THE DIRECTOR IN THE CLASSROOM: How Filmmaking Inspires Learning

Here’s my thoughts on the use of filmmaking in the classroom. It’s my book called The Director in the Classroom: How Filmmaking Inspires Learning. It is both a handbook for mediaproduction in the classroom as well as a detailed look at the deeper implications and opportunities of using filmmaking as a tool for creating engaging curriculum, developing critical thinking, communication, personal and interpersonal skills.  It examines how filmmaking in the classroom enables students to explore their world with the digital tools and within the digital landscape where they spend much of their lives. The book includes over 25 forms and checklists in digital format to get you started.

“This is the best production handbook for teachers that we’ve seen!” Center for Media Literacy, www.medialit.org

“One of the best, practical texts on digital storytelling and using filmmaking in the classroom written to date.”-Wesley Fryer, speedofcreativity.org

• Download a sample chapter here: TDICChapter3.pdf,
• Download the 21st Century Skills/Filmmaking document here: tdic%20skills.pdf
• Table of contents here:  Table of Contents,

Review: Susan Chrichton, University of Calgary

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"Forget spelling his name, it's a great book.

He's Canadian, he's Greek, he's really good. I did not envision sitting through a two-hour session on bringing video into the classroom, but Nikos Theodosakis was so fascinating and enthusiastic about school use of this technology that I lost track of the time. His comprehensive text on using video in education, The Director in the Classroom, answers all questions you might have from concept to final product. 

 From the article Best of Show by Art Myrick in the TCEA newsletter /magazine. Texas Computer Education Association www.tcea.org

Review Essay: The Director in the Classroom: How Filmmaking Inspires Learning

by Nikos Theodosakis

Susan Crichton   crichtos@ucalgary.ca   University of Calgary

The Director in the Classroom is an answer to the question of how novice filmmakers, through the use of current digital video technology, might begin to join the community of practice of expert directors and cinematographers. As we have increased opportunities to purchase software that is designed to support the skills and understandings of professionals (Photoshop, AutoCAD, Accounting packages, etc.), we need to question what it means to use them with children when we have gained our knowledge of the discipline principally from the tutorials and templates provided by the software.

Collins, Brown, and Newman (1989) suggest that as we start to understand the “… processes that experts use to handle complex tasks,” (p. 457) we can begin to join that community of expertise and attempt to solve problems as the expert might. Lave and Wenger (1991) extend that sense of expert practice, suggesting that a novice’s “… ability to understand the master’s performance depends on engaging in the performance in congruent ways,” suggesting “..if learning is about increased access to performance, then the way to maximize learning is to perform, not to talk about it” (p. 21). The Director in the Classroom is both an invitation to join the community of filmmakers and a guide for the engagement in authentic tasks that constitute the process of making movies.

While The Director in the Classroom is a relatively expensive book ($69.95 CDN), it offers good value for the money as the CD-ROM that accompanies the text provides ready-to-print copies of useful checklists and black line masters. The innovative packaging supports the guiding philosophy of the book – making movies is about creativity, hard work and celebration. The book comes in a film canister complete with a package of popcorn to encourage readers to view their films and applaud their accomplishments.

The book, which is a celebration of learning through the creative process of filmmaking, is organized into five parts. Theodosakis, a Canadian filmmaker and British Columbia resident, has written much more than a step-by-step guide or the missing manual for iMovie® (Apple Computer, Inc). He starts with a discussion of the term filmmaking, and suggests there is now an assortment of terms that could be used, ranging from moviemaking to desktop movies. He offers a checklist of potential student roles to assist with the collaborative process and encourage all members of a classroom to find a role suited to their specific strengths, abilities, and ages.

There are suggestions as to how to set clear and reasonable parameters for film assignments so as not to overtax the technology (computer memory, hard drive, etc.) or the abilities of novice filmmakers. These recommendations are crucial, as one might not initially realize that 30 seconds of finished film is ample to get an idea across and to begin the task of making movies.

The book proceeds through the film process by introducing the concepts of pitching an idea and storyboarding it. These elements reinforce the importance of pre-production activities before setting students loose with cameras to collect footage. Pre-production allows the teacher to create authentic opportunities for creativity, accountability, authentic assessment and project development. An additional resource to consider for storyboarding is Simon’s (2001) book that offers rich examples of actual story lines and storyboards, treating both as pieces of art themselves rather than simply steps in the film process alone.

The process continues with a suggested production checklist, including items such as the equipment required for quality filming, lighting elements, audio needs, and the small but important miscellaneous details that can challenge the best of plans. Each of these areas is covered in detail.

Chapters 15 – 18 cover post-production tasks such as editing. Theodosakis connects the post-production tasks with the development of higher order thinking skills, offering a clear and reasoned argument for the use of film in the classroom. He discusses the importance of encouraging students to grapple with important social issues through film, stressing the how these activities help development self-confidence.

Throughout the book, emphasis is placed on allowing all members of a classroom to find their place in the film process. While one may initially think of the roles of editor and cameraperson, the books actually lists five roles in each of the five phases of film development, suggesting the 25 roles should help to make movie making an inclusive activity.

