S307 Smartphone Video Basics Workshop - lesson plan

# S307 Smartphone Video Basics Workshop - lesson plan ## Summary: Workshop for S307 A&L HGSE students to learn the basic elements involved in creating a video from a smartphone, including how to plan, shoot, and make simple edits. ## Intro: **Why we're here** : Preparing for final assignment. Learn a few skills, experiment, and play. Final assignment will be 3-5 min video. Students may choose to include: video footage, still photos, interviews, voiceovers, and more. **What we're doing** : Will cover - what to consider before, during, and after filming. 2 activities, opportunities to share. **Whole group** : What do you know about videography? What do you wish you knew? (This can inform activities, adjust to student interests/needs) *WATCH* - Example video. (IF TIME: on cards, write down everything you notice. Just a word to capture a concept, style, or technique). *Look at lighting, audio, style (scripted), imagery , BTS, setting shots, children (back of head), incidental footage (conversation, no clue how that will go), participants (impact of hearing the students' voices), varying types of footage (technical info punctuated by conversation), transcribing some student dialogue, timelapse * --- **BEFORE:** Before filming, consider *phone settings, sound, and release forms* - **Phone Settings** - Shoot in best quality possible, 4k. Use 24 fps. (**PHONE DEMO**) - **Sound** - **Just phone is fine**, but can use headphones (wired through a shirt if you want), check out a mic, or, **just control environment** - **Dampen echos** with blankets in the room, stay away from fridge, air vents, wind, even surround your phone with cusions - For **voiceover** – put a blanket over yourself and record - BUT – repeat that process going forward. If you record in one situation, recreate that the next time you record - **Release forms** - Don’t really need to worry about this, unless you’re working with kids. In that case, we can connect to talk about considerations. --- ### Activity A Defamiliarize an object - **pick one object**, take as many photos as you can of that one object. How many ways can you photograph it? What happens? How many factors can you control? Photograph: 3 mins Share: Overhead camera - students demo - what did you learn? What thoughts did you have? --- **DURING**: During filming, consider imagery, lighting - **Filming** - One **orientation** vs another (horizontal for our purposes!) - **Types of footage**: Interviews, footage of the building where your project took place, behind the scenes. BTS footage – it might feel boring now, or not the main event, but it can be so useful later. - **Explore what you can do in the moment** – walking through, using certain angles, tilting up isn’t good so keep it level, playing with lighitng - Fun tricks with your phone – timelapse, slow motion (define these things) - **Lighting** - Use white posterboard to angle light toward you, or a desk lamp with parchment paper over it to diffuse --- ### Activity B Testing what we've talked about - adjust camera settings, investigate phone features. Film: 5 mins Share: Overhead camera - students demo - what did you learn? What thoughts did you have? Observe: audio, framing, lighting --- **AFTER**: After filming, consider sharing and storing footage, editing - **Sharing/storing** - Use google drive, wechat, whatsapp, wetransfer - Make a system – date, time, location - **Editing** - Micro editing footage in phone [**PHONE DEMO**] - Adding music and other footage – use Prelinger Archive, beatoven . ai, and more --- Finally, if time/interest, can practice air dropping video footage and practice simple edits on a timeline, on LL computers.