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 For
Ages 14–18
MyTube: Making a Video Public Service Announcement
Chances are that the teens you know are watching television and videos, possibly even some videos posted on the YouTube website. What better way to get them involved in topics and issues that are important to them than by asking them to make and edit their own videos? After watching and discussing some online public service announcements (PSAs), help teens write their own script and film a PSA.
Time
30- to 40-minute sessions over multiple days
What You Need
Why This Is Helpful
Teens need to be able to understand and respond to the many messages they get from the Internet and television (also called multimedia messages). This activity helps teens to think about how information can be presented and how they might create their own persuasive argument or message. The practice here is important not only for the kinds of essay writing they have to do in school but also for the ability to help them build critical thinking skills to be able to analyze and evaluate what they read, see, and hear in the media.
Here's What To Do
Because this activity requires some technical knowledge to produce the video, plan to familiarize yourself with the equipment and software before working with the teen. As an alternative, find someone who has this technical expertise who can support you and the teen throughout this activity, particularly though the process of making and editing the video. Many teens are already skilled at or would enjoy learning about filmmaking.
| 1. |
Start by talking a little bit about what a public service announcement (PSA) is and what it is meant to do. Ask if there are any PSAs the teen knows and likes. Talk about your own favorites and share one or more as examples. (A search of YouTube might help you locate some that would be fun to share.)
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| 2. |
Together, watch a few of the PSAs on the Ad Council: PSA Gallery and BoostUp (click Videos) websites. The Ad Council PSAs are professionally made; the other site, which is aimed at keeping teens in school, hosts videos filmed by teens themselves.
Note: See the Frequently Asked Questions page on the Ad Council website if you experience difficulty watching the videos or seek the help of someone with technical expertise who can make sure your computer is properly equipped.
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| 3. |
Provide a copy of the PSA Activity and Questions Sheet and answer the first set of questions together under the heading Step 1: Thinking About PSAs.
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| 4. |
Talk to the teen about issues relevant in his or her life. These may be personal issues, social issues, school issues, community issues, or whatever issues seem to be important to the teen. This activity works best if the teen is passionate about the issue you select for the PSA. Talk about the idea of making a PSA and find out what the teen would like to accomplish or learn in doing so. Keep this goal in mind throughout the remainder of the activity.
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| 5. |
Move on to Step 2: Choosing Your Topic and Step 3: Thinking About Solutions on the PSA Activity and Questions Sheet.
Note: This part of the activity will continue over multiple days while the teen completes research and explores possible solutions for the topic. You will want the teen to have a good base of research and a strong understanding of the topic before beginning to script and film the PSA.
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| 6. |
Once your research is complete, continue on with Step 4: Planning Your Own PSA. This step involves completing the PSA Script Outline together.
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| 7. |
Make a plan for filming the video. For some background information, watch Shotlists and Storyboards on the Nortel LearniT: Video Production website. Use the information in the PSA Script Outline to make a storyboard and shot list for the video.
Additional things to do before filming include
- Arrange to use a digital video camera.
- If more than one person is needed for the video, ask friends to play parts.
- Collect any props you will need.
- Set up time to rehearse before filming.
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| 8. |
Once the video is filmed, you can help the teen edit it using Windows Movie Maker or another editing program. (Tips for Using Movie Maker will guide you if you don’t know the program.) Save the video and encourage the teen to share it with friends and family.
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| 9. |
Refer back to the goal discussed in Step 4 and find out whether it has been accomplished. If not, talk about ways to take this activity one step further in making the goal a reality. |
Glossary
Multimedia
Mixing printed words, video, sound, and pictures in one place, such as videos that appear in the middle of webpages.
Research
Researching a topic or question can take many different forms, from year-long studies resulting in publication to a quick search of available resources on the Internet. For these activities, we refer to research in the informal sense, using readily available resources (Internet, magazines, books, interviews, etc.) to answer questions.
Script
The written part of a comic book or graphic novel, play, movie, or television show, including dialogue.
Storyboard
Panels of sketches that show the plans for the scenes and actions for a comic book, graphic novel, movie, or television show.
This activity was modified from the ReadWriteThink lesson plan “MyTube: Changing the World With Video Public Service Announcements” available online at: http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=1069.
Clipart copyright 2008 JUPITERIMAGES, and its licensors. All rights reserved. |
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