Collection Production: Audio and Video Production in the Classroom
There
are many uses for video production in the classroom. Students love
to develop informational, instructional, and persuasive videos. With
careful planning, video production can be lots of fun. Plan projects
where you and your students can work together to plan and produce videos.
For maximum enjoyment and benefit, emphasize fun and effective communications
rather than "perfection".
Warm-Up Activities
Before students create a serious video based on a subject area of interest, allow students to explore the video medium through a series of warm-up activities. Try some of the following suggested activities.
Far And Near
Set the camera at a wide angle focal length and place it on a table or tripod. The camera should be connected to a TV so students can watch the screen as they do this activity. Ask a student to fill the screen with his face by moving toward the camera. Next, have the child fit his whole body into the screen by moving away from the camera. Ask the next student to do the same. When he or she moves away from the camera, it is to join the first child who remains standing so his entire body fills the screen. Ask a third child to participate and so on until no more bodies can fit within the viewing screen. Students will find they must continue moving backward as more bodies try to fit onto the screen.
- How many whole bodies can fit into the screen?
- If the room were longer would more bodies fit it?
- If the room were shorter what would happen?
Mirror Mirror
Two people take their places in front of the camera which is on a tripod. The players will be videotaped in profile which eliminates the need to stare into the camera’s eye. The two players face each other. Player A initiates a movement, and Player B must exactly follow that action as if he or she were a mirror reflecting the actions of Player A. Simple procedures like raising your arm, putting the arm back down, or placing the palm against an imaginary surface are all examples of concise body movements suitable for the mirror exercise. Player A initiates the movement three times, and then it is Player B’s turn to initiate the movement. Each player should take two turns and then view the replay. Evaluate the activity using the questions from below. Students should be comfortable in this activity because they have a point of concentration and are busy enough following the leader’s movements that they can forget the camera.
- Did the players concentrate on their partners and not on the camera?
- Is there accuracy of movement and observation?
- Are the movements slow enough to follow?
Hand Jive
Students stand in a circle. One person pretends to mold an object into a shape, uses it, and passes it on to the next person who also uses the object. He or she then remolds the thing into another object of their own choosing, uses it, and passes it on, etc. For example, Player A might pantomime the molding, squeezing, and manipulating of a mass of air into an imaginary bowling ball. When the player is finished, he or she would roll the ball down an imaginary alley. Students should not guess at the pantomimes. The time for this will come when viewing the activity after it is taped.
Suggest to the participants that they plan several possibilities for pantomimes before filming begins or give students cards listing an object. There are objects listed below which can be used. Planning specific movements is vital to the communication process. Remind students to remember size, texture, weight, and shape while molding. Everyone should have a turn to create and mold an object with their hands.
Students should take turns operating the camera as they finish their pantomime. They will have to follow the movements as play proceeds around the circle and should focus in on the detailing executed by the hands during the molding. The students should be busy creating and concentrating so that they forget the camera.
- Can the object being molded be guessed?
- Why are some people easier to understand than others?
- What clues did people use?
- Did the camera person focus in on the right movements to aid in guessing the pantomime?
Video Charades
This activity closely resembles Hand Jive, except the pantomime includes the entire body and not just the hands. Also, the object is not created by the participants, but the object is there to be used in such a way that the audience should be able to guess what it is. Again, the student should be asked to plan a pantomime or the teacher can give the students cards with the object. Time should be allotted for students to jot down specific clues for pantomiming their object. These notes are not to be carried on the set.
Students take turns filming the pantomimes. Students can use close-up, medium, or long shots to include all the action. The students walk onto the set as the participant in front of them exits.
Participants enter from one direction and exit from the opposite. The camera keeps rolling. Students should not try and guess the pantomimes. Again, this should be saved until viewing the film.
- Can you guess the object being used?
- Why are some people easier to understand than others?
- What clues did people use?
- Did the camera person focus on the right movements to aid in guessing the object being used?
Objects To Be Pantomimed
(For Hand Jive or Video
Charades)
ice cube |
sand
box |
toothbrush |
alarm
clock |
jump
rope |
umbrella |
|
apple |
kangaroo |
vase |
baby bottle |
leprechaun |
mask |
|
garbage |
walkman |
wallet |
book |
necktie |
zebra |
|
can
of pop |
onion |
airplane |
chewing gum |
pepper |
banana |
|
computer |
piano |
harmonica |
rose |
queen |
horse |
|
balloon |
roller
skates |
fish |
gate |
golf
club |
||
rug |
||||||
nail
file |
thermometer |
skateboard |
peanuts |
donut |
elephant |
|
egg |
coffee |
flag |
matches |
soccer
ball |
sandwich |
Where In The World
This pantomime experience involves students acting out their exact location. Actors must provide clues for the audience which will help them to understand their particular surroundings. The same procedures are used as in Video Charades, except students think of clues and translate them into actions that will evoke a particular setting or location in the mind of the audience.
