After reading Bernajean Porter's writing in the Adobe Digital Kids Club website, I became convinced that the video authoring course I had developed must incorporate an added dimension: The human voice. The storyteller's voice must be heard. The personal element is also integrated into the video when the participants actually spend a major part of the course writing their own scripts. According to Ms Porter, the personal dimension, which is the soul of the story, is what makes content compelling and authentic.
In response to Bernajean Porter's writing, I have introduced at least three new elements into the Video Authoring course:
1. Emphasis on script writing - Students spend more time developing an original 500 word script for a 3 to 5 minute video.
2. Recording narration into Audacity first - They learn an additional multi-tracking audio software that enables them to produce more complex audio.
3. Narration - The focus is on the the human voice for animating and personalizing the content. Record narration first in Audacity, or else no Windows Movie Maker!
It was really, really tough teaching them the new audio software. The course participants were also resistant to the idea of getting the audio ready first. They were tempted to begin right away by using Windows Movie Maker. But Bernajean Porter's advice was to hang in there: Get the narration and audio settled first. I had to monitor very closely to see that the teachers did not "cheat". At the end of the process, the participants reported that they understood why the "narration first" rule had to be strictly enforced.
The quality of the work has become so much more personal and alive with the added element of the human voice reading out the original scripts. The Penang Teachers’ Videos have been uploaded into their own channel on YouTube.
The next thing I must do is to monitor the participants' use of images more carefully. My emphasis on the correct number of pixels (800 X 600 pixels or more) obviously did not register! Boy, it is truly a challenge to keep track of so many things! But by and large, I'm really pleased with my participants' creative efforts.
The shift in direction worked and I gratefully acknowledge Bernajean Porter's pivotal contribution in enriching my own thinking and practice.
Below, I have embedded a project which resulted from the sfift in direction of the course. I like this particular piece very much because it captures the the personalized, authentic feel that Bernajean Porter speaks about.
No comments:
Post a Comment