Taking time to make movies with your kids is an amazing way to create magic moments and to capture memories of how your kids were “back then”. It can be an enjoyable activity for the whole family and allows you to keep those treasured moments safe forever. Today, we’ll look at how to make little movies with your kids and why it’s so important.
The Benefits of Making Movies With Your Kids
Making movies with your kids has many benefits. For starters, it’s a great way for parents and children to bond. Not only will you get to spend quality time together, but you will also be able to share special moments that can be enjoyed by the entire family in years to come. It also gives your child a chance to express themselves in a creative way and tap into their imagination as they come up with ideas for their own movie!
What You Need To Get Started
The first thing you need when making movies with your kids is a camera – digital. This might sound tricky at first but the best camera you can really get is your iPhone!
Next you will need a piece of paper and to put aside some time.
I recommend actually getting a timer and setting aside 10 minutes to make your script. This is when you and your child or children come up with the basic blueprint.
Is your movie about a monster?
Is it a superhero movie?
Who will play Spiderman?
Is it a detective movie?
Is it a story about the doctor who fixes everything after we accidentally step into deer poop?
Finally, don’t forget props!
Props can help bring life and creativity into your movie-making process; they can also give your child something tangible to work with while making their own movie.
Again, get that timer. Spend 10 minutes going around your house and collecting the cool props that are essential to your movie. This will help come up with new ideas, too.
Storyboarding Basics
The first step in making a movie is to come up with a concept, a script (optional or make it super simple), and then create a storyboard.
Storyboarding is essentially creating a comic-book version of the script.
This will help you visualize what scenes you need to shoot and how they play out in relation to each other.
Start by talking about ideas with your child and then brainstorming together what could work best for the story.
Once you have a basic idea down, draw rough sketches that show how each scene will look.
This is also an excellent opportunity to get creative and help your child learn basic storytelling skills as well as problem-solving techniques such as finding ways of connecting different scenes together or coming up with alternatives when something doesn’t quite work out.
Again, get the timer out and draw together for 10 minutes what will happen in the story.
How To Make A Movie With Your Kids
During production, let them take charge – try not to intervene too much and let them explore their creative side by coming up with different shots or angles for each scene. Once filming is complete, sit down together again to edit out any mistakes and review footage until both parties are satisfied with the end result!
Film Production & Editing
After filming all the scenes, it’s time to piece them together into a cohesive movie using video editing software such as Final Cut Pro X. This part involves adding music, sound effects, transitions between scenes, etc., which can be great fun for both you and your child alike!
Sharing & Screenings
Making little movies isn’t just about learning; it’s also about sharing! Once you have completed your masterpiece, why not host a “screening” party?
Invite friends and family round for pizza and popcorn while everyone gathers around to watch your creation together on the big screen (or at least laptop screen!).
Making this movie together will certainly give everyone involved something interesting to talk about over dinner afterwards!
Conclusion
Making little movies with your kids is an amazing way for parents and children alike to capture time in a bottle! These magic moments will be something you always have and something the kids can always look back on as something they did growing up which was special.
Not only does it give them a chance to express themselves creatively, but it’s also lots of fun – who knows where those imaginative minds will take them?
Take some time this week (or weekend!) to grab that camera that’s in your phone and get started on creating some cherished memories – what did Steven Spielberg say?
“When I grow up, I still want to be a director.” – Steven Spielberg
“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.” – T.E. Lawrence
John Michaels is a local Missoula author who graduated from Brown University in creative writing. In between raising kids, he spends his time meandering around downtown Missoula, writing screenplays, doing cryotherapy, and playing chess.