In my Film and TV Production course at Järvsögymnasiet, Sweden, I wanted students (ages 16–18) to discover how much of a story can be told through images alone. The task: plan, shoot and edit a short silent film – no dialogue, only framing, camera angles, movement, facial expressions and title cards.
The tool
To support the planning phase, I built my own web app, StoryFrame, with the help of AI. Students move from moodboard and synopsis to script and storyboard. In the storyboard, they drag camera angles, camera movements and lighting setups onto each panel – and a side panel instantly shows practical iMovie tips for their choices (for example, how to stabilise a tilt or correct white balance with side lighting), plus GarageBand tips for sound. The storyboard becomes a bridge between idea and edit. Work is saved locally in the browser and can be exported as a PDF. No login needed.
Try it here (Swedish interface): https://elevprojekt.jarvgym.se/storyboard/index.html
The lesson
The project ran over two lessons. In the first, more theoretical lesson, I introduced the task on the classroom screen from my Mac and walked through the workflow step by step: idea, storyboard, filming and editing in iMovie. In the second, students went out and filmed, working independently through the whole process.
What I noticed
My students really enjoyed the creative freedom of making a short silent film. There were no requirements on dramatic structure – instead, the focus was on learning composition, shot sizes and film terminology, and on discovering what iMovie can do through the tips in the storyboard app.
How students showed their learning
Students submitted their finished silent films via YouTube. We then watched all the films together and gave each other feedback: What worked well? Could we understand what the filmmaker wanted to tell – without any dialogue?
Next step
Next, students will add sound design to their silent films in GarageBand or Logic Pro – moving from pure images to images and sound.
This lesson is part of my Apple Teacher Portfolio. I would love to hear how others teach visual storytelling!
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Attach up to 5 files which will be available for other members to download.