High School Project: iMovie
An Important Invention
Commercial
The Unit of Practice
Invitation
How can students better understand the importance of inventions in our history?
How can students understand the role of the invention throughout history and how
it has created new opportunities for new inventions? How can students understand
the added value of the invention to a person’s life, and how can this added value be
used as a marketing strategy?
How can students better understand advertising and marketing of a product, and
learn to turn economic “wants” into economic “needs”? How does the message of
the commercial vary depending on the audience?
Situation
Students work in the classroom, computer lab, and media center. This project can be
completed in one or two weeks depending on the length of the film and the
expectations of the teacher. Researchers will use the Internet if possible.
Tasks
The groups create a storyboard of their project including the video shots they want
to make. The groups create a list of tasks that they need to successfully complete to
produce their commercial. Researchers use both print and Internet sources to
research the inventor and invention. Students decide on an invention and create a
task list to create a successful commercial.
Students create a storyboard and then script, produce, and shoot the video for the
commercial. Each group will produce an iMovie from their video and present the
commercial to the class, which acts as a test group for the product.
Interactions
Students work individually and in small groups. Students in the class work in
collaborative groups to identify an invention in our history and craft a commercial to
sell it.
Students in each team assume different roles in the development of their project. For
instance, each group will need researchers, scriptwriters, a journalist, a tech expert, a
project coordinator, a camera person, and actors.
High School Project: iMovie
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An Important Invention Commercial
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Researchers use both print and Internet sources to research TV commercials through
history.
Tools
m Computer; FireWire hard disk (optional); CD burner for post-production and
dubbing (optional)
m The Internet; Sherlock, AppleWorks, Inspiration (optional); iMovie, iTools to post
projects (optional)
m Digital camcorders; tripod for camera (optional); VCR
Assessment
From the identified tasks at the beginning of the project, the teacher, with the help of
the students, creates a rubric to measure the finished iMovie and presentation.
Students need to be aware of what is expected prior to beginning the project. The
teacher can make amendments to the rubrics as necessary; however, any changes
need to be defined to the students.
The teacher should create benchmarks against the students’ rubric to monitor the
process. For example:
3...................Creative, exceeds criteria, standards
2...................Meets criteria, standards
1...................Did not meet the basic criteria, standards
0...................No project
Both the teacher and the students assess their project and the process.
Standards: Social Studies—10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade
10.3 Students analyze the effects of the Industrial Revolution in England,
France, Germany, Japan, and the United States.
6. Trace the economic development of the United States and its emergence as a
major industrial power, including its gains from trade and the advantages of its
physical geography.
12.2 Students analyze the elements of America’s market economy in a
global setting.
Language Arts—9th and 10th grade
1.0 Writing Strategies
Students write coherent and focused essays that convey a well-defined
perspective and tightly reasoned argument. The writing demonstrates students’
awareness of the audience and purpose. Students progress through the stages
of the writing process as needed.
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High School Project: iMovie
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An Important Invention Commercial
The project
Students use video to enhance their comprehension of the importance of inventions
and how commercials are used to market products. Students demonstrate the
impact, consequences, and the added value (if present) inventors/inventions have
had on the economy, culture, and society.
From research, students will see how science and technology play a major influential
role in changing the economy, politics, and culture of society (optional).
Working in a collaborative teams with assigned roles, students plan their project,
gather their resources, and build their commercials.
Phase 1: Getting organized
The teacher should prepare the class for the project by giving examples of how
science and technology (inventions) have impacted all aspects of society. For
example: James Watt invented the steam engine for a specific purpose in England
during their Industrial Revolution. However, it also impacted industry in England and
in the U.S.
The teacher asks students to give examples of inventions that started out for one
purpose, but due to new needs, evolved (e.g., the Pony Express, the telegraph, the
radio, the telephone, the Internet). Once the concept is understood, the teacher
organizes the groups and identifies the roles that each member of the group will have
for the project, based on feedback from the students.
The student groups decide on an invention and begin to create an inventory list of
what will be needed to complete the project. The list of tasks should be signed off by
the teacher.
The teacher should give all students a timeline for project with benchmarks for
check-in points. These should be posted in the class so everyone can see
responsibilities and progress.
Phase 2: Research and planning
Each group makes a list of the tasks that they need to accomplish. This list of
inquiries can give the students a direction on what to look for. For example:
m What is the invention?
m Who invented it?
m When was it invented?
m Why was it invented?
m How did it impact people (positively and negatively) at the time? (For example,
the Cotton Gin increased slavery as opposed to decreasing it.)
m How has it evolved?
m How can people benefit from it?
m Who will benefit from it the most?
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An Important Invention Commercial
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Once the questions are answered, students acting as the director and assistant
director use the answers to create a storyboard that will reflect a historical
understanding along with a marketing perspective for the commercial. Narrators and
the researchers work together to create a script for their commercial.
Pictures, video footage of the invention or variations, interviews, and archive DV
footage (from the Archives of U.S. History) can be used to enhance the final project.
See “Options and Extension Activities” for more details.
Using reference books and the Internet, students research the history of TV
commercials. A product research template has been included for this process.
Groups should present their project idea to the teacher and get approval before
moving on.
Phase 3: Storyboarding
Students use the storyboard activity sheets to map out a filming plan (angles,
interviews, picture inserts, voice-overs, music) for their commercial.
Students should indicate the types of things that they are interested in filming at each
stop on the storyboard and estimate how long it will take.
The storyboard needs to contain as much information as possible. “Filming Tips”
includes information such as will the shot be wide or a close up, handheld or on a
tripod, and how long will each shot be.
