Photo by pawel szvmanski on Unsplash I am on the final leg of my masters journey. This final leg involves making a mini-documentary. That's right, this 2nd grade teacher will become a documentary film-maker. How, you might ask...I don't know. But I did learn some good tips today to help me identify the characteristics that differentiate a good documentary from an unclear one.
As homework, we were provided with several sample mini-documentaries and capstone videos to analyze for clarity and effective story telling. Some of the older capstone videos I watched did not have a clear story line or purpose, other than stating multiple times the main idea in a phrase. The B-roll video didn't really support a story effectively. I really enjoyed the video, Teach Like a Youtuber, by Professor Mike, on how to create effective instructional videos without being on camera. The creator, talked about the need to include several reasons why your subject (X) is important. I've always been a fan of no text on screen while there is audio narration. My brain cannot take both in at once. One sample video had final take home points appear as gradually appearing text on a black background at the end of the video with only music in the background. I like this quiet moment to take away the main points. I saw several great examples of visuals that support the narration in the video samples provided and articles that supported this idea. Hopefully I can put some of it into practice. I've made very simple videos before with photos as B-roll. I really loved the experience. But now I'm nervous and excited to expand the B-roll to video clips. I think the biggest hurdle right now is writing the narrative. What is it that I want to say? I'll head back to my short video presentation for NapaLearns that I showed back in December and decide what I like and what I want to change from there. That first video felt more like a promotional video and this time around I'd love to tell a compelling story instead. It's easy to agree that my research topic, peer-teaching, is a nice idea. But with my final capstone video I would like viewers to feel the initial need and then resulting joy at implementing a strategy that brought students together and improved learning.
3 Comments
Laurie J. Gaynor
2/28/2021 04:45:44 pm
I think you will create a wonderful video. I hope you showcase your bi-lingualism and maybe some singing. If you engage the visitors to your website like you engage your students, you will hit it out of the park. I think that there is an element of promotion in any website, don't shy away from that aspect. In essence you are telling NapaLearns that you were worth the investment. I know you are, now I want you to show the world.
Reply
Erica Gysbers
2/28/2021 05:32:27 pm
Minna-
Reply
Sheri
2/28/2021 05:44:45 pm
No matter what you make, I know it will be fantastic Minna! I loved your point about being cognizant of how the audience will experience it (having to read text and listen to the narrator can totally be overwhelming and distracting!). I'm with Laurie on the hopes that whatever you create will have a little Minna flair of bilingualism y tu canto.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Minna NummelinLife-long learner and dual language 2nd grade teacher. Archives
April 2021
Categories |