Part of Lesson Plan: One Shot Short

Activity Overview / Details

Introduce the concept of a continuous, single take video by first showing the Sample One Shot: Sara Bareilles: Gravity video.

Discuss the following with the class:

1. What do the students notice about how the video is filmed? What stands out the most to them?
2. What kind of visual story is being told in this video?

Watch the film again, this time having students pay attention to the complexities of movement and lighting taking place in the action. Use the following guiding questions for discussion:

1. What role does the lighting and movement play in telling the visual story?
2. What is the impact of having one continuous shot define such obviously complex choreography of movement and lighting?
3. What types of planning might go into such a video? What would the steps be?

Go through the One Shot Introduction presentation. In preperation for starting the One Shot project. View the additional sample videos and discuss as a class how the One Shot technique is used to enhance the impact of the storytelling. Also discuss what processes might have taken place in the pre-production phase of the video (i.e., storyboards, scripts, camera and actor schematics, rehearsals, etc.) to make the end product successful.