Today’s education system faces irrelevance unless we bridge the gap between how students live and how they learn.  Schools are struggling to keep pace with the astonishing rate of change in students' lives outside of school.  Students will spend their adult lives in a multitasking, multifaceted, technology driven, diverse, vibrant world--and they must arrive equipped to do so.

- Teaching & Learning in the 21st Century, Gateway to 21st Century Skills

Students are learning new technologies at breakneck speed. It is my job to teach how to use those technologies for more than just games and play. In the Video Production Unit, students learn how to use digital still and video cameras for educational purposes, to achieve a goal and express themselves in a different way.

Webquest Directions:

Using the handout given to you by your teacher, answer the questions using what you have learned in class and the links on this page.

1. What type of cameras will we use in class? Be specific.

2. What is the difference between video camera 1 and camera 2? (Link to pics)

Use this link to answer the following questions: Camera Control

3. Why is using a tripod so important?

4. How can you steady the camera if you don't have a tripod?

5. Why is it bad to zoom too much? (see the section titled "Support Your Local Camcorder")

6. Read the section titled "Getting Real," and answer:

a. What are some "amateur" techniques to make your video look unprofessional? *Hint: don't do these!

b. What types of shows use these techniques?

Part 2: Shots (no, not the kind you get at the doctor's!)

"Shots" are the smallest part of a movie. They are the bits that you see between each time the camera changes view or angle. We will practice recognizing shots in class, so that you can begin to use a variety of shots in your filming. There is nothing more boring than a movie shot with the same camera angle for the whole movie! Different shots and angles make it more exciting and more professional.

Check out this link to answer the following questions: Camera Shots

1. In written expression, the basic building block is the word. The video equivalent of a word is a _____ ___.

2. What is the "garden hose" approach to filming?

3. Why should you NOT "be a hoser?"

The Basic Camera Shots

Read this section and watch the movie clips (links to clips are in blue) in each sub-section.

4. What is the "angle of view" and how do you change it?

5. What is a Long Shot, also known as an Establishing shot?

6. What is the subject of the movie clip for a medium shot? (watch the clip- tell what you see)

7. Describe the difference between a close-up and an extreme close-up.

Part Three: The Rule of Thirds

Many centuries ago, artists developed rules to guide them when painting or positioning objects in a rectangular frame. They discovered that certain placements were more pleasing and that the eye was drawn to some areas of the canvas more readily. The Rule of thirds is used in still and video photography to make pictures and movies look better. See this link for more info and to answer the questions: Rule Of Thirds

1. Watch the video and read about the rule of thirds. What does it mean?

2. What is headroom?

3. What is lead space?

4. Describe at least three problems with the background that can make your shot or picture look bad.