Start with students who love history, add the thrill of competition, and combine those with a newly-minted passion for creating video documentaries and what do you get? A remarkable, authentic video created by eighth-grade history documentarians Luka Abuladze and Aidan Mulvey.
Under the guidance of enrichment teacher Jonathan Harvey, the pair took it upon themselves to represent Cavallini Middle School (Upper Saddle River, NJ) with an entry into the annual National History Day competition. This year's theme: CONFLICT AND COMPROMISE.
The first challenge the students faced was to decide on a topic. Originally they planned to explore the story of the Berlin Wall. Then Professor Marc Aronson of Rutgers University came to speak at a school assembly. During a chance post-assembly conversation with the professor, the boys mentioned their idea. The professor shared the story of a young bike messenger the same age as Luka and Aidan who played a pivotal role in closing the divide between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Intrigued, the team knew they had their topic. (Be sure to read to the bottom to watch the video and learn about this little-known piece of history.)
With only a few short weeks to the deadline, the students dug into research. After dipping their toes into popular sources such as History.com and Wikipedia, the pair shifted to more scholarly resources in search of detail and primary resources. This was critical as the competition sets rigorous standards to ensure that participants use materials for which they could prove clear license.
In addition to their online resources, the students identified a treasure trove in their own neighborhood eyewitnesses who were willing to share their recollections as interview subjects.
Armed with his iPhone, Aidan met with each at their home to record stories. We were really surprised by the diverse responses. Some people were afraid, some people were scared.
The variety captured is remarkable, ranging from an American grandfather who recalls being more attuned to the World Series than the threat of nuclear war, to a former resident of the Soviet Union who described an ever-present state of worry.
To facilitate their independent research, the two used a Google Drive folder to store and share each exciting discovery. Their next hurdle was to develop their script. With a strict ten-minute time limit, the pair were hard-pressed to pare the wealth of material they had learned to fit while also retaining their own personalities and identities in the final narration.
Luka said, One thing that really made it easier, and I think everyone who makes a video should do this, is we created a storyboard on a big whiteboard. You always have to have a plan. Try to take the general pieces and put what goes where, from this minute to that.
Aidan added, Always have a theme and always tie it in today. I think those are two big things people should always keep in mind.
Finally, they were ready to start production. They sat down before the microphone to record their voice-overs. With the intuition of true budding production pros, they realized that the best approach was to record each paragraph of their script as a separate audio file. This saved them from having to re-record the entire script every time they wanted to improve their performance or revise the script. With careful editing of the script and a bit of fast-talking, they managed to imbue the story with the serious, urgent tone they were hoping to achieve.
Aidan explains, The project gave us a chance to really learn to implement music and editing. This was a big part of the work and WeVideo made it really easy to learn while we worked. After adding the audio elements to their WeVideo project and placing them in order on a timeline, the two set to associating the storehouse of video, images, and audio clips with their story. With the recent launch of WeVideo Essentials, students now have access to a library of music and visual assets to support projects like this one.
Intuition led them to develop an appreciation for WeVideo's extensive and easy-to-use library of transitions. Luka said, if we didn't have transitions it would just look sloppy. It would just be pictures, and it wouldn't look good. Oh, and we really liked the Ken Burns effects that let us zoom into the pictures that were a big part of the project.
The students particularly appreciated the flexibility of being able to contribute to and work on their project from whatever device was handy. In the course of the project, they used a MacBook Pro, Apple desktops, Lenovo Chromebooks, as well as their smartphones. Aidan added, It was great that we could share the work as we went along. It was also great that WeVideo automatically saved because I bet we would have forgotten at least a couple of times.
Looking back, Aidan said, We are really proud of minutes four through eight where we have a lot of good primary sources of video and speeches.
We especially liked using parts of Kennedy's speech at different points in the video, including the post-credit scene. We were inspired by all the Marvel movies for that.
Although they did not win the competition, the pair is undaunted. Luka said, we really want to continue with this. We got 500 likes in three hours when my mom put it on Facebook. We're planning on doing shorter videos. We want to do three to five-minute videos, and our next project is going to be about the Great Depression.
Watch their video and be sure to keep an eye out for these up and coming stars of the documentary world.
Have a story to share?
Want to be featured on the WeVideo Blog and inspire millions of educators and students who use WeVideo in the classroom? Share your idea at the link below, and if we feature your story, we'll send you a t-shirt!
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
08/05/2024
The solutions in-browser stream focuses on low latency, making it suited to low bandwidth scenarios
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 8, 2024
The solutio...
08/05/2024
Driven by algorithms, the solution performs a quality analysis informed by language-specific dictionaries
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 8, 2024
Drive...
08/05/2024
The increase in fleet size will reduce travel distances, aligning with sustainability goals, said Mobilelinks
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 8, 2024
T...
08/05/2024
The company said the new arrivals would drive collaboration and technological transformation across key business units
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 8, ...
08/05/2024
Following a successful NAB Las Vegas 2024 and winning a Best of Show Award, Actus Digital, a leading provider of Intelligent Monitoring Platforms, will bring it...
08/05/2024
TAG Video Systems, a leading force in video monitoring solutions, has developed a new Language Detection feature set to transform how operators ensure quality a...
08/05/2024
Pliant Technologies, a leading provider of professional wireless intercom solutions,presents its new SmartBoom LITE Headset at InfoComm 2024 (Booth C5116). The ...
08/05/2024
At the Media Production & Technology Show 2024, Prism Sound will showcase high-quality audio conversion products designed to suit the demands of professional us...
08/05/2024
Soho stalwart Julian Day has joined FooEngine as Business Development Director after 13 years at ZOO Digital. Julian has been at the heart of the London post pr...
08/05/2024
Following its successful launch at NAB 2024, Cleanfeed Cinema - the latest remote recording innovation from Emmy Award-winning Cleanfeed - is already helping au...
08/05/2024
DHD's range of digital broadcast equipment, systems and related software will be promoted on stand D22 at the Media Production & Technology Show by UK-regio...
08/05/2024
Cubbit, the innovator behind Europe's first distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced that CloudReso, a France-based distributor of MSP security so...
08/05/2024
MwareTV, a prominent cloud-based multi-tenant platform provider, has attracted Daniel Conde Coto to join the company as director, sales operations. This is a si...
08/05/2024
In a year set to see record-breaking IP-video adoption, with over 70 elections and global sports events, LiveU heads to Broadcast Asia 2024 with a focus on its ...
08/05/2024
Pioneers in microservices-based production environments, nxtedition, will demonstrate the latest advances in storytelling technology at the Media Production & T...
08/05/2024
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, has announced that it will again exhibit at The Media Production & Technology Show (MPTS), which tak...
08/05/2024
Livepeer Studio unveils a revolutionary video streaming platform offering an unprecedented combination of quality and cost-efficiency to content creators, media...
08/05/2024
Ikegami Electronics (Europe) will demonstrate a complete broadcast media production system on stand S1-A15 at CABSAT 2024 in Dubai, Tuesday May 21 through Thurs...
08/05/2024
Experience Commerce (EC), a leading digital agency within the Cheil Network, is pleased to announce that it has won the digital mandate for SAVSOL, the flagship...
08/05/2024
NEEDHAM, Mass. The International Data Corporation is predicting that worldwide spending on telecom services and pay TV services will increase by 1.4% in 2024 to...
08/05/2024
CUPERTINO, Calif. In a notable development for news and live video production, Apple has unveiled a number of significant upgrades to its Final Cut Pro software...
08/05/2024
Pliant Technologies has announced that it will be presenting its new SmartBoom LITE Headset at InfoComm 2024 (Booth C5116). The latest updates include enhanceme...
