It’s the year of the environment at CDNIS!

With growing global concern over the state of the world’s environment and the acknowledgement that human actions have a direct impact on our surroundings, CISPA and the school’s Environmental Club have implemented a coordinated effort to maximize CDNIS’s contribution to this movement in Hong Kong.

This initiative has resulted in fundamental operational changes including a weekly Lights Out initiative to save energy and morning traffic regulations to reduce congestion and vehicle emissions. However, there is much

more that can be done to make the school more environmentally sustainable.

This is where YOU come in!

Over the course of the ecology unit, you’ve investigated how human behaviour can impact the natural world. You’ve gained an understanding of the fundamentals of ecosystems through presentations, simulations, games and activities. You’ve learned about global environmental issues through the symposium and role-play. You’ve explored how science can be applied to solve environmental issues both

theoretically through your ecosystems report and practically through lab experimentation.

Finally you’ve seen how scientific knowledge can be communicated through watching documentaries such as Planet in Peril and Planet Earth.

How can the effective use of documentary films be used to raise awareness of environmental issues?

ECO-DOCSSNC1D & MYP TECHNOLOGY DESIGN CYCLE PROJECT 2010

The challenge: You represent a documentary

filmmaking company commissioned by the school to convince the grade 9 students

to make CDNIS a more environmentally friendly place.

http://www.helloky.com/

http://www.videographerseattle.com/

http://www.vectorious.net/

http://www.thenewecologist.com

Areas of Interaction: Community and Service Approaches to Learning

CDNIS has commissioned your video production team to produce a 3 minute documentary aimed at raising awareness about environ-mental issues.

In particular, the school is looking for ways to make our grade 9 community more aware of local environmental i s s u e s , p r o b l e m s , & sustainability.

Your team will come up with a great documentary film that will inspire the grade 9 community to think about our local environment.

They have determined that the best venue for the p r e s e n t a t i o n o f yo u r documentary issues YouTube.

Project TimelineIntroduction (October 4/5)INVESTIGATE

You will evaluate the importance of an environmental problem at CDNIS considering both our community and the environment. During your preparation, you will investigate both the environmental problem and the art and technology of docu-mentary film making. You will generate guiding questions for your investigation into both. You will consider different possible documentary styles and production strategies producing relevant and useful notes on both. All of your research will be carefully organized in a design brief.

You will clearly identify the design specifications that will guide the production of the documentary

Sample Design Problem & Briefwww.technologystudent.com/PDF4/brief1.pdf

Pre Production (October 25/26) DESIGN & PLAN

Having completed a thorough investigation, your group will generate several feasible documentary ideas that meet the design specifications. You will evaluate the designs against the design specs and select the one that provides the best solution to the problem.

As a group, you will create the following,• shot list • shooting schedule• equipment list• narration script• video acquisition

Individually, you will create a,• personal learning schedule • schedule to shoot, edit, record...

Construct an organized plan (shot list, shooting schedule...) that will help you and your team create your documentary. You are expected to evaluate the plan and justify any modifications to the design.

Production & Post Production CREATE (Oct 29/Nov 1)

Carefully following your plan, you will use your own equipment to acquire the necessary audio and video footage for your documentary.

Your team is expected to u s e a v a r i e t y o f acquisition techniques.

During the production phase your team will film, edit, and distribute

The Problem

your documentary (upload it to YouTube).

You are expected to keep track of the process of making your film, follow your plan, to evaluate the plan and to justify any changes you make to the plan.

Finale| Fin | End... almost EVALUATE (Nov. 11/12)

Your final product is has been uploaded and your team is read to carry out tests to evaluate the documentary against the design specs in an objective test and explain how it could be improved.

Eva luate your own ef fort and contribution to the documentary and the team. Suggest improvements.

Evaluate the impac t o f your documentary on CDNIS’s g rade 9 community.

Offer reasonable suggestions on how the documentary cab be improved. Identify the ways in which you did not meet t h e e x p e c t a t i o n y o u s e t f o r yourself in the plan.

http://www.49tips.com/16175.html

click

CHANGE MINDS

Documentary Filmmaking T E C H N O L O G Y

TYPES of SHOTSIn documentary filmmaking it is often

necessary to make decisions about the following on location. That said, you should plan to use a variety of the these shots. Too many of one kind will get boring.

Angle Low AngleEye LevelHigh AngleFlat AngleOblique

ContentEstablishing ShotReaction ShotWaister Up

MethodTripodHandheld

Distance Long ShotMedium ShotClose UpExtreme Close Up

TRANSITIONSBeing aware of the following may

improve your documentary. Actually using them will improve your documentary. A masterful editor knows when and how to use transitions effectively

Cut on Action Hide cuts from your audience by cutting on action. This has to be planned ahead of shooting.

Form Cut Join two shots by ending one scene on a shape that is similar to the first

shot of the next scene.

WipeYou can join two shots by wiping from one to the next. This can transition can be useful if you want your audience to be very aware of the transition.

Cross DissolvingTwo shots can be blended together with a soft cross dissolve. This slowly reveals the second shot through the first.

