Kids love stories - they love to tell them, they love to hear about them, they certainly love to watch them on TV or at the movies. Kids love gadgets - they love to play with them, they love to watch movies on them they love to show their friends things they can do with them.

Many kids are already making video on some level, through a mobile device or even with their own YouTube page. Teaching children how to make video better can also get them involved in the hobby or career you enjoy so much. It not only teaches them about the process, but about you and perhaps can lead to learning, enjoying and chronicling your family history.

Video production classes can be geared towards a week long summer camp, a weekend, or even an unplanned afternoon with the kids. This month we'll look at some approaches to teaching video.

Analyze a Movie or TV Show

The great thing about wanting to make video is that the best work of the best people in the business is available to anyone just by turning on your TV. Take a movie or TV show and watch selected scenes from it breaking down every shot and discussing it. Things to talk about:

• How many cuts were there?
• Were there any transitions apart from cuts?
• What specifically did the director and editor cut between?
• Does the scene go from wide to close? From close to wide?
• Was the scene set with an establishing shot?
• Was there camera movement?
• How was the audio cut with the video?
• Can you always see the person who is speaking?
• How long is the longest shot?
• How short is the shortest?
• How long do they average?
• Does this change when the action is moving more quickly?

Practice Basic Camera Placement and Movement

Take video of someone talking using the on-camera microphone. Then move the camera back ten feet and try it again then move back ten more feet. Re-do the whole thing with a wireless or cabled microphone and compare the two during playback. Try different placements of the microphone. How far away from the subject can you get before you need to use a detached microphone? How directional is it? At what point can you hear distracting noise away from the camera? How loud can a sound be before it becomes garbled? Check out tips on camera movements.

Practice with Audio

Take video of someone talking using the on-camera microphone. Then move the camera back ten feet and try it again then move back ten more feet. Re-do the whole thing with a wireless or cabled microphone and compare the two during playback. Try different placements of the microphone. How far away from the subject can you get before you need to use a detached microphone? How directional is it? At what point can you hear distracting noise away from the camera? How loud can a sound be before it becomes garbled? Check out tips on audio.