- Can the location of the actor be guessed?
- Why are some people easier to understand than others?
- What clues did people use?
- Did the camera person focus in on the right clues to aid in guessing the actor’s location?
Places To Be
Pantomimed
roof |
bank |
airplane |
boat |
desert |
helicopter |
ski lift |
space shuttle |
mountain top |
bball court |
fire station |
iceberg |
drive-thru |
rain forest |
igloo |
kitchen |
church |
forest |
classroom |
rock concert |
pool |
canoe |
restaurant |
train |
museum |
doctor office |
library |
taxi |
school bus |
window ledge |
zoo |
baseball |
cloud |
principal office |
roller coaster
|
tennis court |
courtroom |
church |
high dive |
haunted house |
movies |
rodeo
|
jewelry store |
race car |
jail |
Howdy Partner
For an initial speaking experience on camera, students might be more comfortable introducing a classmate instead of facing the camera to talk about their own lives. Participants could choose a partner and find some facts to share with the class. The presenter should take notes that he or she could refer to as the camera rolls.
Another student should film the introduction using a two-shot (both people in the camera range) angle.
This allows the viewer to see the person talking and the person they are talking about. It might also eliminate some of the tension felt when only one person is on camera. However, the camera person could try focusing in on a person as they are talking.
- When the first introduction is done, partners reverse roles.
- Did the presenter make eye contact with the audience by looking at the camera?
- Did the presenter look at the person being interviewed?
- Could you hear both people during the interview?
- Did they use expression?
- How was the camera work?
Possible Topics
For Introductions: Name, Age, Birthdate, Hobbies, Interests, Family,
Pets
Favorites: food, movie, TV program, book, musician, sport, subject in
school, etc.
The Robbery
This exercise demonstrates how varied camera shots taken at different times can be put together to create the illusion that an event occurred in one time period. Students start and stop using the record button. The quality of the edits may not be the best, but students will get the idea of editing. To make the edits as tight as possible, rewind the tape about 5 seconds beyond the starting point of each shot. Some cameras have an edit button that assists in shooting from one scene to another. If the camera has a fade button, students may use this to fade into and out of the shots.
- Two children are walking down the street on their way home from school. The camera watches them as they happily chit chat. (10-15 seconds)
- Two robbers crouch behind a trash can waiting for victims. They are anxious and whisper among themselves. (10-15 seconds)
- The two “victims” look toward the camera, scream and attempt to run away. (5 seconds)
- The robbers advance towards the camera looking mean and nasty. (5 seconds)
- A scuffle involving both groups takes place. The victims finally beat the robbers and escape.
- The camera films
the two children walking home while in the foreground are the unconscious
or dazed bodies of the robbers.
- Did the film seem as if it had all occurred at once?
- What could have been filmed differently?
- Did the acting seem real? Why or why not?
Ready, Set, Action
Have students take turns experimenting with different camera angles and shots by filming a still-life composition such as a bowl of fruit or a vase of flowers pleasingly arranged in front of a backdrop. The camera person must shoot the scene from five different angles or shots and it is up to the camera person as to whether they need to turn the camera off before a new shot or angle. The camera person could experiment with some of the shots discussed earlier.
For example, (1) a student might first choose a high angle shot of the composition and then turn the camera off. (2) The camera is turned back on and the object is filmed from a low angle while slowly (3) panning to the right. (4) Then zoom in on a particular aspect of the object, and (5) finally slowly dolly out until a wide-angle shot of the whole composition is filmed.
- What angles were most pleasing?
- Which shots were most interesting?
- Were there any shots or angles which created confusion for the viewer as to what was being shot?
Turn On The Tube
Two teams of four to five people engage in this assignment meant to exercise the actors’ ability to change characters. One team plays the television actors and the other team plays a family sitting in front of the television. The TV actors should be supported with various add-on pieces of clothing (hats, shawl, sweaters, purse, beard, etc.) and a prop table (phone, kitchen utensils, sports equipment, etc.). Each family member calls out his or her favorite television show, goes to the “TV” and turns on the set. The actors must improvise the show called for by the family. If the family tires of a performance, they simply “change the channel” or call for another program. Family members can select current, popular sitcoms, soap operas, news broadcasts, kiddy shows, cartoons, or even old reruns. The actors and the family then reverse roles.
If a large shadow screen is available, the actors can play their roles behind it to create an interesting video effect. Again, a student is filming the events. Filming could take place over the head and shoulders of the family members. The camera should be turned off after a family member “changes the channel". This gives the TV actors a chance to switch roles. This activity would be an excellent place for students to begin experimenting with camera position during filming.
