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 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.

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.”

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.

DV Starter Kit Grant Application: dvkitgrantapp2007.pdf. Deadline = November 12, 2007.

Here are some great free resources for learning and using iMovie:

• Apple’s iLife Tutorials
• Atomic Learning’s iMovie Tutorial (for iMovie 2)
• Iowa States’s College of Design iMovie Basics

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!

• Importing images, video clips, and music
• Adding narration
• Adding transitions and effects
• Editing video clips
• Saving a project – ALL components of a project are saved in the SAME folder!!!
• Finishing a movie – Exporting as a CD (what everyone will do prior our Oct. 20 videoconference with Nikos) , email, to the web, or to a DV camera (what everyone will do prior to our student film festival)

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.

1. Make sure the “talent” is audible
2. Anticipate uninvited sound from the environment   
3. Use microphones and headphones
4. Add music and sound effects
5. Work with voice-overs

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”:

1. Work with existing lighting
2. Make simple upgrades
3. Apply three-point lighting
4. Use reflectors
5. Be aware of backlighting
6. White balance your camera

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.