A Little Bit of Animation

I am very lucky.  I am released an afternoon a week to take a small (4 students) film making group of Year Six (Grade Five) students.  Our focus is a current affair style programme that we produce once a term.  I modelled this programme loosely on the Selwyn Ridge Primary School, film crew.

The aim of the show is to:

  • celebrate events happening within our school community
  • share learning that is happening in our classrooms and school

There are four different roles for students in the RSS Crew:

Director
The Director’s job involves managing people, organising content for the show and directing people on camera. They need to watch all the cameras and make sure they are prepared for upcoming shots.  The Director will also be required to do some extra study to learn about the technical aspects of shooting a scene.

Reporter
The Reporter role in the team involves writing scripts and presenting
in front of the camera. They are also responsible for interviewing guests in the studio, and keeping the audience entertained.

Editor
The Editor’s work alongside the camera operator to download footage. They will use iMovie to edit and put together different segments of the show. They also add sound and music to the show.

Camera Operator
The Camera Operator’s job involves shooting scenes in the studio and at various locations, keeping track of footage that has been shot, and looking after video equipment. They work closely with the Director and the Editors.

During a ‘slow news week’ we created a film crew credit sequence in the form of an animation.  We used I Can Animate to film this simple piece with only a Whiteboard, Whiteboard Markers and a Eraser as props.

Here is the finished piece: