Learning activities
Students will be introduced to the techniques of mobile documentary filmmaking. They will create an informative and entertaining documentary on iPads showcasing the incredible habitats within the Field of Mars Reserve.
Introduction
In the classroom, students will be introduced to the process of documentary making. A Field of Mars produced documentary is shown to outline the production steps, voiceover, camera techniques and editing.
Mobile filmmaking in the reserve
During this session each class will operate in a variety of bushland locations. Students will be working in groups of two.
At each location students will develop a script through field observations and research using simple multimodal digital texts.
Students will take photos and videos to bring their script to life. They will be explicitly taught a variety of camera techniques including camera angles, camera shots and camera movements to enhance their imagery.
Students will be taught how to use iMovie to begin editing their documentary in the field. They will learn how to sequence, adjusting timing, add titles, add captions, modify sound, record voiceovers and add appropriate background music.
All completed movies will be returned to the school via Google Drive.
Optional
Before the excursion students complete some of the activities provided in the Nature documentary learning resource.
Recommended activities:
Lesson 1
Activity 1: What makes a great nature documentary?
Lesson 2
Activity 1: Identify habitats
Activity 2: Research habitat facts
Lesson 3
Activity 1: Beautiful cinematography