The activity deals with the issue of discrimination in school and in everyday life. Video recordings and movie editing software are used to produce short films about the student’s observations and experiences in these fields.
Aims/objectives
- to discuss how discrimination can occur in school
- to find and capture various kinds of material that is interesting for shooting movies
- to introduce “Live Movie Maker” as a simple movie editing software
- to support the participants during the making and editing of short videos which address different situations about discrimination in school and in everyday life
Material needed
- Video camera
- computer, program Movie-Maker (legal software which is available for every PC)
- Download: How to edit movies: Official windows web page, http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-live/movie-maker-get-started
Step by step description
First lesson (45 – 50 min.)
1. If someone asked you… (10 min.)
Prepare a flipchart paper with the word DISCRIMINATION written on it.
Explain:
Blank stickers are distributed to the students (2 for everyone). The students write down their answers (each answer to one sticker) and attach it to the flipchart paper.
When you feel that there are no more answers left, start to cluster the answers and summarize the findings.
Information about the topic of discrimination and links to topic-related resources etc.: Compasito – Manual on Human Rights Education for Children (2007)
2. In which ways can discrimination occur in school? The students form small groups (4 – 6 persons) and recall situations when they observed, experienced or heard about discrimination in school (10 min.).
3. Each group chooses one of the stories. They create a small scene out of it, which highlights a specific incident of discrimination in school (max. 20 min.). All roles should be clearly defined and made visible in the scene:
- Where does the situation happen and when?
- Who are the main persons? Who else is present?
- Who is/feels discriminated? What is his/her problem?
- Who acts in a discriminatory way?
The students perform one rehearsal. Pantomimic acting could be appropriate instead of using words, since language needs either a very clear pronunciation and/or a very good microphone.
4. The scene the students have prepared is the material for the movie-shooting, which follows now. This could be done by you or the students with a static camera. Afterwards, the captured video material is transferred onto laptops or PCs (10 – 15 min.).
Second lesson (45 – 50 min.)
5. Introduce the program “Movie Maker” to the students and discuss it step by step. The students form pairs and test the program to get some practice and to see if everything is clear and understandable.
6. Afterwards, the small groups (4 – 6 persons) that created the scenes, gather again. The groups work on “their” movie scenes and edit it, add some music, generate titles or animations etc.
7. Movie time! The movies of the small groups are presented.
Reflection with the students / questions for debriefing
- Is it easy/difficult to speak about the topic of discrimination in school?
- What are important/interesting things you learned about discrimination in school?
- Do you think it is challenging to transfer real-life moments into a movie scene and into video material?
- What additional support do you need for making videos after this workshop?
Reference / original source of the method
This activity was facilitated by Marko Pejović during his workshop „Use me, but don’t abuse me” during the aces Kick-Off Meeting 2012 in Laško, Slovenia.
Further tips and resources
Alphabet of Tolerance (organization „Hajde da …“): a few examples and one workshop scenario about discrimination