Middle School Project: Final Cut Pro This Is Our School The Unit of Practice Invitation How can students show their community the contributions that their school makes to it? During this project, students will create a promotional video for their school or school district that will showcase academics, athletics, teachers, and students that make up their school. Tasks Plan: Students create a promotional video about the school that they attend. They will use a combination of existing video footage such as sports video, drama presentations, and student projects as well as new footage (which they will film) to showcase the many successes of the school. A complete written proposal must be created for the project before the students can begin filming. If possible, a class meeting with the school principal would greatly assist this endeavor. (Many times the principal knows the details of the successes and can give the students some guidance as to items that should be included in the video.) The final video should be no longer than five minutes and should give the viewer a good deal of knowledge as to the strengths of the school. Gather: Once the proposal is complete, the students begin the storyboard process. At this time they should also collect existing video footage and begin to review the footage to find any pieces that might be appropriate for the project. The storyboard should be completed before filming begins. If the school principal was involved in the early planning, students might want to get their feedback on the final storyboard. Information such as school logo, address, phone numbers, and special recognitions should be collected to be added to the project. Build: Once the project has been approved and the storyboards created, the students begin to film at various locations across the campus. Make sure to prearrange visits to other classes prior to sending students out to film. It will be virtually impossible to create a snapshot that shows every element of the school year, so students should plan to capture building shots, student center activities, and classroom and extra-curricular events as part of this project. Using Final Cut Pro, the students log the footage and begin to assemble their project. Chances are most of the existing footage will be in VHS format. This means students will either need a camera that supports AV In/Out or a DV converter box in order to use it. If neither of those are available, students will need to film the entire project from scratch. Middle School Project: Final Cut Pro n This Is Our School 1
Tools m Macintosh FireWire computer (ibook, PowerBook, imac DV, G3 or G4 Tower, or G4 Cube) m Final Cut Pro music-editing software m Digital video camera; FireWire cable; storyboard template; mini DV tape/s; clapboard (optional: students can also write the name of the shot on a sheet of paper and film it prior to shooting the scene); paper; pen (marker) to create a log sheet for use when filming; permission slips (if applicable); tripod; microphone for narration; school information (schedule, address, phone number, special awards and recognitions) Optional m Adobe Photoshop or other graphic software m Camera dolly; steady cam; external microphone for the camera; microphone boom; lapel microphone Interactions The teacher needs to gain support and approval from the school Principal and fellow teachers, as this video project will represent the school to the community. The teacher needs to be sure that students have given prior notice and received permission to videotape any class in progress. The teacher needs to ensure that the students have obtained the proper permission (release forms) prior to filming the students, faculty, or staff. Students work in project teams to showcase different areas of the schools, such as academics, athletics, student clubs, and so on. Standards Matching Standards from International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., soundletter correspondence, sentence structure, context, and graphics). Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, and vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts. 2 Middle School Project: Final Cut Pro n This Is Our School
Students gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, and people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, and video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge. Matching Standards from National Standards for Art Education (developed by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations under the guidance of the National Committee for Standards in the Arts) Grades 5 8 Visual Arts Content Standard #1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes Students select media, techniques, and processes; analyze what makes them effective or not effective in communicating ideas; and reflect upon the effectiveness of their choices. Students intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of their experiences and ideas. Content Standard #2: Using knowledge of structures and functions Students employ organizational structures and analyze what makes them effective or not effective in the communication of ideas. Students select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of their ideas. Content Standard #3: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas Students use subjects, themes, and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, values, and aesthetics that communicate intended meaning in artworks. Matching Standards from National Technolog y Standards for Students Grades 6 8 Prior to completion of Grade 8, students will: m Apply strategies for identifying and solving routine hardware and software problems that occur during everyday use. m Apply productivity/multimedia tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, group collaboration, and learning throughout the curriculum. m Design, develop, publish, and present products (e.g., Web pages, videotapes) using technology resources that demonstrate and communicate curriculum concepts to audiences inside and outside the classroom. m Select and use appropriate tools and technology resources to accomplish a variety of tasks and solve problems. Middle School Project: Final Cut Pro n This Is Our School 3
Situations The project takes place in classroom, media center, computer lab, and various locations around the school. This project spans an entire school year to capture a full range of activities. Assessment The teacher assesses the quality of the video project based on a rubric. The student teams conduct self-assessments of their project, based on checklists developed by the entire class. Student teams also assess each other s projects using the same classgenerated checklists. The project Students working in teams as determined by the teacher, create a 5-minute promotional video using Final Cut Pro for their school or school district. Phase 1: Research and planning This video should contain all of the relevant school data such as school logo, address, and telephone number as well as other information such as recognitions or awards the school has received. The video will contain previously shot footage as well as new footage, which will be filmed by the students. Note: This project is ideal for a whole class project. You can divide the students into teams and assign each team a separate component to cover. For example, Team 1 may be tasked with athletics, Team 2 with academics, and so on. The key to doing a project in multiple groups is to have a class coordinator or project manager who will oversee each team s progress. Phase 2: Storyboarding In their groups, students determine how the video will be laid out. Once the team has agreed, one or two students fill out the storyboard template and present it back to the group so everyone is in agreement and understands the focus of the project. Students then make arrangements to check out cameras, tripods, DV tapes, and other peripherals needed to complete the filming process. Phase 3: Filming and preparation In this phase, students begin filming the various scenes of their project. Students then label the tapes, log the footage, and prepare them for editing. They need to make sure that all the shots laid out in the storyboard are captured on video and are marked off. Since the entire team may not be able to be there for every video shoot, it is important that they begin other parts of the project such as choosing sound for the background or recording narrations. 4 Middle School Project: Final Cut Pro n This Is Our School
Phase 4: Editing and assembling in Final Cut Pro Once all of the video footage has been filmed, the students can begin logging the clips and capturing them for editing. If the class has multiple computers it is best to keep each project isolated to one computer. When each group has finished their portion of the video, the best way to assemble is to have each group export their portion to a DV tape. Once all of the sections are on a tape they can be recaptured on one computer and the components pieced together. Phase 5: Presentation Each group prepares a 10-minute oral presentation explaining their piece of the overall project and what they learned in the process of creating it. Students should be prepared to answer any questions. Preparation m Make sure the students have obtained the appropriate permission from teachers whose classes they want to film. m Make sure someone knows how to set up and operate the equipment at the video shoot. m Make the Final Cut Pro Step-by-Step sheets available to students in case they are unclear about how to use a particular feature of the software. Options and extension activities m Present the video on a TV/VCR in the front office for guests visiting the school. m Prepare the video for streaming and add it to the school Web site for online guests to see the key features of the school. m Use the video in presentations as an introduction to the school. m Make copies of the video and use them as extras when applying for grants focused on integrating technology successfully into the K 12 school environment. m Present the video at a pep rally or spirit day. Resources Final Cut Pro http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro FireWire http://www.apple.com/firewire The Digital Filmmaker s Resource Site http://www.2-pop.com Middle School Project: Final Cut Pro n This Is Our School 5