Group Activity Template:

Getting started filming 1 - What will we make?

MIE Level: Beginners/Intermediate/Advanced

Curriculum level: 2/3

Activity Aims & Outcomes

Enables the group to choose a medium and a style for their project by tackling story and script

Time required: Can be very flexible to suit your group

Key learning

  • Focussing on a creative concept
  • Planning a story – structure and characterisation
  • Understanding every type of moving image text has a story
  • Range and appropriateness of available media

Curriculum Areas

English, Literacy, Numeracy, Religious and Moral Education, Art and Design

Resources required

Writing materials; internet access; any videos for inspiration

Essential Background Knowledge

Plan to keep you first project SHORT - 3 - 5 minutes is plenty.

Discussion Topics Step One

What do you want to make? Choose your style:

(many of these can be animated or include animation)

  • Music Video
  • Drama - Scripted
  • Drama - Improvised
  • Documentary - Observational
  • Documentary - Current Affairs
  • News Report
  • Sports Report
  • Advert - Educational – inform people
  • Advert - Commercial – sell something
  • Advert - animated
  • Imaginative Art/Abstract

Discussion Topics

Step Two:

Whatever you have chosen to make you need first to work on the story. Even if it is observational documentary you will need to keep these questions in mind as you make it.

What’s it about?

Who’s it aimed at?

What is the story?

  • The beginning – what is going on in the story at the start – introduce characters and the world they live in
  • The middle – something happens to make it interesting and for us to want to know what happens – maybe there is a mystery, a problem, a challenge or a goal
  • The end – how does the story sort itself out?

How many people are in it?

  • Describe the main characters – real or imagined.

    How would you make it?

  • Live video or animation?

Does it still suit the style you chose?

Maybe it is better suited to one of the other styles or media – you can change this now.

Step Three:

Write it down.

  • Make a brief summary – like the information you might see in a TV guide to make you want to watch it. This is what you use to ‘sell your idea’ – everyone could write their own version and try ‘selling it’ to the class.
  • Have a vote on what you would most like to see.

Write a script

That is everything you ideally want to happen written out so someone who doesn’t know anything about it can picture your idea in their head. And so you can look over what you want to do and work out how to make it.

Speaking parts are not necessary – just describe what happens and (briefly) what it all looks like.

Even if you don’t know what is going to happen, write a plan to follow, places to go, people to include, what questions to ask to tell your story.

Draw a storyboard

Ask yourselves – now we have a script, are we using the best style or medium to tell it? Another might suit it better or be easier – you can change this now, just have another look at the list of styles.

Further related Activities

Literacy

Research: Your idea

Literacy/English

Presentation: Sell the idea – make someone think they would like to watch it.

Discussion/Debate:

Social Studies

Next!

In your own time move to Part 2. Teachers - we recommend you read this before starting 1 so you can gauge how much time and work you want to allocate to it.