ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS RESOURCES
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS RESOURCESFILM IS BEAUTIFUL
Description
Too often, teachers and students miss the opportunity to take full advantage of films. Shown at the end of a study of a novel or play, a film is often simply a "break" that adds little to students' understanding of a work. Given the rich potential of film and increasing encouragement from state and national standards to study films as important non-print texts, I developed a film study unit centered on Roberto Benigni's film Life is Beautiful. This touching Italian film is perfect as a basis for an introductory film studies unit. The movie begins as a romantic comedy and descends into the nightmare world of the Holocaust; its combination of romance, slapstick humor, social commentary, pathos and history make it an excellent addition to a world literature curriculum, and its use of setting, foreshadowing, music and color make it an ideal vehicle for introducing the vocabulary of film study.
This unit can last up to about ten days. Because the film deals with the Holocaust, I begin the unit after our study of Night. After introductory activities designed to help students reflect on their own habits and preferences as moviegoers, students watch the film in segments of various length and reflect on its content, plot, conflict, and mood. They reflect in discussions and in journals as they watch the film and after the first viewing is complete.
Having viewed the film once, students then study various aspects of film and the film industry. After an overview of the roles of producer, directory, cinematographer and so forth, students move through and increasingly complex study of the use of shots, camera angles, and camera placement. After a study of the symbolic use of setting and colors, students note the impact of the soundtrack on the film's overall effect.
Depending on resources, you may wish to show clips from other films for comparison and enrichment. I show clips from Charlie Chaplin movies to show students the heritage of film slapstick, and scenes from Schindler's List to show alternative approaches and differences in tone, mood, and theme.
As a culmination, students write a review of the film, discussing not only the story but the aspects of film-making they have studied during the unit as well. In addition, students choose a film to view, study and review independently, applying their newfound knowledge to a new visual text. Where time and resources allow, students might extend the unit by working in teams to create a brief film incorporating their new knowledge.
This unit integrates the ELA strands and provides opportunities for students to engage in critical thinking, writing, viewing and listening. It supports several North Carolina Exit Exam Competencies, including C-1, C-3, C-4, and PI-11. Further, having viewed a film in depth and come to understand the vocabulary of film-making, students are better able to interpret and appreciate the films they view both in and out of the classroom.
I have included a number of activities, probably more than could be done in any one unit; teachers can easily choose a selection of activities for emphasis and instruction.
Peter Bobbe, Yancey County
| Activity Description | Approx. Time | Strands | Exp | Info | Arg |
Crit | Lit | G/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory | ||||||||
| Brainstorming: Students list all of the movies they remember seeing in the past year. They then rank and categorize them by type and quality and share the name of their favorite film with the class. Discussion should help lead students to see what they and others like best about films. | 15 mins. | O W |
1.02 | |||||
Reflective Writing: Students examine their choices of favorite films and deduce their own criteria for a great film. |
15 mins. | W | 1.02 | 4.04 | ||||
Rubric Formation: Using their notes from the first two activities, students write a paragraph in which they clearly set forth their own criteria for a great film. These paragraphs are shared with the teacher and with the class and used to create a rubric. |
Home-work | W | 1.02 | 4.04 | 6.01 6.02 |
|||
| During | ||||||||
The first viewing is accompanied by a viewing guide (or informal questions led by teacher) to help students record perceptions, predict outcomes and make assessments as the film progresses. The film is paused six times; during each break, students respond, reflect and predict. Stop the film in the following places:
During the first viewing, you may wish to draw students' attention to such elements as color symbolism, foreshadowing, and music as a way to enrich their understanding. It's important not to slow down the viewing too much, however, as students will want to experience the film without too much interruption. |
3 days | O W M/T |
1.02 | 2.02 | 4.03 | 5.01 | ||
First Review: After completing the film, allow students time to reflect on the impact the work had on them; a vigorous class discussion usually ensues. Then students should compose a first review of the film in which they evaluate its effectiveness; they also compare it to the criteria they developed earlier in order to see for themselves whether it fits their idea of a great film. |
Home-work | W
|
1.02 | 3.03 | 4.04 | 6.01 6.02 |
||
Film Makers and their roles: If time allows, students might research the roles of producer, director, writer, cinematographer, production designer, editor, and composer; or the teacher can present this material. (Much helpful information can be found online, particularly at www.imdb.com/Glossary/) |
1 day | O R M/T |
2.03 | |||||
| Selected Clips for Analysis, Part 1: Students view two or three scenes from the film and discuss how each of the filmmakers contributed to its creation. A formal or informal quiz can be given at the end of this lesson. | 1 day | M/T O W |
1.02 | 4.03 4.04 |
5.01 | |||
| Aspects of Photography: Students study such concepts as
shot, take, sequence, high angle, low angle, crane, pan, tilt, close-up,
medium shot, long shot, lighting, etc. which are easy for them to grasp.
The key is to tie the technique to the effect; for example, when the camera
is set at a low angle and looks up at a person, the person seems more
important or even threatening; a person filmed from a high angle often
seems small and vulnerable; a close up establishes intensity while a long
shot creates context, etc. The following website contains links to actual
film clips to illustrate each of these terms: http://www.inform.umd.edu/ rosebud/Glossary/
|
2 days | M/T | 2.03 | 4.04 | 5.01 | |||
Selected Clips for Analysis, Part 2: Students analyze the photographic aspects of a scene. Show several scenes and have students discuss the shots, angles, lighting and so forth, analyzing the use of techniques as means to effect a response in the viewer. A quiz or other written analysis is appropriate once students have had practice with this concept. |
1 day | M/T O W |
2.02 | 4.03 4.04 |
5.01 | |||
Context and comparison is provided by showing students clips from Charlie Chaplin's films, especially The Gold Rush and The Great Dictator, establishing the roots of slapstick humor. Further, showing parallel scenes from such realistic films as Schindler's List will help students focus on differences in tone, mood, and theme between different films treating the same subject. (Clips of the transportation to the camps, for instance, or of scenes in the camps are rich in material for comparison). |
1 day | M/T O |
4.02 4.03 |
5.01 | ||||
| Culminating | ||||||||
A formal analysis of the film could be part of the unit's culmination. Students write an essay analyzing some of the formal techniques used in the film and explaining how those techniques build the film's overall impact. Time should be permitted for multiple drafts and proofreading of this formal piece of writing. A film-clip based test could also be given. Alternatively, an analysis of a self-selected film allows students to apply what they have learned to a film of their own choice. A written review or formal analysis can be handed in days or weeks after the end of the unit. |
Home-work |
W M/T |
1.02 | 2.03 | 4.03 4.04 |
5.01 5.02 |
6.01 6.02 |
|
A film-making project would be a natural extension and culmination of this unit if time and resources allow. Students can work in small groups to produce a brief video containing a prescribed variety of shots; they can also adopt the roles of the filmmakers to produce the videos. |
Days or weeks of independent work | M/T | 1.01 1.02 |
2.02 | ||||
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