Movie Making with the 8th Grade

We are in full production mode in 8th grade, working towards one of our final projects of the year: the 8th grade movies!

Here are some snapshots:

• A crew tromping off to the woods to film: River in full Bigfoot costume, Bea in Elmer Fudd style hunter gear, Barnaby carrying the tripod and Arjuna planning the shots. Everyone is laughing and talking and scheming as they walk. They come back with amazing footage for their film, an “Alone” style docu-drama about hunting Bigfoot. 

• Tim is playing a police officer giving a briefing about the whereabouts of some missing dolls. He giggles nonstop. Now they are all giggling. The group (Sam, Emma, Hendrix, Julia) give him some tips on “locking in” and problem solve around how to make it through the lines. After many tries, he nails it! They all collapse in relief, cheering Tim on. 

• Sam and Barnaby are building a set out of popsicle sticks for their “finger soccer” movie. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. 

• Iya uses the Gimbal (thanks Lauren) to shoot some “teen hallway” footage for a time travel thriller that she, Bea and Emma are making. 

• Charlittle sifting through the costume boxes to find a compelling outfit for her burglar. Obviously a long green turtleneck sweater dress fits the bill. 

This collaborative project calls on students not only to learn and apply the skills of storytelling: framing, editing, acting, writing and directing, but also the skills necessary to produce a group project. These skills include: planning, giving and receiving feedback, coordinating with other classrooms and teachers. There’s a lot that goes into these short films!

Here are a few sneak peaks, from some shorter warm-up assignments we did a few weeks ago: