movie magic primary schools enrichment pack
TRANSCRIPT
Movie magic
Primary Schools Enrichment Pack
Key Stages 1 and 2
These activities have been collected from the teams at Islington Council who work
on Careers, Arts and Creative, and Music activities with schools.
Weāve selected some fun learning worksheets that you can do with your children
around the topic of āMovie magicā! You wonāt need a computer to complete these.
Whatās in the pack?
We picked some ideas that let you explore the theme of āmovie magicā from your
own home. Most of these activities have been gathered from Into Film, an
educational charity that runs films-based programmes for children and ScreenSkills,
an industry-led skills body for the screen industries.
Creative activities:
1) Film picture puzzles
2) Directors Mood Board 3) Make a thaumotrope
World of Work activities:
1) Who makes a movie?
2) Which film career are you?
3) Visual storytelling
4) Be a film critic
Ā© Into Film 2016. All rights reserved
ACTIVITY:
GAMES
Look at the pictures below, and try to name the films based on the picture clues. If you get stuck, try saying what you can see out loud.
Example:
THE The Lion King=
Simple Picture Puzzles
Picture Puzzles
Ā© Into Film 2016. All rights reserved
ACTIVITY:
GAMES
Trickier Picture Puzzles
AWAY
And
Next steps
ā¢ Now youāve got the hang of these, try making your own picture puzzle like the ones above.
Then swap with your neighbour and try to guess each otherās puzzles.
ā¢ As well as films, you could try making them for characters, actors, or directors too ā or better
yet, think up some categories of your own!
ā¢ How many different ways can you think of to draw the same film? For example, you could
draw Beauty and the Beast as a beautiful lady and a monster, or you could draw a ghost, a cup
of tea, the words āand theā, some bumblebees, and the letter T (Boo-tea and the Bees-t). Try to
make your puzzles as creative as possible!
Ā© Into Film 2016. All rights reserved
ACTIVITY:
GAMES
Quick-fire challenge
Looking at the images below, try to think of as many films as you can that feature that
object. Can you think of any films that include more than one of these things?
Ā© Into Film 2018. All rights reserved
ACTIVITY:
FILMMAKING
Lead a creative brainstorm with your production team to generate ideas for a short film. Once you have decided on the basics below, you will
share your vision using a directorās mood board.
Directorās Mood Board
Write your film synopsis (3 sentences maximum):
Describe when and where the film is set (e.g. A dystopian world in 2019):
What is the overall mood of the film? How will you show this through
costumes or settings?
Directorās notes
Ā© Into Film 2018. All rights reserved
ACTIVITY:
FILMMAKING
Find out more about being a producer here: http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles
Who is the main protagonist of your film? Describe them physically and their personality:
How should your film be shot? You could consider camera angles, colours used
and anything else:
What is the message behind your film?
Directorās notes
Ā© Into Film 2018. All rights reserved
ACTIVITY:
FILMMAKING
Mood board
Create a mood board that shares the visual style of your film. Find images that reflect how you would like your film to look (this could include locations, casting choices, colours, camera shots, film posters and costumes). Share this with your team so they are clear on your artistic vision.
Ā© Into Film 2017. All rights reserved
ACTIVITY:
CREATIVE
Make a Thaumatrope
Thaumatropes were very popular toys during the 1800s. These toys achieve their effect due to the persistence of vision, in the same way as models or drawings in stop motion animation films appear to move.
YOU WILL NEED:
ā¢ Scissors
ā¢ Glue
ā¢ String
ā¢ A pencil and sticky tack to make a hole, or a
hole punch.
Instructions
1. First cut out the two circles on page 2, then
make a hole in, or hole punch, the shaded
circles on the right and left of each image.
2. Stick the two circles of paper together,
making sure to keep one image upside
down and match the holes on both pieces
so that they line up with each other.
3. Attach one piece of string to each of
the two holes that you have made.
4. Finally, spin the string quickly
in your fingers to see the
optical illusion.
Top tips:
1. Use two pieces of paper in case the image that you draw bleeds through to both sides of paper. 2. Keep your drawings in roughly the same space on both pieces of paper. 3. It is not necessary to use a circle of card or paper, any shape will work as long as both pieces are exactly the same.
