Drama

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Recommended skills, experiences and equipment

Time management and organisational skills
Practical experience with video-making
Access to camera and editing facilities.

Understanding the medium

Project advisers in other subject areas may be sought if the drama teacher is unfamiliar with video making.
Students need to develop an appreciation of the short film genre. Short film festivals are helpful in conceptualising the finished product.
Students will be required to undertake the roles of:
- writer
- director
- camera operator
- editor

Planning and time management

Because of the diverse roles of the video maker, planning and time management are crucial to the project's success.

Tips for video makers

Plan a realistic project in terms of equipment, time, commitments and resources.
Draw up a schedule for the whole project, allowing plenty of time for unexpected occurrences
Adhere to your schedule as rigidly as possible.
Concentrate on developing a simple idea and stick with it.
Keep dialogue to a minimum. Sound problems are a weakness of amateur video making
Limit yourself to the smallest possible cast and use only reliable actors.
Book and rehearse actors well in advance of shooting.
Be familiar with all equipment prior to use. Research and experiment as much as possible.
Check out locations early.
Plan for problems with equipment, weather or actors.
Record all decisions in your logbook.

Selecting a subject

The subject should be a simple idea because of restricted time and resources.

There are a variety of genres to select from: comedy, mystery, adventure, romance, etc.

Developing a narrative

Don't write a script to begin. A plot summary is much more manageable. Later this can be divided into scenes.
Tell the story through video language, relying on the visuals rather than dialogue.
Scripts should be precise in describing what each scene contains.
Each scene should have a special impact on the audience.
Beginnings and endings are crucial.
Juggling time: keep scenes to bare essentials without confusing the audience.
Dialogue should be minimal. The actions of characters, the settings and the props are as important as the dialogue. Look for a visual way of conveying information.

Settings and locations

Locations will need to be selected before a detailed script can be written.
Each location has its own atmosphere, sense of space, light, colour and mood.
The setting should be intimately connected with the story.
Location should be considered in practical terms: difficulties in filming, sound problems and light problems.
While checking out locations consider possible shots.

The storyboard

Break the script down into camera shots.

The storyboard is a detailed drawing of the sequence of shots to be taken.

Storyboards are similar to comic strips.

Storyboards will be used at the shoot.

Camera techniques

Students should research and experiment with different shots and camera techniques - close ups, medium shots, long shots, panning, zooming, framing or point of view shots.

Awareness of all your video camera's functions and operations is essential.

CHECK LIST FOR A SHOOT Video

Actors rehearsed and ready
Locations checked out
Storyboard complete
Competent with equipment use and everything in working order
Awareness of lighting and sound problems of location
Close access to video player and monitor to check product.

Editing

Editing is a way of playing with time and controlling the pace of the video.
The end product should be a coherent whole, rather than looking like a series of shots.
There should be a mixture of long shots, close-ups and medium shots.
Editing techniques should be researched prior to actual editing.
Assistance may be sought on the technical operation of editing equipment, but final editing should be completed by students themselves.
An editing script will be devised prior to editing and any variations should be recorded in the script.

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