46

Make a Movie in Four Hours

NICK MADSEN / YOUTH SERVICES SPECIALIST

Community Library Network: Kootenai and Shoshone Counties

Type of Library Best Suited for: Any

Cost Estimate: $0–$200

Makerspace Necessary? No

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Our library has found that students love the process of making movies. Several years ago, a grant required a promotional video, and several teen volunteers were asked to assist in its creation. After some brief comments and ideas from a library staff member, the students quickly made the idea their own. Bringing props, costumes, and their positive attitudes, they brainstormed a story, decided who would fill each role (director, camera person, actors), and gathered some great footage. Later that month, a librarian edited the footage together, found some music online, and posted the video on YouTube as “Library: After Hours.” After this first successful experience, several “Make a Movie” events have taken place at our library.

OVERVIEW

Each of the Make a Movie events has been run informally. They can be run as simply (a point-and-shoot camera with no costumes) or as complex (lighting and green screens) as you would like. The events included brainstorming the elements of the movie, delegating what role each participant would play, and shooting the footage. After the event, a librarian or the participants would edit the footage.

For the purposes of this chapter, several different ideas on how to implement the program will be offered. Mix and match these ideas, and find what will work best for your participants. In addition to this guide, a Pinterest board has been created with moviemaking ideas, tips, and resources. The Pinterest board can be accessed at www.pinterest.com/​cln4nextgen/​movie-making/.

MATERIALS LIST

NECESSARY EQUIPMENT

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

1. Brainstorm

At the conclusion of this step, students will have their overall plan for the movie they want to create. This plan should include the genre, plot, characters, and scenes required to make the movie, and what needs to happen in each scene. Students can take into account what props and equipment are available, the size of the venue where filming will take place, and what technological expertise the team editing the film needs to possess.

Giving students the best possible experience in sharing their ideas is the key to a successful brainstorming session. With a smaller group of participants (5–10), have a staff member guide the discussions as a group. With a larger group of participants (11 or more), break the participants into teams, no larger than four people each, ask them to brainstorm in their teams, and then share their ideas with the larger group. Whatever method is chosen, ensure that all ideas from all groups are heard and that a final decision is reached by consensus, or a vote. Keeping track of the discussions will also be beneficial. A whiteboard, sticky notes, or pen and paper can be used.

Discussions can begin with general ideas for a short movie—for example, cowboys beat up a horde of zombies—and should become more specific as the discussions continue. Discussions could include favorite TV shows or movies, genres, basic plot structure, basic movie plots, and basic characters. Participants should be able to compile a list of many ideas, then whittle this down to the ideas they want included in their short film.

2. Delegate

At the conclusion of this step, students will have decided who will be filling each role in the short movie. Participants can now decide what roles and tasks are going to be required to carry out the film. These roles and tasks should be listed, for example: good guy, bad guy, speechless robot, camera people, microphone operator, assistant to director, and so on.

While filming, having an individual who has the final say such as a director will be helpful. An experienced participant or the staff member should most likely fill this role. For other roles, let participants choose what they would like to do. If multiple participants are interested in the same roles or tasks, let them audition, or split the responsibilities, for example, have two camera operators take turns. For acting roles that require an audition, let the participants who did not audition decide who will embody that role in the film.

3. Shoot

At the conclusion of this step, the primary filming will have been completed for the short movie. Before each scene commences, several groups of participants can quickly make specific decisions based on the brainstorming session. The actors can discuss what exact dialogue and actions will be taken. The camera people can decide what kinds of shots and angles will be best for this scene. The prop and lighting team can prepare the set while these discussions continue. Each participant has a role to play, and the director can ensure that the groups are working together to bring about the vision established in the brainstorming session.

4. Edit

At the conclusion of this step, a finished product will be compiled on editing software or an application using the gathered footage, music, and sound effects. Typically, this step was conducted after the Make a Movie event ended by the staff member or a participant. But this step could also be included in the event. Team members could be entrusted with editing different scenes, and the final product of each team could be combined into the final project. During a four-hour event, enough footage was typically gathered for a five-minute short movie. If editing is going to be included in the event, the final product might need to be shortened or the event might need to be lengthened. Our library has used Windows Movie Maker for editing software, SoundCloud for music, and Freesound for sound effects. For further suggestions on movie-editing software and free resources for music and sound effects, check out the Pinterest board: www.pinterest.com/​cln4nextgen/​movie-making/.

FIGURE 46.1

Moviemaking in action

5. Post

Once your masterpiece has been created, make sure to share it far and wide. Put the movie on social media, share it on your e-mail lists, create a display in your library, and give it to your board of trustees and/or administration. The finished project could also be entered into a state or local teen film festival or contest.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

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