Some Exercises

Couldn't sleep, so typed up these four exercises. Mine are "L1-L4," so Randy yours could be "R1-R4" or however many you would like to consider. Of these four I'm submitting only the first and third are original. The second comes from Rabiger and Randy I believe you've done the fourth one in your classes and I borrowed it after a conversation with you last year (?) It would be very interesting to talk to other teachers about what they do to help their students find focus in their art projects. For example, how does Stella Sung help her composition students narrow down their musical ideas to one major melody or motif?

Exercises, listed in the particular order they will be administered in class during the term. None of these exercises involve work outside of class. All of these are in addition to regular course assignments such as writing a treatment, proposal, screenplay, etc.

L1: Target (2nd class meeting)

Objective: Students understand they will make deliberate choices when constructing their film; that those choices ought to be based on a combination of information and instinct; that each student approaches their film from a different place in their lives; that their peers are important resources upon which they ought to rely for help and guidance; that each film must aim for a central organizing principle and that this COP may be difficult, but not impossible to “target.”

Procedure: Before students enter the classroom the teacher obtains a stack of paper from which the students will be making paper airplanes. The paper sheets should be a variety of colors and sizes. The teacher will also need a chalkboard or erase board for the end of the exercise.
1). Students are asked if they are comfortable where they are seated on this day and given the choice to move to another seat if they would like. They will not be given any other chances to move (they are not told why). Students are asked to pause and think about why they chose this particular location to sit in the classroom.
2). Students are then told they will be making a paper airplane and there are no rules about the object’s size, color, etc. Students are asked to come forward and choose the paper they want for their airplane. As students walk back to their desks they are asked to pause and think about why they chose the particular piece of paper they picked up.
3). Students are then told to make their paper airplane. They are advised that they may ask a classmate for help at any time. Students are asked to pause and think about why they are making the plane in this way. Did someone show them how to do it this way when they were a child? Did they figure it out on their own in their room one day? They should stop and think about how they usually learn the way to do things.
4). When students have all made their planes the teacher then draws a target on the board. The center of the target is labeled as the central organizing principle. At this time the teacher explains what a COP is and its relevance to the course and to the students’ films. This may take 10-30 minutes. At the end of the explanation, students are invited to stand at their desk and try to hit the target with their airplane. The planes fall to the ground in front of the blackboard.
5). Students are asked to think about whether their chances of hitting the target would have been better had they decided to move to a different place in the classroom. They are invited to pick up their planes and move to a different place in the classroom if they think it will improve their chances of hitting the target. They are asked to pause and think about how allowing themselves to move into a different state of mind or workflow could improve their ability to make important choices for their films. They are allowed to throw their planes at the target again.
6). Classroom discussion follows
7). Exercise assessment survey follows

Outcome: Students will have this experience to remember when they are making choices for their films. The act of actually making something and aiming it at a target gives them a different perspective on the filmmaking process and the difficulty/importance of aiming for a COP and getting each scene in the film as close to the COP as possible.

L2: COP Scene Analysis (assigned 4th class meeting)

Objective: Students identify the central organizing principle of the film; they identify and analyze scenes that support or do not support the film’s COP and argue why they do or do not; students identify parts of the film that may or may not be relevant

Procedure: In class, students are shown a film they likely have never seen before, and this film must have a strong central organizing principle. Before the film is screened they are given a blank template “scene analysis” sheet. They are asked to follow the following instructions:

“You are about to see a film that has a definitive central organizing principle. Your first task in watching the film is to identify what you believe this COP to be, and state in the way you have been instructed (____ leads to _____). (Review notes about this from a previous class). In addition to identifying the film’s COP you are to identify and briefly analyze at least 3 scenes in which the COP is supported, either through dialogue, setting, camera angle, etc. Take a look at the scene analysis sheet you’ve been given and use this sheet during the screening to take notes. At the end of the film we will discuss the COP of the film and the notes you have taken.”
Exercise assessment survey follows.

Outcome: Students will be better able to identify the COP in their own films and understand that the more tightly each scene is woven by the COP, the stronger the premise of their film will be.

L3: Character, Conflict, Resolution (Assigned 6th class)

Objective: Students begin to identify the central characters, conflict and resolution of their own films.

Procedure: Students are asked to write an essay about their film during class. The essay will be divided into five parts:
1). Thesis statement (what I am going to write about and why)
2). Character (major traits that drive or motivate)
3). Conflict (nature of the conflict, i.e. man vs man, man vs himself, man vs nature, etc.)
4). Resolution (how the main character changes to prove the premise)
5). Concluding statement (after writing about these things I have learned…)
Students will initially be given one hour to write their essay. They may need more or less. Students will be asked to volunteer to read their essay in class, but this is optional. A brief class discussion may follow each essay.
Exercise assessment survey follows.

Outcome: Students are given the valuable opportunity to spend quiet time in class organizing their thoughts about the C-C-R and COP for their own films. Writing an essay helps them frame their film in these terms. They may discover they know more or less about their film than they thought.

L4: Scene Card Shuffle (to be administered after students have shot about ¼ to 1/3 of their documentary films or after they have a revised, but not final draft of their screenplay in hand)

Objective: Students envision their film structure in a different, more flexible way because they can easily shuffle and move scenes around.

Procedure: Students are given a small stack of lined note cards, with the following instructions:
1). Write your COP in big letters on the first card.
2). Describe your opening scene on one card and your closing scene on another card.
3). Describe any scenes or interviews you have already shot on individual cards (at least three).
4). After you have made your cards, come forward and get tape or push pins. Find a spot on the wall in this classroom and pin or tape your cards onto the wall. The idea is to see how your film is structured, identify what is still missing, and possibly rearrange some of the scenes to make your film work better. You may add scene cards at will, whether they are shot yet or not, written or not.
5). Take a step back from the wall after you’ve done some rearranging. Does your film prove its premise? Do each of your scenes support your central organizing principle?
6). Class discussion follows the exercise.
Exercise assessment survey follows.

Outcome: Students may realize what’s missing or what needs rearranging in their film. Viewing their scenes on note cards that are easy to rearrange may make them feel more free to make script or story changes that lead to better dramatic structure.