MEDIA ARTS LESSON PLAN
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Media Arts Lesson Plan and Resources for Middle and High School Students

Lesson Plan for making a short informational film. Free filmmaking resources highlighting the steps of filmmaking for students. Winning middle and high school film examples are included to inspire video production.

Media Arts Middle and High School
Credit: MY HERO

MAKING A SHORT INFORMATIONAL VIDEO

What you will need to create your film:

Your phone or a camera and Movie editing software such as iMovie or Pinnacle Studio

PRE-PRODUCTION: Scriptwriting, Storyboarding, and Shot List 

First, do research about the topic and make notes on a computer or notepad

Then create a rough draft of a script - this does not have to be word for word

Writing the Script
Credit: intofilm

Pre-Production
Credit: intofilm
Storyboard Shotlist
Credit: MY HERO
Storytelling on Film
Credit: Film Education

FILMING: CAMERA SHOTS, ANGLES AND MOVEMENT

Make sure you have good, front-facing lighting and are not backlit.

Get a good angle with your entire face in the shot.

Memorize small parts of your script at a time so that you aren’t reading off the page-- it takes away from the energy and charisma (gaps in between sections are okay, they can be edited out!)

BE ENGAGING! Even if you aren’t passionate about what you are talking about, act as if you are.

Production
Credit: intofilm.org

1 minute @ Baycat on Framing

Camera Framing and Motion
Credit: Youtube Creators

POST-PRODUCTION AFTER FILMING

Transfer your clips onto whichever device you will be using to edit. A computer is recommended but alternatively, you can use a phone or tablet

Learn how to use your editing platform. See tutorials below.

Include pictures and subtitles, you can find free images on Wikimedia commons.

iMOVIE Editing Tutorial
Credit: MY HERO

WeVideo offers editing on a PC. Visit this page for tutorials.

WE VIDEO ACADEMY FOR PC
Credit: WEVIDEO

Beginners Guide to Video Editing
Credit: YouTube Creators

Submit Your Film

submit button
Credit: myhero

PRINTABLE VIDEO STORYTELLING GUIDES TO SHARE WITH STUDENTS

Share these video storytelling resources with students. Included is information about pre-production and types of films, the actual production of films including camera angles and sound, and interview tips. 

Video Storytelling Field Guide
Credit: MY HERO
Foldable Video Storytelling Pocket Guide
Credit: MY HERO

AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE SCREEN EDUCATION GUIDE

AN EXCELLENT GUIDE TO PRODUCTION FROM AFI SCREEN EDUCATION

Screen Education Guide - AFI
Credit: myhero

Using Canva to Create Videos Tutorials

USE CANVA TO CREATE A SIMPLE VIDEO PROJECT! THIS PAGE HAS MANY TUTORIALS TO GET STARTED.

CANVA
Credit: CANVA

EXAMPLES OF WINNING MIDDLE SCHOOL DOCUMENTARY FILMS

THANK A HERO: MAURICE HILLEMAN

Jasmine Blossom Martoglio, Aurelia Sunshine Martoglio | Batchelor Middle School
This is a documentary about an unsung hero named Maurice Hilleman who created an amazing amount of vaccines, and made it possible for modern vaccines to work.

Martin Luther King Jr: A True Hero

Kameron John feagans | Batchelor Middle School
This is a video about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King jr. and why he was a hero.

The Bon-Bon Bomber: Gail Halvorsen Story

Oscar Paul McDermott-Sipe, Tristan Alma Williams | Batchelor Middle School
Gail was inspired to drop candy to the children of Berlin and how he started a ripple effect.

Dr. Anthony Fauci: A Hero In Healthcare

Breckin Tyler Anderson, Beau Badger | Lora Batchelor Middle School
Amid the ongoing coranavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci has delivered Americans everywhere scientifically correct research surrounding the pandemic...

Katherine Johnson: The Human Computer

Jasmine Blossom Martoglio | Batchelor Middle School
This is a documentary about Katherine Johnson and why she is an American hero.

The Man in Orange

Produced by:Deya Mounis, Aya Qawass, Nadine Abu Nemeh, & Mohammad Khreasat
Students in Jordan discuss their heroes who work to make their city clean.

Tomorrows Classroom

Produced by:Alex Emerson
Why should students be trapped within the four walls of the classroom when there are billions of other people to learn with? Welcome to Tomorrow's Classroom.

My Family Journey: Pathway to Empowering Hispanic Women

Angelina Pendleton-Mendez
Angelina Pendleton-Mendez interviews Maria Mendez, her paternal grandmother about her family and their journey.

