[Nelle]

Hi,

I ve enjoyed this forum since spring, but this is the first time I post anything. I hope you dont mind me posting this here. I would be very greatful for all input or advice.

As part of my job as architect/city planner I ve got assigned to help with a workshop in a public media centre for youth. (12-20 years). The centre allready has professional photographers/film people working with them, so my input is for a special theme/research project about living on the border between the city and the surrounding forest.

Does anyone in here have ideas about how to work with kids and cameras? I am afraid the centre uses canon as well as different videocameras. (I have a K7) They have 4 macs with CS4 and final cut pro.

Best

[Ratmagiclady]

Hi,

I ve enjoyed this forum since spring, but this is the first time I post anything. I hope you dont mind me posting this here. I would be very greatful for all input or advice.

As part of my job as architect/city planner I ve got assigned to help with a workshop in a public media centre for youth. (12-20 years). The centre allready has professional photographers/film people working with them, so my input is for a special theme/research project about living on the border between the city and the surrounding forest.

Does anyone in here have ideas about how to work with kids and cameras? I am afraid the centre uses canon as well as different videocameras. (I have a K7) They have 4 macs with CS4 and final cut pro.

Best

Oh, umm. Sure. I've done some teaching in that age range, And if Mel's around, so has she.

What'd you have in mind? (Also, how many kids and what sort of time frame are you talking about? And, I suppose, how much gear is there to go around?) I'm not sure quite what your role is in this, as well: are you intending to teach photo, supervise the kids, or just hand out some assignments for the photographers you mentioned to supervise?

One thing I've noticed is that there seem to be a lot of kids these days who are quite talented with the video: more part of their daily lives, I suppose, than it was a long while ago. As a generality, perhaps you can have them work any stills into sort of a video narrative. I suspect that'd let them bring a lot of energy to the project, whatever it is.

[Nelle]

Hi,

I am not sure yet about all the details myself, but I ll try to answer.

There will be app 15 kids I think.

I am with them about 2 and a half weekend. There will be two photographers / filmmakers there, so the technical bit is covered. I am not there as a photographer but as an architect/city planner, because we got funded to research how kids in that area use their neighbourhood.

So I guess I want the kids to tell their story, but also for it to be about the topic that interests the city planners.

(Sorry if I bother you with too many boring details, but this area has just got a new legislation, and we want to find out how it affects the kids and their families. However it is quite an anonomous and technical legislation, that I suspect the kids havent heard or thought much about. )

I have never taught anyone in that age group before, so all input is appreciated. How much supervising do they need? I Should I explain them about the legislation or not? Is it normal to do warm up tasks? Ask questions? Have common brainstorms?

The legislation is about the boundary between the forest and the area for housing, so lots of opportunities for surprising motives. Is there a special way to photograph in nature in opposition to in the city? Research in the forum seems macro or ultra Wide is popular in nature, while 40, 50 and 70 dominates in the city/in houses. Why is that?

[mel]

Well Mel hasn't yet but will be starting Monday. I'm teaching summer arts camp with 3 classes per day: ages 6-9, 10-12, and 13-15. I will be teaching photography as an artistic tool of self-expression, as it's an ARTS camp. I have to keep the artistic bent to it.

I don't know where you are located but here in DC we have gobs of museums. At the National Building Museum several months ago there was an exhibit involving inner-city kids and cameras. The assignment was to represent your neighborhood in images and the project was displayed in the museum for a period of time.

Maybe have the kids show you their neighborhood? It could instill some pride in where they live. Or maybe, in their brutally honest way, the kids can show you what's really what where they live, and show it from a kid's persective.

[Ratmagiclady]

Hey, there, sorry I lost track of this, I'll see if I can help, there.

Hi,

There will be app 15 kids I think.

I am with them about 2 and a half weekend. There will be two photographers / filmmakers there, so the technical bit is covered. I am not there as a photographer but as an architect/city planner, because we got funded to research how kids in that area use their neighbourhood.

So I guess I want the kids to tell their story, but also for it to be about the topic that interests the city planners.

(Sorry if I bother you with too many boring details, but this area has just got a new legislation, and we want to find out how it affects the kids and their families. However it is quite an anonomous and technical legislation, that I suspect the kids havent heard or thought much about. )

No worries about too many details, I suppose.

I have never taught anyone in that age group before, so all input is appreciated. How much supervising do they need? I Should I explain them about the legislation or not? Is it normal to do warm up tasks? Ask questions? Have common brainstorms?

Well, the range of ages means there'll be a pretty wide variety of maturity levels: and of course there's some individuals better able to be responsible about things at a given age than others, even so. As for what to tell them about the legislation, well, it seems like it may also depend on who you speak to: I think that it may be well to give some idea of what the project is about: that it may affect something about how their neighborhood is changed or whatever it's about.

The legislation is about the boundary between the forest and the area for housing, so lots of opportunities for surprising motives. Is there a special way to photograph in nature in opposition to in the city? Research in the forum seems macro or ultra Wide is popular in nature, while 40, 50 and 70 dominates in the city/in houses. Why is that?

It sounds like what equipment there is is what there is. I don't think there'll be much call for exotic lenses. I'd say to keep it simple, with standard zooms or normal lenses. I think the photo people involved should be able to handle that end: it sounds like you'll have to rely on them for a lot. Given you're looking for some results, and maybe some kind of presentation, perhaps have the photo/video people do some of the establishing shots and the like, and let the kids keep it fairly casual and raw.

It sounds like some sending them out in pairs or small groups may be the thing.

More details?

[Nelle]

Hi Mel and Ratmagiclady,

thank you for the input!

The workshop doesnt start until August, so I have still some time. I ll let you know how I get along!

x

[johnmflores]

I'm not sure if this will help directly, but maybe it will spur some ideas...

I did a project a couple of years ago with college students. The college asked the agency I worked for to produce student testimonial videos to help recruit high school students. I took one look at the videos they already had and realized that they were crap - long, boring, typically in a room with poor acoustics and lighting and a nervous student in front of the camera. There was no way that a high school student would sit through them.

What we did instead was recruit student ambassadors and send them out onto the campus in teams of two with video cameras, tripods, and microphones. We asked them to interview students and ask the fundamental question, "Why did you choose this college?" The thinking was that students in their own environment being interviewed by their friends and peers would be more open and engaging. The students received basic instruction in the operation of the equipment and some general guidelines and sent on their way

What we got back blew us away. Yes, the talking points that we wanted were there, but the students had gone even further. They had students somersaulting into the frame before speaking, others playing guitar and talking about the creative environment of the campus, and others singing a capella. It was great.

Your audience is a little younger and may require more supervision, so maybe have the photo/video folks help the younger ones and/or group them in ways where each group has some guidance. But let them use their own creativity - you may be pleasantly surprised.

Hope this helps...

[Nelle]

cool!

You have inspired me now