Reenactment

Filming a scene reenactment is a lot like how television shows produce a "pilot". They both demonstrate to the studios that the source material can be adapted and created appropriately on the screen. A scene reenactment will also show what the tone of the movie will be. Will it be dark and serious? Action-oriented? Or will it be light and humorous? In this two-part activity, you will be filming a scene from your book, to demonstrate to the movie studios that your book can be translated well to the screen, as well as demonstrating that you have a firm grasp of the tones and themes of your book.

Ready...

Prior to filming the scene reenactment, a storyboard needs to be created. For instructions on making a storyboard, please see Storyboard a Scene.

You will take a part of your book, a part that resonated with you, and you will reinterpret that part and make a stop motion scene out of it.

Set...

Once you have your storyboard completed, it's time to film your scene. In the example below, the creator used LEGOs as props and characters. However, you are free to use any materials available to you. If you feel comfortable in front of the camera, or if you want to get friends and family involved, you can film your scene like a real movie. Stop Motion, however, is a nice alternative.

It is suggested that if you decide to film your scene using stop motion animation, you should use SAM Animation, a free (for demo) software program that makes it very easy to film a stop motion scene. If you do not want to use SAM Animation, that is okay. You are free to use any software program you are comfortable with, such as Windows Movie Maker or iMovie.

You will also need a camera (or webcam). A simple digital camera or webcam is all that is really needed to film a stop motion film, but if you choose to film your scene "live action", you will need a camera with video capabilities.

SAM Animation Tutorials and "How-To" Guide

...Go!

Once you have completed filming and editing your scene, you should upload it to YouTube and then post it onto your movie's website.

This sample scene of Hamlet, Act V, Scene II was created by YouTube user nelso2004. It is a great example of using stop motion to reinterpret a scene from the source material using LEGOs.