Students’ Competition Guide, Worksheets and Templates

Students’ Guide, Worksheets and Templates

Provided by Nationwide. Available at NationwideEducation.co.uk/moviepitch

Contents

Competition guide

1 Getting started on the competition brief

2 Storyboarding

Worksheet

Template

3 Writing a script

Worksheet

Template

4 Writing a synopsis

Worksheet

Template

5 Presentation skills

Worksheet

Preparation for the optional teaser clip

Competition Guide


Competition Guide

About The Big Money Movie Pitch

Your chance to walk the red carpet and watch your very own film on the big screen!

The Big Money Movie Pitch is a brand new competition for students across the UK, where the winning pitch gets made into a short film by industry professionals.

The Awards

As well as the winning pitch being made into a real film by industry professionals, the awards include 120 places at the red-carpet premiere for the winning school, 50 each for two highly-commended schools, as well as selection of a current blockbuster by the winning production team to enjoy following the premiere, and a whole host of other benefits from Nationwide Building Society’s exciting Talking Numbers programme. The final film will also be used to educate young people on managing their money via many other channels over the following 12 months.

The Brief

To enter the competition, you need to submit a pitch for a short film about managing money that will run for a maximum of two minutes (when produced).

You can choose ONE of the following ways to present your idea:1. A storyboard - @16 panels

A sequence of drawings (like a comic), including some directions and dialogue, representing the shots planned for a short film.

2. A script (or screenplay) - 500 words max The written text of a short film, with directions and dialogue.

3. A synopsis (or treatment) - 500 words max A piece of prose about your film (as opposed to scene-by-scene directions and dialogue in a script) that tells us about your film idea.

4. A new style – your choice This is a chance for you to break away from the traditional formats and present your film idea in another way: visual or media arts, or performing arts, for example. Let your imaginations run wild and think outside the box! Optional teaser clip: 15-30 seconds As well as working together to create a storyboard, script or treatment, your production team may like to submit your pitch with a teaser clip on digital video (DV). All teaser clips should include reference to the storyboard, script, treatment or other kind of presentation upon which they are based. You don’t have to provide a teaser clip, so don’t worry if you don’t have the facilities at your school. If you enter the competition without one it won’t harm your chances of winning.

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Competition Guide


Get creativeThe final film (should you win!) will be made for other young people of your age, so when discussing ideas for your pitch, think about what appeals to you. Here are a few points to get you thinking creatively:

• Have you or anyone else in your class made a home video or film before? How did you organise yourselves? What did you learn? What would you now do differently?

• What creative and practical skills do you have in your class that you could use to put a pitch about managing money together?

• Consider short videos and clips that you’ve seen and talk about why you liked them; what caught your attention?

We’ve included links to worksheet PDFs - some include templates - on The Big Money Movie Pitch web page, also some short films and animations for inspiration along with links to excellent filmmaking guides specifically for young people.

If you’re viewing this Competition Guide in print and have online access, you’ll find the example short films and filmmaking guides here: NationwideEducation/moviepitch

If you’re already online, great! Do have a look around the links as part of your research and inspiration for creating your pitch.

What should the pitch be about? You are pitching an idea for a short film that you want to get made professionally, one which will encourage other young people to take responsibility for managing their money. We’re looking for ideas that bring to life one or more of the following key areas:

• How to save / why it’s important to save• Managing your money safely

• Budgeting• Credit and debit

Who is the film for?Your film is aimed at your own age group, so 11 to 14 year olds.

JudgingYour pitch will be assessed on effort and achievement by a panel of education and film industry professionals. How well your production team has met the brief will be taken into account.

Important dates30 April – Closing date for entries22 May – Award winners announced June – The winning pitch is made into a film

1 July – Trip to Rock Assembly at Wembley for the winning production team8 July – Red-carpet premiere at Vue Westfield London

Entry rules• There is no limit on the number of entries from one school.

• The teaser clip is optional and not including one will not affect chances of winning.

• The winning pitch will be made into a two-minute short film and shown at the exclusive red-carpet premiere.

• The short film will be used in promotional activity by Nationwide Building Society, including educating other young people on managing their money via many other channels over the following 12 months.

• Entries to include a feedback questionnaire.

• By entering the competition, schools agree to take part in any associated publicity.

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www.nationwideeducation/moviepitch

Competition Guide


Get creativeThe final film (should you win!) will be made for other young people of your age, so when discussing ideas for your pitch, think about what appeals to you. Here are a few points to get you thinking creatively:

• Have you or anyone else in your class made a home video or film before? How did you organise yourselves? What did you learn? What would you now do differently?

