May/June 2009 - International Technology and Engineering ...

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effects), and the voiceovers or music. Filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock considered storyboarding the most creative step in the filmmaking process. For students who are new to the concept of storyboarding or would like to see different storyboard examples, several Internet resources (Ireland Department of Education and Science, 2007, and Shulman, 1999) are available that show completed storyboards and storyboarding methodology. After the scriptwriting and storyboarding nears completion, camera and lighting blocking (step nine) occurs in the preproduction process. Camera and lighting blocking is the professional videographer’s term for determining where to tape a video production. Location scouting is used to determine where to set up lighting and cameras in a venue. On a site visit, there are several things to consider, which include power availability, potential audio problems, camera placement, size, and actor movement in the frame. Audio capture is vital to the success of a video production, and if where you are filming is a rather noisy place like a construction site or school gymnasium, it might be wise to reconsider the video location or even try to stage the taping in a studio environment. A camera blocking schematic is a birds-eye view looking down on the film set that shows the placement of furniture, props, and actor positions. Camera and lighting placements and power outlet locations are also indicated. In the commercial film and video world, the lighting director or gaffer determine how many amps are available at each outlet. In step ten, professionals develop the finances of the video production. Although most student-produced projects have very little budget for production, it is important for the students to understand that the expenditures of typical video production projects include many items, both above-the-line and below-the-line. Above-the-line costs include negotiated fees for actors, producers, and directors. Below-the-line costs include technical staff such as camera operators, audio/video engineers, and lighting directors among others, and equipment rentals. The cost of a school video production can be categorized in four ways: • Teacher and administrator goodwill to the program • Replacement cost of unreturned or damaged equipment • Videotape or DVD media • Time used by students to produce the video project Step eleven is closely linked with step ten because crew size is determined by the financial concerns and school schedules. Like step ten, there is generally no budget for crew in a school setting. Student producers must decide how to best use the crew available to perform both abovethe-line and below-the-line duties to successfully complete the video production. School-based crews vary by class size and involvement. Listed below are typical crew needs for student-produced shows. • News piece: 2–3 members • Complicated show (drama): 4–6 members • Multicamera live remote: up to 25 members The last step (Step 12) in the production process deals with the production schedule. In a school setting, the production schedule is affected by many factors beyond a student’s control. School administrators or classroom teachers must clear the availability of school locations. The availability of crew and cast is dependent on the technology teacher’s schedule. Is the production to be completed on campus during a long or short period? Are there teaching units and assessments planned for the class that conflict with the students’ production schedule? Are student producers asking for releases from other classes for their friends to participate? (It was the authors’ policy to never allow this.) Will students be leaving the school campus to tape? Have parent releases been signed for equipment insurance and off-campus driving permission? These questions, among others, must be addressed when working with student video productions. Close-up of a finished storyboard with six frames. Finally, the availability of equipment through advance sign-up has a direct effect on the production schedules. 22 • The Technology Teacher • May/June 2009
Most television production technology classes have limited resources. Students need to work closely with their media center and technology teacher to find out when they may check out equipment and for how long. With the high cost of checking out this type of equipment, it is important for student producers to make sure their crew and actors show up as scheduled in order to make efficient use of the cameras (Harrison, et al, 2005). Summary Throughout this article, it is the hope of the authors that an explanation of the twelve steps of preproduction could be used as a communications technology design tool in both the video production classroom and the technology education classroom. It is important to note that not every step has to be used because of the variety in the types of video productions. To successfully complete most productions with the true purpose for which they were intended, the brainstorming steps (Steps 1-6) are always utilized. The treatment (Step 7) as well as scriptwriting and storyboarding (Steps 8 and 9 respectively) are developed after the brainstorming steps. After the script has been written and the storyboard has been created, camera and lighting blocking during location scouting is usually completed. Finally, Steps 10-12, which describe the logistics of the production, are completed. Although all video productions have crew requirements, this step, along with budgetary concerns, is not always applicable in regards to video productions created in technology education classrooms. Television production technology is a design-centered, standards-based curriculum that can be incorporated into technology education classrooms across the country. With the ever-increasing engineering design and STEM initiatives, communications technology and television production technology may be overlooked as designbased courses that can help students achieve technological literacy. Authentic design projects using the twelve steps of preproduction used in the film, television, and advertising fields offer an excellent means to teach students a sequential and creative process of design, an important goal of Standards for Technological Literacy (2000/2002/2007). References Harrison, H., Loveland, T., Deaton, V., & Squibb, K. (2005). Film technology. In R. Peterson (Ed.), The TECH-know project: High school student edition 2. (pp. 18–23). Cincinnati, OH: Centre Pointe Learning. St. Petersburg College technology education students check the storyboard to the script. International Technology Education Association. (2000/2002/2007). Standards for technological literacy: Content for the study of technology. Reston, VA: Author. Ireland Department of Education and Science. Storyboards. Retrieved September 25, 2007, from the Film Project for Primary Schools website: www.fis.ie/default. asp?PageName=Lesson7. Shulman, A. (1999). Storyboarding activity. Retrieved September 25, 2007, from The Multimedia Project: Project-Based Learning with Multimedia website: http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/TechHelp/Storyboarding.html. Warner, S. (2003). Teaching design: taking the first steps. The Technology Teacher, 62(4), pp. 7-10. Henry L. (Hal) Harrison, III is a clinical faculty member at Clemson University, Clemson, SC. He can be reached via email at halharrison@spamarrest.com. Thomas Loveland is a professor in the Department of Technology Education at St. Petersburg College, Clearwater, FL. He can be reached via email at Loveland.Thomas@ spcollege.edu. 23 • The Technology Teacher • May/June 2009
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