Lesson 6: Pre-Production & Production

Lesson 6

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Learning Outcomes

Students will:

Learners will begin pre-production on their CIC project by developing a script, outline, or storyboard.

Learners will learn storytelling and video editing skills that they can apply elsewhere.

Learners will learn how to create a CIC project using video editing tools.

Learners will learn how to produce a CIC project that aligns with the Judging Rubric that meets the Competition Criteria.

How do we move from an idea to a finished product?

What tools do you have at your disposal to help tell your story effectively?

Reflect on when you began this process? What are some of the most significant things you’ve learned thus far?

For learners without access to phones and computers, the educator is heavily involved in enabling the learners through the video production part of the project.
We recommended dedicating multiple class periods (4-5+) as well as the extra-curriculum/project-based learning time allocated in the new CBC curriculum, to this lesson to allow for extensive in-class, production work. Many learners will also spend time working on projects at home or away from school. We encourage you to build some flexibility into the pre-production and production process. Some learners find storyboards fun and essential, and for some, it’s difficult, tedious, and unhelpful in producing a final product. Producing some kind of outline or script is essential for both assessment and quality communication, but the actual process itself may be something you leave up to your learners.
At CAVU, we recommend the use of Canva to produce a final product. Educators have testified that this is the best, easiest and most affordable way for learners to create dynamic, engaging CIC
projects. The software is both user friendly, allows student collaboration and diverse enough in its offerings to meet the needs of most learners. To register as a verified educator so that you and your learners can use Canva for FREE, click here (bit.ly/CAVU-Canva-2). For a video tutorial on how to incorporate Canva for educators in your classroom click here (bit.ly/CAVU-Canva-3).
We have noticed that learners struggle with completing projects, even if given the proper amount of lead time for developing the project. The causes are numerous, from lack of confidence, to challenges they face as the deadline looms. Please encourage your learners to enter, even if they think they aren’t going to ‘win.’ Their contributions are important.
Be sure to check out the video production tips at the end of this lesson for tips and tricks on how to create a great CIC project.
Please encourage your learners to enter the CIC challenge. Even if they don’t win, their contribution is important. Our bigger picture is bringing new African young voices to the global climate crisis.

Supplemental Resources:

Next Steps

Here are examples of past submissions that have done well in the competition in various ways. Review relevant videos for your classroom and discuss how and why you think they may have scored well in the competition. Use the CIC Judging Rubric to guide your discussion.

Watch Top entries from Kenya (bit.ly/kenya-playlist)
Elementary School
- “Composting” (3:48) (bit.ly/CAVU-Composting) by Stephen, Amari, Anthony, Axel, & Bryce, 5th-grade learners at Roland Rodgers Elementary School in Galloway, NJ
- “Fashion Crisis” (3:35) (bit.ly/CAVU-Fashion) by West, 5th-grade student at Carlos Gilbert Elementary in Santa Fe, NM
- “Time Crunch for Lunch” (4:00) (bit.ly/CAVU-Crunch) by 3rd-grade learners at Amy Biehl Community School in Santa Fe, NM
Middle School
- “Creating Backyard Habitats” (4:00) (bit.ly/CAVU-Backyard) by Adrian and Athena, 8th- and 6th-grade learners at Albuquerque Academy in Albuquerque, NM
- “Rooftop Gardens” (2:43) (bit.ly/CAVU-Rooftop) by Vivian and Avery, 6th- grade learners at the Sage International School of Boise in Boise, ID
- “The Sound of a Better Planet” (3:01) (bit.ly/CAVU-Sound) by Madison, 8th-grade student at Dock Street School for STEAM studies in New York City, NY
High School
- “Your Lawn Sucks” (3:38) (bit.ly/CAVU-Lawn) by Willa, 10th-grade student at New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe, NM
- “Lake Bogoria” (bit.ly/CAVU-Lake) by 9th, 11th- and 12th-grade learners at Lake Bogoria Girls High School in Lorwok, Kenya
- “Sustainable Seafood” (3:47) (bit.ly/CAVU-Seafood) by Eileen and Carmen, 10th-grade learners at the Academy for Technology and the Classics in Santa Fe, NM
Reiterate the end goal, which is to design a creative solution to a problem caused by climate change, and then communicate this idea in a short video (under 4 minutes).
Good projects include the following:
- Creative and engaging storytelling with a beginning, middle, and end that effectively communicates the problem and the ensuing solution.
- Reputable and relevant data sources with proper citations.
- Practical and replicable strategies with the potential to be implemented in your community.
- Good sound quality. The audience must be able to hear you and those you are interviewing. If learners have sound issues, please suggest adding captions to the video.
- Engaging visuals that are both relevant and thought-provoking.
- An inspiring message that motivates others into action. Good storytelling communicates people’s experiences as they confront a problem or challenge, and eventually find a solution to that problem or challenge.

