Looking for a way to motivate your students to read? Cast them in a movie...book trailer that is. Last summer I hosted a program at our local library to boost reading motivation over the summer months. I decided to try creating green screen book trailers. Little did I know the overwhelming positive response it would create in students and parents!
When the idea struck me I went online and purchased a green screen kit. I wanted one that was PC compatible and easy to use. I decided to go with a company, that in their store name implied "easy as 1-2-3." (That should give you a clue, without giving away and scaring their company name.) My advice is to research the company before buying their products. The place I purchased from was not professional or reliable. They never gave me the key code for the software and after 6 months of begging them...and a little pressure...I finally got the program working. Sadly, it was less than I expected and couldn't do half the fancy things I had envisioned.
So that led me to having to do it the hard way. Our school has PCs so I looked for great programs and tutorials on creating green screen movies with Windows and I couldn't find one that I thought the students could eventually manage on their own, which was my goal. So that led me to the decision to use my own personal Macbook.
I spent many hours trying to figure out how to create movies in iMovie. I looked for great tutorials and articles, but none of them seemed too easy to me, and they really didn't fit my needs as a teacher. After a year of exploring iMovie and using the green screen to make dozens of movies in my classroom, I am here to tell you this is one of the most powerfully motivating things I've ever done to inspire my students to read. I teach struggling readers K-5. My students do not like to read, but this idea of using a green screen was the single most powerful motivator I've ever seen!
You know how we as teachers always look for that perfect "hook"? That perfect anticipatory set? Well set up a green screen in your classroom and I promise you...they will BEG to read!
Here's a shot of the green screen kit I purchased. You do not need to purchase an entire kit, I learned later. All you need is a green background. You can use a sheet, fabric, a curtain, or paint. I did some research and found out the name of a green paint you could use.
Behr S-G-430 ("Sparkling Apple")- Found at Home Depot
or
Buy a swatch of fabric you think might work. Pin it to your clothes. Shoot your movie and add green screen effect (steps found in Part 5) and if the background picture shows up on the swatch of fabric then that's your color. This might be better than purchasing yards and yards of fabric that do not work.
Honestly, I think as long as you use a bright green it will work. Some of my kids showed up wearing green and we couldn't shoot because their green shirt picked up the background. (Which left them with a floating head...he he.)
Look at my sad little broken stool:(
My kids could hardly stand it until I explained what it was for. Then they wanted to do nothing BUT read. I never thought I'd ever have to say "No sweetie, we have to do this before we read."
In an earlier post I adding some of my students' videos if you'd like to see examples.
(I've done many more since then.)
But today's focus is to show you, How You Can Easily Create Green Screen Book Trailers/Movies in Your Classroom Using iMovie. This video is Part 1 in a 7 part series. I took it slow so you could master one section at a time. By Part 7: Publishing Your iMovie, you will be a pro!
I hope it helps to simplify this process for you. I will post Part 2: Saving Your iMovies next.
Enjoy!
Jenny
