Here’s a link to the 2008 SEVA flyer. I spoke with Doug Niva yesterday to ask if it would be ok for you to submit student projects on a mini-DV instead of a DVD. Doug is fine with that since you are all working with either Panasonic or Sony cameras.
If you were not able to attend our January 30 meeting, you will want to read through the Digital Juice handout – digital-juice-notes.pdf . Please put in a Heat ticket to request that Juicer 3 be downloaded to the computer(s) your students will be using for their filmmaking projects.
Please let us know if you need help with Digital Juice, video editing, or any aspect of your students’ projects. The project ideas shared at the meeting were awesome. We’re sure we have some 2008 SEVA winners!
Students from Dillard Elementary School, Stone Lake Elementary School, and Pleasant Grove High School joined Krishna Harrison-Munoz for the December 18 after school workshop. Krishna guided students (and their parents) through basic camera shots. With a little help from Bugsy the dog (and a few humans too), students learned about basic camera shots and camera tips and terms.
Students teamed up for some hands-on camera time, during which they applied the techniques, became fluent with the terminology, and received feedback from their camera partner(s) and Krishna.
Many thanks to Catherine Survillace for offering the use of her classroom (a field trip in itself!).
Student Workshop #3 will be offered on January 31, from 3:30-4:30). Location TBA.
For more information or to request a copy of Krishna’s DOLCHE training DVD, please contact Gail Desler at gdesler@egusd.net.
Students from grades 5-12 gathered after school at Valley High School on Friday, December 7, to gain some filmmaking strategies and tips from Krishna Harrison-Munoz. The students are currently participating in video projects sponsored by classroom teachers Rodney Black (Valley High School), Erica Swift (Leimbach), and Jenny Williams (Leimbach).
Using actual footage, storyboards, scripts, and sound clips from award-winning films such as Baraka, Disney’s Lady and the Tramp, and her own amazing Buster the Dog pieces, Krishna guided the students through the stages of filmmaking and introduced them to basic camera shots and terminology.
The goal of the workshop was to “train the trainers” so that these students return to their classrooms ready to help their video team members transform their ideas to video productions – and award-winning SEVA entries.
Our next DOLCHE student workshop will be held on December 18, 3:30-5:00, at Pleasant Grove High School, hosted by Catherine Survillas and Jennifer Tillman:
Jennifer and I welcome you to Pleasant Grove High School for the training on Dec. 18. For those who do not know where we are, our address is 9531 Bond Road between Waterman and Bradshaw. Coming east on Bond, School Loop Circle will be a light before you come to the firehouse. Turn left and circle around the school until you see the HL pod on your right. My classroom HL 11 is just inside the gate on the left. It is ok to park along this side after school hours.”
The DOLCHE team reconnected with filmmaker and director Nikos Theodosakis for a Saturday, October 20, videoconference. During the previous September videoconference, the teachers presented Nikos with their “pitch” for their first film project. A month later, they were back ready to present their films.
For many of the team members, filmmaking was a brand new experience. For most, they were having to learn either Movie Maker 2 or iMovie as they raced to meet Saturday’s deadline. In response to Nikos’s questions – what did you learn? and what would you do differently – everyone had thoughts to share.
Throughout the session, Nikos reminded all that “if we don’t make mistakes ourselves, how can we learn from them?” With that thought in mind, the DOLCHE teachers will spend the next few months incorporating filmmaking into their classrooms. Between now and March, their goal will be to produce a minimum of two student-made products for the SEVAs.
Krishna Harrison-Munoz and Gail Desler will be available to support the teachers and their students with further trainings or demonstrations as needed. We will continue to post resources to the blog and encourage all to join in the online discussion by posting comments.
Nikos will also be reading and responding in the blog, so please take advantage of this opportunity to continue your discussions with the director in the classroom!
We would also like to invite your students into the conversation. We are requiring written parental permission before students’ comments will be posted. We have posted a sample permission letter under Project Resources. Please feel free to revise the letter.
Now that you have delved into filmmaking, are you wishing you had more equipment at your site? Apply for the DV Starter Kit Grant Program! Considering that we have tailored the DOLCHE timeline to align with the SEVA deadline, you should definitely consider applying!
DV Starter Kit Grant Application: dvkitgrantapp2007.pdf. Deadline = November 12, 2007.
Eleven DOLCHE teachers gathered in the computer lab at Arthur Butler Elementary School on October 16 for an after school session with iMovie. Since most of the teachers had also attended a Movie Maker 2 session, some of the discussion revolved around comparing the pros and cons of each. The one component that iMovie definitely scores more points on is having two audio tracks and also the ability to edit audio more precisely than in Movie Maker (although there are workarounds in MM2;-).
Here are some great free resources for learning and using iMovie:
Congratulations to Chris Perris on winning a 2007 Great Valley Center/Citi Foundation Success Fund Valley grant!
The grant, totaling $1,497, will be used to implement Perris’ program proposal entitled Lights, Action, Camera! This innovative program will teach students in grades 4-6 at Elitha Donner to use Pinnacle video editing software, giving them an additional skill they could use in their professions one day. Perris was one of 40 recipients chosen to receive the grant from a field of over 150 applicants.”
To read the complete EGUSD News article, click on the link – http://www.egusd.net/news/2007/100907.html. Way to go, Chris!
Fifteen DOLCHE teachers attended the October 8 Movie Maker 2 training at Tech Services. The workshop covered:
One of the best resources for learning or reviewing Movie Maker 2 is Atomic Learning’s FREE Movie Maker 2 tutorial! Tutorials are also available at Microsoft’s Movie Maker 2 site. An excellent resource for trouble shooting MM2 is Papajohn’s website.
For those who wish to move beyond Movie Maker 2′s audio capabilities, we recommend downloading Audacity, a free audio editing program. Tutorials are available on the website.
If you have any Movie Maker 2 questions. tips, or resources, please post a comment so we can share information across the DOLCHE community.
Another lively training for the DOLCHE team took place on October 3 at the district office. With Krishna Harrison-Munoz at the helm again, the teachers explored the importance of sound – the most important aspect of a movie production. Krishna’s top 5 tips for ensuring good-quality audio:
Part of the audio topic also included a discussion of copyright and fair use issues, and the importance of modeling for our students. Our rule-of-thumb (though not a stated law!) is that educators may insert up to 30 seconds or 10% – whichever is less – of a song into their videos, being sure to give credits at the end. Fortunately there is a growing bank of royalty-free resources for music. In addition to the resources included under the Copyright & Fair Use links (right nav bar), free sound effects are available from stonewashed.net.sfx.html and partnersinrhyme.com/pir/PIRsfx.shtml.
Oh, and if you’ve included a talking dog as on of your “talents,” tossing popcorn may be just the trick to match his/her mouth movement with a narration.
Kristen’s tips for “lighting like a pro”:
Check back soon for links to lighting tips.
For tips on making a documentary, check out dohistory.org (this website has been going strong for almost 10 years now!). George Lucus joins Nikos Theodosakis in praising the documentary work of Marco Torres’ high school students. http://www.edutopia.org/node/980, another great resource for samples (see more at http://www.sfett.com/).
Next DOLCHE training = Movie Maker 2, Monday, October 8, 4:00-7:00, Tech Services.