- How well did the TV actors portray their characters?
- Were they able to improvise action and dialogue?
- Did the family act like a family watching TV?
- Did the camera keep up with the action and did the camera angles help you to understand what was going on?
Student Produced Productions
Many students have access to video cameras at home and love to create their own videos. Consider ways that you could put this talent to work on student video projects. Some ideas are provided in the next section.
Wonderful Welcome
Begin taping the first day of school. Put that first day’s discussion of school rules and expectations on tape. Now if a new student enters your classroom at any point in the year, you can bring a student up to date about dress code, discipline, and expectations without using valuable class time to do so. The tape can also be sent home to inform parents about the new school their child is attending.
Video Yearbook
Film events throughout the year. This is a great tape to show parents at the end of the year and can also serve as a year-end activity if you have students help to edit and put together all the raw footage. Check into local TV stations or universities with editing equipment. It may be possible to have the tape professionally edited with graphics and music for a relatively low cost. A copy of the tape would be a neat keepsake for each student. What a great public relations tape to show at Open House the following year!
Music Video
If your school has access to editing equipment, many educational objectives can be met with this fun project. Students must exercise creativity and cooperation to make a music video. Editing a music video is a great way to develop editing skills.
Student Portfolio
Each student has their own personal video tape. At the
beginning of the year students videotape each other to record their
beginning communications skills, knowledge of content areas, etc. They
film again at the end of the year to create a before and after record
of the students’ progress throughout the year. Now each student
has a personal student portfolio to take home to mom and dad at the
end of the year. Could this replace the traditional grade card? In the
example, a student is reading a book aloud for the camera.
Speak Easy
Discuss the elements of speaking before an audience. Film students as they perform “show and tell”, book reports, poetry readings, etc. in front of an audience. Then let the students view the tape as a class or in private. Seeing is believing. Now when you tell the student they rocked back and forth or spoke too quickly, they will see it for themselves.
Drama
Film a play complete with costumes, props, and scenery on video. If an actor truly “flubs” their lines, erase it and do it again. It might be fun to save the mistakes. If your students don’t mind, make a segment of “bloopers” to show at the end of the production just like some sitcoms do on TV.
Puppet Shows
Just as with a drama production, put the puppet show on film. It might be easier to hide the puppeteers from the viewer this way.
Literature Encounter
Perform choral readings, original writings, or literature on video. Share the tape with younger classes.
Talent Show
Plan a video highlighting student talent, such as singing, piano playing, and magic acts.
Interview
Students need practice writing interviews and conducting interviews. Check out the example on the right. Why not have them conduct an interview on tape while someone else films it? Parents or local residents with interesting occupations or hobbies could be brought right into the classroom through video.
Video Field Trip
Take the video camera along on the class field trip. Use the tape to aid in a discussion of what was learned on the trip as well as to bring back fond memories.
Video Vacation
Do you have a student who will be missing some school due to a vacation? Rather than have them keep a written journal about their vacation... how about a video. The trip to Mexico or the visit to Amish country would be a learning experience for all those students who were left behind.
Teacher Produced Productions
In addition to student productions, you can probably think of many ways to use video in the classroom yourself. If you still need some ideas, use the list below.
Demonstrations
Just how do you demonstrate the dissection of a frog so everyone
can see it? Through a video, that’s how. Film difficult or dangerous
demonstrations or experiments. Use the video to teach standardized procedures
which must be performed in a specific way, such as first aid training.
These recordings allow you to pause, speed up, slow down, or play it
again until students understand. The example on the left shows a teacher
produced video on creating an origami crane.
Field Trip Alternative
Finances or logistics sometimes hinder the teacher from taking students on field trips, so why not bring the field trip to them? Use your camera to bring other cities, states, countries, or events into your classroom.
The Substitute
If you’re uneasy about a substitute following your lesson plan, feel more at ease by leaving them a video tape of the lesson.
Class Act
By setting the video camera in an inconspicuous place in the classroom, you may learn how to improve your teaching and students may learn how to improve on their behavior. You may find that you don’t allow students much time to think after asking a question before you call on someone to answer. Disruptive students may see their actions from a new perspective and improve upon bad habits. Let students know that you are using the camera to improve the learning environment, not just to “catch” them doing something wrong.
Faculty Workshops
Videotape especially good lessons or demonstrations and share successful lessons with each other.
Parent Conferences
Make a video of difficult student problems. Use the video to elicit support for special school programs or to get ideas from the parents on how to resolve the problems.
Resources
For additional ideas, check out the following links:
- Curriculum Ideas by Maggie Korab from the Educational Television Studio (ETS)
- Video Production Curriculum Suggestions by Jim Martin from Videonics