#MediaMonday: HorrorFest Prompt & Lessons
Good Morning Everyone,
Today is the official release for a project that is near and dear to my heart: The STN 60 Second Horror Fest!
This is our second year for the horror fest, which has now become one of our quarterly pop-up contests.
If you have not participated in a pop-up contest before, the idea is fairly simple:
It is an official STN contest for both middle and high schools that operates outside of the traditional offerings (challenges, nationals, etc) with rotating prompts and requirements that change with each pop-up. We get special guest judges and prizes that are unique to each the contest, giving members a totally customized experience within the STN framework. You can register your students for the event on the STN member dashboard.
So, here is the official prompt for the 2021 STN Horror Fest Pop-Up!
• No Teacher Help; Student-Only Contest
• The final edit must be within 30 and 60 seconds.
• Must show a character using a camera in the film.
• Cinematography Rule: must include a canted angle during a scary moment.
• Line of Dialogue: "That didn't go the way that I was expecting"
Every film must be STN-PG in content, meaning:
No strong language
No blatant sexuality
No pointless violence (I know, odd for a horror fest)
No pointless drug/alcohol/tobacco use (i.e. glorifying destructive behaviors)
No nudity
No child peril
So, if you are still reading my email and have not immediately registered for this event on the dashboard, here is my lesson for the day:
Teach 3-Act Structure for a 60 Second Film!
So, as many of you know, pretty much every film follows a 3-act story structure. However, it is easy to assume that a 60 second film does not abide by these rules. That assumption would, of course, be incorrect. In fact, many of the films that were submitted last year were visually appealing and had a good beginning, but lacked a full 3-act structure. While I do not want to attempt to fit an entire 3-Act Structure lesson into this email, No Film School posted a killer breakdown that I recommend using in your classroom. That can be found here.
So here is how I would approach teaching this contest, starting with day one:
Review 3-Act Structure with your students. This link can easily be turned into a powerpoint.
Watch the Past 3 finalists from the 60 Second HorrorFest found here.
Then, have the students break down each of the 3 acts of each short film.
Ask them to indicate the action/plot progression that marks the transition into each act.
Pay special attention to the timecode: when did these transitions occur?
Talk about how this structure provided motivation, built suspense, and created resolution.
Have the students start brainstorming ideas for their film entries this year, filling out a 3-act structure as a starting point.
In the coming days, please watch your email and social media for lessons pertaining to this event. Just like last year, we will be providing lesson support materials that will help your students tell the best stories that they can.
Good luck everyone and we cannot wait to see your films!
Talk to you soon,
Josh Cantrell