The final process in filmmaking is the celebration. The inclusion of popcorn with the book reinforces the importance of an audience and the need to bring positive closure to the activities.

The conclusion of the book offers is a rich discussion of teachers as directors. It is a reminder that if good directors don’t direct, they observe. The lesson in this is that good teachers need to learn to give up some of the control that often prevents discovery. Part five (Appendix) consists of a glossary, forms and checklists, budget form, storyboard template, equipment list, and an extensive web resource list.

The philosophical tone of the book is set with a quote from Helen Keller, “The only thing worse than not being able to see, is being able to see and having no vision.” Referring to an incident involving his daughter and a movie project in her school, Theodosakis summarizes the value of filmmaking and the basis for this book, stating “It was at that moment that I truly realized filmmaking’s potential for enhancing students’ learning experiences” p. 3. He notes that children are growing up in a changing world that should “… challenge us not only to determine the direction that the path for learning should take, but recognize that the direction itself is changing as well” (p. 19). Theodosakis stresses the importance of developing process skills by recognizing that process is forever as it lasts beyond memory and offers a map or a way to find information again and again.

Theodosakis states, “… the ability to make meaning out of solving a problem brings with it a deep construction of the knowledge itself” (p. 41). This is evident in both the book and his Director in a Classroom workshop. Having been fortunate enough to attend one of the sessions, I can attest that he believes this strongly and has embedded this vision in all of his presentations and materials. Filmmaking in the classroom does have the ability to change learners’ lives (I have witnessed it first hand in my teaching practice), and the filmmaking strategies and materials presented in both the workshop and the text allow teachers to use iMovie® (Apple Computer, Inc) or any other movie making software successfully.

Theodosakis believes that filmmaking fosters awareness and passion, adding that passion fuels action. He states that movie making allows us the “ability to ask questions of our subjects for the benefit of our audience, and at the same time, for the benefit of ourselves” (p. 47); thereby offering all concerned a potentially rich and meaningful experience.

This book captures the magic and joy that ten years of working with students and teachers have brought to the author. He draws on his professional experiences as a filmmaker and his deep concern for education as a father. He believes filmmaking belongs in schools because it involve teams, communication, working toward a common goal, overcoming a lack of resources, producing creative works that answer questions, revealing information, and inspiring others. Therefore, he states that filmmaking fully supports the integration of most school curriculum and learning outcomes into a creative and challenging new medium. Theodosakis not only shares the how of making movies but the why as well, stressing the importance of the visual elements of our world and the notion of visual literacy in our ”… global, visual, information-saturated, media intensive planet” (p. 4).

While not an academic text, this book offers a clear grounding in constructivist learning theory and is rich in terms of ideas and practical strategies. Resources and web links support the assertions in the text. Statements such as “Learning the technology is not enough. What is really required is learning how to use that technology to solve problems, to answer questions, to present ideas, and to communicate” (p. 26) clearly position this book in the literature supporting the integration of technology across the curriculum.

The Director in the Classroom is aimed directly at teachers who want to empower their learners and allow them to demonstrate their learning in media rich, innovative ways using current and emerging technology. It offers teachers a powerful resource that will allow them to make the transition from easy to learn movie software such as iMovie® (Apple Computer, Inc) to more complex, industry standard software packages such as Final Cut Pro.

While initially appearing to be just a quick and enjoyable read, The Director in the Classroom is a book that one can refer to again, whether it be to review specific parts or to use the checklists and black line masters. An additional resource is a web site (www.thedirectorintheclassroom.com) devoted to practical tips, examples from classrooms, and suggestions for new cameras and other relevant pieces of hardware “Filmmaking is about turning the intangible into the tangible” (p. 29) and taking an idea or vision and turning it into script and eventually a film. Filmmaking encourages the notion of backward design, suggesting that one works back from an idea by developing a process that transforms ideas into action. This book gives us insight into the expert practice of filmmakers and offers a model to help us join that practice. It is written by a filmmaker for teachers with the goal of encouraging them to become filmmakers along with their students. While it recognizes the audience is new to film, it doesn’t talk down to the reader but, instead, is inclusive, supportive and instructive. The Director in the Classroom comfortably blends technology with the principles of constructivist learning, allowing the energy of the author to leap from the pages and making the reader feel that filmmaking is not only possible, but also an essential activity in both teacher and student learning

References

Collins, A., Brown, J., & Newman, S. (1989). Cognitive Apprenticeship: Teaching the Crafts of Reading, Writing, and

Mathematics. In L.B. Resnick (Ed.), Knowledge, Learning and Instruction. (pp. 453-494). Hilldale, New Jersey: L.

Erlbaum Associates.

Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. New York: Cambridge

University Press.

Simon, Mark, (2000). Storyboards: Motion in Art. Boston: Focal Press.

Author Note

Dr. Susan Crichton is an Assistant Professor at University of Calgary in the Faculty of Education. She has used filmmaking and iMovie® (Apple Computer, Inc) in grade 7- 12 classrooms for the past few years. Primary research interests include distributed learning, social justice, and e-pedagogy; technology that captivates learners; and the professional development of teachers which will encourage to be lifelong learning. She can be reached by e-mail at: crichtos@ucalgary.ca