film making - learn about filmlearnaboutfilm.com/pdf/filmmaking-course.pdf© 2016 ffilm cymru wales...

Film Making

Resources to support delivery of Agored Cymru unit KJ22CY045

© 2016 Ffilm Cymru Wales 2

written by Tom Barrance course materials developed in partnership with WEA YMCA CC Wales

published by Ffilm Cymru Wales


About this resource This resource has been developed for the Agored Cymru course Film Making.

It includes information for students and suggested workbook content.

Unit code: KJ22CY045

Level: 2

Credit value: 1

Details and assessment information:

www.agored.cymru/Units-and-Qualifications/Unit/CDJ856

If you’d like to provide this course, WEA YMCA CC Wales offers a process for accreditation which you can access via partnership arrangement. Contact them to register as a partner: [email protected] or [email protected].

Contents

Information for students Before you start a film project 4

Good practice and organisation 5

Introductory activities 6

Making a film Using shots 7

Don’t cross the line 8

Planning 9

Filming 9

Editing 9

Workbook tasks Make your own short film Describe your idea for the film 10

Create a storyboard for your film 11

Describe the filmmaking process 12

Witness statements 13-14

Plan a filmmaking activity for a learner or group Learner profile 15

Overview of the activity 15

Detail 16

Timetable and resources 17

Health and safety issues 18

Evaluate a short film Camerawork, sound, editing and other aspects 19-20


Filmmaking

Before you start a film project

Safeguarding • Organisations should have a protection policy for children and vulnerable adults.

• Anyone with unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults should have an Enhanced DBS Disclosure.

• As an individual, you should know the safeguarding policy and code of practice of the organisation you are working with. Make sure you know who to report any concerns to.

• Take care to avoid compromising situations (eg being left alone in a room with a child or vulnerable adult).

Health and safety Filmmaking can be dangerous. People can get absorbed in filming and fail to notice dangers. Get participants to look out for each other.

Be aware of

• electric shock hazards

• camera operators walking backwards into danger

• headphone levels that are too loud

• ear infections from sharing in-ear headphones

• heat, trip or falling hazards from lighting and other equipment

• eye damage from lighting or projectors.

Legal issues and permissions Make sure you have permissions for everyone who appears in your film.

Be aware of potential safeguarding and bullying issues.

If you want to put your film online or screen it in public, don’t use copyright music or images.

If you want to use copyright images or music, get permission first.


Good practice Critical, cultural, creative Film projects should enable participants to understand how film works, make films themselves, and experience different kinds of films.

Build skills Start with some simple practice activities to build competence.

Let participants make mistakes and learn from them.

Have a purpose Make sure people know why they’re making the film and who’s going to see it.

Keep it short Half a minute to a minute is plenty for a first film. Doing it well takes longer than you think.

Rotate roles Don’t let one person grab the camera or monopolise the editing.

Quick feedback Play back everything as soon as you can. Don’t leave it until the end of the day.

Make it right for them The project must suit the group’s abilities, the time available and the gear you’ve got.

Plan everything Time spent on planning will save a lot of frustration afterwards.

Make it their film People must have ‘ownership’ of their film. It’s not their film if you shoot or edit it for them.

Make it cinematic Use pictures, sound and editing to tell the story.

Organisation • Work in small teams, no more than 5 (3 if you’re using iPads)

o For larger groups, divide the activity into smaller elements, eg

o Break a film down into short sections or episodes

o Get each group to make a different film linked by a common theme

o Get each group to make a film showing a particular character’s point of view


Introductory activities

Reading films Spot the shots • Play a short film sequence (no more than a minute or so long).

• Ask participants to guess how many shots it included.

• Discuss why it included so many different shots and how they helped to tell the story.

Freeze frame • Pause on individual shots.

• Get participants to guess the name of the shot and why it was used.

Sound without picture • Play a short sequence, but without the picture – just listening to the sound. See if they can

guess what kind of story it is, who’s in it, where it’s set and what’s going to happen next.

• Then play it with the images.

• Were they right? How did the sounds help them understand the story?

Storyboard • Show a short film that’s entirely in long shot or wide shot. A good example is the Lumiere

Brothers’ ‘The gardener and the rascal’ (Le jardinier et le petit éspiegle), available online

• Using a flip chart, get the participants to create a storyboard using different shot sizes, types and positions.

Filming and presenting

Shooting different shots • Introduce the idea of different shot sizes.

• Give each group a camera and ask them to film each other, with each person in the group filming a different shot size (close up, mid shot, long shot, extreme closeup).

• They should shoot each shot for 10 seconds without panning or zooming.

• Play the shots back and discuss how each shot could have been improved.

Complete short films

The Box • A mystery person has been leaving boxes around town.

• Most of them contain treasure, but one in five contain poison.

• Your film has one character. They see a box. Make a film, with at least six shots, that shows them approaching the box and starting to open it. Use shots that will show their feelings.

• Use a mindmap and a storyboard sheet to plan your film.

• Edit your film to last exactly 30 seconds. You can add sound effects as well.

Still photo • Use a still from a newspaper or magazine.

• Create a 30-second film that shows the events that led up to that still photo.


Making a film

Using shots Shoot separate shots instead of waving the camera around.

Choose your shot size (and camera position) depending on what you want to show.

Extreme long shot (wide shot) Sets the scene and shows the setting.

Long shot Shows a person or people from head to foot, so you can see them in context.

