Creating Your Own Digital Play

So, you and your kids have watched everything Netflix has to offer...what now? Try creating your own movie or digital play!  

1. Create your story!  

We recommend starting with source material that can be a springboard for your imagination. A picture book is always a great starting place. By having a source material, you can follow the events from the book directly or add in your own ideas. There’s no wrong answer when it comes to creative play!  

Another way to create a play is by finding an inspirational object to build your story around.  Clothes worn in new ways can transform into characters, objects with googly eyes become puppets, the couch can be an exotic location.  See what inspires you from ordinary things in your home. Maybe you find an old looking book that wants to be a magical spell book. Maybe you find a bunch of hats and create characters to match each hat.  No matter the content of your play, remember to have a beginning, middle and end. Interesting middle sections contain a problem of any kind and the ending either solves the problem or leaves the audience on a cliffhanger.  Despite all this advice, nothing need be logical or realistic; frankly, we always shoot for organic, ridiculous and brilliant! 

2. Rehearse! 

After you establish an idea, start to play! Put on your costumes, set up your “stage” and let your imagination go. At Quest, we like to run through our creations a few times to get some new ideas and enjoy the evolution of a story.  With every ‘run through’ you'll get better and better and see new ideas evolve and expand. 

3. Film! 

At some point it will feel right to do a ‘take’! To film your play, we recommend either setting up your filming device in a stationary position that will capture your play. To make sure you don’t accidentally cut off part of your acting, take some tape and mark the edges of the camera’s angles. This way you don’t have to worry about missing your Oscar winning shot!  

4. Edit! 

The key to great shots is both camera work and editing. You’ve made the video so now comes editing. Some apps that make this super easy are Quik (iOS), iMovie (iOS) or InShot (iOS and Android). These apps have free audio collections so you can add music or sound effects to elevate your play. Play around with filters so make your play seem vintage or futuristic. You can even add stickers if you want to make your play even more fun!  

We hope you have fun and create some theatrical magic. Feel free to share your creations with us!