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• Introductory Exercises

Teaching Moving Image Arts

Introductory Exercises

Introductory Exercise: ‘Concentration’

While no great script, this exercise will introduce your students to the building blocks of film-making (the shoot needs only the classroom and corridor). You, of course, can write your own exercise but, for the study of film language to make sense, it is imperative that your students have this rudimentary understanding.

You should undertake this exercise or one like it in the first few weeks of the course. All filmmaking is a play between the shot and the cut. Explain the basics of filming and editing to your students. Clip P1 will illustrate the basic possibilities. If you have a large group, divide it in two. In each team, you need two actors, a director, a cameraperson and a clapper loader. Ensure your students understand why the shots are not filmed chronologically. Now, following the shooting schedule, go through each shot following these steps (show your students Clip P2 first).

• The director arranges the team and tells them where to go.
• The director checks that the framing of the shot corresponds to that in the storyboard and instructs the clapper loader to write the shot and take number on the clapperboard. (Paper and marker will do if needs be)
• The director calls ‘camera’ (lights and sound not relevant here), cameraperson confirms the camera is rolling by echoing ‘camera’, calls for quiet on set and indicates to the clapper loader to ‘call the shot’.
• Clapper loader shows the clapperboard to the cameras, calls out which shot and take it is, claps the board and moves out of the way.
• Director calls ‘Action’ and the actors act out the shot.
• Director calls ‘cut’ (this should be done after a pause to facilitate editing). If they are satisfied, they can move on to the next shot. If not, another take will be necessary.

As the sound will not be recorded separately as is the norm, there is no need to actually clap (this is done to provide the editor with a visual ‘spike’ which can be lined up on screen) but the students enjoy this bit most!

When all the footage has been taken, the students can be introduced to the editing software and how to capture their footage, assemble a ‘rough cut’ and then edit it down. Finally they can add titles and music. Clip P3 shows the finished exercise and your students can compare theirs to it. This exercise teaches them more or less everything they need to know about the basics of shooting and editing.

Download script, storyboard, etc.