into the act by recommending books and singing the school song.
A STUDIO IN DEMAND Beyond the “Moby videos” and morning newscasts, Kenwood Studios has become a bustling place. Fourth and fifth grad- ers continue to collaborate with staff and younger students to create videos of band concerts, string concerts, and public service announcements. In March, students helped produce an exciting Autism Awareness Video which was shown throughout the district. The music exploration class created sets and provided music for a “Godzilla” short film that was used to support our Positive Behavior initiative in the school.
• Camera People who create shots based on the storyboard.
• Video Editors who capture and edit the video using the iMac.
MOVIE MAKING; IT’S ELEMENTARY The creation of the first script was slow in developing for two reasons. First, the students were unfamiliar with the script- writing. Examples and mini-lessons from the media specialist resolved this issue. A larger stumbling block was the lack of col- laboration time. Students working on the video were from different classrooms with different schedules. To alleviate this prob- lem, the media specialist set up a wiki to provide a forum for students to collaborate from home. This helped speed up the script- writing process. However, it wasn’t until the media specialist opened up the studio to the crew after school hours that script-writing and movie making really took off.
The video editors practiced and honed their skills while the script was being writ- ten. Tutorial videos from
www.Lynda.com , as well as YouTube videos were helpful instructional resources for the students and the media specialist. When the filming was completed the editors already knew how to capture video clips, apply Chromakey filters, add transitions, sounds and titles to the video clips. Chromakey filtering allows the layering of two images so that one image appears in front of a different background image through the use of a green screen.
Students also made use of the after-school studio sessions to create backgrounds and
MACULJOURNAL |
sound. Many students opted to create digital backgrounds using KidPix software and then exporting their files to jpeg format, which works well with Final Cut. Motion backgrounds were created with the GL2 video camera as well. Digital sounds and music were easily created with the Garage Band software that comes installed on the iMac.
There is no shortage of aspiring actors and camera-people among elementary students. Unlike many of their Hollywood counter- parts, these young Michigan actors are very easy to work with. It doesn’t take long for these future thespians to recognize the value of rehearsing and practicing their lines. Students tend to self-impose high standards when they have a chance to show their product to their peers. The camera work for Chromakey videos is relatively simple. After the camera position is established, the cam- era remains fixed; no panning, no zooming. Students operating the camera began to provide input regarding shot angles as they became comfortable shooting the video.
MENTORING OPPORTUNITIES One intention of the studio was to have fourth and fifth graders mentor the lower grades. The studio provided this opportuni- ty using vehicles beyond the scope of “Moby Movies”. A daily Kenwood Kids Newscast found a real home in the studio and became a dynamic part of every morning. The newscast, staffed by fourth and fifth graders, expanded to include kindergarten and first graders leading the school in the pledge of allegiance while patriotic songs play in the background. Second and third graders get
Winter 2010/11 |
MEASURING SUCCESS In April of 2010, Kenwood Studio was high- lighted during “academic spotlight” portion of the local school board meeting. Accolades were given to those involved with the stu- dio, as well as MACUL for providing the resources.
A survey was distributed to the classroom teachers through
www.SurveyMonkey.com. Responses indicate that Kenwood Studios boosts students’ confidence, enhanced team- work, improved reading comprehension and fluency, improved public speaking skills, and even had positive impact on attendance. “Involvement with Kenwood Studio and Kenwood Kid News has enhanced motiva- tion and added excitement to learning.”
The most compelling argument for deeming Kenwood Studios a success is found in the interviews with the participating students. The fifth grade student who produced the first Moby video reflected about her experi- ence, indicating that her favorite job was “using the camera”. Her biggest challenge? “Producing…because a lot of people have all these great ideas and you can only pick one.”
One crew member overflowed with newly- found confidence as she expressed how her experience “was hard because I’m not that good at reading…but it was fun because you get to mess around and do camera work and be in it like a Superstar.”
And shouldn’t every student know that they are a Superstar?
Michael Garrity is a media specialist and teaches computers in Clawson Public Schools. He can be reached via email at:
mgarrity@clawson.k12.mi.us
33
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36