Filming Club for students

[Eudora931]

I am thinking of starting a filming club for ks2 students. Any experiences pros/cons/ feedback / ideas on how to introduce basics like a storyboard and then get children engaged enough to do the story board and look at ways of editing etc...? any recommended software?

 

We have iPads we can use for filming but also looking to buy 2 or 3 decent , child friendly, sturdy video cameras. We also have a portable green screen and tripods...

 

Thanks in advance

[Joanne]

I do a news broadcast. I use ipads to capture footage and then edit within imovie on a macbook. When I get the new budget in April, I'll be investing in some PadCaster stuff! The Padcaster

[dhicks]

I use ipads to capture footage and then edit within imovie on a macbook. When I get the new budget in April, I'll be investing in some PadCaster stuff! The Padcaster

 

I saw the Padcaster at BETT this year - I haven't managed to find an excuse to buy one yet, but I'm working on it. They seem like excellent bits of kit, letting pupils do the whole storyboard / film / edit cycle pretty much on one device.

[Eudora931]

I do a news broadcast. I use ipads to capture footage and then edit within imovie on a macbook. When I get the new budget in April, I'll be investing in some PadCaster stuff! The Padcaster

 

 

Just had a peek at their website - looks really good - have sent off for some more information

[Joanne]

PM me if you want to see our broadcast and I'll send you a link!

[Joanne]

Should also mention I use an app called 'green screen' to change backgrounds! The green is just some backing paper.

[rf600]

Where did you buy them from?

as I've looked at their website and all prices are in $ done a quick google search and the companies over here that sell them seem to have just switched the $ for a £

[Joanne]

Bought mine from BIST - IT Supplies & Solutions | West Yorkshire | BIST Group Tony Moore sorted me out there.

 

Expensive, but cool AF!

[eean]

I would recommend sticking to just using the iPads and iMovie. It's easy for the children and they are able to edit their movies on the fly, and quickly see the results. iMovie has some pretty advanced editing tools - you can do cutaways (when you see video from one stream but keep the audio from another) and J-Cuts (when audio from one clip starts before the video). If you get video cameras it quickly gets complicated downloading footage. To keep things simple, I usually avoid getting student to zoom anyway - it makes them think more carefully about framing.

 

As Joanne said, 'Green Screen' app by DoInk is fantastic - it can cope well even in poor light conditions and dodgy green screens - I use a simple green sheet. As proof, I filmed

on iPad/iPhone and did most of the special effects (e.g. the baby and children) the DoInk app (although I edited it in Adobe Premiere). With this app you can also take existing green screen images or footage from YouTube and placed it in front of the video. A fun thing to do is put children inside a space ship. For Green Screen a tripod is essential.

 

With Yr 3 & 4, I focus on getting them to hold the camera still and not wave it about. Yr 5 & 6 I generally insist on tripods. I got tripods like these - but I paid a lot less - around $30 out here in Korea.

 

The issue with iPads is always the audio. Getting the children to create silent movies is a good start. It makes them focus on the acting and direction rather than extended conversations that they have inevitably made up on the fly despite you insisting they plan them! If you are getting serious, I would recommend the Rode VideoMicro as a good all-round mic for 50quid.

 

I start by picking a simple theme (e.g. surprise) and getting them to story board it. Put time limits on it - 30 seconds and no more than 5 seconds per shot.

 

Making Movies Make Sense: run film viewing and filmmaking activities - I haven't used this but it looks good.

[eean]

Some really useful resources on learnaboutfilm.com, including this guide for Primary Schools.