Teaching Film/Editing
This post is also on the discussion board:
I have had some experience already teaching film to my students, but after reading these websites and Chapter 3, I am not sure I’ll ever admit that again! I was asked to teach the classes because I was ‘tech-savvy’ enough to handle it, but I didn’t have enough knowledge to make it work. We are no longer teaching that course because I did it for three years and it never flexed the way I wanted it to. Below I’ve described some ways that I would handle film study in my classroom in two different situations; a ‘film study’ class and integrated as a unit in a regular language arts classroom.
Chapter three’s distinction between teaching film with different focuses was very logical and focused my ideas in a way previously not considered. Ideally, film study and appreciation could be instructed in a course singularly designed for that purpose. In this way, I would move through the four categories Beach describes beginning with vocabulary and intelligent discussion and ending with production.
To know where we are and how we got there, we would need to consider the historical context of film, but we would need common vocabulary to discuss elements. This is why I would begin with instruction in the areas of vernacular, elements, and identification. Movie clips as well as still shots would be used to establish understanding of techniques used in film. Students would need to begin discussing these elements using terms and concepts commonly used in the film industry. After we acquire the common vocabulary and understanding, we could move on to basic identification. I would probably use techniques I usually use in vocabulary instruction (use, examples, scaffolding) and would expect students to do an assignment similar to the one we were asked to do for week 3.
Beach makes a distinction between analyzing historical context and film analysis. I don’t know that I would treat these as separate and unique outcomes. Once we acquire the terminology to discuss the elements, we could study film’s history and investigate its changes. In that, we would be analyzing the movies and considering history as merely one more element to factor in. To accomplish this, I would use one or two movies from each decade in a montage to establish the tone and change over time. We would then look at each film (in parts) and consider the techniques used and the cultural expectation of the time. After guided practice, students would be expected to choose another film and independently break down the pieces and analyze the techniques and historical context.
Moving into more current movies/films, students would continue to apply the vocabulary and technical ideas to consider what makes a movie good or great. We would consider questions like: who is the primary audience? Why do certain movies win awards? Why is there a distinction between ‘independent’ and ‘mainstream’ filmmaking? How is filmmaking an ‘art?’ How much of the movie experience is fulfilled by the watcher (similar to how each book is made unique because of the reader)? And other thought provoking ideas. At this stage, students should be beyond ‘what is lighting’ and moving on to “why� and “how� questioning as it relates to the film industry.
After students are at a point of appreciation and they have the ability to deconstruct elements of a film, they are to a point where reconstruction and production would be appropriate. In this part of the course, students would be expected to learn the technical aspects of filming (equipment handling, etc) as well as the ins and outs of editing programs. They would be instructed in CONSTRUCTING story boards, as opposed to creating still shot storyboards for analytical purposes. Once they have considered the elements from earlier in the course, they would be given guided free reign to create. This is where it is vital that they had a thoughtful understanding of the material as we are now moving to the application piece of learning. The exact project would depend on the course and students, but I would love to see a ‘through my eyes’ kind of piece that allowed for individuality as well as giving credit to their unique points of view. They would need to constantly evaluate and determine the success of their goals and change course as needed. At the end of this three/four tier approach, students would have a much more thorough appreciation and understanding for film and how to create it.
If I was asked to teach these concepts within the time constraints and limitations of the standard Language Arts curriculum, I would choose to keep the same conceptual framework, but the depth of coverage would be decreased. We would still start with a basic understanding of film vocabulary and elements through a study of stills and short clips. I would move into historical context and analytical skills, though this would be far less complex than with a full course. Finally, I would never skip production. Students should be given the opportunity to learn the basics of editing programs and filming technology as well as be given the opportunity to show what they know. This project would probably be a team approach due to time and equipment limitations, but they would still have the chance to storyboard and create a short production.
I am hopeful that maybe I will be asked to teach this course again and can bring a brand new approach to it. I have many more questions that I need answers to before I am any kind of a film expert, but this framework is logical and complete enough that one could easily create a worthwhile course which would integrate learning, technology, current popular opinions, and critical thinking into a fun and hands on approach. If I do not have the chance to work with a course like this, I will find ways to integrate these techniques and concepts into my current curriculum and framework.