Media students making 5-seconds films
Each year in Media, students are required to take the Five Second Film challenge. Given a double period time constraint, they have to write, plan, film and edit in groups.
Each group begins with a title pulled out of a hat or bucket or whichever container is at hand! Then the group has to brainstorm and come up with a narrative that relates either specifically or broadly to the title. The narrative is then made into the plot outline to show how the story will unfold.
The next stage is to plan out camera angles, lighting, and scenes through storyboarding. With no time for location scouting, they must rely on their own knowledge of the school grounds from their time in Term 1 when they were outside with the cameras taking still images. All this occurs while the countdown timer is on for 40 minutes.
Then with 20 minutes allocated to film their footage, they learn how quickly time goes and to use time wisely.
Then it is back to the classroom to download, view and decide as a group how to edit. All students must keep their raw footage as they then create their own ‘directors cut’ individually the following lesson.
Although this is a fast paced challenge, it gives students the opportunity to understand how the process works in a group context as well as have the chance to make their own short film.
It’s a great fun lead into the upcoming 30 second short film.
Mrs Joanna Jeffery - Creative Arts teacher
A Catholic School in the Salesian Tradition
