In a class discussion, emphasize that all TV is a construction. A videographer and editor develop the reality that is presented on TV. Watch a 30 second commercial and then discuss if it shows a true refection of reality rather than showing one that is fabricated.

Show the TV Program  - To Imagine is Everything: Video Production 
 

All forms of the performing arts are constructions of a reality the performers and producers want us to see. This exercise helps students understand that nothing on TV is real. Every character movement, lighting effect, and camera angle is done for a reason. It’s important for students to understand this because the media is where most people get their news, the information they use to make purchasing decisions, where to go on vacation, who’s their friend, and who’s their enemy. It’s imperative they be given the skills to make good judgments when it comes to understanding what is being presented to them. If your students are budding performers or producers, it’s not too early to impart a feeling of responsibility for the ethics of their presentations. 

This exercise is a follow-up to the introductory activity (Analysis of the Performing Arts) where the students compared two scenes from movies that starred the same actor. They will need the skills learned in that exercise to perform this analysis. 

Pick some good commercials for your students to analyze. You may want to tape them during the Super Bowl, since they’re the most polished productions on TV. The students may all analyze the same commercial or, if you have enough VCR’s and TV’s, each group can analyze a different one. 

Divide the class into small groups. Each group is assigned one of the following ways to analyze their commercial.

1. How many camera shots are in the 30 second commercial and how do they help get the message across? Why are there so many edits in a 30 second commercial? Answers should range from attention getting to denoting a change of location.

2. How many different camera angles are used in the commercial? Why are different camera angles used? Answers should range from attention getting to adding prominence by using low angles on the product.

3. Was the rule of thirds used and if it was, did it enhance the message? Answers should range from drawing the eye to important parts of the message to making it visually appealing.
Rule of thirds:

• Place tape on the screen in a tic-tac-toe pattern (1/3 of the distance from the top, bottom and sides of the picture). View the commercial and watch if the action takes place where the lines intersect.  

• The rule of thirds is an artistic ideal that is used in visual arts. The human eye is drawn to points in a picture that correspond to the four intersections of the tic-tac-toe pattern. Each of these four intersections is a "point of interest." Placement of the subject at or near the intersecting points adds power to them and makes them much more noticeable. Conversely, in a scene with two people in it, the person placed outside of these points would become less important.

4. What shapes our perception of the characters and how does it help get the message across? Answers should range from vocal cues to facial cues.

5. What else shapes our perception of the product and how does it help get the message across? Answers should range from choice of background colors to choice of music.

 

Once the groups have analyzed the commercials, each student should develop a presentation based on his or her analysis. Have each student report to the rest of the class.

 

Activity adapted from an exercise in: Behind The Scenes. Cary, NC, TVOntario, 1993

In the performing arts you must think visually. Set design, make-up, lighting, directing, editing, and acting are done with the intention of being seen. The individuals doing these activities must consider how a larger audience will perceive their art. The aptitude for thinking visually is extremely important in film and TV. What the audience sees on the screen gives them visual cues that help set up a mood, advance the plot, define the characters, or spotlight the product.

This exercise starts the process of thinking visually. Your students will create a commercial that uses words and images to sell a product. Give them a list of characters and products. It’s actually more fun to cut up the list so single products or characters are on individual slips of paper and then have them do a blind draw of product and characters. They must brainstorm a way of using each of the characters in a commercial to sell the product.

Characters:

Actor	Ballerina	Fireman	Policeman	Salesman	Bus Driver
Teacher	Secretary	Scientist	Astronaut	Doctor	Band Director

                       

Products:

Toothpaste	Shampoo	Car	Airline	Computer	Breakfast Cereal
Light Bulb	Snow Shovel	Camera	Soap	Ink Pen	Flag

                            
                        
 

Using the storyboard page, have your students develop a commercial using three characters and one product. At least five different shots should be used in their commercial. They must draw what the camera (and audience) will see, and use the right hand side of the page to write out what will be heard.