Make your own media: Tutorials

We have already written about the popularity of tutorials among children and young people. You can find the article here. It doesn’t have to stop at just watching these little films. You can also dare to produce a tutorial yourself.

Tutorials around “Make your own media

Children and young people are curious and enjoy learning new things and looking behind the scenes. Encouraging them to become makers of videos or radio plays themselves not only trains your child’s media literacy, but also many other skills such as creativity and working on a project. Once you learn about the work behind a film, you look at films differently. Especially in times of fake news, it sensitizes children to a critical approach to media. On various video platforms you can find tutorials that help to implement your own (video) project. However, video platforms such as YouTube are not suitable for younger children without restrictions, which is why they should be used in the company of parents. Apart from video platforms, you can also find tutorials, for example, at the online offering of Bayerischer Rundfunk: So geht Medien.

Do it yourself tutorials

Creating videos yourself can be a lot of fun! As in the production of motion pictures, you need to follow certain steps

• First, develop a shooting schedule with your child so that during the actual filming it is clear what is happening and who is responsible for what (camera, actors, director, etc.):
  • It all starts with a good idea: What should the tutorial be about? Maybe pick a topic that your child and you are not as familiar with yet. By working intensively together on a topic, you end up being the experts yourself.
  • For the script and, if necessary, a subdivision into scenes, it helps to answer the “W” questions: Who, where, how? Why does this tutorial exist? In the shooting schedule, organizational things should also be written down, such as locations, shooting time, equipment and technology needed.
• At the film shoot you should make sure that the light and sound are consistently good and that there are no disturbances. Of course, you also need a camera. If you don’t have one, a photo camera or a cell phone will do, possibly with a tripod so that the pictures don’t blur. It’s always best to see and hear if a scene turned out well right after you’ve shot it. If necessary, you can repeat the shoot directly.
• For the subsequent film editing you can download free software on the Internet. In this you can usually also add texts, sounds, music and other effects.
• When it comes to the publication, it’s best to choose platforms that are suitable for children and young people, such as JUKI on Kindersache.

What should you pay attention to?

Together with your child, make sure not to reveal any personal information in the video and only mention the first name of the protagonists. Backgrounds can also often provide clues about, for example, where people live. All persons featured in the video should have given their consent for publication. When choosing music, make sure that it is royalty-free to use. Here is a list of websites where you can find such music.