iPad Hacks for Student Film Making

When I got my first iPad with iMovie, I immediately knew it would be a great tool for making video with students. Being able to record, edit, and share video from one device without having to worry about transferring files or getting time on the limited computers with video editing software makes video composition in the classroom so much more accessible. With a little planning, what used to take a couple weeks, can now be done over the course of a class period or two. However, like so many busy teachers, I had an idea but also wondered if there was more that could be done with the video on the iPad that I was missing (do you know this feeling? That there must be other, more amazing tools out there that will revolutionize your life that you just haven’t heard of yet? There should be a word for this feeling).

Enter David Basulto, a teacher in Southern California, who has taken the iPad as a tool for video production and run with it, developing a case he calls the iOgrapher which allows students to attach 35mm lenses, professional quality lights, microphones, and a tripod or monopod to the iPad mini. Here’s a useful gear list produced by teachers who worked on a long distance film project that illustrates how you can outfit the iOgrapher to use as a full production camera. This gear list runs the teachers about $1,200 which isn’t cheap, but if you already have an iPad mini, the case, a microphone, and a tripod can be purchased for a little over $350. This fits comfortably in the realm of mini-grant opportunities for teachers that come around every year (locally the CU School Foundation My IDEA grants could fund this gear, as well as district specific tech grants).     

In addition to the classroom tested case, Mr. Basulto provides tutorials, a list of best apps for making movies on iPads and maintains a blog where he shares additional ideas about using iPads for video production and live streaming school events. Even if buying new gear isn’t in your budget for this school year, the app list and iOgrapher blog can provide you with some inspiration for the new year.