• What creative and practical skills do you have in your class that you could use to put a pitch about managing money together?

• Consider short videos and clips that you’ve seen and talk about why you liked them; what caught your attention?

We’ve included links to worksheet PDFs - some include templates - on The Big Money Movie Pitch web page, also some short films and animations for inspiration along with links to excellent filmmaking guides specifically for young people.

If you’re viewing this Competition Guide in print and have online access, you’ll find the example short films and filmmaking guides here: NationwideEducation/moviepitch

If you’re already online, great! Do have a look around the links as part of your research and inspiration for creating your pitch.

What should the pitch be about? You are pitching an idea for a short film that you want to get made professionally, one which will encourage other young people to take responsibility for managing their money. We’re looking for ideas that bring to life one or more of the following key areas:

• How to save / why it’s important to save• Managing your money safely

• Budgeting• Credit and debit

Who is the film for?Your film is aimed at your own age group, so 11 to 14 year olds.

JudgingYour pitch will be assessed on effort and achievement by a panel of education and film industry professionals. How well your production team has met the brief will be taken into account.

Important dates30 April – Closing date for entries

22 May – Award winners announced

June – The winning pitch is made into a film

1 July – Trip to Rock Assembly at Wembley for the winning production team

8 July – Red-carpet premiere at Vue Westfield London

Entry rules• There is no limit on the number of entries from one school. • The teaser clip is optional and not including one will not affect chances of winning.• The winning pitch will be made into a two-minute short film and shown at the exclusive red-carpet

premiere.• The short film will be used in promotional activity by Nationwide Building Society, including educating other

young people on managing their money via many other channels over the following 12 months. • Entries to include a feedback questionnaire.• By entering the competition, schools agree to take part in any associated publicity.

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www.nationwideeducation/moviepitch



1 Getting started on the competition briefHave you read the brief? Then you’re ready to go!

The first step is to do some background research on ‘money’ and filmmaking.

It’s a good idea to work in groups, and from now on, you’re a production team. This is a creative and practical project and you all have unique skills, experience and ideas that the group will benefit from as a whole. Don’t forget to give your team a name!

Mindmapping

Let’s start by making a group mindmap of all of your thoughts, experiences and ideas about film, and another one about money.

Film: Think about the films, short films, videos, trailers and internet clips you’ve seen, including ones you’ve made or been a part of – what you like, which directors you admire etc. Just see where it takes you and what comes up. Think about what goes on behind the scenes to get a film or video made too – what jobs have you heard of? What job would you like to do?

Money: Think about what you associate with money and how you manage it. How do you see and hear other people managing and talking about money? What does money buy you? What doesn’t it get you? What’s out there to help people manage their finances? How do you keep on top of things? What issues do young people face with money? What advice could you give to others?

Research and create

As you come up with ideas, keep your target audience – people like you – in mind. Your research will spark all kinds of ideas: let them flow, think outside the box, talk them through, share them and run with a few that stick: a big part of being creative is going with instinct, and if you come up with an idea that you gets you excited, chances are, it will grab the attention of other people too.

Use the worksheets on The Big Money Movie Pitch web pages, and have a look at the films and animations. You could also check out these filmmaking guides:

Filmmaking process explained learnaboutfilm.com/making-a-film/organising-filmmaking-process/

Filmmaking video guides intofilm.org/schools-filmmaking

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http://www.nationwideeducation.co.uk/moviepitch

http://learnaboutfilm.com/making-a-film/organising-filmmaking-process/

http://intofilm.org/schools-filmmaking



Getting into detail• Think about a ‘genre’ for your short film: comedy, drama, documentary, interviews or something

experimental and completely different!

• What style will your film be? Animation or live action?

• Develop your story. Successful shorts all contain three basic things:

1. A context / situation / world e.g. A party / Waiting at the bus stop / In the school canteen

2. A character e.g. An anxious / curious / know-it-all young person

3. A problem / obligation e.g. How to keep track of money / Assigning a budget for an event / Saving for a special occasion

• What about the location, props, costumes, music and characters / presenters that will support your narrative?

Note

These are just ideas to get you started but if you want to develop any of the examples given above, feel free.

Next steps

Once you have an idea of the genre of short film you would like to work on, you’re ready to move on to the next stage. You’ll need to select a pitch format for your competition entry and use the relevant worksheet and template to help you put it together: will it be a storyboard, a script, a synopsis or something completely different?

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2 StoryboardingWhat’s a storyboard? A storyboard is a sequence of drawings, with some directions and dialogue, representing each film shot. It looks a little like a comic strip, but it’s actually a detailed outline of a film.

