This short film will challenge your ability as a group to work under a strict deadline. It's about collaborating, improvising, creative camera angles, and learning basic editing. Together come up with a short scenario at school including a short conversation. The goal is to film it, capture it into the computer, and edit it within a week. This is a 5 day assignment. There should be 5-8 people in your group. Get together with handout and pitch your ideas to the group. Discuss possible themes, actions, and concepts. Brainstorm, share, and combine ideas. Keep it simple and short. Agree on a theme and then quickly write a short script with a plot, setting, and dialogue.
Assign roles to each person in the group. You need a screenwriter, a director, actors, and a camera person for production. In post-production everyone will be editors. All students will create their own unique version. Keep production between 90 seconds and two minutes. All combined raw footage should be less than 5 minutes.
After writing script signup to check out a camera and tripod. Shoot scene(s) several times from various angles. USE TRIPOD or keep camera stabilized. Follow guidelines about filming a close-up, medium, and distant shot of each clip. Don't cross over sides when actors are in conversation. Stay on one side.
After filming, capture footage. Open Adobe Premiere, attach firewire cord, and follow handout. Transfer footage to Z:drive. Each student should copy that footage from Z: to their C:drive "Desktop". Create a folder on your desktop for all video files.
You must have all files on your C:Drive to make a film. After you have footage on your C:drive, begin editing. Open Premiere and import footage. To watch tutorials on basic editing click Nortel or Atomiclearning. Trim to a smooth sounding dialogue. Watch "Overview" and "Project : Introduction" here if you didn't see them in class.
Your group sitcom should have a title, include dialogue, sound effects and/or music, and a visual effect such as: freeze effect or one below
Sped up - time manipulation
Slow motion time manipulation
Reversal
Daily Suggested Schedule
Day 1 - Write your ideas for a short sitcom conversation and skit. Watch introduction videos if needed. Get into groups, share ideas, choose concept, theme, roles, and plan out whole production. Write script.
Day 2 - Check out camera and tripod. Film all scenes from various angles (at least 3 clips of each phrase of dialogue).
Day 3 - Capture footage and copy to Z: drive and then onto everyone's individual computers to their C:drive, Desktop. Open Premiere and edit.
Day 4 - Edit all angles, add title, visual effect, audio, and credits.
Day 5 - Finish editing. After you're finished editing critique them as a group. Have others suggest ideas. Polish it and export the final version to your desktop. Turn it in.
**Export as Quicktime H.264 file (Quality = 100, dimesions = 720x540, bitrate = 3,000) to your C:drive. Copy files to Z:drive for grade and your portfolio.
Criteria
creative title & credits
90-120 seconds total duration
dialogue with multiple angles
audio - sound effects or music - findsounds or jamendo
visual effect - one or more above
