Required elements of your film

On the first day, the 7-Day Film Challenge will distribute to teams a list of genres to be drawn from a hat for each filmmaking team. Then each team is assigned the same character, that character's backstory, a prop and a line of dialogue. The cinematic technique will be revealed PRIOR to Day 1 AND IS OPTIONAL.  These elements must appear in the student-made film in some way.  All teams will have the same required elements in their films.  The only difference is the GENRE.

Here are some examples from previous years' required elements

Character and backstory

• Alan Mahler, recently unemployed

• Alex Pratchett, is in possession of a 'valuable' photo

Prop

• coin

• map

Line of Dialogue

• It can't be that difficult.

• You should have asked me first.

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The Genre - Another required element of your film 

Possible genres that will be sent to the classroom teacher to be drawn at random by the student filmmaking groups on Day 1 may include, but are not limited to ROMANCE;  SUSPENSE; THRILLER;  SCI-FI; FANTASY;  FOREIGN; SILENT;  BUDDY FILM;  FISH OUT OF WATER;  SUPERHERO;  MISTAKEN IDENTITY, UTOPIAN/DYSTOPIAN FICTION; MONSTER MOVIE; SLICE OF LIFE; SPORTS/GAMES; MOCKUMENTARY; SUPERHERO.

It will be VERY helpful to review these genres with your students prior to the Challenge.  You do not want to waste time on Day 1 explaining what exactly these genres are.

SPECIAL RULE FOR GENRE:  Any filmmaking team may trade-in the genre they "pick from a hat" on Day 1 and replace it with a special genre.  We will announce this special trade-in genre on Day 1. 

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The Cinematic Technique - OPTIONAL

EVERY film in the Challenge will have the SAME cinematic technique appear somewhere in their film.  Some examples of cinematic techniques are a long take, Hitchcock effect, silhouette/backlighting, montage, or rack focus.  The technique will be revealed well PRIOR to Day 1 for students to practice and prepare AND IS OPTIONAL.  There is an AWARD for Best Use of Technique.
 

Below are samples of previous 7-Day Techniques

Using these different cinematic techniques all depends on the subject of your film.  You want to make sure you are using them for a purpose, not simply for the idea of using them.

1. Silhouette Lighting may be used to hide a subject to create suspense.

2. High Angle Shots can be used by placing the camera HIGH and shooting downward at your subject to give them seem 'powerless'

3. Low Angle Shots can be used by placing the camera LOW and shooting upward at your subject in order to make them seem 'powerful'

4. The Hitchcock Effect, also known as a dolly zoom, is commonly used by filmmakers to represent a feeling of unreality, or to suggest that a character is undergoing a realization that causes him or her to reassess everything he or she had previously believed.

5. The Long Take can used as an establishment shot or during an opening credit sequence, for example.

6. A Montage is a series of short shots which are edited into a sequence to condense space, time, and information.

7. A Rack Focus is when you shift the focus from one part of the frame to another.

8. A Dutch Angle (or Canted Angle or Dutch Tilt) a camera shot in which the camera angle is deliberately slanted to one side. This can be used for dramatic effect and helps portray unease, disorientation, frantic or desperate action, intoxication, madness, etc...