4. Make sure that you stick the paper together so that one of your drawings looks like it is upside down.
Try it yourself
Ā© Into Film 2017. All rights reserved
Movie magic
Who makes a movie?
Everyone likes watching a good film whether they see it at the cinema, on TV or on their
phones. But not everyone knows how a film is made. The film industry in the UK is worth
over Ā£15 billion! If you enjoy being creative and telling stories, it could be the perfect place
for you to find a job. There are lots of different jobs people do that come together to make
a film. Letās look at some of them hereā¦
Director
The director is responsible for what appears in front
of the camera. Directors work with the actors and
decide when filming a scene starts and finishes. They
say: āactionā and ācutā.
Producer
The producer is the boss. Producers are responsible
for the whole production. They raise the money and
hire the director.
Actor
The actor is the star of the show! They
play the parts of the characters in the
story. If you like drama and performing in
front of other people then you could be
perfect for this role.
Screenwriter
The screenwriter writes the story. They write
the dialogue between the actors and all the
things that happen in the film.
VFX producer
The VFX producer puts in all the thing that
canāt be filmed ā like cars bursting into flames.
They manage a team that puts these in using
computer-generated images.
This resource was adapted from the āWho makes a filmā resource by Screen Skills, Into Film and the ARTS
Council England: https://www.intofilm.org/resources/1573
Ā© Into Film 2017. All rights reserved
ACTIVITY:
QUIZ
1. Which of these is your favourite subject?
Art
Music
Drama
Computing
Literacy/English
None of the above
2. What is your strongest skill?
Listening carefully
Writing stories
Designing new things
Coding
Being the leader!
None of the above
Which Career Are You?
3. When you are watching a film, what are you thinking about most?
How well (or badly) the film has been
put together
You canāt wait to go home and create
the visual effects on your computer
Youāre too busy looking around the
room for objects to recreate the
sound effects
You are drawing the characters
You are predicting all of the
characterās lines
None of the above
4. What would you most like to receive as a present?
An iPad with all the latest apps
A big box of paints and brushes
A special notebook for all the ideas you
get during the day
A drumkit
A video camera
None of the above
Once youāve answered all the
questions, count how many of each
shape you selected and then visit the
next page to find out which career
could be ideal for you.
Complete this quiz to find out which career in film is for you.
Donāt worry if your skills and interests donāt match up with these roles!
Find many, many more at www.creativeskillset.org
Ā© Into Film 2017. All rights reserved
ACTIVITY:
QUIZ
Answers
Mostly
You are a make-up, hair or costume
designer
Skills to develop:
ā¢ Hairdressing and make-up
ā¢ Imaginative and artistic
ā¢ Know hair, make-up and clothing
through history
ā¢ Designing clothes for characters
Mostly
You are a Foley artist or sound designer
Skills to develop:
ā¢ Excellent listening
ā¢ Creative problem solving
ā¢ Love of sound and music in films
ā¢ Good at copying sounds you hear
Mostly
You are a director
Skills to develop:
ā¢ Strong leader
ā¢ Good at making decisions
ā¢ Excellent communication
ā¢ Understanding of whole filmmaking
process
Mostly
You are a VFX artist or editor
Skills to develop:
ā¢ Know how to use computer editing
equipment
ā¢ Understand storytelling
ā¢ Interest in animations and computer
games
ā¢ Careful attention to detail
Mostly
You are a screenwriter
Skills to develop:
ā¢ Writing stories and plays
ā¢ Accept criticism of your work
ā¢ Good at using descriptive language
ā¢ Convincing others to like your work
Mostly
You are one of hundreds of other roles
Not seen any jobs you like? Visit http://bit.ly/JobRolesCS and search hundreds of careers in film to find the one thatās right for you.
Ā© Into Film 2016. All rights reserved
ACTIVITY:
FILMMAKING
This rule can be remembered as Show, Donāt Tell!
Example 1:
Instead of having your character shout, āI am so ANGRY!ā you could show them slamming a
door, frowning and kicking a chair. There would be no doubt that this person was angry and the
audience would understand this straight away.
