Savannah Bee Mini-Documentary (less than 5 minutes)
Potential Topics
Ecosystems
Colony Collapse Disorder (environmentalism, sustainability) Casts of Honeybees (roles, life science) Honey in History (social science, history) Different types of Honey (actually influenced by the flowers in area) |
Medicinal Properties of Honey (health)
Human Pollination in China Pollination and Bees The "Waggle" dance (What is it?) Bee Space (math/engineering: an actual mathematical unit) Engineering a Bee Hive (for beekeeping) |
Bee communication (science)
Bee species (science) Bee Keeping (science, technology, engineering) Savannah Bee Company (marketing, business) The Bee Cause Project (a project aimed at bee education) |
NOAA Film Festival Winners/Documentaries
1. God Save the Queen
Password: honeybees
2. Nutria: The other White Meat
Password: NutriaScad2014
3. Grey's Reef
Password: greydoc
Password: honeybees
2. Nutria: The other White Meat
Password: NutriaScad2014
3. Grey's Reef
Password: greydoc
Step One: Research
Begin researching your topic and collecting resources. You will want to read a plethora of material, take notes, and then begin developing ideas for how you will tackle your topic. What angle will you take? When you think you have a commanding grasp of the material, you should move on to step two: the thesis statement.
Step Two: Create a thesis statement. All good documentaries are based on thorough research, and a well crafted thesis statement.
Create a thesis statement on your topic. According to The University of North Carolina's Writing Center.... http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/thesis-statements/ (use this website to help guide crafting your thesis statement).
A thesis statement should:
A thesis statement should:
- tell the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
- is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
- directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be Honey or Colony Collapse Disorder; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the significance of the food or the environmental concern.
- makes a claim that others might dispute.
- is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.
Step Three: Write a Research Paper.
Your research paper will be the foundation for your video. You will logically present your thesis statement, and coherently navigate your topic. Writing a paper before creating a video ensures your ideas are logically presented and it helps when you begin storyboarding for your movie. The most important part of the movie is the research and conclusions you want the viewer to arrive at. It is easier to translate ideas into footage, rather than take a bunch of footage and hope to string it along and catch some meaning.
Step Four: Translate your Paper into a Storyboard
We are taking a field trip to Savannah Bee Company, and the Jepson museum. Before we go, you should have your storyboard completed, as we only have a few hours to gather all potential footage you may need for your documentary. Your storyboard should include all ideas for footage that you will need to get on our field trip.It should also address what style you are interested in. Will it be all film footage? Stop motion? Time lapse? Green Screen? Cover all skills we have picked up in the duration of this class so far. In the mean time you should think of experts on the field that you could interview, and in your own time schedule these. You may also have me act as a liaison on your behalf, and contact experts we may be able to skype/GHO with during class. There are local beekeepers in the area. Do you know any? Try StoryboardThat.com for free templates, or draw your own.
Step Five: Begin Filming
Begin collecting footage for your film. Remember, good films utilize multiple angles, and they DO NOT contain any of the 7 deadly camera sins. Analyze the documentaries that have been shared in class. Notice the styles used, angles, transitions....what makes them good? Try to replicate this in your own film, applying your topic of choice. Try using iMovie, or WeVideo to host your footage and as an editing platform. WeVideo advanced timeline allows cloud editing from any computer!
Step Six: Editing: Assemble the footage
Now, the video and story(research paper) need to work together. You will want to take your research paper and turn it into a script, keeping the meaning, and message of the paper, while matching the footage that illustrates your point. You can tell your story through a series of narrations, combined with interviews. You may choose to narrate the whole thing. It is your prerogative, but having an expert interview goes a long way when corroborating research and your point of view, and can also be used to deliver the counterpoint, followed by a narrated rebuttal. How you choose to tell your story is the creative part, and what makes your documentary unique and personal.
Step Seven: Rewatch and Revise
Check your video for any errors, or inconsistencies. Make sure the audio is good in all parts. If you use music, make sure it doesn't over power your voice over, or interview. If you used text, check for any misspelled words. Now is the opportunity to make any last minute changes and corrections before you turn in your project. You should now be ready to submit your mini-documentary!
Step Eight: Turn it in!
Congratulations! You are finished! Please consider submitting your final projects to the STEM Film Festival! Nominees will receive free admission, a special reception invite, and a STEM Film Festival t-shirt. Winners of categories will additionally win a cash scholarship.
To turn it in, share your final project with [email protected] in google drive.
To turn it in, share your final project with [email protected] in google drive.