Tear-Out Checklist Be Prepared Director’s “Perfect Shoot” Checklist Standard Filming Procedures o Film site has been scouted and is available & ready o Storyboard & script reviewed and in hand o o Props for the scene(s) are available (as needed) o Talent is prepped, practiced, and ready to go o All equipment required for the shoot has been obtained (as necessary), this includes specialty equipment (i.e. extra lighting, truck, dolly, etc.) o Tape is in the camera & cued to blank area before recording oration f o Camera is in the record mode o Camera is stabilized (normally with a tripod) for a steady shot Per o Camera is positioned correctly in relation to the target and background g o Cameraman is using the “rule of thirds” to align all visual elements on screen (background and foreground) o Background looks good o Microphones & headphones are plugged in and working (as required) o o Sound is good Tear Alon o Target is well lit without any backlighting problems o Lights & reflectors are used to light foreground/background (as needed) o Lighting is good o o While filming, use your shotsheet to assure you are getting all the shots you need o o Cameraman is viewing through the camera’s LCD screen while filming o Cameraman hits RECORD & assures talent does a 5 second verbal countdown (5, 4, 3, 2, 1, pause, start talking) o Cameraman “leads” the target with the camera (remember “look-room” & “lead-room”) o o Cameraman double checks the filmed scene to assure it is good prior to leaving the shoot location o Camera, microphones, & other equipment is turned off o The tape is removed from the camera, labeled, and placed in a tape case to protect it o Nothing was left at the film site © 2008 Jeremy Jeffreys Video in the Classroom by Jeremy Jeffreys Arbor Books © 2008 Tear-Out Checklist Plan Ahead Director’s “Perfect Shoot” Checklist ChromaKey/ GreenScreen Filming Procedures The studio or screen area is available & ready to use o o Storyboard & script reviewed and in hand o Props for the scene(s) are available (as needed) o Talent is prepped, practiced, and ready to go All equipment required for the shoot has been obtained (as necessary), this includes specialty o equipment (i.e. extra lighting, truck, dolly, etc.) o Tape is in the camera & cued to blank area before recording oration f o Camera is in the record mode o Camera is stabilized (normally with a tripod) for a steady shot o Per o Cameraman is using the “rule of thirds” to align all visual elements on screen g o Microphones & headphones are plugged in and working (as required) o Sound is good Target is positioned under the hair-line light (needed to help separate forground from o background elements) o The target is positioned away from the background (at the designated point) Tear Alon o Background is evenly lit without any shadowing Cameraman is careful to keep only the solid background in the “camera’s eye” o o Camera is positioned at least four feet from the target o Target is not wearing a color that conflicts with the background color (i.e. green or blue) o Lights & reflectors are used to light foreground/background (as needed) o While filming, use your shotsheet to assure you are getting all the shots you need o Cameraman is viewing through the camera’s LCD screen while filming Cameraman hits RECORD & assures talent does a 5 second verbal countdown o (5, 4, 3, 2, 1, pause, start talking) o Cameraman “leads” the target with the camera (remember “look-room” & “lead-room”) o Cameraman double checks the filmed scene to assure it is good prior to leaving the studio o Camera, microphones, & other equipment is turned off o The tape is removed from the camera, labeled, and placed in a tape case to protect it Nothing was left in the studio/film site o Video in the Classroom by Jeremy Jeffreys Arbor© 2008 Books Jeremy ©Jeffreys 2008 BY Jeremy Jeffreys Arbor Books Publishing 244 Madison Avenue, #254 New York, NY 10016 (877) 822-2500 Video in the Classroom by Jeremy Jeffreys Arbor Books © 2008 About the Author “Providing tomorrow’s education today” Jeremy Jeffreys grew up in Vacaville, California. He has a B.A. in Legal Studies and a M.A. in Education with emphasis in Technology. He has been teaching since 2001. He has taught hundreds of video production and broadcasting students at both the high school and middle school level and has developed impressive programs offering technology-integrated instruction. He also regularly teaches video production courses to teachers. These hands-on workshops are aimed at learning the fundamental concepts of filming, equipment, techniques, and editing. Jeremy coaches high school football at Rodriguez High School. Prior to teaching, he enjoyed a career in law enforcement. He