Wha’ppen?

I viewed the session on Film School for Video Podcasters, Better Classroom Movies, with Mathew Needleman.  Mathew had me hooked from the very beginning in his use of the “Our Feature Presentation” clip.  That oldie but goodie coming movie house clip reminded me of many Saturday afternoons spent in my hometown’s Wink Theater, and in watching those double feature horror flicks.  Perhaps (to Mathew’s credit) he also used this clip as a shout-out to Quentin Tarantino, whose recent “Grindhouse”  was an homage to the type of flicks I used to watch at the Wink.  But I digress.  Mathew’s intent was in helping teachers see the need for students to use videos as a way to think critically, to analyze the medium, and, most importantly, become better storytellers.  In the use of video as a visual medium, Mathew gave these tips:  •storyboard your video scene by scene SHOT BY SHOT; •draw pictures first, and then decide where you want to put the movie frame; •make notes of camera angles; and •gain visual experience to know what types of shots you need.  Mathew’s discussion on exposition (that can be found in not just dialogue, and not just titles but also music, flashbacks, voice over’) was particularly helpful, as was the instruction on the “Rule of thirds.  Lastly, the segment on “Mad Movie Making” and the equipment Advice on microphone, camera, and lighting will certainly come in handy as I become more proficient and more at ease in using this visual medium in my classroom.  Mathew Needleman’s blog, Creating Lifelong Learners, was also interesting and helpful in its graphics and the examples it tells.