Movie making - oh dear!

Today seemed to be one disaster after the next as Keira, Caroline and I discovered, alas, that we were not the Spielbergs we thought we could be. Our task was to plan and film a short movie, based on a subject of our choice, therefore, we chose to continue with our 'People Who Help Us' theme. As Keira had to leave early, we decided to come in an hour early, in order to plan our movie and ensure we had the same amount of filming time as everyone else. We spent the first hour planning and discussing each scene of our movie on a story board. This was very beneficial to us as it ensured each member of the group was working toward the same idea about how our movie was going to run. This initial task went well as were able to gain a full understanding of the different aspects we were to include in our movie, so that the actual filming would run as smoothly as possible. Little did we know, no matter how intricate our plans, there would be no end result without a working camera!!

To film our movies, we were using Flip Video Cameras which I had previously used on placement. During my upper stages placement, my class were practising and performing a dance taught to them by a visting professional. I was in charge of filming their final performance at their school show. After a quick run through from the class teacher, I discovered that these cameras were really quite straight forward to work so using this technology did not worry me. However, even though we tested the camera before leaving the classroom(a must before using any technology, in my opinion!), when we set up the first scene ready to begin filming, the camera would not switch on. After pressing various buttons, trying every battery in Keira's flat and muttering a few expletives, three frustrated students traipsed back to the class, feeling a bit disheartened.

Our initial enthusiasim for the project - where we had spent days gathering outfits and props in anticipation - had quickly worn off after this set back, and we now knew we would be racing against the clock to get our movie finished in time for editing with Sharon on Thursday. Luckily, after much hanging around until new cameras could be found, we were able to film all of our footage within the last hour and are now set to edit it. This experience has taught me to never fully rely on ICT in the classroom as it can also go against you if it doesn't feel like working that day!