Each shot in a storyboard has three pieces of information:

• a visual of what will be on the screen

• any words the audience will hear or see, and

• notes, including mood, atmosphere, sound effects and music

You don’t have to be the world’s greatest illustrator to put a storyboard together, and you don’t have to get it right first time. You can use stick people and simple line drawings, and thought and speech balloons. The main thing is to think about each shot and then how your shots will work together in sequence, with a narrative: a beginning, a middle and an end.

As a guide, each shot on a storyboard is equal to about six seconds of finished film. For one minute of film, this means you need to plan at least 10 shots.

‘ I write scripts in storyboard fashion using stick figures, and thought balloons and word balloons and captions. Then I’ll write descriptions of what scenes should look like.’

Harvey Pekar, godfather of comic book writing

Hints & Tips1. Keep the area to draw in small. The drawings don’t need to be works of art. Remember the point is to get

an idea of how things will look on screen.

2. Use the storyboard template overleaf.

3. Sketch in pencil so you can make changes easily, then go over with a pen for photocopying.

4. Write down short notes about what’s happening in shot (e.g. Bob enters) what is being said (“Is this it? Is this how...”) or sound effects (Roll of THUNDER).

5. Number your shots so that they can be quickly referred to.

Practice ideas

Why not have a go creating a storyboard for one of these ideas before drawing out your actual film idea?

• A typical morning in your life

• A scene from the last film or TV programme you watched

As you are coming up with your storyboard, consider the following:

• The order of shots needed

• The type of shots needed – e.g. close up, long range, panning left to right

Have a look at some storyboard examples online: screencrush.com/movie-storyboards

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http://screencrush.com/movie-storyboards



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Storyboarding Template

(See previous page for template instructions)



3 Writing a script

Developing your script

Writing the text of a short film, with directions and dialogue, can seem like a big task, but start by working through these simple instructions and you’ll see how simple it can be.

1. Develop your character(s) and/or presenter(s): Write a paragraph / draw a picture about them so that you get to know them.

2. Describe the setting / location: Inside or out? Weather, atmosphere, mood? If this changes throughout the film, describe that too.

3. Note changes of character / presenter.

4. Note changes of shot, e.g. going from a long shot to a close-up, panning from left to right.

5. Write directions for your character(s) / presenter(s), e.g. walks on from the left, answers the telephone.

6. Write the lines that they’ll say.

You now have all of the main elements of your script. Also, you’ll have generated new ideas by working through this process. So now it’s a case of writing your script, including all of the directions and dialogue for your short film.

Layout

The layout of your script is the least important part of your story; so don’t worry about this until the end. When scripts are formatted correctly, one page translates, on average, into one minute of screen time.

It’s a good idea to format it in the standard font (Courier 12 – the old typewriter font) and use standard margins for the main elements if you can.

TIP

Ask someone who’s not involved with your pitch to read through your script to check that everything makes sense. Sometimes when you are in the middle of writing, it becomes difficult to see which parts of the story are clear and which aren’t. Making a film is a collaborative process, so don’t be afraid to ask others outside of your production team for comments and suggestions.

‘ If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.’

Somerset Maugham, British playwright, novelist and short story writer

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Provided by Nationwide. Available at NationwideEducation.co.uk/moviepitch Page 2 of 2

A BIRTHDAY PARTY AT SARAH’S HOUSE

The front door bell goes and Sarah’s big sister Serena runs down the hallway from the kitchen and opens the front door.

Serena’s boyfriend and his best mate look up at her and smile sheepishly.

PAUl

Enthusiastic

We got crisps, peanuts and some other snacky stuff but we ran out of money.

MARK

Worried

Yeah, we didn’t know what to do cos we need snacks for the party but we had to get a cake too.

SERENA

Upset

But I thought you were making a cake with louise last night?

MARK

Defensive

Yeah – um, we did – er, it didn’t turn out too good

Pause

Sorry

SERENA

Right, we’ve still got time, let’s see what we’ve got if we put all our change together.

Thinks – cloud bubble appears

I wish we could all be a bit more sorted with money. Why is we never seem to have it when we need it? There must be a way we can manage it better…

Dialogue left margin: 2.50” right margin: 6.50”

Scene headings left margin: 1.50” right margin: 7.50”

Action / Animation (description of what happens)left margin: 1.50” right margin: 7.50”

Character / Presenter nameleft margin: 3.00” right margin: 6.00”

Scriptwriting Template The following example is intended as a guide only. Don’t worry if your margins aren’t exact



4 Writing a synopsisThis is a piece of prose about your film (as opposed to scene-by-scene directions and dialogue in a script) that tells us about your idea. Think along the lines of what you read on the back of a DVD cover: this ‘commercial’ synopsis sells the film to its potential audience, it makes you want to watch it.

