This sub-organizer contains the following sections:

It is expected that students will:

• explain processes involved in pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution
• use film and television production equipment appropriately and safely to achieve a purpose or effect
• apply production techniques to translate scripts to film and television works
• assess physical, time, and budgetary constraints on production
• use standard formats to develop screenplays, script treatments, and commercials

• Outline a story in which an athlete fights the odds to become a world champion. Have students write three separate treatments of the story--for films that could be produced for $15 million, $1 million, and $100. Ask them to refer to budget specifics regarding pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution procedures.
• Invite students to work in groups of five. Provide each group with a scene and five moods (e.g., suspense, romance, horror, comedy, and drama). A possible scene: An actor walks through the door, crosses to a table, reads a note, dials a telephone, and says, "I've read your note." Ask students to rotate production responsibilities (e.g., action, direction, camera operation, sound, lighting). Challenge them to tape five versions of the scene, using the same blocking and creating the different moods by employing basic elements such as sound, lighting, and camera angle.
• Form groups and suggest that each group identify and research a particular filmmaker's use of production equipment and techniques. Have each group copy the filmmaker's style to create a short video from a simple script. When students present their videos to the class, ask them to relate how they used equipment and techniques to achieve specific effects.
• As students work to develop script ideas, suggest that they describe their scenes, settings, and characters on separate index cards. Then have them develop storyboards to illustrate the action and characters from scene to scene.
• Challenge students to take a one-line script concept and develop several treatments that reflect various film genres.
• Have students reduce the plot of a familiar film to one line. Then give them a one-liner script concept (e.g., two bumbling friends go on a journey of discovery) and ask them to develop treatments for it.

• When students outline different treatments for different budgets, look for evidence that they are able to:
  • make realistic choices at each budget level
  • be resourceful about ways to create the effects they want on small budgets
  • offer logical reasons for their choices
    
• Provide a variety of opportunities for students to work on original productions and analyse their technical skills. Look for evidence that they are able to explain and provide reasons for their use of:
  • camera techniques
  • performance direction
  • lighting
  • editing
  • music selection
  • sound
    
• As students work on camera assignments, look for evidence that they are able to shoot a variety of shots with increasing proficiency. Shots should include:
  • close-up--magnification of object or actor (trying to keep message clear; identifying most-important point)
  • medium shot--often more than one person or object
  • wide shot--broad, global view of area (point of view)
    
• When students are working on team projects, have them keep journals in which they record and assess their work. Each journal might include:
  • Current Job Description
  • What I Did
  • What Happened
  • My Response
  • Timeline (what needs to be done in my current job)
  • Suggestions for How to do My Job Better
  • My Most Difficult Task (and why)
  • My Most Enjoyable Task (and why)
    
  Review the journals for evidence that students are increasingly able to:
  • explain production techniques and procedures
  • use a variety of creative approaches
  • successfully solve problems relating to specific tasks

Print Materials

• Elegantly Frugal Costumes
• Screenplay
• Successful Scriptwriting
• Understanding Movies, Seventh Edition

Video

• Constructing Reality
• The Danger Zone (Aerial Effects)
• Editing Techniques
• Ever-Changing Effects (Interactive Effects)
• Falling Stars (Falling Effects)
• Fooling Mother Nature (Animatronic Animals)
• Fright Factories (Horror Make-Up)
• The Hold Up
• How Are Movies Made?
• Inside the Television Set
• Lighting "Dead Poets' Society" with John Searle
• Lighting the Office Interview
• Location Lighting
• Making Grimm Movies
• Multicamera Directional Planning
• No Strings Attached (Puppeteering)
• Unforgettable Shots (Motion Control)
• The Video Tool Box

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