Visual storytelling can also be used effectively to show what a character is thinking. A character
might not speak their thoughts aloud, but their actions and movements can help the audience to
understand thoughts and ideas.
Example 2:
Instead of having your character saying, āIām going to steal the robotās gun and escape!ā you
could show her looking from the robot to the gun and then to the door of the spaceship.
Visual Storytelling
Visual storytelling is a technique used by filmmakers to tell their stories using
action rather than dialogue (words or speech).
Instead of characters explaining how they are feeling or what they are thinking
(which might be quite dull for the audience), it is easier to give the audience
information through the characterās actions and movements.
Ā© Into Film 2016. All rights reserved
ACTIVITY:
FILMMAKING
INT. LOUNGE - LATE AFTERNOON.
BILL (16) is dressed casually in jeans, t-shirt and mismatched socks. He
hasnāt washed for a few days. He is lying on a battered sofa in the lounge
of a suburban family home.
BILL tries to read a magazine but throws it aside after a few seconds. He
checks his mobile phone: no messages.
BILL flicks the TV on using a remote. An alien-abduction film fills the
screen, bright colours, shouts and screams explode into the room. BILL
immediately sits up to watch it: he is transfixed.
BILL
Woooow! I wish...!
Suddenly, a loud crash and huge bang! Smoke fills the room.
BILL
Aaarh! Whatās happening? LET ME GO!
ROBOT
Engage the laser beam! Capture the human specimen!
A green laser beam cuts through the smoke, BILL levitates off the sofa...
Activity: Script Stories
In this script you will see that the scriptwriter has included dialogue, and has also
included a description to tell the audience more about the character, Bill.
As you read the script, can you find the words and phrases the scriptwriter has used
to tell the audience about the character, Bill?
How has the scriptwriter told the audience about Billās boredom?
Ā© Into Film 2016. All rights reserved
ACTIVITY:
FILMMAKING
ā¢ Now use the Storyboard Template
to plan the camera shots you will use.
Once complete, use your camera, tablet or
smartphone to record the shots, aiming to
shoot between 10 and 30 seconds of film.
ā¢ Think about what you will need to include
in the shot to make it clear to the audience
what the character is thinking or feeling.
ā¢ When you have shot your scene, share this
with another group and ask them to guess
what the character is thinking or feeling.
āIām hungry!ā
āIāve lost the cat!ā
āIām so tired!ā
āIām late for school!ā
āIām really annoyed with her!ā
FOR THIS ACTIVITY YOU WILL NEED:
ā¢ A camera/tablet/smartphone
ā¢ Groups of 2-4 people
ā¢ Camera Shots Sheet
ā¢ Storyboard Template or large piece of paper
and pens to create your own
Activity: Show, Donāt Tell!
How to complete this activity
ā¢ Imagine that you are a scriptwriter and you
have been asked to revise the script for a film.
ā¢ The director thinks there is too much dialogue
in the script and wants you to make some of
the key scenes more visually creative.
ā¢ You have selected the following five lines of
dialogue to change:
ā¢ āIām hungryāā¢ āIāve lost the catā
ā¢ āIām so tiredā
ā¢ āIām late for schoolā
ā¢ āIām really annoyed with herā
ā¢ Using these lines of dialogue, write a short
description of the shots you would film, to
show what the character is feeling.
Be a Film Critic
Watching films and sharing your opinions with friends and family can be great fun,
some people even choose to review films for their career! Film Critics can share their
opinions on websites, social media, YouTube, TV, magazines and more. Often a film
critic will say what they like or donāt like about a film before giving it a rating.
Now itās your turn to write a film review! Below is a writing template that will guide
you through the process of reviewing a film. So pick a film and get started!
Title of Film
Introduction
Describe how you feel about the film overall. Hook the reader by making it
interesting and exciting
Paragraph 1 ā Summary
Write a brief and snappy description what happens in the film. Try not to include
any spoilers that can give away the ending or best bits
Paragraph 2 ā Context
ā¢ Use your favourite creative comparisons to help explain what the film is like. ā¢ Include useful information like the names of actors and other films that the
director has made.