Cut the frames of the story apart and give a complete set to each group. Their assignment is to order the frames to tell a story, writing their own dialog. They can leave out frames and they can copy frames, but they cannot draw new ones. Beginning Video Exercises These first exercises are designed to familiarize students with the gear, to stimulate creative thinking and group cooperation. All the editing on these first two assignments happens in the camera-shots are taped in the order in which they will finally be shown.
Students work in groups of two to four.
Illustrate the alphabet with individual shots or whole scenes. Be literal, be poetical, or be metaphorical. This can become a game-the production crew sprinkles clues for the letters in their shot and the other groups compete to identify the correct letter. You can make up something for the occasion, use a line of poetry, a crossword puzzle clue, a phrase from a song, or a phrase from the daily paper. Picking a particular point of view, moment in time, and unusual proximity can allow us to see something extraordinary in something ordinary.