I frequently get wonderful e-mails from teachers who’ve discovered our class films. They have some questions in them so I decided it was time to answer a couple of them.   If you have questions after reading, please post those questions below as a comment. -Mathew

1. How did you get started?

My Filmmaking Background

I just turned 31 and I’ve been making films since fifth grade. My junior year of high school I made my first feature, a ninety minute tale of unrequited love.

I went to NYU film school for a year but left over fears of spending too much for a degree which might not have career possibilities. I took any tuition money I had left after freshman year and bought a digital video camera and the top of the line Apple G3 and made my movie. (You might say there was a theme to my films).

Video in the Classroom: My Start in the Ed-Biz

I have been a teacher for seven years but have been integrating video in the classroom for twelve years.  I began working in the after school program at Community Magnet School right after high school. There I worked with Martha Melinda who taught me how to direct children and about how they like special effects.

When I had my own classroom, I spent my first two years making sure I knew what I was doing in terms of teaching the curriculum and completing coursework to obtain a teaching credential. I advise new teachers to do the same, make sure you know your curriculum before you start integrating technology. But once I had a credential, I didn’t feel like I had any excuse not to start integrating technology.

How Should I Get Started?

I compiled some links here to tutorials and film tips.  There’s a lot to know but you don’t have to know everything to get started.  Just get started, begin to play and work out your technique as you go.  I recommend the book, Film Directing Shot by Shot for help when you’re ready to start planning your shots and a one-to-one membership at the Apple Store if you’re using the Mac and want software lessons.

How Do You Get Your Audio So Clear?

Proximity is number one rule.  If you record from across the room, you can’t hear, particularly with younger students who talk quietly when they’re nervous.  Get the microphone close and practice projecting before filming.

My microphone cost $300 five years ago. It’s a BeyerDynamic MCE86 shotgun microphone. I also have a microphone stand ($30) which holds in place in a shock mount of sorts. For “Tales from the Yard” students sat right under the microphone as they recorded their voices into Garageband on my iBook. That’s my only secret. Also turn up the volume as loud as you can. Today, there are other microphones that might be much cheaper and give you equally good sound. The cheapest microphone would be better than using the built in mics on your camera or computer.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Apple’s Shortcuts

Macworld article on getting back iMovie ‘06 features

iMovie ‘08 Tutorials

Apple’s Tutorials

Movie Making Tutorials

Flickschool
San Fernando High School Teacher, Marco Torres

Video in the Classroom.com
My site for elementary filmmaking

AFI Screen Education

Storyboarding

Storyboard Template

Storyboarding Movie

Screenplay to Storyboarding Movie

DVDs with Storyboards:

Monsters Inc.
Shrek I

Recommended Reading

Film Directing Shot by Shot by Steve Katz

Copyright and Fair Use

Hall Davidson Chart

Royalty Free Images

http://www.morguefile.com
http://www.pics4learning.com
http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons

Royalty Free Music

Scroll down for list

Web Sites

Zamzar.com for downloading Youtube videos

VersionTracker.com for free and shareware software

VoiceThread
quasi-movie making web site and visual voicemail

Programs Mentioned

PulpMotion
not free but makes cool titles

TubeTV
free program for downloading Youtube movies

Handbrake
free program for getting media off of DVDs

Downloads

Download iMovie’ 06 (if you’ve bought iMovie ‘08 and don’t have it)

Networks

professional networks for teachers

Classroom 2.0 video group

Subscribe to this blog by e-mail

Inspiration

Digital Students/Analog Schools

Ira Glass on Storytelling

SFETT San Fernando Valley Student Film Festival

Without much dialogue, Pixar managed to create a post-apocalyptic film that’s as powerful as An Inconvenient Truth but for children.  The environmental message and the importance of taking care of our planet are obvious and yet not painted with a saccharin brush by any means.

It’s also a truly moving love story that includes cinematic references to 2001 and Hello Dolly.  Maybe I missed the deeper message of Finding Nemo but I think Wall-E is one of the best films I’ve seen awhile.   I look forward to the Dark Knight.

1. Clean house.
2. Buying stuff.  (This time it’s GPS)
3. Joining another social network.

Over winter break I joined Facebook cuz all my friends were doing it and this time I’m playing around with LinkedIn.  If you’re on there, connect with me.

LinkedIn is like other social networks except this one is more oriented toward business and making connections for jobs and and entrepreneurial endeavors.  I’m having fun looking up people I’ve lost contact with to see what they’re up to now.  It might also be helpful some day in the future.

I also recommend Classroom 2.0 for any educators interested in connecting with other teachers around educational technology.

A discussion about software solutions for clay animation continues in Vid Snacks.

And David Kapuler shares an Apple based Leopard friendly clay animation program.

NPR reports on the commercialization of children’s play

“(in the first half of the century) [Children] improvised their own play; they regulated their play; they made up their own rules…but in the second half of the 20th century…play changed radically.  instead of spending their time in autonomous shifting make-believe, children were supplied with ever more specific toys for play and predetermined scripts…a trend whih begins to shrink the size of children’s imaginative space.”

The damage is that researches have seen a decrease in children’s self regulation, an ability to “control their emotions, and behavior, resist impulses, and exert self-control and discipline.”

“Today’s 5-year-olds [are] acting at the level of 3-year-olds 60 years ago, and today’s 7-year-olds were barely approaching the level of a 5-year-old 60 years ago.”

I’ve written previously about allowing children to play whenever possible, even integrating that into your Independent Work Time and existing curriculum.  For teachers of the Open Court Reading Program, I beg you to please implement independent work time and to allow that to be a time when students make some of their own choices and begin to self-regulate their own behavior.  It’s a little more chaotic at first but by investing time in training you reap dividends later.  By moving students from center to center based on a rotation, you further take away from students opportunities to make decisions about their own learning.

We all want students to be responsible but do we give them chances to learn responsibilty?  Do we give them changes to exhibit creativity and problem-solving in our classrooms?