparation exercises
- Brainstorming ideas/key phrases in a group
- Write a Mission Statement
- Write a 'Pitch'; a one-line statement summarising your concept
- Define your audience using the worksheet (in appendix)
Homework exercises
- Research your audience/additional background information you may need
- Think about what type of video you might like to make. Try fitting your idea into each type of video described earlier and writing a short paragraph about each. From this, it should become clear that your idea fits some types better than others.
- Watch a film or TV programme as a group and try to spot different ways film language has been used to create style or tell the story. This will help you understand how film language is put into practice:
- Are there any signs/symbols used?
- How has the camera been used? Can you spot an example?
- How has the lighting been used? To create a 'natural' look or dramatic effect?
- How has the editing been used? Is there smooth continuity or has there a technique such as fast cutting used at any point?
Role exercises
- Hold a group meeting and discuss roles
- How many people do you have?
- How many people do you need?
- Can people choose at least one role they want to fulfil?
- How will you share/combine the roles?
- Once it has been decided, fill in a sheet so everyone can see who has what role. (See appendix.)
Communication theory exercises
Equipment; pens, flip chart, paper.
Key words; marketing, audience, perception, issue, impact.
Lesson plan (Whole session duration 1 hour)
Introduce the session and ask the groups to invent a community group for the purposes of the exercise. This will prevent anything getting too serious and introduce a level of humour into things.
Duration 10 minutes
Get the groups to separate into small groups and come up with a name and purpose for the existence of the fictional group e.g. ‘group against snack food’. Ask them to consider;
- What is your message/the issue you wish to raise? (Not to be confused with story.)
Duration 5 minutes
Back in the main group, write each groups name and message on the board encouraging comments from other groups in the room.
Duration 5 minutes
Next ask them, in their groups, to brainstorm the following;
- What is an audience? You are an audience group, defined by the fact that you are reading this. You need not be in the same room to be a group. A definition of audience is "the group you want to reach".
- Who is your audience? This may be more than one group.
- What different ways can you reach them?
- What is the best way to reach them?
- How will you assess that? What will you use as your target to measure your effect? E.g. How many people visited your website, or turned up to your screening? Do market research after your release and compare it with your previous results.
- When will you know? When will you measure your effect?
Duration 15 minutes
Back in the main group, write the main points of each groups answers next to their names. Encourage feedback from the other groups. Based on each groups answers ask them what kind of video would be best suited to their needs, bearing in mind audience and other factors which have become apparent. Make sure each group truly understands and focuses on their audience. Most people try to create a video that will suit everybody, but the idea is to create a highly effective and tailored video. A good test is if the video will be disregarded by some audiences due to content, i.e. pop music, then it is a tailored video!
Duration 15 minutes
Get the groups to draw a poster image or one line advert for their idea.
Duration 5 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