“Editing Tips” are just as important. Here the editor needs to know what stills
(pictures), transitions, titles, or effects will be used.
Narration also needs to be described in the “Editing Tips” section so the editor
knows how long each clip will be. For example, if there is more talking than images
or DV, the video clip(s) can be slowed down by using the Faster/Slower slider along
the bottom of the iMovie timeline. This should be mentioned as an editing tip on the
storyboard.
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High School Project: iMovie
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An Important Invention Commercial
If anyone is interviewed on camera, the editor needs to have the correct spelling of
the person’s name and the title (if any) to place a striped subtitle underneath the
image. This function can be found in the “Titles” tab in iMovie.
Once all of the shots, pictures, interviews, answers from the list of questions, possible
transitions, camera instructions, titles, and narration are sequenced in the
storyboard, filming can begin.
An example of a storyboard segment should look like this:
Each group prepares the set or sets to shoot and take their video. Parent and
community volunteers would be useful in this phase of the project for interviews.
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An Important Invention Commercial
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Phase 4: Filming
The storyboard is the map for the project. Without it, the project will not be as
successful. The director and the assistant director need to use the storyboard and its
directions to complete each shot.
If interviews are used, sound needs to to be considered. The DV camera has a
microphone, but the surrounding sounds may be too loud to pick up the person
being interviewed. As an option, a microphone can be used to connect to the mic
port on the camera and record the interview.
Phase 5: Making the iMovie
At least one person in each group should be a so-called “expert” or fairly familiar with
iMovie. The teacher or a tech person in the building might want to work with the
experts prior to the actual iMovie being made.
Teachers or group leaders should understand titling, transitions, and the advanced
features in iMovie.
The storyboards need to be detailed according to shots and scenes. A desktop movie
should be a collection of scenes. Each scene needs to have video instructions, still
image instructions, titling, transitions, effects, and audio directions. For example:
“Scene 1: Shot of actors trying to contact each other from two different places.
(1) One student is writing a letter, and runs to deliver it to his partner blocks away.
Show him tired of running. This is a sequence shot which fades from him writing the
letter, to delivering it, to his visual exhaustion. This should be around 6–10 seconds.
Audio: Scene 1: Narration from script—Are you tired of personally delivering your
mail to business partners, landlords, or even loved ones… Well, you need a state of
the art telegraph by Samuel Morse Industries…”
Using their storyboard, students create their iMovie. If there were any changes or
multiple takes per shot, this information should be included in the storyboard as a
note to the editor. For example: “Editing Tips—Shot 6: Inside museum shots are too
dark. Replace these shots with still pictures of telegraphs found from the research.
Please stretch out pictures to span the length of the narration.”
Students who will narrate in the group will need to have their script ready to record
into the iMovie.
After final review and porting out to video tape, each group should be ready to show
their video on a TV to the class.
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High School Project: iMovie
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An Important Invention Commercial
Preparation
This project can be part of the culminating project generated by a history, marketing
and/or communication unit.
m Make sure the students have a variety of pictures they can use for their projects to
video or scan (optional).
m Make sure students understand how to use the databases on the U.S. Patents
Office’s Web site: www.uspto.gov. Here, students can do very detailed research on
the invention and how it works. This can also be used for a science or math class.
m Make sure community members are notified and briefed as to the goals of the
project.
m Make sure that the student researchers know how to access the Internet, capture
pictures, and paste them into a word processor or import them as a JPEG file into
iMovie.
m Make sure that the student iMovie experts know how to use the basic features of
iMovie and have spent time on the iMovie tutorial.
m Make sure that the narrators have prepared their script for each scene in their
storyboard. A knowledge of AppleWorks would be needed if they will be using a
word processor.
m Make sure any necessary electronic files such as activity guides have been installed
on the computer.
m Make sure that all of the appropriate software such as AppleWorks, Netscape
Communicator, Internet Explorer and iMovie have been installed on the computer
and there is sufficient storage space for the project.
Options and extension activities
m The final movie can be posted on the Internet using iTools. The commercial can
easily be reviewed by a wide audience and then feedback can be gathered at a site
like Zoomerang at www.zoomerang.com.
m Each group might produce a planning tool with the assistance of the software
Inspiration, if available.
m The Archives of U.S. History CD can be used. This is part of the Apple Learning
Series Secondary Multimedia Kit.
m A microphone can be used to help record interviews. Plus, it gives the project
more of a professional feel. Handheld microphones range from $20 to $300.
Depending on the grade level and the importance of the sound, prices will vary. A
decent handheld microphone with a mini-plug connector can be purchased at a
local electronics store for around $30.
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Resources
United States Patents Office
http://www.uspto.gov
History of TV Advertising
http://adage.com/news_and_features/special_reports/tv/
Ad Council
http://www.adcouncil.org/index.html
AdCritic.com:Commercials
http://www.adcritic.com/
Televisions Commercial
http://sourcetv.com/
Classic Commercials
http://classictv.about.com/tvradio/classictv/cs/commercials/
National Inventors Hall of Fame Index of Inventions
http://www.invent.org/book/book-index.html
The History of Inventions
http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/the-lab/history-of-invention/default.html
National Inventors Hall of Fame
http://www.invent.org/
Invention Dimension
http://web.mit.edu/afs/athena.mit.edu/org/i/invent/www/archive.html
Histories of Inventors
http://hfm.umd.umich.edu/histories/projects.html
Historical Inventions
http://inventors.about.com/science/inventors/cs/famousinventions/
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High School Project: iMovie
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An Important Invention Commercial