This class is designed to expand on the skills people learned in their introductory TDP video workshop (if this applies). The 6 sessions will include film making techniques, experiments with a a few video genres (psa and documentary) and settings (documenting an event or discussion, interviewing in less than ideal settings) and resources on how to plan a video and tell meaningful stories. The products generated include a series of mini-video assignments that help to develop mastery of concepts and techniques. Ideally, these mini-assignments will build toward work on a larger theme or topic. Though some participants may emerge with a polished short video, you are not expected to create a final product but rather invited to learn some building blocks in order to create more professional and meaningful work in the future or to gain skills that you can use immediately in a classroom.

Planning to attend? REGISTER HERE.

Ideally, participants will choose a larger theme that shorter assignments could contribute to. So, if your topic is: Charters should drop the lawsuit, then in every class you would create a piece that adds something to your topic.

Examples of topics:

Charters should drop their lawsuit
Every student at City College needs to be able to take the IB
Bullying in School: Young people as peace keepers
Students’ Bill of Rights: A Series of Dramatizations
Students getting a say in the assessment of their own learning
A good parent-teacher conference where the power and learning goes both ways
What parents think about school
Why my school needs more money

The next level (intermediate) class will be offered in spring 2016, with 6 group sessions plus one-on-one assistance focused on developing a polished final product that could screen at the TDP end-of-year event: “School Stories: The Human Face of Policy.” This intermediate class starts on February 24th and finishes on June 9. For those that want to create pieces that can be used in advocacy or professional development, we encourage participation in both sessions.

As a participant in the class you gain access to TDP’s video equipment that can be used in the classroom or for other education projects. There is a stipend of $350 available for anyone who produces a finished product by June 9.

Schedule: 6 Wednesday sessions- Dec. 2, 9, 16 & Jan 6, 13, 20 5-7pm

Session Overview (will alter based on the interest of participants)

Class 1: How to plan a documentary.

Power and privilege as a filmmaker: Who are you as the video producer? If you are telling someone else’s story how are you sure they would approve?
What makes for a powerful story in documentary? Creating the narrative arc.
The steps: Research history and context, outline goals and narrative structure (can change but helps to determine questions), identify key players/interviewees, determine shooting style, identify broll, editing, titles or narrator, finishing.
Assignment- create your documentary plan (template provided)

Class 2: The Art of the Interview

Shooting Techniques- sound, interviewee placement, light, talk room, shots
How to make a story from interviews
Assignment- conduct a short interview

Class 3: PSA’s:

Watching samples and decoding for audience and message and analyzing technique
Techniques for how to shoot a dramatization
Storyboards and shot lists
Design your own PSA
Assignment: Shooting PSA using in camera edits as much as possible

Class 4: Editing and broll

Edit PSA or interview in class
Assignment- Finish editing

Class 5: Finishing touches

Watch PSA’s or edited interview and examine for quality of sound, image, creativity, narrative arc, message
Add titles, music, fades, audio levels
Assignment: Document a class or important meeting.

Class 6: Video as assessment. Explore frameworks that could be used to analyze the footage shot in the assignment so that video might help teachers and students reflect, and/or meet assessment goals.