08/05/2024
SAN FRANCISCO Fox's ad-supported streaming service Tubi has launched Stubios, a fan-fueled studio for aspiring filmmakers and their fans that the company sa...
08/05/2024
SAN ANTONIO, Texas Five more stations have launched NextGen TV service, bringing to nine the number of local TV services on-air with ATSC 3.0....
08/05/2024
TYSONS, Va. Tegna Inc. has announced that Greg Retsinas has been named president and general manager at KGW, Tegna's NBC affiliate serving the Portland area...
08/05/2024
08 05 2024 - Media release Olivia Colman and John Lithgow Star in Sophie Hyde's New Project JIMPA
Olivia Coleman and John Lithgow in JIMPA. Photo credit: ...
08/05/2024
OpenDrives Joins AWS Partner Network
Brie Clayton May 7, 2024
0 Comments
Atlas software-defined platform now available via AWS trusted partner network...
08/05/2024
Animate AI Matte Paintings in After Effects
Graham Quince May 7, 2024
0 Comments
Arguably the best video use for AI generated images is Matte Painting...
08/05/2024
Throw Expression in Adobe After Effects
Andy Ford May 7, 2024
0 Comments
The Throw expression is a time-saver in After Effects. It allows you to mov...
08/05/2024
Join FilmLight in Toronto: Baselight 6.1, Nara and more
Brie Clayton May 7, 2024
0 Comments
Thursday 30th May, from 2:30PM, Hosted by Alter Ego 488 ...
08/05/2024
Gray Television reported a first-quarter profit as advertising revenues rebounded to above pre-COVID-19 levels....
08/05/2024
The Today show shared the performers on its summer concert series, which feature...
08/05/2024
Lewis Dodley, longtime anchor for Spectrum News NY1, will retire at the end of May. He's been on the air at the Charter Communications-owned local news chan...
08/05/2024
Scripps Sports said it plans to air a new studio show when a new season of WNBA Friday Night Spotlight starts May 24....
08/05/2024
Advertisers are looking to reach the right audiences and tell their stories inside compelling content, Karen Kovacs, president of client partnerships at NBCUniv...
08/05/2024
RT has today announced that Doireann Garrihy has decided to leave RT 2FM after five years. Doireann will present her final 2FM Breakfast with Doireann, Donncha...
08/05/2024
Amid an AI revolution sweeping through trillion-dollar industries worldwide, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang will deliver a keynote address ahead of COMPUTE...
08/05/2024
AI tools accelerated by NVIDIA RTX have made it easier than ever to edit and wor...
08/05/2024
Professor emeritus John (Jack) Johnson elected to the National Academy of Sciences Johnson's multi-disciplinary research has been instrumental in shaping ou...
08/05/2024
zweiB updates to latest version of R&S CLIPSTER Specialist in deliverables for cinema, events and trade shows
Rohde & Schwarz, a global leader in broadcast...
07/05/2024
NAB Show 2024
Utah Scientific rocked the 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas, unveiling two new game-changers in video signal management.
Our primary focus this yea...
07/05/2024
7th May 2024 The nations favourite comedy channel Gold has teamed up with the ma...
07/05/2024
There's something special about summer. We're not sure whether it's the warmer weather, the longer days, or something else a bit more magical, but s...
07/05/2024
NITV appoints Michael Rennie as Presenter and Senior Producer for NITV News
Media releases
NITV has announced the appointment of Michael Rennie as Presenter...
07/05/2024
The ability for line-of-site tactical voice and data networks to seamlessly traverse over Satellite Communications is an emerging requirement to assure warfight...
07/05/2024
On April 5, 2024, the L3Harris Avionics Products Repair Station (NN2R037L) in Gr...
07/05/2024
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
Start with students who love history, add the thrill of competition, and combine those with a newly-minted passion for creating video documentaries and what do you get? A remarkable, authentic video created by eighth-grade history documentarians Luka Abuladze and Aidan Mulvey.
