weeks 1&2

Narrative - weeks 1&2 (June 26 – July 9)

Monday June 12:
This is the first day so we’ll just be getting familiar with the equipment and some of the language we’ll be using. We’ll start off playing some games to get acquainted with each other and I’ll stress the points of being comfortable and taking risks. We’ll get out the cameras, learn how to attach them to a tripod and talk about shots that we will or won’t use them for. I’ll give them a copy of the steps process to use as a rough guideline for the order we’ll be doing things. Today is the day to foreshadow the summer and brainstorm ideas. I want to get the kids really excited for the program. I’ll also introduce audio in video and see if any of the kids want to play around with garageband and make us some mood music.

Tuesday June 13:
Today we’ll start putting together a story. This year I’m just giving the title, “Prank Wars,” and letting them run with it. We’ll work from the broad into the details, meaning an outline into the scenes and then make them more specific. I’ll explain about storyboarding, but won’t require it. This is a fast-paced environment so we’ll need to think straight and talk straight. We’ll also practice some acting scenarios where I’ll give the situation and maybe the first lines, but I’m pushing for improv in between our “money lines” and situations.

Wednesday June 14:
Today we’ll really focus on character development. We’ll try and give the characters as much depth as possible and list everything we can think of that will make the character stand out. We’ll list favorite catch phrases and how they’ll act around the other characters etc. We’ll also try and think about how these characters will be changing throughout the piece and when they’ll come to a realization or change in some way.

Thursday June 15:
Today we’ll try and finish the script and prepare for shooting so we can have a week to shoot. We’ll scout locations and try and get all the things we’ll need for each scene together so we won’t be scrambling around at the last minute trying to find something. We’ll also be experimenting with different shots and camera angles and different ways to move the camera itself.

Friday June 16:
We’re going to get out there and get dirty. We’ll try to apply everything we’ve learned and do multiple takes for everything so the kids can rotate doing different parts and we’ll give as much input and criticism right on the spot. I want to shoot lots and lots, so we can use short cuts, if necessary and have many different approaches.

Saturday June 17:
More shooting. We’ll take a little time at the beginning to review a couple of shots that worked well (I’ll have time at night to look at everything) and to talk about why and how they were successful.
Monday June 19:
More shooting. After a day off we’ll be fresh and hopefully have some fresh ideas. As we’re shooting, I’m going to remind them to be thinking of ambient sounds and how we can record them and use them in the final piece. I’ll also get some of the kids who are interested in some voice-over to practice using that equipment.

Tuesday June 20:
More shooting and possibly the beginning of editing. I will have all the raw footage so we’ll always have a back up, but now I’ll introduce them to the software. Some of the kids will know how to use it already from last year, but I’ll have it all set-up, ready for editing and give them the basic commands and really just let them run free.

Wednesday June 21:
Hopefully, the last day of shooting. We’ll finish up what we need to get, at least as far as acting goes. We might need to send some people out to get shots of certain things, but hopefully nothing where we need actors with sound. We’ll make sure we have everything ready to go to move into brainstorming editing.

Thursday June 22:
We should well on way to editing. Most likely, I’ll be navigating the software, but I’ll be stopping frequently so we can take a step back and think about how we want to put the story together. If there is any greenscreening work to do, we’ll be able to do it now, while we’re all in the studio.

Friday June 23:
More editing. I’ll keep pushing them to think about ways to put the video together that are different from traditional movies they’re used to. I’ll also really get them thinking about the title sequence. We’re not just going to display the names, I am going to have them try and think of clever ways to take a theme (camp, pranks etc.) and we’ll present the names that way.

Saturday June 24:
Hopefully the last day of editing. We should have it together pretty well by now and should just be adding little things like ambient sounds and tweaking the videos if necessary. We’ll watch it the whole way through and then talk about what we need fix and we’ll have a discussion on how we can do things differently next time (what worked and what didn’t).