Summer Film Challenge #4 and Challenge #3 Winner
Documentary Filmmaking — Stories from Quarantine
This week we’re asking you to hone your storytelling skills by making a documentary video about the quarantine experience. Focus your lens on yourself or a family member or friend to share a real life story from this historic moment in time. Summer Challenge #4 can be enjoyed by filmmaking students of all ages.
What You’ll Need
1. iPhone or iPad with the iMovie app (free to download), or any camera and editing platform you’re comfortable with.
2. A person (this could be you!) who you can interview on camera.
Challenge Rules
In this challenge, you’ll create a documentary video that is under 3 minutes long. All videos must include at least one B-roll segment. (B-roll is supplemental or alternative footage intercut with the main shot.) Please watch our TPH At Home video referenced in To Get Started below. Your video can be autobiographical (about you) or it can be about any family member or friend. If you are interviewing anyone besides yourself, please be sure to get their permission to share your video publicly before you begin. We are looking specifically for stories of our collective time spent at home over the past several months. How are our lives different? How are they the same? Have there been any heroes in your life? Are you the hero of your own quarantine story? Follow the links under Inspiration for a few examples.
To Get Started
1. Watch our TPH “arts break” video featuring TPH instructor Laura Meoli-Ferrigon for a personal introduction to her New York Emmy-winning documentary. Be sure to scroll down and read all of her tips for documentary filmmaking in the comments section on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/420379806
2. For a quick editing tutorial, watch How to Edit in iMovie here: Edit an iMovie
3. For framing, lighting, and sound tips check out 8 essential tips for recording professional quality videos from home: http://www.laurameoli.com/blog/8-essential-tips-for-recording-professional-quality-videos-from-home
To Submit Your Video
Save your finished video and send to teacher@thepicturehouse.org no later than 5:00pm on Monday, August 17th. The winning video(s) will be shared via email and TPH social media on Wednesday, August 19th. All videos submitted by the deadline will be included in our Student Showcase in September. Please include Film Challenge #4 in the subject line, and include in the body of the email the name of the movie you’re recreating, plus your first name and grade.
Inspiration
He Who Dances on Wood: https://vimeo.com/189320427
‘Isolation’ Docudrama (Almost entirely B-roll): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8mf78Q4z5E
Enjoy, and don’t forget to submit your finished video by 5:00 pm on Monday, August 17th to teacher@thepicturehouse.org!
The Picture House Education at Home
We Have a Winner!
In our third Summer Film Challenge, Fast Forward, we asked participants to capture and reveal a process that would normally appear slow and subtle to the human eye. The winning video is Bracelet Yourself by Brayden and Kendall Clark. Congratulations to Brayden and Kendall and thank you to everyone who participated!