EXAMPLES OF WINNING HIGH SCHOOL DOCUMENTARY FILMS

Remember Us: An Historic Chapter at Anaheim High School

Produced by:AUHSD STUDENTS: Vanessa Diaz, Kenia Lares, Fryda Luna, Aleshia Osbor...
Remember Us documents the internment of Japanese American students at Anaheim High School forced to relocate to concentration camps.

Joan Ganz Cooney: The Unsung Hero Who Led Us All To Sesame Street

Anna Brodine | Seaman High School
Joan Ganz Cooney as producer of Sesame Street, combined education and entertainment in children’s television programming..

Hello From Malaysia

Produced by:Kira Bursky
Aiman has just moved from Malaysia to the U.S. and finds it hard to fit in with the cultural differences.

Dangers Of Vaping

Basil Patterson, Avital Mintz, Sebastian Alexandre, Miranda Bauer
A film about how vaping is marketed to children. By: Basil Paterson, Avital Mintz, Sebastian Alexandre, & Miranda Bauer

Madre e Hija

Kacey Kim and Chance Walker
“My wish for my children is that they have the opportunity to study, which I didn’t have.”

Life On The Line

Brandon Hill
This documentary explores the experiences of five firefighters from the L.A.F.D.

TRANSPARENCY: Becoming Oliver

Tessa Grace Morell
Experimental short film made to visually accompany the original poem "Becoming Oliver" written by Oliver Marino.

A Quest for Peace: Nonviolence Among Religions

Produced by:Matthew Evans
Young filmmaker, Matthew J. Evans, takes a look at one of the most pressing issues in our modern society: violence among religions.

EXAMPLES OF EXPERIMENTAL FILMS MADE BY STUDENTS

Cries of the Children

Produced by:Angel Miracle Espericueta
Cries of the Children is a short film about how Latinos are affected by social media postings illustrating child separation.

As An Asthmatic

Alayna DeGraef, Elise DeGraef, and Bailey Revering | In-Progress
A video short about the impact of vaping on youth.

Another World

Produced by:Kayla Briet
"Another World" has the goal of inspiring others to find their voice through finding their passion, ultimately encouraging the public to use their newfound voice to positively impact their community.

8 Minutes and 46 Seconds

Angel Miracle Espericueta
A video poem dedicated to the memory of George Floyd and those that stood up in protest against his murder by police.

EXAMPLES OF EXCELLENT STUDENT MADE MUSIC VIDEOS

Hard Times

Produced by:Dir. Alex Sorto & Hugo Castillo

57 Years Ago

Jackson Carrico | New Roads High School
A short anti-racism music video honoring the victims of police brutality.

Hands Up Don't Shoot

Produced by:RAP ARTIST:Queen McElrath, DIRECTOR: Aniea Cody, PRODUCER: Todd Youn...
Nashville students, Queen McElrath and team show love and talent for Michael Brown and the people of Ferguson Missouri.

Don't Give it All Away

Produced by:Slater Jewell-Kemker
Slater uses this wonderful song by World Party to promote youth activism.

EXAMPLES OF STUDENT MADE ANIMATION FILMS

Tipping Scales: The Story of Lisa Jura

Produced by:The Righteous Conversations Project Students
Tipping the Scales' follows the journey of a young woman on the Kindertransport from Vienna to London in 1938. This short film was created by students in the Righteous Conversations Project Digital Storytelling Workshop, Summer 2015.

Emma Cushman: A Light in the Darkness

Produced by:Colin Caviness
Unsung hero Emma Darling Cushman, an American nurse who saved the lives of thousands of Armenian children during the Armenian genocide.

Inseparable: The Story of Elly and Lya

Gabriela Barrett, Alexander McDaniel, Idalis McZeal, Noa Nelson, Grace Sandman, ...
Dutch sisters, born on the same day but years apart, are separated by the Holocaust and raised in hiding by two very different families.

The Story of Three Rings: The Memoir of Dana Schwartz

Produced by:The Righteous Conversations Project Students
Holocaust Survivor Dana Schwartz recounts her life in the Lvov Ghetto during the Holocaust in 'The Story of Three Rings', created by students in the Righteous Conversations Project Digital Storytelling Workshop, Summer 2015.

More Media Arts Education Resources

Media Arts Education Resources

Credit: MY HERO

MY HERO International Film Festival

Credit: MYHERO

Organizer created on 3/16/2022 5:06:49 PM by Wendy Milette

Last edited 8/3/2022 4:06:51 PM by Laura Nietzer

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