Toy Story in Windows Movie Maker

Toy Story with Windows Movie Maker

Students Use Writing and Photography to Create an Original Movie

Inspired by Disney's movie A Toy Story, I have created a digital photography lesson plan in which students must create their own toy tale/adventure and turn it into a short video.  After spending some time writing our stories (contact me if you'd like the full lesson plan) we plan our photographs.  Each page of text (written like a children's story so one page is only a few sentences long) needs to have one photograph to go along with it.  The students have a box of random objects and toys I provide or they can supply their own toys.  They take the images they need and edit them to fit their story.  Some students superimpose multiple images together, and other students make due with what they have at hand. 

We type up our story and import all of our text and images into Windows Movie Maker.  The students really enjoy this program and it's exciting for them to see how they can transform still images into a video.  I teach the students how to time each slide, how to add various effects and transitions as well as how to incorporate music using clipping and fading.  I never get tired of watching their finished movies!  They are so unique and strange in the best kind of way! 

Finished examples:

These are the guidelines I give my students:

A Toy Story

Telling a Story Through Photographs

You are going to write a 12-15 page story about a toy that has come to life and had its own adventure/day out.  For each page that you write you will also have to stage a scene and photograph it to go along with the text (If you wrote 12 pages, you will take 12 photographs.  If you wrote 15 pages, you will take 15 photographs).  The “pages” are not full page word documents.  It can simply be one or two sentences that describe what is going on.  This is similar to a children’s picture book, there is not a lot of text, but it gives us just enough information to understand what is happening.  However, you will be using the parts of a story to demonstrate understanding through the use of a beginning, middle and an end.

First, you will write your short story (have fun with it and make it interesting).  You will then be given a toy (you are responsible for these toys and must return them in their original condition) or you can use/provide your own toys to be used in this project.  You can use class time to take photographs or do them on your own.  You may use any editing tools to enhance your images, including altering them as we did with our Surrealism assignment.  Your job is to create a series of scenes in which the toys have become a part of everyday life.  If you have seen the movie Toy Story, then it’s just as though the toys have come alive and are roaming around amongst us.  You will stage them in an interesting manner and take a series of digital photographs to document their adventure.  You may edit your image(s) with www.Pixlr.com/editor if you would like.  Be sure to pay close attention to your angles with this kind of photography.  Have fun!  Be Creative!

We will turn your images and text into a PowerPoint Presentation which we will then convert into a movie using Windows Movie Maker.  These steps will described and taught to you as you continue the assignment.

Writing Practice for Toy Story in Windows Movie Maker

Writing Practice

Creative Writing and Photography to Tell a Story in Windows Movie Maker

Art classes truly are cross curricular in every sense, whether the students realize it or not.  In all of my classes I like to incorporate some sort of writing; often times it is a critique, an artist statement or a short story to go along with a piece of artwork.  In my digital photography course, I teach the 8th graders how to transform a creative writing piece into their very own movie.

We begin by discussing plot, something they have already learned in their English class.  We focus on the need for a beginning, rising action, a climax, falling action and a resolution.  I explain the remaining criteria for their story and how it will be made (setting up and photographing toys in real life settings or superimposing a series of images together-as long as they photograph at least part of the image used for each scene). 

For practice, I show them a series of photographs taken by various photographers (websites provided for each photographer linked under each image) and ask that, as a class, they come up with sentences that would go with the image and where it would take place in the story (either beginning, middle or end).  Below are some of their examples, they are so creative!

 Image ‘Sasquatch Attack’ by Brian McCarty

Middle: Sasquatch Joe sought revenge on Susie for dressing him like a girl all of those years.
 

Image by Brian McCarty

Middle: Trina unleashed her road rage on the innocent bystanders.
 

Image ‘Cammy and Guile’ by Zelevol

Beginning: G.I. Joe and G.I. Jane arrive at the airport; ready to take their honeymoon trip to Hawaii, Canada.

Middle: They just got back from their honeymoon and were mugged.  They walked home sadly.

End: Feeling victorious, they walked home with pride in their hearts after defeating the evil Pigbutt.

Alternative Ending: Barry and Luanne lived happily ever after.
 

Image ‘Oh Noes’ by Chris McVeigh
 

Middle: The chipmunk ate Steve’s friend, Gerald! Steve declared war on all chipmunks and poisoned their almonds!

