Activity Introduction
Quick summary: This lesson is one of six lessons for Years 3-8, designed to support you and your students to produce quality films for the MobileMuster Film Competition, with the aim of encouraging the community to recycle more of their old and unused mobile phones. The 2022 MobileMuster Film Competition is open and the theme is ‘The Science of Recycling’. For information about the Film Competition, visit the MobileMuster website.
This toolkit provides an overview of the skills and knowledge required to make great films, to prepare teachers and students for success in the MobileMuster Film Competition. Use this toolkit by picking and choose elements, or work through all the material depending on the needs and interests of your students. Some topics included in this toolkit are copyright, storytelling, lighting, sound, film techniques and stop-motion animation.
Learning intentions:
- Students will learn about national and international guidelines and laws relating to film.
- Students will understand the principles of effective storytelling.
- Students will learn how to use effective lighting and camera angles.
- Students will learn how to use microphones and sound techniques to create quality audio.
- Students will understand how to apply different film techniques.
21st century skills:
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Content descriptions:
Years 3 & 4
- Investigate and devise representations of people in their community, including themselves, through settings, ideas and story structure in images, sounds and text (ACAMAM058)
- Use media technologies to create time and space through the manipulation of images, sounds and text to tell stories (ACAMAM059)
- Plan, create and present media artworks for specific purposes with awareness of responsible media practice (ACAMAM060)
Years 5 & 6
- Explore representations, characterisations and points of view of people in their community, including themselves, using settings, ideas, story principles and genre conventions in images, sounds and text (ACAMAM062)
- Develop skills with media technologies to shape space, time, movement and lighting within images, sounds and text (ACAMAM063)
- Plan, produce and present media artworks for specific audiences and purposes using responsible media practice (ACAMAM064)
Years 7 & 8
- Experiment with the organisation of ideas to structure stories through media conventions and genres to create points of view in images, sounds and text (ACAMAM066)
- Develop and refine media production skills to shape the technical and symbolic elements of images, sounds and text for a specific purpose and meaning (ACAMAM068)
- Plan, structure and design media artworks that engage audiences (ACAMAM069)
- Present media artworks for different community and institutional contexts with consideration of ethical and regulatory issues (ACAMAM070)
Syllabus outcomes: DRAS2.3, DRAS3.3, VAS3.1, VAS3.2, Photographic and Digital Media: 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6
General capabilities: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability
Relevant parts of Years 3 & 4 achievement standards:
Students describe and discuss similarities and differences between media artworks they make and view. They discuss how and why they and others use images, sound and text to make and present media artworks.
Students collaborate to use story principles, time, space and technologies to make and share media artworks that communicate ideas to an audience.
Relevant parts of Year 5 & 6 achievement standards:
Students explain how points of view, ideas and stories are shaped and portrayed in media artworks they make, share and view. They explain the purposes and audiences for media artworks made in different cultures, times and places.
Students work collaboratively using technologies to make media artworks for specific audiences and purposes using story principles to shape points of view and genre conventions, movement and lighting.
Relevant parts of Year 7 & 8 achievement standards:
Students identify and analyse how representations of social values and points of view are portrayed in the media artworks they make, distribute and view. They evaluate how they and other makers and users of media artworks from different cultures, times and places use genre and media conventions and technical and symbolic elements to make meaning. They identify and analyse the social and ethical responsibility of the makers and users of media artworks.
Students produce representations of social values and points of view in media artworks for particular audiences and contexts. They use genre and media conventions and shape technical and symbolic elements for specific purposes and meaning. They collaborate with others in design and production processes, and control equipment and technologies to achieve their intentions.
Topic: Sustainability, Consumption, Creative Thinking.
Unit of work: MobileMuster Film Competition.
Time required: 30-160 minutes
Level of teacher scaffolding: High – teacher will run workshops and work with students to experiment with lighting, sound and animation.
Resources required: Student Worksheets – one copy per student. Device capable of presenting a video to the class. Storyboard Template (several copies per group). Assessment Matrix. Reasons For Not Recycling Mobile Phones (optional). MobileMuster Consent and Release Form.
Keywords: mobile phones, recycling, competition, film, film-making, techniques, design, studio, lighting, sound, video, production, collaboration, product, media, art, creativity, artwork, story, audiovisual, animation, technology.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
Teacher Preparation