Pre-production

=Pre-Production= This is the heart and soul of a video project. Very few projects will have happy endings (meaning good grades) if they just go out and shoot. Sure some documentaries are done this way, but they are usually produced by experienced people who probably have a sense of what the whole project will look like in the their head. Plus they aren't doing it for a grade.

Elements

 * Project Proposal (Treatment) - The selection and proposing of an idea to be developed.
 * Outline - A step-by-step look at what the video will entail. Rough descriptions of the scene, and actions, possible lines should be include.
 * Scripting - A detailed transcript of the scene with stage instructions.
 * Storyboards - The breaking down of script into shots. The storyboard represents the visualization and translation of the script from the written page to the camera.

What can this look like in the classroom?
This process might need to be shortened for a classroom project - especially in the non-technology course.
 * I have had students simply create an short "treatment" describing their video idea.
 * Then I ask for an outline of possible scenes - this gets them thinking about how long scenes are actually going to be and what specifically they will need.
 * Last, I require them to complete a storyboard sheet for each scene. On the storyboard template, I have the students describe as specifically as they can what they are going to do with the camera, the angle of the camera, and the lines of the actors. This combines the storyboard idea with the script.

Logistics

 * Provide enough storyboards, provide a template online students can download, or allow them to create their own - modeled after one of your examples.
 * Create a group/student check off sheet. This way students and you can track their progress. I've done it where students keep the "master" check off sheet and where I keep a grid of the progress of all the groups. I like the latter so I can look at the chart and see exactly what a group should be working on. I create the grid with tables in word and customize the columns based upon the specific steps of the project.

Storyboard Templates

 * [[image:http://et700dv.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/pdf.png width="32" height="32" link="http://et700dv.wikispaces.com/space/showimage/storyboarding-printable.pdf"]][| storyboarding-printable.pdf]
 * [|Storyboard Template #1]
 * Storyboard Template #2 - [[image:http://et700dv.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/pdf.png width="32" height="32" link="http://et700dv.wikispaces.com/space/showimage/Storyboard-propaganda.pdf"]][| Storyboard-propaganda.pdf]