Maiking a video

The process of making a video varies depending on the subject and the group of pupils. It is essential to establish some previous steps before making the video. The video must show what has been learnt and it is necessary to investigate before making it.
Some phases must be completed:

1. FUNDAMENTALS: study and investigate the topic and write a text including the bibliography and the resources that have been used.
2. SYNTHESIS: summarize the investigation work. A brief introduction presenting the most important points must be written in order to focus the theme. It is to write the script for the narrative audio track. It must be short (some silences must be included in the video in order to focus the attention on the images) and it shouldn’t be a repetition of what the images are showing.
3. STORYBOARD: design the frames, shots, close-ups… so that they are correlated to the synthesis prepared before. Trough this plan we guaranty that we are going obtain the images that will show the contents according to the topic of the video. With a bad storyboard there will be images with no relation with the narration on the film. This file will help you to do it.
4. REVISION AND REMAKE: Once the students have conclude the three previous phases of the project, they have to show their job to the teacher and it is better to do it with electronic format. The teacher will check all the materials and will make any suggestions or changes.
5. RECORDING: it is now when we have to start recording. Pupils must do exactly what it has be planned. Only the person who has fulfilled the previous stages properly will be allowed to record. If a group cannot finish the video, the students will be assessed taking into account the tasks made in the three previous phases. Every group has a video-tape and an assigned time to record the video (one or two afternoons maximum).
6. EDITION: once the images are recorded you have to edit them including the effects and transitions that help to show what you really want.
7. AUDIO RECORDING: finally you have to add music, sounds and the comments. It is worthy to choose a music without lyrics because it could be mixed with the comments and making them not enough clear. It is also worthy to have some parts without dialogue so that the spectator can relax and watch the images. The speech mustn’t tell what it is shown on the images but give information and explain what it is watched.

It is amazing how the students are motivated when they have to do school works with video. The rigorousness of the investigation is guaranteed when you have to go through some previous steps before making the videos. Pupils want their videos to be attractive and this is reflected on the work they do.

What it is done at home and at school

Teachers will have to plan the activities taking into account the resources the school has, how many lessons they want to take for the activity, how many pupils will participate, etc.
In our case we have tried to make all the students in a class take part in the activity. We have make groups of two or three components. Now we show three different ways of how some of the teachers have plan the activity:

1. INTERDISCIPLINARY WEEK: during this week the normal routine is broken and the students have two, three or four days in order to make an interdisciplinary work. This activity is done once a year. One of the classes has to make a scientific video. The teacher planed several activities to be done during one week: investigation about the theme using bibliography, preparation of a synthesis, learning how to use the necessary software, preparation of the laboratory practice, recording, etc. All the activities were done at the time of normal lessons.
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2. FOUR LESSONS: Some teachers want to develop a more guided activity and they take several days:
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   - In the first lesson the teacher explains what the students have to do: the stages, the bibliography, etc. After that the pupils begin making the fundamentals.
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   - The second session is dedicated to complete the three first phases: fundamentals, synthesis and storyboard. The teacher revises the works the students present.
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   - In case the students don’t know how to use the software to make the videos, the third class is dedicated to learn it.
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   - The students keep working on their own: they take the video-cameras in turns and when the have recorded the images they have one weekend to edit the video. Another lesson is dedicated to finish the videos.
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3. ONE OR TWO LESSONS: a video can be done in one or two lessons:
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   - The first lesson dedicated to explain the activity: phases, turns to use the cameras, computers…, when to finish the tasks, etc.
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   - The second lesson dedicated to teach how to use the video edition software. Obviously this is not necessary if the students have already used the programs.

Practical advices:

1. Planning, check out, deliver. Everything must be planned according to the School circumstances and according to the subject. Sometimes, the first time teachers try to make a video project, they thing students won’t be capable of doing it. This is understandable, but if the project is properly planned it is amazing what the students can do.
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2. Delivery dates. If someone hasn’t gone through every task in time and he can’t make the video, you can evaluate the work he has done, but it’s better not to change the delivery dates.
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3. Help but allow the students to make it on their own. Students should feel free to do what they want.
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4. Showing session. Once the videos are ready they have to be watched by all the students and the teacher has to make comments about the content and the way it is presented. These comments are very useful to make the students learn how the audiovisual language works.