Lights, Camera, Story! Making a Movie With a Beginning, Middle, and End
Did you know the first movie ever made was only about 2 seconds long? It showed a horse running, and that was it! Movies have come a long way since then. Today we are going to learn how movie makers tell a WHOLE story using just pictures that move, and then YOU will get to plan your very own tiny movie.
What You'll Learn
- What a 'shot' is in a movie - The three parts every story needs: beginning, middle, end - How a close-up shot is different from a wide shot - How to plan a tiny movie of your own on paper
A Movie Is Just Pictures That Move Fast
A movie is really thousands of still pictures shown very fast — about 24 pictures every single second! Your eyes and brain blend them together so it looks like smooth motion. Each little piece of a movie, from when the camera starts to when it stops, is called a shot.
Two Kinds of Shots
A wide shot shows a lot of space, like a whole park, so we know WHERE the story happens. A close-up shot zooms in on just one thing, like a face, so we know how a character FEELS. Movie makers pick shots on purpose to help tell the story — they don't just point the camera anywhere!
Next time you watch a cartoon, try to spot one wide shot and one close-up shot. Ask yourself: why did the movie maker pick that shot right there?
Every Story Has Three Parts
Beginning: we meet the character and see where they are. Middle: something happens — a problem, a surprise, or a big adventure. End: the problem gets solved and the story feels finished. Even a movie that is only 1 minute long still needs all three parts, or it feels like something is missing!
What is a close-up shot used for?
Which part of a story is when something happens, like a problem or a surprise?
Match each story part to what happens in it.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
Plan Your Tiny Movie
Draw 3 boxes on a piece of paper, like a comic strip. In box 1, draw your beginning (who is your character, where are they?). In box 2, draw your middle (what problem or surprise happens?). In box 3, draw your end (how does it get solved?). Under one box, write 'WIDE SHOT' or 'CLOSE-UP' to show what kind of shot you would use, and tell a grown-up or friend why you picked it.
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