Scouting Locations for Film and Video

For students of 9th to graduate grade.

Scouting Locations for Film and Video

Subject: Film and Video Production

Grades: 9th &#8211; Graduate School

Description: Students in groups of three will find and photograph locations to be used in an upcoming movie to be produced entirely in New Hampshire. Students will be given a list of scenes and the type of location where they take place. Utilizing the photo sharing capabilities of Flickr, groups will post their photographs, in the sequence corresponding with the order of the scene descriptions they have been given.

1.  Students will work cooperatively in groups of three and divide responsibilities equally among members.

2.  Students will think creatively about their surroundings and other places that they have been to satisfy specific location needs.

3.  Students will conduct research via the internet, phone, or through interviewing friends or acquaintances to locate other suitable locations.

4.  Students will utilize prior knowledge relating to proper composition, lighting, depth of field, and framing of their photographs.
Procedure:  Students will split into teams of three.  Students will be given the assignment and review the list of locations.  After discussion and research, students will create a schedule of dates, times and locations to shoot, and who will be available for each shoot.  One camera will be assigned to the group, however if individual group members have another suitable digital camera they may use it as well.

Activity:  Students will be given the following information:

	A major production company would like to shoot a feature film entirely on location in New Hampshire.  In order to convince them that this would be possible they have asked their remote producer to visit New Hampshire to photograph a series of specific locations that might be used in the filming.  These are the places that major exterior scenes will be shot:

1.  The shores of a large lake, with small boats docked.
2.  Outside (and inside) a &#8220;family style&#8221; restaurant or diner.
3.  Walking past storefronts in a &#8220;Downtown, or Main Street&#8221; setting.
4.  Large wooded area with stone walls visible.
5.  Shopping Center including pizza place, and several other stores.
6.  Old, white, farm-house with wraparound porch.
7.  Apple Orchards with farm stand.
8.  Park with ball fields and bleachers.
9.  Elementary school with playground equipment.

	Working in groups of three, you will take this list of locations find somewhere to satisfy each requirement. Using a digital still camera take multiple still photographs of each place.  Review them, choose the best of each location, and post them on our class group site on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com).  You may label them or not, since they should be obvious to us, however please identify which group&#8217;s photographs we are looking at.

Culminating Activity:  Each group will present their locations via the Flickr site and a data projector to the &#8220;visiting producer&#8221; aka your teacher.  Group members will describe the location and factors that might influence the shoot for each photograph that they have taken.

Assessments:  Students will be graded on the degree that their photos represent the scenes that were identified, the appearance and composition of their photographs, the overall choice of locations, including accessibility for shooting, and the details used to justify their choice of photos used in their presentation.

Karen Robinson
Londonderry High School
Londonderry, NH