In the section, you'll find the latest information about tools to help educators and young people with production.
Production Tools
Production & Storytelling Tools
Production
Guide: Academy Awards Series
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences offers a free series of
annual study guides on important areas of production: screenwriting, cinematography,
film editing, art direction, animation, and sound and music.
Teaching
Youth Media
This book explores the power of using media education to help urban teenagers
develop their critical thinking and literacy skills.
Digital
Storytelling Cookbook & Travelling Companion
An extensive and valuable workshop manual produced by the Center for Digital
Storytelling. The Cookbook contains complete tutorials including interview
techniques, scripting, storyboards, and examples on how to use digital
video and audio programs like iMovie, Final Cut Pro, and Photoshop.
The
Groovy Little Youth Media Sourcebook (pdf)
The Groovy Little Youth Media Sourcebook provides tips, ideas, methods
and activities that members of the Listen Up! Youth Media Network have
found useful in creating and facilitating successful programs.
2002
Listen Up! Workshop Activities Book (pdf)
This free, downloadable sourcebook is jam-packed with activities to help
youth filmmakers think about all aspects of production from pre-production
through post. These excellent activities were contributed by members of
the Listen Up! Network and compiled by media educator Jesikah Maria Ross.
Teen
Reporter Handbook by Radio Diaries
The organization Radio Diaries has been giving tape recorders to youth
to tell their own stories for years. They've created an excellent and
free downloadable workbook with insightful storytelling ideas to help
youth "use the small details to tell the big stories."
Media
Rights: YMDI An excellent site that provides valuable pre-production
and production lesson plans and worksheets to help guide students through
important decisions.
A
Brief Guide for the High School Moviemaker By youth for youth!
A detailed How-To guide for making short movies without breaking the bank
(and using equipment you probably already have). Suitable for groups of
friends, the solo hobbyist, or A/V clubs.
YouthArts
Toolkit by Americans for the Arts The YouthARTS site is designed
to give arts agencies, juvenile justice agencies, social service organizations,
and other community-based organizations detailed information about how
to plan, run, provide training, and evaluate arts programs for at-risk
youth. The full book is available as a PDF for downloading, and their
website includes best practices!
Young
Filmmakers Club Young Filmmakers Club offers a few "how
to" production DVD's for a young audience. The first video covers
video camera techniques and the second is on editing.
Audio
Lighting
The Darkness
This article from DV.com gives you tips on shooting in a variety of scenarios:
in the darkness, when light is flat, with horror films, etc. Pretty basic
information, but gives you ideas on how to light your shoot.
A1
Free Sound Effects
Free downloads of sound files with great quality!
Stonewashed.net
Sound Effects
More free sound effects and music.
Animation
The
Box! by AnimAction
The Animation Production Studio (in a box) by the organization AnimAction,
is a creative way to engage youth in media production while strengthening
communication skills, critical thinking, collaborative problem solving
and the art of democratic dialogue and deliberation.
Pixar
Entertainment — How do they do it?
Good question. Check out their 14 step guide to creating one of their
amazing movies, like Finding Nemo or Toy Story.
Editing
The
Los Angeles Final Cut Users Group
Got questions about Final Cut? These are the people to visit.
Streaming
Media, Inc.
Good tutorials on encoding and production, including QuickTime and Flash.
Apple
Support
Always a good stop to make that is often forgotten — visit Apple's
support network.
Scriptwriting
ScriptBuddy
A free version of screenwriting software that helps you organize your
characters and layout your script so you can concentrate on story, not
formatting.
Cinergy
Script Editor
This is a free download! It's a PC-based program, but they promise the
Mac OSX version is coming soon.
Watch Media
2005
Sundance Online Film Festival
In Park City, Utah, amazing short films are screened each year at the
Festival. You can watch them online without the long lines and steep costs.
Media
That Matters Film Festival
Year after year MMFF comes back at you with some of the most interesting,
thought-provoking independent media you can find. Recommended as one of
the coolest sites, with lots of youth media!
Listen
Up! Online Collections
What can we say? we're really proud of the hundreds of youth-produced
films that fill our galleries and the individual organization's web pages
on our site. Be sure to check out featured collections, including the
pieces that were selected for Listen Up!'s Best of 2004 Reel.
One
Minute, Jr.'s
Since 2002 UNICEF and their Young People's Media Network have been sponsoring
contests and workshops based on the one-minute production format. We like
this model tons that we decided to adopt it for our very own 2005 Weekend
Workshop! All these pieces are youth-produced and a lot of fun to watch.