Paper Cut Process

Here’s a link to a “how-to” guide I just published (2/14/2015) on the iTunes book store. You can download it directly to your iPad or Mac and read in iBooks.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/digital-story-telling-papercut/id967365352?mt=11

“Digital Story Telling: The Papercut Process"


  • Choosing a story or reviewing one chosen for the student/team
    • It might be better to choose for younger students, and that’s what we did with grades 1+2 at Newark last year. Older students might be able to choose for themselves; sometimes it’s easier to choose for them or draw out of a hat. Then they can swap if they want.
    • Students often work better on this type of project in pairs.
    • Students have a large envelope (9x12) and a smaller one (letter size) for tiny parts and their storyboard with the original fable/or story they want to tell (glaciation)
  • Writing the storyboard: this alone can take a group an hour or more
    • Discussing and outlining the sequence, collaborating
    • Writing the spoken track legibly as they’d be reading from this
    • You may want to consider limiting the text students will read aloud; they can do this in shorter audio clips if they have a longer section to read. Then, the time the camera is on that scene can be be extended as needed.
    • Choosing any transitions (fades, wipes)
    • What sound effects, if any, would be appropriate (they’ll love that part!)
    • Add a title page
    • Add a “the end” page and/or credits page
  • Using construction paper, scissors, crayons: (depending on the complexity, this can take one or two hours)
    • Create the storyboard scenes as outlined earlier
    • Moving the pieces around as needed, changing backgrounds as needed
    • Be sure to stay within one inch of paper edges
  • Using the iPad’s camera (Doesn’t take long if the planning is good)
    • Take photos of each scene
    • Be careful of lighting consistency from scene to scene, day to day
    • Keep same camera angles
  • Using the iPad’s iMovie app (again, little time to add and edit, up to an hour)
    • Add each photo to the film construction area
    • Add transitions
    • Add the Ken Burns effect (camera travels across the image
    • Add the voice over per storyboard  (this often requires numerous re-takes in a quiet corner)
  • To share the project:(minutes)
    • Export the movie to Schoology home “resource” folder (movies have the same name: “iCloud.mp4” regardless how originally named
    • Add to an assignment page you have created
    • Or upload to a drop box account for the project
.  © Brad Edwards 2016