Introduce commonly used pre-production tools to help learners be organised. While it may be tempting to jump straight into production, ask learners to take their time to develop the story that they want to tell.
To write a script for their project, it is suggested that learners use their Climate Action Plan from Lesson 5 as a guiding document. This will encapsulate what the learners want to communicate and in what order. Learners should start listing the arguments and/or messaging they might take and how they could communicate these things visually.
Pre-Production Tools:
Using the learners’ Climate Action Plan from Lesson 5, have them organise their video production projects using a storyboard. Using the storyboard template, learners can create a sequence of sketches with direction and dialogue representing the shots or scenes for their video projects.
Have learners think about a timeline for their production.

Assuming you and your class have chosen to work with Canva, show one or both of these short tutorial videos to get started:

Canva Video Editor – COMPLETE tutorial for Beginners (16:33) (bit.ly/CAVU-Canva)
Canva App Video Editing Tutorial (8:42) (bit.ly/CAVU-Canva-4)

Try this activity to help learners get acquainted with the software. This activity can be modified to work with any presentation or editing software

Give learners one of the following prompts:

You have 15 minutes to make a 10-20 second video on Canva that:
- Tells a quick story about a memory from your childhood.
- Highlights a favourite food and why it is your favourite
- Explains the premise of your favourite movie or book
- Or create your own prompt!
The video must contain the following attributes:
- At least three relevant and engaging visuals
- Transitions between visuals
- Recorded narration
- Text on screen that emphasizes certain words or phrases
- Music that might cause your audience to be influenced by the message you are trying to convey

When 15 minutes are up, ask for student volunteers to share what they have made and the tools they chose to include for this activity.

Lights, Camera, Action! – Project Production Tips
Your learners will now apply everything they’ve learned in this workbook. So far, they’ve studied regional climate impacts, creative and innovative strategies, and how to tell an effective and engaging story using film or video as a communication medium. Now, they are ready to produce their projects.
Project pre-production and production will take some time, and we recommend offering an additional 3-4 class periods to allow learners to work on their projects. They may also choose to do some work outside of the classroom.
If learners plan on interviewing someone for their project, please have them inform the
interviewee that these recordings will be included in a video project that may be put on the
internet. Please have all interviewees fill out a CAVU media release form. (attached)
Here are suggestions for presentation software you may want to use with your learners.
- Click on the links to watch the tutorial.
  - Canva.com – Tutorial (bit.ly/CAVU-Canva) – Recommended!
  - Capcut.com – Tutorial (bit.ly/CAVU-CapCut)
We encourage learners to explore and learn more about filmmaking techniques, using a smartphone to create their videos, sources for royalty-free music and free editing software. These are necessary and transferable skills in today’s world.
The Resource Library on the CIC folder link offers other resources that learners can use while making their videos, like filmmaking techniques, using a smartphone to create their video, sources for royalty-free music, and free editing software.
We encourage learners to explore and learn more about filmmaking techniques, using a smartphone to create their videos, sources for royalty-free music and free editing software. These are necessary and transferable skills in today’s world.