Green screen storytelling, step-by-step
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Green Screen Storytelling Project
* Nome, Elementary School
* Nome, Alaska
* December, 2007
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Thank You to our Supporters
MANY THANKS to the wonderful people of Nome who supported
this project, especially Carl White, Principal of Nome Elementary School, and Robin Johnson,
Director, Educational Technology, Nome School District.
This project is part of the
“Stories of Culture and Place” program, which is sponsored by the University of Alaska’s Geography
Program. Many thanks to geography program director Dr. Mike Sfraga for his support. For more
information contact Jason Ohler (jason.ohler@uas.alaska.edu).
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Thanks to the Team
VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO “THE TEAM”…
* NIKKI POLK, 4TH grade teacher
* JUSTIN HEINRICH, Nome Elem. Tech. leader
* KIM RYAN, teacher aide
* ALL THE STUDENTS OF MISS POLK’S CLASS - you are wonderful storytellers!
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The Team
Group shot of the Nome Stories of Culture and Place Storytelling project team.
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Pre-step 1 - Plan, permissions, paint
Plan: Make sure teachers and tech support understand the process. Involve administrators; make sure they know how the school will be involved, and also the great work the students are going to produce.
* Get parent permissions...
* Paint the wall the green...
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Pre-step 2 - Unit of instruction
Nikki Polk, the students' 4th grade teacher, leads a unit of instruction prior
to the storytelling project to guide the project's content.
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Pre-step 3 - Cultural values
Ms. Polk addresses cultural values that will help guide the direction and
moral of the story. The cultural values are reviewed when the storytelling
project begins.
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Step 1 - Tell a story
Jason tells a story to model storytelling, then leads a class discussion
about what made the story work.
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Step 2 - Map the story
Jason demonstrates how to "map" the story, showing where the problem,
resolution and character development is in the story. The mapping approach
used is Dillingham's VPS (Visual Portrait of a Story).
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Step 3 - Teach storytelling
Jason shows students how to tell effective stories through the use of "sound,
motion and expression" (Dillingham). Here Jason is having them act as
"sound and motion" effects for a story he tells.
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Step 4 - Storystorm
Jason leads a brainstorm about finding stories from within us, a process he
calls "storystorming." Students think about stories in terms of a problem,
a solution, and the changes characters undergo to solve problems.
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Step 5 - Students map their stories
Students choose a story from the storystorm, and map it using the VPS.
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Step 6 - Students tell their stories
Students stand and tell their stories for the first time in front of the
entire class. Jason demonstrates how to critique the story by explaining what
he thinks was strong about it, as well as what could be stronger.
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Step 7 - Students write their stories
After telling their stories, students write them. They use "the writing
process," going through as many iterations as curriculum goals require.
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Step 8 - Students tell, retell and peer critique stories
Students tell, retell their stories, as well as critique each other's
stories, in pairs or small groups.
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Step 9 - Students create background artwork
Students create 3-5 pictures that they will "slide" behind their recorded
performances in the production process. Typically these are done with simple materials:
crayons, pencils, standard paper.
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Step 10 - Students scan artwork
Students scan their artwork so it can be used in the production process.
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Step 11 - Students perform in front of the green wall
Students perform before an audience in front of their "green screen,"
which is usually a wall painted green. The audience usually consists of their
classmates, parents and invited guests.
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Step 12 - Students record their performances
Students video record their performances. As many students as possible are
involved to do all the tasks, including running the camera, placing the wireless
mike on the storyteller, being the floor manager ("All quiet on the set.
Counting down: 5, 4, 3 [silently] 2, 1"), managing from the performance schedule,
etc.
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Step 13 - Students create backgroung music for titles
To make this an all-original production, students should create music that plays
when the DVD launches (much like a commercial DVD). In the case of this project,
students sang a song that their teacher, Ms. Nikki Polk, wrote and played on
her guitar. Other options: GarageBand creations, recording local performers...
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Step 14 - Students are trained in chroma editing
Here Nome Elementary Technology leader, Justine Heinrich, is showing students how
to do "green screen" chroma editing. They are using iMovie with a special
plug-in ($30). Justin reported that the students did all the work, including
basic movie editing, chroma editing, and DVD production.
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Step 15 - Students add artwork
Students add their scanned artwork behind their performances, replacing the
green of the wall with their original drawings.
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Step 15, cont'd - Voila
Here is an example of what the performance looks like after the artwork has been added.
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Step 16 - Students edit, master, help each other
Students help each other edit their movies, create and master the DVD.
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Step 17 - Give copies to students, parents, participants
Everyone involved with the project was given a copy of the final DVD,
including - and especially - parents. It is a good idea to make as many copies
of the DVD as possible and give them to school board and community members, as
well as anyone else you feel should know about the great activities your
school promotes.
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Step 18 - Celebration!
It's important to celebrate success! A final group showing is a great event.
Invite the school and community!
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DAOW of literacy skills
Included here are a few slides of the storytelling tools that were used to
teach storytelling. This is the DAOW of literacy, showing how digital, art,
oral, and writing literacy intersect and come together in a digital
storytelling environment.
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Story core
The story core is comprised of the basic components of the story: problem,
solution, transformation. Engage students in finding these components in
their stores, as well as the media stories they watch and listen to.
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Story core, illustrated
The core of a story consists of change that is resisted, but eventually
happens because
a character or situation evolves and grows: transforming through learning.
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VPS (Visual Portrait of a Story)
The story core is then fleshed out using the VPS (Dillingham, 2001); Jason adds
a few elements to this, including "the call to adventure" and "transformation."
Students annotate this, which serves as the a storyboard for their story.
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VPS, without annotation
Here the VPS is shown in plain form, without annotation. Feel free to download
and use it.
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Storystorming grid
Storystorming is brainstorming about stories. This basic grid is used to lead
students through the process of finding problems, solutions and identifying
the transformation characters undergo.
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Story "research box"
Sometimes students want to include way more than can be accomodated by a 2-minute
story. Using the story research box allows them to write down everything, and
then sort through it later. The goal is to figure out the few things that go
into the box, and therefore will be included in the story. Everything else is
helpful reference but is not included.
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