Roles
Present each part of the lesson in the following order:
KEY VOCABULARY (10 min.):
Director: the creative artist responsible for complete artistic control of all phases of a film’s production (such as making day-to-day determinations about sound, lighting, action, casting, even editing), for translating/interpreting a script into a film, for guiding the performances of the actors in a particular role and/or scene, and for supervising the cinematography and film crew. [Film Site Film Terms Glossary from AMC, Written and Edited by Tom Dirks]
Cinematographer: The person expert in and responsible for capturing or recording-photographing images for a film, through the selection of visual recording devices, camera angles, film stock, lenses, framing, and arrangement of lighting. [Film Site Film Terms Glossary from AMC, Written and Edited by Tom Dirks]
Editor: a mechanic who removes the unneeded and fits pieces of a film together to make a finished movie. He or she is a collaborator who works with cinematographers and sound editors to bring sight and sound together. He or she is also an artist who captures a director’s vision and tells a compelling story. [How Stuff Works – Entertainment]
Producer: the chief of a movie production in all logistical matters (i.e., scheduling, financing, budgeting) save the creative efforts of the director; raises funding and financing, acquires or develops a story, finalizes the script, hires key personnel for cast, crew, and director, and arranges for distributors of the film to theaters; serves as the liaison between the financiers and the film-makers, while managing the production from start to finish [Film Site Film Terms Glossary from AMC, Written and Edited by Tom Dirks]
Actor/Actress: one who represents a character in a dramatic production [Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary]
Crew: refers to those involved in the technical production of a film who are not actual performers. [Film Site Film Terms Glossary from AMC, Written and Edited by Tom Dirks]
Attention-getter (10 min.):
Ask students for some examples of a famous:
director (possible answers: David Fincher, Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen),
cinematographer (Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino),
editor (Walter Murch, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron),
actor/actress (Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Meryl Streep, Bella Thorne), and
producer (Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ridley Scott, Jerry Bruckheimer).
Students are much more likely to be able to name famous actresses and directors than any of the other roles, but explain how all of these positions are very important.
Discussion (15 min.):
Ask your students which role they’d like to hold on a set and why.
Ask students to compare and contrast what the priorities would be for each of these five roles: director, cinematographer, editor, actor/actress, and producer.
Activity (15 min.):
Have students imagine that they are each of these roles for their PSA and have them make notes about how they would help the PSA succeed in this position.
Have each team actually assign these roles for their PSA.
Assignment (5 min. in class, 15 min. at home):
Now that they understand their roles, have students write up a list of their responsibilities for this particular PSA shoot and begin taking steps to fulfill these responsibilities.
∞ End of Lesson ∞