Filmmaking Basics

Filmmaking Basics is a course designed for tweens and teens who want a beginner's course in all things filmmaking. The idea of this course is to give an introduction to the building blocks that make up a film including its pre-production, production, and post-production phases. Included are handouts on screenwriting, shot design, camera angels, basic lighting and sound, and editing. All the tools I use are free, though internet access is recommended for maximum learning.

course outline

Workshop Goal: At the end of the Filmmaking Basics course, students will have basic knowledge of scriptwriting, camera movements and editing along with an understanding of how the film process works, giving them the foundation to begin creating movies on their own.

Course Topics
Each topic can be used independently or as whole to give tweens and teens a crash course in that topic.

Topic One: Sceenwriting, Treatments & Pitching
Topic Two: Pre-visualization & Designing Shots
Topic Three: Video Challenge
Topic Four: Editing
Topic Five: Editing with Effects
Topic Six: Screening & Feedback

 

Software
Please select the underlined descriptor to learn how to download these programs for your computer.

NOTE:  If you are using the topics as a whole, curriculum can be adjusted to accommodate meeting times. Filming and editing take the longest amount of time and screenwriting can be condensed down and combined with storyboarding to maximize shorter meeting times. 

TOPICS BREAKDOWN / HANDOUTS
Please select the underlined descriptor for the handout you seek.

Topic One: Screenwriting
A discussion of the fundamentals of screenwriting, the benefits of writing a treatment and pitching your story in Hollywood.

  1. Screenwriting, Treatments & Pitching
  2. The Three Act Structure
  3. Sample Script

 

Topic Two: Pre-Viz & Camera Shots
An overview of the pre-visualization process after the script has been written including a crash course in camera shots.

  1. Pre-visualization
  2. Designing the Shots
  3. Shot Descriptors Presentation w/ Movie Clip Examples
  4. Camera Angles
  5. Storyboard Template

Topic Three: Video Challenge
Students will create a 15-30 second video using pre-determined criteria (of your choice!) and available cameras. They will use the shots they learned to piece together a cohesive story. Videos could be commercials, stop-motion pieces, short vignettes, etc. but this should be decided during week one. Cameras don't have to be fancy--phones can work--it just has to be a camera that can pick up sound!

Topic Four: Editing
Depending on the editing software available, this session will be a quick introduction into basic editing. Students will then begin to edit their video.

1. HANDOUTS COMING SOON.

Topic Five: Editing with Effects
Students will continue to edit their videos and adding effects (sound and titles) to their videos.

Topic Six: Screening & Feedback
Students will share their final videos and learn about the other roles on set.

1. HANDOUTS COMING SOON.

Telling your story through video--a guide for teens about shot styles and how to make a successful video.

Mary Doodles and Whitney Lee Milam share some tools and techniques for making useful storyboards.

Additional Resources

To find additional scripts to read, visit Simply Scripts, a site filled with scripts from both TV and film. The scripts on this site are in downloadable PDF format and many feature the progression of a film from an early draft to the final draft.