Introduction

“What’s the big idea?”

That’s something people used to say in Hollywood movies in the 1940s.

“Say, what’s the big idea?”

Big ideas transform society and bring about pivotal changes: the personal computer, the cell phone, time travel—wait. What year is this? Oh right, we don’t have that yet.

Like never before, the power is in the hands of the masses to create audiovisual pieces that say what they want to say in the way they want to say it. Throughout this book, you’ll see many examples of those who have made their mark on the world this way and, in some cases, even changed it for the better.

So, is that the big idea? As much as we’d like to, we can’t take credit for developing affordable high-definition cameras or the other gear necessary to create broadcast-quality projects. However, we have been creating media and teaching video production for the last 25 years.

During that time, we’ve used many textbooks, several of which featured colorful graphics, dynamic layouts, and good writing. The problem was, they were structured and organized like reference books, not the way students wanted to learn, and certainly not the way we wanted to teach.

The big idea in this book is to take the sum of information producers need to make their introductory projects—whether within the context of a first-year video production program in high school or college or on their own—and arrange it into six project-based units, layering in just as much new information as the student needs to complete the next, more complex level of project.

If you go through this book in order, you will develop the skills to create six different, distinct, and authentic video projects. You will also have learned the media creation process.

We have found over time that the most dynamic class structure is one in which students are always starting a project, working on one, or completing it. This generates the maximum amount of enthusiasm and ownership from students and polished, finished projects from classes.

Media creation is the key to all sorts of success. It will enhance understanding of topics covered in other classes and maximize career and college readiness. For good or bad, people these days spend an increasing amount of time in front of screens. In our society, there are consumers, and there are producers.

Video Production 101 is a curriculum for a first-year video production course, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Media creation is about rising to challenges. Once you have determined that you are going to make your project, you just have to figure out how. Don’t take no for an answer.

Spoiler Alert: After you read this book, you will be a much more powerful communicator, and you will not look at TV, movies, or Internet video the same way again. You will notice choices made in the framing of shots and mistakes such as boom shadows and continuity errors. The artifice in the process of media creation will be apparent to you, but you will have a new appreciation for what you watch and know what it takes to make it.

We can’t predict where the media landscape will be a year from now. The powerful and influential William Morris Agency is signing the stars of YouTube and Vine who have amassed, in some cases, several million followers and attracted corporate sponsorship without representation. The world is changing faster than ever before, and that includes the world of media: what is made, who is making it, and where it is watched.

In our society, there are consumers, and there are producers.

Congratulations on joining the ranks of the producers and taking your first step to deliver your message to the larger world.

Our sample projects are customizable to the budgets and logistics of your plan and program. Should a teacher or producer care to, they could pull out one unit in this book to make a project with their class and use the rest of the book as reference, the way we and other video production teachers have always used other textbooks.

Here’s all you need to do:

1. Get this book.

2. Do an inventory of all media creation assets you have access to.

If you don’t have video cameras but you have smartphones with video camera apps, shoot with those. If you don’t have computers in your class but you have access to a computer lab on campus or at home, develop your workflow around what you have access to.

If only some of your group have access to gear or editing software, use that information to develop your project groups. If you have no access to any computers and any gear at your school, work on paper with storyboards and designs, write a grant proposal, and make a list of where you can get gear.

Those new to media creation and project-based learning will likely be surprised by the degree to which putting students in charge of creating media electrifies the classroom experience for everyone, including the teacher.

To access the videos, all you need to do is follow these steps:

1. Go to www.peachpit.com/register and log in or create a Peachpit.com account.

2. Enter the book's ISBN.

3. The book will be listed under the Registered Products tab on your Account page.

4. Click the Access Bonus Content link.