scottleduc

One Minute Film

CC image Girl with clock by Marco Verch at Flickr
CC image Girl with clock by Marco Verch at Flickr

Material below was adapted from the 2019 IB Film Teacher Support Material

Project Description

1. Select a starting point or prompt (this will cut down the amount of time spent in coming up with an idea)

  • Inspiration for this prompt might feasibly come from:
    • an event or news item
    • an idea, issue, question or theme
    • an image or photograph
    • a prop
    • an existing film script or storyboard
    • a character (fictitious or real)
    • a location or establishment.

2. Create a one-minute public service announcement (PSA) based on an issue or theme of relevance to students … or

3. Create a one-minute advertisement for an activity, club or event at the school or in the community

Timeline

  • Write meaningful reflections and feedback in your film journals as part of their daily routine
  • Collectively critique film work from day one
  • 1–2 classes for pre-production
  • 2–3 classes for production
  • 2–4 classes for post-production
  • Screen films and give feedback

Pre-production

  • Work in groups of three or four (depending on the amount of equipment available—although, for this assignment, even a mobile device or smartphone is capable of acting as a camera)
  • Provide students with a stimuli or prompt
    • This could be a topic, theme or a starting point (similar to what you would use in theatre or for creative writing)
  • Brainwrite and Brainstorm a one-minute film
  • Create storyboard on paper
  • Pitch storyboard

Production

  • Learn how to operate the film equipment
    • Camera, tripod, and microphone
  • Film the one-minute film
  • Work on campus for this project

Post-production

  • Learn to edit a sequence
  • Edit your film together

Resources

Steps

  • Watch 1 minute shorts similar to your planned film
  • Research Film Production Roles
  • Create a blog post titled, One Minute Film
  • Copy and paste these headings into the post:
    • Summary
    • Pre-production (Inquiry)
    • Production (Action)
    • Post-production (Reflection)
  • Complete the Pre-production (Inquiry)  section
  • Complete film and upload to YouTube as unlisted
  • Embed the film under the Production (Action) heading
  • Write what skills/choices you performed/made are observable in the film in the Production (Action) section
  • Complete the Post-production (Reflection) section
  • Complete the Summary section
    • Describe the what and why of the project

Required Components

Inquiry

Reflect on watching, discussing, and/or writing about films in preparation for this project
Identify areas of filmmaking that excite and inspire you about this project
With your team, develop filmmaker intentions you would like to achieve through this production work

Selected a film production role
Research/Acquire techniques required to work in this role
Plan for practically exploring the chosen film production role in order to acquire, develop and apply skills, and to fulfill stated filmmaker intentions

Action

Undertake a range of practical production activities in the chosen film production role
Experience working both individually and collaboratively in film activities
Grapple with the skills associated with the film production role
Attempt to effectively fulfill stated filmmaker intentions

Reflection

Make clear links to the identified films and filmmakers that inspired this work
Reflect on explorations and on the impact this learning has had on your understanding of the film production role and the extent to which they fulfilled their filmmaker intentions