Mid shot Shows someone from hips to head, so you can see what they’re doing.

Closeup Shows faces, or important details and things. Closeups help to ‘spell things out’ for the viewer.


Don’t cross the line

When you cut between shots of two people, the camera has to stay on one side of an imaginary line. This is important interviews as well as drama.

It’s called the 180 degree rule because the camera can’t go further than a semicircle (180 degrees).

The camera positions on the blue side are OK. If we cross the line the characters will seem to be looking in the same direction, not at each other.

With moving subjects: the camera has to stay on one side of the direction they’re moving.


Planning • Start with a sentence or a tweet: what’s the story, in 50 words or less?

• A ‘mindmap’ is a good way of coming up with ideas before you plan the film in detail.

• Storyboards are useful for planning your shots. Draw them or use a digital camera. You could use Post-it note so that you can change the order.

• You can also use a list of shots, or a checklist.

Filming Before you film Check the settings.

Check the sound: be quiet and listen for a few seconds.

Check your shot:

• Angle: are you filming from the right position?

• Background: what’s happening behind the subject?

• Composition: how are things arranged in the picture?

• Distance: should you be closer or further away?

• Exposure: is the shot too bright or too dark?

• Focus: is the right part of the shot in focus?

While you’re filming Keep the camera still.

Shoot at least 10 seconds, or five seconds before and after any action.

After you’ve filmed Check the shot.

Editing Get organised • Import your clips into the editing program or app

• Choose the ones you are going to use

• Put them in order

• Choose just the part you need from each clip

• Check the sound levels

• Add titles and effects if you need to

• Watch the whole film to see if you need to make any changes

Transitions • It’s usually best to use cuts, where one shot changes straight to the next one.

• You can use cross-dissolves to sum up a story or show you’ve missed something out.

• A fade out and a fade in can show that time has passed.

Editing tips • Choose just the important part of each clip

• Check that the pace is right

• Make sure that each shot is different.


Workbook tasks

Make your own short film (Outcome 2: Be able to create a short film sequence) You need to • Describe the idea for the film • Plan the film using a storyboard • Describe your experience of the filmmaking process • Submit your completed video with your coursework Your video should have at least six separate shots that you have filmed yourself. It must: • be edited (eg on a computer, phone or tablet computer) • include sound that you have recorded, eg a voiceover, or • include sound that you have imported, eg sound effects or music. You will need to: • export your video as a file • give your video a file name that includes your name

Describe your idea for the film Create an outline and treatment for your short film sequence. Continue on an additional page if you need to. You could also include a script.

What is the basic idea for the film?

Write a ‘treatment’ describing how the film will convey its message or tell its story. This should include information about how you will use the camera, sound, and editing.


Create a storyboard for your film Draw the shots in the left hand column, and add written descriptions (eg close up, long shot, tracking shot, telephoto shot) in the middle column. Describe the sound or dialogue.

You can include extra sheets.

Name: Project: Page:

Picture Description Sound


Describe the filmmaking process Explain how you went about making your film. Include reference to anything that went well, any problems that arose, and how you could have done it better.


Witness statement 1 Name of Student: __________________________________ has been observed using a variety of techniques to create a short film.

Using a camera to film shots on the following occasions:

Date: _______________ Date: _______________ Date: _______________

Editing images and sound together on the following occasions:

Date: _______________ Date: _______________ Date: _______________

Exporting their video in a format suitable for sharing on the following occasions:

Date: _______________ Date: _______________ Date: _______________

Comment on the above activities giving details as appropriate:

Tutor Signature_________________________________

Date: ____________________________


Witness statement 2 Name of Student: __________________________________ has been observed creating their own video production and formatting the production to make it accessible to others.

Comment on the complete film:

Tutor Signature_________________________________

Date: ____________________________


Plan a filmmaking activity for a learner or group (Outcome 1: Understand how to plan a film making activity.)

You need to

• Describe the learners and the activity

• Create a realistic timetable with resources

• Consider health and safety issues

LEARNER PROFILE

Age range

Gender Male Female Mixed

Number in group:

Any special needs, diversity or equal opportunities issues?

OVERVIEW OF THE ACTIVITY

Title of the activity

When the activity will take place (eg ‘2 hours a week for 5 weeks, Half-term’)


DETAIL OF THE ACTIVITY

Aim of the project:

Description of the activity:

What makes this activity suitable for the learner(s) and learning context that you have identified?

How you will address any special needs, equal opportunities or diversity issues?


Create a realistic timetable for the activity Select the resources you will need to carry out the activity.

You could use the table below to plan your activity. Include at least five separate stages and ensure that you include ‘critical, cultural and creative’ elements.

Duration Activity Resources Needed


Health and safety issues Describe any risks involved in the activity, and how you will minimise these. Continue on another sheet if necessary.

Activity Potential hazard Action needed to minimise hazard


Evaluate a short film (Outcome 3: Be able to review a short film)

Choose a short film to review. It could be a video made by a group of learners, or an online video. Give the URL of the film or include it as a video file.

Consider camerawork, editing, sound and other aspects. Use the correct technical language where possible.

For each aspect, describe how the filmmaker used them, how well they were used, and whether they were appropriate. Suggest how they could be improved.

Title of the film: URL or filename:

Camerawork

Sound


Editing

Other (eg storytelling, clarity, suitability for audience)

film making - learn about filmlearnaboutfilm.com/pdf/filmmaking-course.pdf© 2016 ffilm cymru wales...

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