Renaissance Documentary

iMovie Project

You’re the Director!

Our study of the Renaissance will be student driven, you will be creating an iMovie that focuses on a specific topic. Think of your iMovie as a mini-documentary about your subject. It should have all the elements of a documentary; there must be more than just pictures. You will need to write a script and then record a voiceover/narration for your documentary. Your finished iMovie should be at least five minutes long.

This will be a research-based project. Much of the research will be done in class, but there will be due dates throughout the unit to demonstrate evidence that you are making sufficient progress. Besides your picture or photograph sources, you must have at least three different informational sources. The finished iMovie is due______. That week, you will present your iMovie to the class.

Details

  1. Choose a topic from the list below.
  2. Do LOTS of research. You will need to become the “expert” on the who, what, where, when, why and how facts about your topic.
  3. Find primary sources: inventions, diaries, paintings, music, art, documents, etc.
  4. Plan how you will tell the story about your topic. This isn't just an informational video--you're telling a story about how this topic impacted the renaissance and the world to come
  5. Plan scenes on a storyboard. Divide the film into scenes?
  6. When you start writing and filming, be sure to include:

○ Introduction of topic

○ Dates

○ Important figures

○ Primary Sources

○ Music

○ VoiceOver (script required)

○ Research/evidence

○ Credits (works cited)

  1. Start to writescript.
  2. Add period specific music.
  3. Title your documentary
  4. Start creating your documentary using iMovie.
  5. Present documentary on assigned date.
  6. Create a note guide for the students to complete as they watch your presentation to be used a s a study guide.
  7. See your teacher with any questions!! :)

Renaissance Topics for iMovie Project

Major Themes
1 – Florence
2 – Venice
3 – Government
4 – Inventions
5 – Artists
6 – Literature
7 – Culture/Society
8 – Humanism
9 - Science
10 – Other topics that
you run by me
for approval

April May Calendar

4-9
Kick Off Project
Review Sheet / 4-10
After PSSA periods 4-7 start the research
Topic due at the end of class / 4-11
After PSSA periods 4-1 research
Topic due at the end of class / 4-12
After PSSA periods 4-1 research / 4-13
Library Day
4-16
Black Death Assessment Quiz on Middle Ages / 4-17
After PSSA periods 4-7 research / 4-18
Last Day of PSSA’s / 4-19
Library Day / 4-20
Continue the project research in the library, start script today!Parent Signature Sheet Due!
4-23
Rough Draft of Script due at the end of class! / 4-24
Plan out the story board in class and possibly shoot some of the documentary / 4-25
Film session
Script due! / 4-26Overview of the RenaissanceFilm the final scenes of the documentary and edit as needed.
Works cited page Due! / 4-27Projects Due!
4-30 / 5-1 / 5-2 / 5-3 / 5-4

Documentary Checklist

# / Requirements / Done (✔)
1 / Pick topic, group members and make a project folder in IDrive/365
2 / Research topic
3 / Create a guiding question--a “so what?”
4 / Collect primary sources
5 / Find music that is appropriate to the era
6 / Organize notes
7 / Create script/storyboard
8 / Create shooting schedule
9 / Record the movie
10 / Edit the first movie/sequence clips
11 / Record the voice over
12 / Second Draft
13 / Primary Sources included
14 / Renaissance music
15 / Timeline/dates included
16 / Documentary is a between 5-7 minutes in length
17 / Includes period specific music
18 / Includes at least one interview
19 / Includes at least 3 sources (other than photographs)
20 / Fill in sheet of the important notes for the class to use to review the information presented for the end of unit assessment.