CAMERA MOTION

TILTPAN

Skilled editors know...

Late In Out Early

We realized that the important thing was not the film itself but that which the film provoked.

Fernando Solanas

Don’t tell your audience what to think or feel. This is a film show them!

http://www.tv-handbook.comhttp://www.tv-handbook.com

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

VIDEOGRAPHER: All things to do with the camera including

management, technical understanding, and creativity.

EDITOR: All things to do with editing - 3 min limit, transitions,

technical knowledge of software, and export formats.

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: All things to do with light & sound!

Backlight and fill light to sound f/x and original music.

I don't know what truth is. Truth is something unattainable. We can't think we're creating truth with a camera. But what we can do, is reveal something to viewers that allows them to discover their own truth. — Michel Brault

Design Brief Hint - List ALL of your duties and responsibilities,

more than are identified here!

NATURAL LIGHT“Taking advantage of natural light is very simple, lots simpler than lugging around a heavy light kit. Using artificial lights can give you a great look, but it also adds a lot of work to the process.”

http://videoproductiontips.com/video-production-tips/using-natural-light-in-your-video-production/

BASIC LIGHTING

Battle BacklightingGo to YouTube Channel - New York Video School and find the video called “Lighting Basics”

• Animated documentary• Concert film• Docudrama• Docufiction• Ethnofiction• Ethnographic film• Mockumentary• Mondo film• Nature documentary• Political Cinema• Reality film

WHAT KIND OF DOCUMENTARY WILL PERSUADE YOUR AUDIENCE TO ACT?

ARE YOU SHOOTING DOCUMENTARY

OR ARE YOU SHOOTING PROPAGANDA?

LIGHTTIPS AND TRICKS

THE FINE ART OF PERSUASION

SOUNDTIPS AND TRICKS

What is B-Roll and why do you want it?

ORIGINAL MUSICUse the sound tools in GarageBand to create 20 sec lead-in music. Do the same for the end credits.

VOICEOVERS Watch the iMovie tutorial in the Apple website to learn how to add voiceovers.

RECORDING INTERVIEWSWhen recording interviews, try to isolate your interviewee from other noise (air con). You might need to put the camera quite close to the interviewee - even if it feels weird the final product will be worth it.

FINAL AUDIOIf necessary, you can import your video into GarageBand to add additional special f/x and voiceovers.

WHILE YOU ARE AT NYVS - LOOK AT THE OTHER VIDEOS ON BASIC VIDEO PRODUCTION.

# TASK LIST √

1 Design Brief

2 Design Specifications

3 Investigate Docu Styles

4 Docu Style Choice

5 Investigate Videography

6 Investigate Editing

7 Investigate Lights/Sound

8 Shot List

9 Roles Defined

10 Equipment List

11 Prop List

12 Shooting Schedule

13 Video Acquisition

14 Narration

15 Edited

16 Posted to YouTube

17 Evaluated by Specs

18 Self Evaluated

19 Peer Reviewed

J U X T A P O S I T I O NIn documentary we deal with the actual, and in one sense with the real. But the really real, if I may use that phrase, is something deeper than that. The only reality which counts in the end is the interpretation which is profound

--John Grierson

Great Resources

HOW TOHOW TO

Documentary Script Writing http://www.tvlesson.com/video/21452_how-to-write-documentary-script.html

Desktop Documentaries http://www.desktop-documentaries.com/making-documentaries.html

Tools & Utilities (and templates) http://www.dependentfilms.net/files.html

How to Write a Script for a Documentary

http://www.ehow.com/how_2098456_write-script-documentary.html

8 Ways to Shoot Video Like a Pro http://lifehacker.com/214043/8-ways-to-shoot-video-like-a-pro

Guidelines for Shooting Quality Video

http://www.desktop-video-guide.com/shoot-video.html

Basic Video Editing Tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdl5R-a5ebM

iMovie Tutorials http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/#imovie

Optimizing Video for YouTube http://www.youtube.com/t/howto_makevideo

DOCUMENTARY FILMS SITES - WATCH DOCUMENTARY FILMS SITES - WATCH

Top Documentary Films http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/

Sprword - Spread the Word http://www.sprword.com/environmental.html

Media That Matters http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/issue/environment/

Doc Challenge http://www.docchallenge.org/

HotDocs: Outspoken. Outstanding http://www.hotdocs.ca

+

+ = ?

