More than just a visit
A benchmarking visit (lawatan penanda aras) usually works like this: school A visits school B, looks around, walks about, then goes home. I wanted to change that.
As a school that recently won many competitions, including at the Festival TVPSS Kebangsaan 2026, I felt we had a responsibility to share our ideas and spark the interest of the pupils who came. Especially a school like SK Darau, which is still new and growing in TVPSS.
I wanted the visiting pupils to go home with an experience, not just a visit.
Kamera Kertas is born
That idea became Kamera Kertas, a paper camera: a camera made from a sheet of paper, with a window cut in the middle. Pupils look through the window the way a camera operator looks through a real camera.
On the back of the camera is a guide to six basic shots used in video production:
- Wide shot: the whole place
- Medium shot: from the waist up
- Close-up: the face fills the screen
- High angle and low angle: a person looks small, or looks powerful
- Over-the-shoulder: from behind someone's shoulder
There is also a "zoom secret": hold the camera close to your eye for a wide shot, and hold it out at arm's length for a close-up. Pupils work in pairs, one camera operator and one actor, find each shot and sketch it on their mission card.
On the day
Before the visit, my TVPSS crew helped cut the window in every camera, so no activity time was lost on cutting. More than 60 SK Darau pupils took part, all in one session.
As soon as the cameras were handed out, the pupils were excited to look at their friends through the window. All I could see were smiles and attempts. Some searched hard for exactly the right shot, then sketched it carefully.
Those smiles and attempts told me they had started to build a real interest.
The paper cameras can go home too, so pupils can keep trying every shot at school and at home.
Try it at your school
Kamera Kertas suits TVPSS teachers, media clubs, or anyone who wants to introduce camera shots to primary pupils. You do not need a real camera.
- Print in black and white. One A4 sheet makes two cameras.
- Cut the windows with a cutter knife and ruler before the activity.
- The activity takes about 30 minutes, in pairs.
Free materials: Kamera Kertas
Three PDF files, ready to print. The sheets are in Bahasa Melayu. Free to use in schools.