Resources for Teaching and Making Film in the Classroom

Resources for Teaching and Making Film in the Elementary Classroom

There are great resources for film education and film making on the internet. Finding appropriate activities and information for elementary students is a bit more difficult, but projects can be adapted for a range of grades and technical proficiency. Here are a few links to explore. Into Film promotes film and digital literacy in the U.K. The website offers many, many resources and a filter so you can look for grade/age appropriate materials. Here are a few favorite pages. Into Film features a page on filmmaking as well as resources for the classroom. Learn About Film offers advice, information, and resources to help you learn about film and filmmaking. It’s geared towards adults, but it’s full of great technical information. The George Lucas Educational Foundation created the website, Edutopia. Of course, in addition to a range of education articles, it provides wonderful film and visual literacy resources. Here are two lists of teacher resources.

5-Minute Film Festival: Resources for Filmmaking in the Classroom I’ll admit I’m a bit biased here since I’m a filmmaker by trade, but I truly believe the process of planning and making videos can offer tremendous learning opportunities for students of almost any age. Not only is the idea of telling stories with video really engaging for many kids, filmmaking is ripe with opportunities to connect to almost every academic subject area. As the technology to shoot and edit films becomes more ubiquitous, where is a teacher with no experience in video production to begin? I’ve shared some resources below to help you and your students get started on making blockbusters of your own. __________________________________

Amy Erin Borovoy, “5-Minute Film Festival: Resources for Filmmaking in the Classroom,” Edutopia, February 12, 2016, http://www.edutopia.org/blog/film-festivalclassroom-filmmaking-resources.

Video Playlist: Student Filmmaking 101

Watch the first video below, or watch the whole playlist on YouTube. 1. “10 Tips for Beginner Filmmakers” (10:37) Young filmmaker Simon Cade’s channel, DSLRGuide, is one of the most popular for filmmaking tutorials. He’s got hundreds of tips to share and started making videos when he was just 11. 2. “How to Create a Storyboard” (09:19) One great resource is the YouTube Creator Academy channel, which has a variety of tip videos made by YouTube’s most successful creators. This video by Mary Doodles and Whitney Lee Milam is one of the best intros to storyboarding I’ve seen. 3. “Filmmaking tips for Children – Telling Your Story Through Video” (04:00) It’s less glossy than the other tutorials here, but I love that this video uses footage from student work to illustrate camera angles. It’s produced by ChildFund Connect, an Australian organization that provides an online space for kids to post videos they’ve made. 4. “Top 5 Tips to Shoot Incredible Video with a Smartphone!” (08:34) Nashville video producer and tech reviewer Danny Winget gives excellent advice for filming with smartphones, which is probably the most accessible way to get started. He covers both gear and technique in this short video.

5. “Sophia Dagher Offers Tips & Tricks in Filmmaking” (02:14) ProjectED was an Amplify program that hosted open video contests for students and teachers. 6. “Top 15 Mistakes Beginner Filmmakers Make” (17:04) This is long (17 minutes) but fortunately filmmaker Darious Britt is really engaging. His advice is geared towards people trying to break into the film industry, but his tips are sound. Heads up for a little language that may not be appropriate for younger kids. 7. “How I Edit My YouTube Videos” (13:23) While there are hundreds of more informative and concise tutorials on video editing basics, I chose this one because it features Jennifer Zhang, a teen YouTube creator, sharing how she taught herself to edit video using free tools. She posted a Part Two here.

More Resources on Student Filmmaking As you can see, there are so many things to learn when it comes to basic filmmaking, and there are countless resources available to help get you started. I didn’t even dig into sound, lighting, or scripting in the selection above, but you can find tutorials on every aspect of filmmaking on YouTube. Try some of the channels linked from the playlist for more. The list below includes some articles I’ve enjoyed on the value of filmmaking and digital storytelling for kids. Plus, there are some lesson plans that will help give

you ideas. Share your favorite resources in the comments below, and I’ll see you at the movies!

☛ “Filmmaking for Kids: Rough, Raw, and Real” via The Atlantic

☛ “A Case for Filmmaking in the Classroom” via NWP Digital Is

☛ “3-2-1 Vocabulary: Learning Filmmaking Vocabulary by Making Films” via ReadWriteThink

☛ “16 Websites and Apps for Making Videos and Animation” via Common Sense __________________________________

Teaching Resources from Matt Davis

☛ Film Lesson Plans and Interactive Activities: Into Film is a U.K.-based film education non-profit that features tons of great resources on their website. Educators can browse their long list of free film-related lessons plans and activities, which are designed to enhance movie watching and cultivate future filmmakers. The lessons cover a diverse range of subjects, from World War I to science in film.

☛ Oscar-Nominated Flicks for Families: Common Sense Media produced a list of great reviews for 2017 Oscar-nominated films. Each review features an ageappropriate rating, as well as an overview of subjects covered in the movie and possible discussion questions families and educators can use following each film.

☛ Journeys in Film Global Education Lesson Plans: The focus of these lesson plans is teaching global education through film. The site features lesson plans for covering recent U.S. and international films in the classroom, as well as tips for teaching with film and a middle school global education series.

☛ Teachers Guide Series: These guides, produced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Young Minds Inspired, can help you dive into the art and science of film with students. There are guides for animation, media literacy, and screenwriting, and they include lessons that encourage students to write creatively, think critically, and explore visual literacy.

☛ “Media Literacy: Learning from the Oscars”: Media-literacy expert Frank W. Baker wrote this article for MiddleWeb, offering teachers practical ideas for teaching visual literacy for the Middle Grades. Some of these ideas might be adapted for younger students as well. If you like this, you should also check out “Learning More About the Movies,” another MiddleWeb favorite. Plus, Baker also hosts a a teacher’s guide to the Academy Awards on his personal website, which features links to other useful resources, ideas for teachable Oscar moments, and links to some great filmrelated lesson plans.

More Film and Media Literacy Resources for Teachers

There are many other great film-literacy lesson plans, how-to articles, and other useful education resources on the web. But here are a few more quick links to helpful sources rich with interesting content.

Lesson Plans Based on Movies and Film via TeachWithMovies.org Exploring Satire with Shrek via ReadWriteThink Primary and Secondary Resources via Film Education How to Watch Film Critically: 7 Key Things to Note via The Cheat Sheet __________________________________

Matt Davis, “Oscar Week Special: 7 Teaching Resources on Film Literacy,” Edutopia, February 18, 2013, http:// www.edutopia.org/blog/academy-awards-film-literacyresources-matthew-davis.