spent 15 years as a military reservist traveling all over the world. He has worked for several civilian law enforcement agencies. He is married to a math teacher and has an eleven-year-old daughter, so it’s amazing he had time to write this book. Author’s Acknowledgements I was recently asked what inspired me to write this book. The answer to this question is not a “what” but a “whom”. Looking back there has been one individual who always seemed to inspire me when it came to teaching video production. He constantly challenged me to improve, as an educator and as a man. The late Michael Keisling (who passed away in 2007) taught video courses at Armijo High School in Fairfield, California for over 30 years. He was a great teacher, a great mentor, and a great man. He will be missed. I also want to acknowledge two of my graduate professors at Touro University – Rick Viccaro and Joe Summers. Both contributed their time and support as I wrote this book, and I appreciate their input in “red ink”. I can’t finish without thanking Sarah Smith for her great editorial skills and Rick Stevens for allowing me to teach this topic to my peers. Video in the Classroom by Jeremy Jeffreys Arbor Books © 2008 Foreword I know what you’re thinking… you’re a teacher, your spare time consists of grading papers, calling parents, and planning for the next day’s chaos. You don’t have time to learn some new time- consuming “flavor of the week” technology that you may not even be able to squeeze into your overloaded classroom lesson plans. Many of us in our daily lives are overwhelmed by video on television, in theatres, and on the web. We grew up learning from shows like Leave it to Beaver or The Brady Bunch. Today’s generation of students has become even more dependant on video as a medium of learning. As an example, previous generations of Americans have relied on newspapers, magazines, and other printed materials for their news. A recent study showed that almost 95% of Americans today get their news from television broadcasts. One can only look at the explosive popularity of websites like www.YouTube.com (a streaming video website) to demonstrate the importance of delivering content through video. This is a no magic, no frills book, designed to help even someone as busy as a classroom teacher tap into this new educational tool. You might be asking yourself… What does this mean for me? How can I use video in my classroom to enhance my curriculum? This book is designed to teach you (and through you, your students) how to create digital videos and short digital films. Nearly every teacher at some point has shown a movie or video in their classroom. This book is not about popping a video in a VCR player and pushing play. There are a number of different purposes for creating digital videos for use in a classroom. The purpose, adaptation, and implementation of your projects are limited only by your imagination. Some popular ideas include having students act out scenes in literature, creating video sub-lesson plans, doing school news broadcasts, creating virtual field trips, video poetry, or filming presentations for “Back to School Night” or “Open House”. I’ve seen many great uses of student-and teacher-created videos. Video in the Classroom by Jeremy Jeffreys Arbor Books © 2008 How this book is laid out How this book is laid out When producing a video or film of any length, the same three production phases will occur. First is the preproduction phase of the project. During this phase, we do all the brainstorming, script writing, storyboard etc. necessary to be ready for the next two production phases, next comes the production phase. During the production phase, the filming of the project occurs. The last phase of the production process is postproduction. During this final phase, the editing of the video project occurs. This book is broken down into three sections. These three sections reflect these three phases of video/film production. Throughout this book you will find definitions of terms, tips & tricks, and words of warning; all located in the side columns. This additional information might help you understand some important content. Warning Box Tips & Tricks Information in these Information in these boxes are important boxes are ideas and things to remember and concepts that you things to be aware of. might find helpful. Video in the Classroom by Jeremy Jeffreys Arbor Books © 2008 Contents at a Glance Introduction …………………………………… 1 Part I: Getting Started ……………………….... 3 Chapter 1: Story Development ……………...…. 5 Part II: Pre-Production Phase ………………... 11 Chapter 2: Project Planning …………………… 13 Part III: Production Phase …………………… 17 Chapter 3: Gearing Up “Tools of the Trade”….