What you’re doing here is writing a ‘technical’ synopsis to sell your pitch for your short film to the judges. It should be to the point and attention-grabbing, drawing the judges in and making them interested enough to shortlist your entry.

A synopsis is the summary of a story and, as such, it must be structured in the same way: introduction (beginning), development (middle) and conclusion (end).

It’s a good idea to write in the order in which things happen; It’ll give a good overview of your short film. It should tell the story from beginning to end. However, you don’t have to explain every detail: remember it’s just a summary. Nevertheless, you’ll need to include details about the setting(s) and the presenter / character(s).

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A concise summary of the proposed short film (500 words) ____________________________________________________

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Synopsis Template

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Synopsis Template cont.

Think about including the following detail (if relevant):

• Character / presenter descriptions

• Setting(s)

• Introduction, development and conclusion

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Rationale (why this idea should win The Big Money Movie Pitch Competition)

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How will your short film idea target your audience?

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How does it appeal to them?

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5 Presentation Skills We’ve included this presentation skills worksheet to help you create your teaser clip (if you decide to do this) and for sharing your ideas generally.

Presentation activity

Here’s an example of a very successful presentation, a TED Talk by Adora Svitak called: ‘What adults can learn from kids’ ted.com/talks/adora_svitak/transcript?language=en

Have a look at the video first and then the transcript. Compare it with our guide below to see how it matches up. Why is Adora’s presentation so successful?

Preparing a presentation

Whether you’re going to submit an optional teaser clip with your pitch or not, you’ll benefit from presenting or acting out your pitch idea (to each other, the class and to friends or family who aren’t involved) to see how well it works in practice and where and how you can improve on it.

Here are some points to keep in mind:

1. Know what you’re talking about! It sounds simple but if you know what you want to say you’ll speak confidently and clearly, and you’ll be successful in getting your message across.

2. Know who you’re talking to! Again, it sounds simple but if you know who you’re talking to, you can speak directly to them. In this case you’re presenting to the judges: professionals in the working world of finance and film. What you’re telling them about is your original idea, YOU are the expert on that, not them, so talk them through it. Show your enthusiasm and relax into it – it’ll rub off.

3. Don’t go over time… …or provide more storyboard panels, or a longer script or synopsis than is necessary. Use your judgement if you’re submitting your pitch in a new format. There’s a reason time limits are involved - they’re actually there to help you organise the main elements of your film first so you can get involved in the detail later. The same applies to your presentation – less is more!

4. A logical structure Most presentations, just like essays, follow a formula. Here’s how it should look:

• Beginning: Introduce the main points you’ll be making, in other words, “Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em.”

• Middle: Use specific examples to illustrate your point: “Tell ‘em.”

• End: Wrap up your presentation with some food for thought while summarising your main points, “Tell ‘em what you told ‘em.”

5. Practice, practice, practice! In front of the mirror, in the shower, with close friends or family members.

6. Slow down! Particularly if you’re feeling nervous. If you speak too quickly you won’t be understood. Pause between sentences for emphasis, and work on eliminating as many ‘likes’, ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ as possible – a few are fine and natural.

7. Relax, smile and make eye contact with the camera / audience.

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http://ted.com/talks/adora_svitak/transcript?language=en



Preparation for the optional teaser clipIf you have chosen to create a 30-second teaser clip, brilliant – have fun making it! Here are some tips to help you present your pitch to the judges on camera:• Your teaser clip should be clear and to the point, and give the judges a flavour of your planned film.

• Very simply: you could introduce your production team and the pitch idea, tell us about the format and show us your work.

• As you’re making the clip you may find that you need to simplify or change your idea. Allow time for this.

• Research the best location and the best time of day to shoot in terms of light and sound. You want the least background noise possible, and your subjects to be clearly visible.

• Simple things, such as checking the framing of each shot and using a tripod, or placing the camera on a still prop, will really improve the quality of your teaser clip.

• Consider having a ‘presenter’ – each of your team could take it in turns to present your pitch by speaking directly to camera.

• Practice as much as you need to, record and re-shoot if necessary.

• Remember, the teaser clip should be no longer than 30 seconds. It can be shorter if need be.

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Screenshots from ‘What adults can learn from kids’ ted.com/talks/adora_svitak/transcript?language=en

http://ted.com/talks/adora_svitak/transcript?language=en

Students’ Competition Guide, Worksheets and Templates · About The Big Money Movie Pitch ......

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