A filmmaker is a storyteller, is an artist, is an archeologist.
We search, sift, and salvage slices of life then stitch them into a story. Last week students tackled the nitty-gritty: what's a story anyway? There are two main things to think about when building a story. A film is a composed work of art and needs what many works of art need: unity, rhythm, and balance. Keeping these concepts in mind will help students build story works of art.
Catherine's pink artifact tower demonstrates key composition concepts used to build a story.
The other ingredient in making a story is theme. A theme can be stated as an assertion: My smartphone is stupid. It's what drives and unifies the story. Dr. Wagner led an archeological exploration of an assertion involving a well-known fast-food place. Students brainstormed and listed all evidence that made our assertion true.
Kathleen then led the construction phase: each piece of evidence, or artifact, translates into a film clip. These can be arranged on a storyboard to illustrate and plan your story.
FCHS student Lacy collects her artifacts for storyboarding.
Finding theme is the most difficult part of a filmmaker's work, but it's also the most exciting. We get to unify a bunch of artifacts, balancing them just so, and find the rhythm they combine to make a story.
See you next week!
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