 

Image ‘GTA III’ by Brian McCarty

 

Middle: Jake was called in for reinforcements to help his friends involved in a catfight.

Image ‘Cheez-It’ by Brian McCarty
 

Middle: Toby got in trouble with Mr. Squeakers for eating his CHEEZ-ITs.

End: Billy Bob Joe finally made his way through the epic maze with Mr. Squeakers and claimed their prize!  YUM!

Andy Warhol Inspired Portraits

Pop Art Portraits

Andy Warhol Inspired Photo Transfers

My Finished Portrait

My students took a look at Pop Art and focused on Andy Warhol recently.  I'm using this as an opportunity to introduce them to new techniques other than just drawing, painting, clay and the mixed media sculpture that they are used to.  I am teaching them a photography transfer process.  This project is also great for students who need a confidence boost because it is based on and incorporates a photograph so they aren't as hard on themselves about the finished result. 

We started by looking at a PowerPoint I've created about Pop Art and Andy Warhol.  We discussed the characteristics of his artwork (focusing on portraits).  Since we just finished paint mixing, after awhile I began to focus the discussion on colors he liked to work with and pair together and was able to have a good conversation with the students about contrast and types of colors (tints, shades, primary, secondary, intermediate, etc).  Then the fun began!

We started by taking photos.  I had each student stand infront of my white projector screen one at a time and pose however they wished.  Some students smiled, some made faces and others prefered their very own mug shot!  In my spare time, I posterized their photos using www.pixlr.com/editor and printed them as 8x10 images (on plain printer paper).  Below is the example of me and the first 3 steps:

The students each got an 8x10 sheet of fabric and painted it a color of their choice.  This would be their background.  While the paint dried, they took their 8x10 photo of themselves and a sheet of tracing paper to trace the basic shapes of their face and/or clothing. I urged them to press hard with their pencil and only trace major shapes that they would like to paint a second color.  I also encouraged them to trace shapes that they would want to match the same color as their background.  Every now and again a few students find this step confusing, I reassure them that there is not a right nor wrong way to do it and in the end, they all do a great job!

When the paintings were dry, we layed the tracing paper face down (pencil side down) onto the fabric and re-traced their tracing, but from the back side of the paper.  The students were amazed to find that this pressed their pencil from one side of the tracing paper onto their fabric.  I reassured them that their portrait should look "backwards."  We took our pencils directly onto the fabric to make the outlines stand out more.

The students used their new outlines to paint their second color.  I requested that they use a color that would be considered fairly high contrast to their first color.  As the paintings dried, we trimmed away the extra paper on our photographs. 

When they were dry, we covered our fabric with gloss gel medium.  To spare my brushes I had the students spread the gel over their entire sheet of fabric using their finger.  For the squeamish, I offered disposable gloves.  We then pressed our photo directly (and firmly) into the gel and allowed them to dry.

We used sponges and water to go directly over our paper so that it would begin to peel away.  After removing all of the remaining pulp, we had our image transfer and pop portraits!

Surrealism

Surrealism with Digital Photography

Students Use Photo Editing Skills to Create a Surreal Image

I'm teaching my digital photography students some new techniques to photo editing and focusing on how to superimpose one image into another.  I've also taken this as an opportunity for them to show me their weird side and introduce them to Surrealism.  I've asked that they create a surreal image by superimposing a minimum of four images together (they had to take a minimum of one of the photographs and the others could be "found").  I offered a box of toys and random props to use to their own personal photography contribution in the assignment.  The results are beyond hilarious!  I absolutely love how funny they are and much fun the kids had while they made them!  I highly recommend this lesson! 

Here are a few of their surreal images they've created.  I am only posting the ones without their faces in them.  

Unfortunately I cannot site where my students got the images they put together. They were to be photographer of at least one of the photos used but the others could be found online. I did not have them site where they got the images from, only that they submit an original copy of the image to me digitally. In the future, I would ask them to site the found photographs so I could give credit where credit is due.

Critiques

Writing a Critique

Students Learn How to Critique their Photography

Critiquing one's artwork is important for reflection and for growth as an artist.  I always like to take some time with my students to discuss what they think they were most successful with, why and what they struggled with and how they got through the struggle.  I also ask that they think about what they would change if they were to go back and redo or fix part (or all) of their artwork.

