General Details:

Student Permission 

The "On with the show - This is IT" committee has always placed the safety of the entrant first. As such in all other categories the use of images or writing pertaining to the student('s) are not permitted. In this category however this proved to be a problem.

As such ANY students filmed need to have written permission from a parent to be allowed on film. It is highly recommended that extras be kept to a minimum.

The teacher should make the students aware of this to ensure there isn't somebody in the background when filming, and to steer students away from filming large groups such as students in the yard, class groups or assemblies.

The responsibility for this remains that of the teacher so close adherence to this is required. An example permission slip can be found here. It is recommended that this is printed on school letterhead. The teacher should replace the text in square brackets, i.e. [Teacher name], with the appropriate details before printing.

Storyboarding 

We recommend taking the students through the complete process of pre-production, production & post-production. As such the storyboard will be a part of the judging criteria.

You can either rule up an A4 page into 6 squares and have the students draw their shots into this, adding notes below... or make use of this free storyboarding software.

Video Editing Software 

Recommended software for this exercise includes Movie Maker for Windows XP or iMovie for Macintosh. These two are recommended as they are the most commonly available to schools. Other software can also be used as long as the finished product is saved in the appropriate format.

Sound files /Graphics 

The use of sound files and graphics can enhance a movie greatly. However it is crucial that copyright laws are considered. There are many CD's and websites that offer free sound bites for use in such projects, such as www.findsounds.com. Please acknowledge any resource that you use.

Camera Technique 

One of the areas that the judges will be looking at is camera technique. As such they will be looking for such things as establishing, full body, half body, close up and extreme close-up shots along with camera angle such as overhead shot, eye level shot underneath shot. Also considered will be framing including the use of the rule of thirds, looking room and use of items in shot to help frame the shots. The level of what the judges will be looking for will vary depending on the age group. For example in the lower levels the main focus will be on a steady shot and limited use of zoom. Click here for a good website on Camera Technique.

Editing 

When editing try to limit the use of transitions to appropriate locations (i.e. between scenes, or to show a period of time) An idea is to have students consider videos & TV shows that they watch. Where are the transitions used? how often? why were they used?

Credits 

The credits are a good place to acknowledge those who have helped, for example parents/teachers who have assisted, businesses that have let you film at their location etc and of course the Theme & the competition itself.

To help you we have also provided a checklist to ensure all requirements are meet.