Video Improv and Movie Games were created to offer a challenging, fun, socially engaging way for people of all ages and abilities to rediscover each other and their communities while making and screening improvised videos. Video Improv Canada is the home of what will be the world’s first Video Improv League where all the teams compete in timed Movie Games. Team building workshops are available. Contact Kimberly Smith for more information. Click VIDEO IMPROV
Chrysalis House and Juniper House initiated a project to help engage men and boys in talking about and ending gender violence. One of the ways they wanted to do this was by encouraging people to share their stories with video. Thus the idea of Video Improv Leadership Workshops was born. The goal was to establish a new creative team sport that could be played with home video equipment – or even smart phones. We hoped new light would be shed on the problem of gender violence and lead to a positive shift in local culture. Ideally each community would have enough interested people to form a “Video Improv Team”. Our strategy was to train youth leaders, teachers and coaches in how to play and coach Movie Games and then encourage them to form video improv teams in their home communities. We facilitated Video Improv Leadership Workshops in Yarmouth, Digby, Shelburne and Kentville, Nova Scotia. You can learn more about the project here: Engaging Men and Boys in Ending Gender Violence Against Women and Girls.
The New Booker School in Wolfville, Nova Scotia has decided to learn how to practice the art of video by playing Movie Games. Their goal is to enable their students to be able to learn more about their community through the process of recording and sharing short video stories. These could take the form of interviewing various people of all ages and abilities in the community. Learn more about The New Booker School here: CLICK!
This is a report about the project from the school:
Learner Profile Attribute of the Week:
Communicators: Students express themselves and information through a variety of modes of communication.
Unit of Inquiry
There’s always a renewed energy and excitement when we start a new unit. For the next several weeks we’ll be focused on Who We Are. The Central Idea is: “everyone has a story.”
-Genevieve Allen was a guest speaker this week. She introduced the Kings County Cultural Mapping site and showed samples of films that have been uploaded there.
-The Summative Assessment task this unit will be the creation of a short digital film under the guidance of Kimberly Smith. If they are suitable, the films may be uploaded onto the Cultural Mapping Site and/or our school blog. We had our first class with Kim yesterday and it’s fair to say that our students are very excited about this project.
-To deepen our interdisciplinary practice, our French teacher, Elke Willmann, will join us on Thursday afternoons to bring French into the shooting and editing of the students films.
We kinda knew combining Movie Games with physical activities would work. The Dirt Divas project proved our point. Everyone in the group handled the camera as well as performed in front of it. They produced ten short videos using a combination of cameras which included iPod Touch, Canon Vixia HV 40, GoPro, and a Canon Rebel DSLR.
You can see them all posted on the Dirt Divas blog. Click here: DIRT DIVAS
Here is their final video:
One of the first things to learn is image awareness. There are two sides to this. Actors benefit from knowing the image they project when on camera. Camera operators benefit from knowing how to frame an actor in the best possible way. “In The Moment” is one of the first Movie Games people can practice for image awareness. This is all done in camera with all the players taking turns operating the camera and acting in front of the camera.
Movie Games are a form of improvised movie making. Improvisation is a skill that many great performers embrace because it helps them practice being present and “presence” is a very powerful thing that is fun for an audience to watch. There is never a script for improvised theatre or movies. Ironically many scripts begin through improvisation. Every conversation you have is improvised. Think about that. In an improvised movie the performance and camera angles are made up on the spot by following a few guidelines that make the game possible. Dave Morris explains how improvisation works…..
Here is an example of a completely improvised short movie made as part of a Movie Game. No script. No storyboards. Just a fun two hours on Saturday afternoon.
Wolfville, Canning and New Minas Recreation are teaming up to support girls who want to be Dirt Divas in Kings County. Movie Games are going to be used to help them learn how to cooperate with each other and make videos about their Dirt Diva experience. This will be a lot of fun for everyone involved. Take a look at this video to learn more about the Dirt Divas program.
Check out the Dirt Divas page for Kings County, Nova Scotia by clicking HERE