Not a Book Report!
Friday
Trailer Post-Production: technical creation
Student production teams uploaded their videos and still images from the digital cameras to lab desktop computers and/or Mobile Computing Initiative Mac laptops. Mini-lessons and teacher conferencing supported effective file management, quality assessment of individual files, introduction to movie creation software (Movie Maker and iMovie) and searches for online images and sound files. Students were instructed to use copyright permissible images and sounds found online, in consideration of the Copyright Guidelines detailed on the Images & Media page of the school library website and best supported by searches on http://creativecommons.org/ . Production teams worked together in terms of project management, to collate files, sequences clips, match audio and visual elements and create the mood and message that was planned in the original storyboard. Text was inserted to develop promotional slogans and add production credits. Individuals took the time to schedule extra lab time and add final production elements to complete the project. Once all the projects were submitted, the whole class viewed each other’s digital book trailers for enjoyment and peer assessment.
Trailer Production: filming
Students involved in this book trailer production worked in groups to dramatize important scenes from a few books written by TDSB Writer-in-Residence Eric Walters. In production teams individuals carried and shared the roles of scriptwriter, storyboard creator and editor, choreographer, actor, video director, photographer/videographer and video editor/producer. Filming locations were coordinated throughout the school and on the school grounds outdoors. Student production teams were responsible for arrangement of costumes and props and negotiating quiet zones for filming. Filming sessions were consolidated with conferences between the teacher and production groups in order to assess the quality of video captured and adherence to the storyboard plan. Students were coached to review the still images and video that they'd captured and to consider the camera shots and angles that would serve the mood that they wanted to develop for the trailer. This was an opportunity for Assessment as Learning as student reflected on what they'd learned about different camera angles and the effective use of these techniques in their own creation.
Trailer Production: assessment
For this Project-Based Learning (PBL), the assessment and evaluation is on-going. Earlier assessments regarding the Literature Study may well have been completed by the time the Book Trailer is the work focus, or the two may coincide. As the Production Team groups or individuals apply their understandings of the story to the medium of trailers, the story board will be the first demonstration of their learning. Earlier lessons about story boarding may incorporate some assessment for learning (diagnostics), but individual story boards from the book can serve as assessment as learning (formative). As such the first row of the rubric can be used for evaluation of the story board and be a reference for a teacher-student conference. This will give each individual an opportunity to refine their thinking and contribute to the group as a whole, for a final decision of the group story board for the trailer production. The mark for the individual story boards could be used for the Writing strand, but can well be used for the Media strand, along with the following marks.
Having learned about the Elements of Effective Trailers by viewing and deconstructing examples during the class lesson, each group member can be asked to explain the effectiveness of the elements of their group’s produced trailer. Question prompts like the following will give each student an opportunity to explain the effectiveness. “How does your trailer target a specific or wider audience? What is the target audience?”, “How do the audio and visual elements express a mood? In what ways do they match?”, “What about your trailer persuades other to read the book?”.
Trailer Pre-Production: sample book trailers
View Sample Book Trailers:
View Sample Book Trailers:
Once there is a clear understanding of the elements of effective movie trailers, the more familiar use of the medium, shift the viewing experience to that of book trailers. A number of publishers, book stores, authors and the Toronto Public Library post book trailers as promotional highlights. The more professionally created ones use advanced technology and techniques, but the choices for representation of the books are replicable by students. A number of student-made book trailers can also be found online, which serve as more accessible samples of replicable quality.
One critical consideration while viewing is the to decision to dramatize scenes from the books or to gather images and sound elements that will represent the book. A combination of these choices also works well. Teachers and students can collaboratively decide on, plan and develop effective techniques for the type of digital book trailer that best suits their class work.
View Sample Book Trailers:
Safe As Houses
In a Flash
Alexandria of Africa
We All Fall Down
Check out this site about book trailers, including the pages ‘How to Make a Book Trailer’
Trailer Pre-Production: Elements of Effective Trailers
View Sample Movie Trailers:
On the Macs you may wish to use Front Row, which has sample trailers of the latest cinematic releases. Otherwise view online trailers at the home websites for individual movies or theatre websites. Consider carefully the appropriate choice of sample trailer, in terms of content and genre. For example, you may wish to show a trailer for 127 Hours as an example action adventure, survival story that is appropriate for viewing by Intermediate students and as a match to a literature study of Safe as Houses. This particular trailer incorporates a number of obvious yet effective techniques.
Look for criteria:
Audio – dialogue, music, fade ins, fade outs, mood
Visuals – camera shots (long shots, midshots, close-ups), camera angles (bird’s eye, ant’s eye,
straight), use of text and font choice, mood
straight), use of text and font choice, mood
Directorial & Marketing choices – mood, choice of scenes, promotional statements, quotes
The students need to be able to identify and briefly explain each of these elements. An explanation of how these elements are used to create mood and an effective ‘pitch’ or promotion of the movie would indicate a thorough understanding of the medium. An assessment of learning about the elements of effective trailers is an important instructional step to take before group work for video production.
Below are a few good reference sites to review for lesson preparation.
mediaknowall: re: camera shots, angles and movement
mediaknowall: re: camera shots, angles and movement
http://www.mediaknowall.com/camangles.html
mediaknowall: re: sound, recording, dialogue, voice overs, sound effects and music
http://www.mediaknowall.com/sound.html
Movie Trailers As Persuasive Texts
by Frank Baker copyright 2008
http://www.frankwbaker.com/movie_trailers_as_persuasion.htm
mediaknowall: re: sound, recording, dialogue, voice overs, sound effects and music
http://www.mediaknowall.com/sound.html
Movie Trailers As Persuasive Texts
by Frank Baker copyright 2008
http://www.frankwbaker.com/movie_trailers_as_persuasion.htm
From Book to Trailer
The post-reading task was to review the stop points and sketch a quick storyboard. Each student met with three other individuals in the class to share their storyboard and view the others. From these discussions, the students formed a production team of 4-6 individuals. They finalized a collaboratively modified storyboard and had it approved by the teacher for the next stage of development.
From the storyboard they developed and practiced a skit. They added props and costumes to set the scene and did a final rehearsal, for approval, before filming.
Group and individual conferencing served as both an Assessment As Learning with the question "Does your trailer pitch your book and its story well?" and an Assessment of Learning, for Media Literacy, with the question, "What elements of an effective trailer have you included?".
Literature Study: Stop Points
The students began the Language unit with a literature study. A literature circles approach guided the students through the questioning, comprehension and critical literacy connections. While reading the book, the students were asked to tab points on the page that seem important or to note the page number in a list. They were to indicate exciting points, emotional points, points of strong character moments, points of learning new things in the story. The ‘stop points’ were used as references for planning the book trailers when the students sequenced them on a story board, in graphic and written formats.
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