planning &Preparation
14/2 - First meeting with our mentor, Todd:
- Discussed teaching location, target audience, teaching content
February - June:
- Confirmed teaching location at Confucius Hall Secondary School
- Confirmed teaching schedule
- Recruited students
- Bought and prepared materials for students -- film journals, folders, worksheets on camera techniques, food for screenings, two DVDs, three DSLRs; (total of $500)
June:
Start of workshop
COMPLETION
- Completed assignments
- Only 1 short film produced (The Breakfast Brunch)
- Fantastic feedback from students and teachers
Project resumes in the academic year 2018 - 2019 at Po Kok Primary School
Execution
Meeting 1: Introduction to screenwriting
- Introduction to Kids4kids, Shutter Squad’s objectives, and goals
- Icebreakers
- Video: The Truth Behind Filmmaking (D4Darious)
- Three-act structure
- Video: The Most Beautiful Thing (Cameron Covell)
- Break
- Themes, symbolism
- Video: SIGNS (Stevey McDonald)
Meeting 2: Introduction to cinematic techniques, The Exposure Triangle, and framing
- Introduce students to different cinematic techniques used in films and their purpose (e.g. close-up shots on subjects are typically used to emphasize emotions)
- Introduce different kinds of framings in photography and cinematography (e.g. Rule of Thirds, Frame within frames, The Golden Ratio, etc.)
- Task: Students will be asked to film a dialogue exchange using different cinematic techniques and camera framing
- Break
- Introduce students to The Exposure Triangle: ISO/APERTURE/SHUTTER SPEED
- Assignment: Take 5 pictures with different ISO/APERTURE/SHUTTER SPEED
Meeting 3: Movie viewing #1 (The Incredibles)
- Three-act structure and characterization
- Break / talk about the recent assignment
- Discussion #1
Meeting 4: Introduction to foley, lighting, colour palettes, editing in film
- Task: Watch a video ('Jack' Foley sound effects, how to add movie sounds, "Foley Street") in mute and write down the sounds you “hear”. Rewatch the video again unmute and check answers
- Video: The Secret World of Foley
- Break
- Show MSS Messenger vol. 2, 2016/2017, the article on film colour palettes and talk about what colour palettes are
- Introduce two movie trailers with two completely different colour palettes and ask students what differences do they see and what emotions are triggered upon viewing the trailers
- Discuss the lighting of the two film trailers and the effects created
- Talk about Edgar Wright’s editing style and what effects are created
- Video: Hacksaw Ridge scene
Meeting 5: Movie viewing #2 (Pleasantville)
- Use of colours and symbolism in movies and its importance
- Break
- Discussion #2
- Assignment: Watch your favourite movie and talk about its story structure, themes, symbols (if any), characters, and the message the film is trying to convey
Meeting 6: Gorilla Hour
- Students will be given the whole day to come up with a story and produce their story within the hour.
Meeting 7: Gorilla Hour
- Students are given the whole period to edit their film and submit it.
Meeting 8: Screening
- Food provided
- Short films screening