= ?

http://www.solutions4pollution.orghttp://www.greenpeace.org

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/http://www.greenpeace.org

1. Identify who is doing what. Include a description of the roles, responsibilities, and the duties assigned to each. (Write the description for your job and share it with group members)

2. What do you believe about the subject, issue, or problem you are filming about? (Each group member’s will be different)

3. What is your main statement that you want to communicate? (All groups members will share the same main statement)

4. Ultimately, I want the audience to learn and understand that...?(Each groups member’s will be different)

5. What is the main conflict and who is it between? (Same for all)

6. Write a working hypothesis and interpretation of your documentary. (Same for all)

7. Write a concise paragraph about:

a. Your film’s subject (person, group, environment, social issue etc.) (Same for all)

b. The necessary background information the audience must have to understand and to be interested in the enclosed world you intend to present. (Same for all)

8. Write a brief paragraph for each major sequence that shows an activity. E.g. Activity - buses leaving front of school.... In your paragraph respond to the following questions, discussion points (Same for all)

a. What the activity is and what conflict it evidences

b. A metaphor to explain its sub textual meaning

c. The expected structure of events

d. What the sequence should contribute to the whole film and to the hypothesis

e. What facts the audience must gather from watching it

f. What key, emblematic imagery you hope to capture

9. Will there be interviews, voice-over narration. For each interview, list: (Same for all)

a. Main elements will your interview seek to establish?

b. How will your voice-over enhance your story?

Documentary Planning CREATE a SCHEDULE

and a RECORD of / for YOUR

LEARNINGWhen you read about and watch video tutorials about videography, editing, natural lighting, sound acquisition you are expected to create a schedule.

Write down when and what you learned as well as the

source and value. Make a chart (sample below)

TOPIC SOURCE NEW & IMPORTANT KNOWLEDGE

DATE

natural light

ehow. com

Film away from the brightest light source

to...

Oct 20,

editing free-video-editing.com

1. Cut in late and out early. This mean only use...

2. Watch all footage before editing...

Oct 20,

video taping

videoproductiontips.com

1. Use a variety of angles without...

2. Avoid too much head space & too little...

Oct 20,

On the previous page, under Great Resources, you will find a list of useful sites to get you started.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/27817758/Shooting-Script-Format

Each Visuals Box MUST Include the following 6 items:

1. Sequence & Shot Number2. Description of what is in the shot3. Purpose of shot (e.g. reaction shot,

establishing shot) (see shot 9)4. Type of cut (see shot 2)5. Camera movement (see shot 7)6. Length of shot (see shot 2)

Each Audio Box MUST Includes:1. Description of audio content (e.g. music,

voice over, question/answer, special f/x)2. Voice-over narration3. Interviewers questions

Make a clear distinction between interviewer’s on screen questions and voice overs.

VOX POP means Voice of the People

VIDEO(LAST THOUGHTS)

Handheld vs Tripod (or monopod)Use a tripod always. The only time the camera should be handheld is if there is a specific style choice. Try carts and other things on wheels to support the camera.Rule of Thirds (composition)Deciding how to “frame” your subject is both a science and an art. Position your subject off centre for a more interesting shot.Head Space(composition)A good rule to follow is reducing excessive space above the subject’s head. Get as close as you can! We all like faces and we watch eyes when people talk not mouths and not the background.

ACTION!Juxtaposing images tells a story.

In fact, our brains cannot help themselves. Like it or not, our

brain will try to figure out what’s happening. Our brain will make

up their own story!

Is it the story you want to tell?http://www.artdiamondblog.com/archives/television/

http://www.normzarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/how-to-make-your-own-professional-iphone-video-or-music-video-tripod.jpg

EDITING(LAST THOUGHTS)

Editing Style You’ve already decided on the documentary style and type during the DESIGN phase. It will now set the tone for your editing.

Transitions Do not distract the audience from the importance of your story with excessively fancy transitions. That said, appropriately used transitions enhance your story.Titling Use title cards and subtitles to communicate details. Be sure to include references and credits at the end of your movie. Exporting Knowing that you must post your video to YouTube, confirm the format type and size rules published by YouTube.

LIGHT & AUDIO (LAST THOUGHTS)

BacklightToo much backlight can be a problem. Position your subject so that his or her face is properly lit. InterviewsRule #1 is to be prepared. That means having all interview questions ready, all recording equipment ready, and to be set up when the subject arrives. Make sure you are getting good audio. If you can, plug your earphones into the camera to listen during recording.Voice-overCan be an effective way to show content rather than an interviewer. They are done in iMovie during editing after recording is complete.

http://davelawrence.org/speaking_center/project/images/interview_04.jpg

Novice filmmakers sometimes undervalue or even ignore the importance of light and

sound! How CRAZY is that?

1. Does the camera have a white balance control? If yes work with the videography to correct light balance!

2. What can you do to improve audio?3. What foley effects are you using to improve

your shots and sequences?4.

YOU’VE CAREFULLY CONSIDERED THE ISSUE AND YOU’VE METICULOUSLY PLANNED THE PRODUCTION. IT’S TIME TO MAKE YOUR DOCUMENTARY!

1. Why leave 20 seconds of extra footage at the beginning and ending of each shot?2. In what formats does your camera record?3. What formats does iMovie import?4. What formats is best for this project? Why?5. Is your shooting aspect ration 16:9 or 4:3?

1. Have you figured out “Late In Early Out”?2. Do you know how iMovie records voice

overs?3. What format and aspect ration does

YoutTube support? 4. What formats does iMovie export? 5. What formats does iMovie import? 6. Which format must the videographer use?7. Is your export aspect ration 16:9 or 4:3?8.5. 6.

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5-6

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