by Savannah Fillerup
***will take two days***
Objective
● Students will be able to collaborate to communicate meaning in a followable story by filming and editing silent films in a group.
Standards
● Utah
○ Standard 7-8.T.CR.5: Explore physical, vocal, and emotional choices to
develop a performance that is believable, authentic, and relevant to a
drama/theatre work.
○ Standard 7-8.T.P.4 - Communicate meaning using the body through space,
shape, energy, and gesture. ● National
- ○ TH:Cr3.1.8.b. Refine effective physical, vocal, and physiological traits of characters in an improvised or scripted drama/ theatre work.
- ○ TH:Pr6.1.8.a. Perform a rehearsed drama/theatre work for an audience.
○ TH:Cr3.1.7.a. Demonstrate focus and concentration in the rehearsal
process to analyze and refine choices in a devised or scripted
drama/theatre work.
○ TH:Cr2-8.b. Share leadership and responsibilities to develop collaborative
goals when preparing or devising drama/theatre work.
Materials needed
● One group member with a phone and some editing app ○ CapCut and iMovie are great options
Warm-up/Hook
● Board Question
- ○ What fictional world would you want to live in?
○ What would you want to be famous for? (movie star, musician, YouTuber,
sports, etc.)
Instruction
● ONLY DAY 1: Go over roles per shot - be aware that even though everyone will
be doing each of these roles at any point, this is a group project, so all be willing to collaborate. No dictators, divas, or dopes!
○ Actors
- ○ Director - checking the storyboard and making sure everything is lining up, so if you drew the storyboard, you should probably be the director as well. You CAN both act and direct (like Buster Keaton)
- ○ Cameraman - film in landscape mode, shot should be steady, make sure you’re not covering the mic. If a shot doesn’t work, delete that clip immediately so you don’t flood the person’s camera roll with messed up shots. By the end, the only videos in the camera roll should be the exact ones that they will put into the editing app, that way they only have to drag and drop and maybe cut off the ends, then put the subtitles in.
- ○ Editor - won’t have to do anything until after shooting is over, but use their phone for shooting so they can have all the footage. They will also need some sort of editing app (iMovie, capcut, etc.)
■ Be aware this is a bit of a bigger job, so only take it on if you think you’ll be able to do it.
● Hand back their storyboards to each group. Emphasize that it’s best to film in order so that you can easily put everything into the editing app.
○ When you are filming one page of the storyboard, write on the back who is the actor, cameraman, director and editor. It’s okay if there’s overlap.
● Finally, remind them again that they will be graded on the four elements of movement (+ facial expressions), so they should be very intentional about including those in their silent films. Remember how we created characters using those elements? Your characters in this should be very specific with those elements as well!
Practice
● DAYS 1 & 2: Let them get into their groups to use the class period for work.
Here’s the sequence of events they will need to follow.
- ○ Finish outlining/storyboarding.
○ Start filming, storyboard by storyboard. Once you’ve finished a storyboard,
check off that page and write FILMED on it.
○ Editing. You can either do this as you go, by filming into the editing app
itself or you can film everything and then add it into the app.
- ● Give them all one of the restaurant buzzers so they can go out to film!
○ You may go anywhere on school property to film, but must stay out of roads and parking lots. You also cannot go to classrooms that have actual classes in them. If you want to go to a classroom of a teacher who is doing prep, you have to arrange with them beforehand. You cannot go to the park; that is not school property. Please represent drama class well. The faculty have been informed that you will be filming, and if you are overly disruptive, they can send you back to this classroom where you will have to film the rest of your project.
■ Email the faculty beforehand. ● Hello All,
My classes are recording silent films around the school this week during A1 and B6. They were given strict instructions to be quiet. They shouldn't disrupt your classes. Feel free to send them to my room if there are problems.
If Drama students are working in the halls they will have one of my restaurant-style buzzers so I can buzz them when their hallway time is finished. The buzzer will have a blinking light and look like the attached photo. If a student claims to be from my class and they don't have a buzzer, they aren't with me.
Thanks, Miss Fillerup
Assessment
● DAYS 1 & 2 : Call everyone back using the buzzers 15 minutes before the end of
class. Have them discuss plans for the next day of filming/editing so they can manage their time wisely.
- ○ What went well today?
- ○ What could be done more effectively tomorrow?
- ○ What still needs to be done?
- ● Each group member should fill out the Google Form. https://forms.gle/wetoWMqoGw63QZXT7
- ● Turn in storyboards.
- ● If they still need time to film, let me know and I can call them in for advisory.
● DAY 2: Remind them that the next class will actually be the “performance.” If
they can, it would be good to turn it in now! If the editor still needs a little time to finish up and download the video, they have until the beginning of next class to turn it in. Next time, we will watch each other’s videos!