Video Challenges

Recently I have received several requests from both parents and students for some video challenges to keep current and former video production students busy during holidays and when they aren't taking my class. Most of these video challenges are from Vimeo, which has an awesome collection of tutorials and challenges for any level of filmmakers. The ones that I have chosen are geared more towards beginner to intermediate-level filmmakers.

5x5
One of my favorite film challenges is the 5x5 video. Simply put, it is a 25-second video composed of five 5-second shots. There are several different kinds of topics you can cover in your 5x5; here are my favorite challenges:

Me Right Now: In this challenge, you decide what you would like to share with what's going on in your life. Here is a beautiful video:


The Great Outdoors: Get outdoors and capture the beauty around you! This challenge uses only natural sound and simple shots. Here is the winner from the last challenge:


Other Challenges
Travel Video Album: I often say that the art of the home video is dying out with the use of iPhones and Snapchat. People just aren't stopping to make videos of memories anymore. In my community, traveling is a huge pastime and I encourage my students to make videos of their travels whenever they can. Here is one of my favorite ones from my home country, Puerto Rico.


One to One Hundred: The idea is simple, but the possibilities are boundless! You can use up to 100 seconds to tell a story about your home, investigate a mystery, explore a deeply philosophical concept, make people laugh, make people cry, or just to make something beautiful.


Hot or Cold: Challenge yourself to capture the essence of temperature. It is not as easy as it seems!


Convey a Color: You can choose to either focus on one color or the entire spectrum for this video challenge.



Pet Portrait: Our pets are so loved and such important parts of our families. I have given this as a challenge a couple of times to my students and they absolutely loved it.


I hope these videos give you some inspiration to make your own! Enjoy!