In my digital photography course, the students are experimenting with composition and trying to find their photographic voice.  For their first critique, I asked them to read an example of my own based on this article I found online by Haje Jan Kamps.  We discussed the purpose of writing critiques and I sent them on their way. 

After discussion and my example, this is what I give them to get them started.  Each student can then upload their own photo and reflect on what they have done:

Read the article provided about how to critique a photo. 

Now it is your turn.  Insert one of your photos  that you would like to critique.  Complete the following sentences and elaborate on them to create paragraphs (a minimum of 3-4 sentences each).

DELETE THIS BOLD/CAPS TEXT AND INSERT PHOTO HERE! 

When I look at this photo, it makes me think of…

Technically I think this photo is…

What I like about this photo is….

If I were to improve or change anything I would…

This is one of my student's finished photography critiques (along with her fabulous photo!).  It is short and sweet but it shows that she has thought about her work and she knows and understands the processes she has gone through to be successful.

When I look at this photo, it makes me think of a fantasy movie with fairies and magic. The sparkles on her eye shadow remind me of sparkles on fairies wings, and the magic part of it. I like the colors of it because they are exciting.

Technically I think this photo is a good example of using frames, because the leaf holes are framing her eyes.  It also demonstrates how to fill the frame interestingly. I like it because it was a natural frame, and all we did was punch out holes for the eyes to create this mask.

What I like about this photo is the light. I like the way the light is dark, then bright. I also like how the leaf color matches the dots of brown in her eyes too.

If I were to improve or change anything I would want to make the leaf blurry and her eyes in focus.  I would not want it to be completely blurry, just enough that the eyes really popped out.  I could also go in and edit the color of her eyes so they would stand out and leave the leaf as it is.

Color Mixing Bingo

Color Mixing Bingo

Students Learn Color Mixing While Making a Bingo Card

My 6th graders are about to start an Andy Warhol inspired Pop Art Portrait in which they will be painting with bold, high contrast colors.  However, this is our first painting project of the year and I want to review a few painting basics.

I also think it is important for kids to understand color.  Naturally, they need to understand the color wheel but also the various types of color and how each color can be created.  So in honor of that need, I have created Color Mixing Bingo.  I have created 20 different Color (bingo) Cards like the following (Contact me if you'd like a copy of the Word document I have them saved in):

C	O	L	O	R
Purple	Blue	Pink	Yellow-Green	Red
Red-Orange	Maroon	Yellow	Light Blue	Green
Red-Violet	Blue-Green	FREE CHOICE-mix any colors you would like and see what you create	Orange	Light Purple
Brown	Yellow-Orange	Light Green	Blue-Violet	Gray
Ivory/Off White	Navy Blue	Black	Dark/Forest Green	Golden Yellow

On each card you will find the Primary, Secondary, Intermediate/Tertiary, Neutral and select Tints and Shades.  Each card has the same words, only they are in different locations.  Each student gets their own card and after discussing color mixing, we begin adding color to each box.  You can do this a couple of ways

 1)You can draw a color from a bowl (Bingo Style) and have each student find that color on their card and paint and/or mix paint in that box.  You can play Color Bingo as you go, when you have 5 in a row, you win a prize. 

OR

2) You can draw a color from a bowl (Bingo Style) and have each student find that color on their card and paint and/or mix paint in that box.  And just use this as an opportunity to go over how to make each color and not play Bingo rules just yet

OR

3) Set the students free to paint their own Color Bingo card at their own pace and leisure

When the cards are dry, we play Color Bingo and I give out small prizes if the student who wins can tell me how to make each of the colors they have in a row.

More Egyptian Mixed Media

Egyptian Mixed Media Continued...

More Student Examples of Egyptian Symbol Mixed Media

It's always so difficult for me to only post one or two photos of the kids' artwork.  These sculptures were so fun and unique, I wanted to share a few more with you.  I hope this inspires some creativity in your classroom or students' artmaking!

Pictured above: The Egyptian God Bes, a Crocodile of the Nile, and a Crook and Flail

Pictured above: Scarab Beetle, Anubis the Jackyl Headed God and an Aten