Project:  Earthquake Documentary

Script: 20 Points

Video: 100 Points

1906 San Francisco Earthquake Documentary

 

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Objective: In this assignment you are to create a documentary on the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake using archival footage.  The film will run between 2:00 and 2:30 minutes long.  You will create original music and use sound effects This is an individual assignment, NOT a group project.  You will need to obtain assistance from at least two other students to create this production. 

 

Procedure:

 

  1. Understand the elements used in documentaries.  Take a look at an edited excerpt of Ken Burn’s The Civil War.  Look at how Burns uses archival footage and brings it to life. 

 

  1. Research using a search engine, such as Google, and search for “1906 San Francisco Earthquake.”  Read about this earthquake from several sources.  Begin to take notes on key facts.  You may take notes on paper or in Microsoft Word, whichever you prefer.  You need to select an angle or focus for your documentary.  You can explore different aspects of the earthquake.  You may focus on the fire and its aftermath, the role of the Army, or you may discuss plate tectonics and examine the fault line near the city.  You have a wide range of approaches you can take.  Each documentary should be unique. 

 

  1. Collect archival photographs and films.  While you are doing your research, copy interesting still photos and archival film into a project folder.  The best source for film footage on this subject is the Library of Congress because they hold archival footage in their collection and have made some of it available for download.  You will want to save their full size MPG files (not the smaller QuickTime files).  Search the Library of Congress San Francisco Earthquake database.  Type the word “earthquake” in the top search field. 

 

  1. Write a script based on your research.  The script will feature what you will read as a voice-over narration.  In addition to your narration, you must also include two short eyewitness accounts.  The total length of your script must be between 375 and 400 words.  The script is due on the server at the end of the second day of the assignment.  The script should follow a basic essay format.
    1. Introduction.  At the start of your documentary you want to grab the attention of your viewers.  Start with an opening sentence that is captures people’s interest and then follow with an overview of where you are going to take them.
    2. Main ideas.  Cover several interesting points that lead your viewers to understand the issue or event. Your content should answer the following questions about the earthquake: Who; What; Why; Where; and How.  Include two real eyewitness accounts. You must include a minimum of two eyewitness account.  You want to use the eyewitness accounts to support some aspect of a point you want to make.  For example, if your script describes details of the fire, you may want to find a quote of someone giving their first-person account of watching the fire destroy their house, or surrounding buildings.  You can copy and paste this quote, but don’t make it too long, use only two or three sentences from each account. Later you will select two different students to record this quote.  See the example below of an introduction that uses an eyewitness account:   

 

 

Narrator:  Every morning, people across the world wake up to the sounds of their ringing alarm clocks.  But imagine one morning you receive a different kind of wake up call.

 

Eyewitness: “The shock came, and hurled my bed against an opposite wall. I sprang up, and, holding firmly to the foot-board and managed to keep on my feet to the door. The shock was constantly growing heavier; rumbles, crackling noises, and falling objects already commenced the din.”

 

Narrator: That eyewitness had just experienced the beginning of the Great San Francisco Earthquake. It struck at 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906, along the San Andreas Fault Line. Although the earthquake shock lasted for 48 seconds, the force of the quake was felt as far south as Los Angels and as far north as Oregon.

 

 

 

    1. Conclusion. The conclusion can include a brief summary of what you just covered and also include a lesson learned from the event.   
    2. A note about plagiarism. Do NOT just copy and paste text from websites you have looked at.  Write out your script in your own words.  You will lose points if you copy the writing of others and present it as your own. 
    3. Format your script so that it fits on one sheet of paper.
    4. Place the finished script on the server at the end of the second day of this assignment. 

 

  1. Finish collecting the media you require for your project.  You need to find archival film footage and still images that go with your script.  Still images can include photographs, drawings, maps, charts, newspaper pages, etc. 

 

  1. Record your narration tracks.  Use a video camera and record it voice-over tracks. Record the quote from the eyewitness at this time also.  Use another student in class to serve as the voice of the witness.  Follow these pointers when recording your narration. 

 

·         Find a quiet spot. Recording outside is fine.  On rainy or windy days you will need to use the Side Studio. 

·         Point the camcorder about ten inches from your microphone at your mouth.  You don’t want your breath to blow into the mic.

·         The camcorder has a stereo microphone, so keep it directly in centered in front of your mouth; otherwise it may sound like you are speaking out of the left or right speaker. 

·         When you push the record button, wait five seconds before speaking or you may clip off the front part of your sentence.

·         Read the text in a clear voice.  Enunciate. Find the right pace.  Nervous people often read too fast.  If you are too slow it will be boring.  Do not use any fake accents.  Sound professional. 

·         The script should take less than two and a half minutes to read.  If you make a mistake, stop at the sentence you made the error at, and read that sentence again.  Do NOT start over again at the beginning of the script.  You can edit out your mistakes.  When you are done with your narration, come back to the class and select one of your “eye-witness” readers to do their part.  When they are done, come back and get the next eye-witness.  This whole process should take about 15 minutes. 

 

  1. Edit your project.  Make sure that your documentary feels quick-paced.  Most images should appear on the screen for less than five seconds. The talking head may go on for a few additional seconds. Use the Ken Burns Effect to pan through the still photos.  Also include special effects, such as the earthquake effect.   

 

  1. Add an opening title and closing credits.  The opening title is the name of your video. The closing credits should include your name as writer and editor.  Also name the two students who served as “Eyewitness Narrators” 

 

  1. Add appropriate sound effects.  Look carefully at your footage and images and determine the sounds that you best go with them.  You may need crowd noises (also known as “walla”), earthquake rumble, crashing noises, and fire noises, automobile or horse sounds. Make sure your sound match the time period (no siren sounds, they used a fire bell back then).  You could also include the indistinct background voices of people, called “walla.”  You may use findsounds.com, which is a search engine for sound effects on the Internet.  You can also use the FreeSound.org (this site requires you to register, it is run by a university in Spain, so they will not spam your email). 

 

 

  1. Create Original Music. You must use GarageBand’s Musical Typing feature to create your music. Use the keys A through J  Use no Loops.  It is recommended you use Synth Pads or Synth Textures in the Keyboard instrument.  Make sure your music supports the emotional tone of your documentary.  Make sure the music is not repetitive, but changes periodically.  Make sure your music is not too loud and overbearing; we need to hear the narration clearly. 

 

 

Grading Criteria

  1. The documentary is based on a script that is a minimum 375 words long, but not more than 400 words. 
  2. The documentary features both archival film footage and still photographs. 
  3. The narration track features the director’s own voice.  This voiceover track is clearly enunciated and properly paced.
  4. It includes two quotes from the earthquake eye witnesses voiced by two different people.   
  5. Sound effects are effectively used.
  6. Visual effects are effectively used (such as the Ken Burns and Earthquake effects). 
  7. Editing is quick-paced, with cuts lasting no more than five seconds.  
  8. Music is original and supports the emotional tone of the video.
  9. Titles are used effectively, at the beginning with an opening title, and at the end with end credits.  Also use titles to identify the name of the students who read the eyewitness accounts. 
  10. The documentary is presented in an informative, interesting, and creative manner. 
  11. Professional attitude and conduct and care of equipment demonstrated.  Time used effectively and all school and class rules are followed. 

 

 


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