The Magic of Film

With movies and videos so popular in today's world, I'm not sure if teenagers really think about filmmaking being an art form.  I would incorporate film critique into my curriculum to demonstrate why film is in fact an art.

I would begin with a discussion, asking my class to list the different forms of art, to see if they include filmmaking in their selection.  If they do not, I would ask them to think about film and how it could be considered an art.  If they do include film, I would ask them to tell me why.  From here, I would move into a presentation about the aspects of filmmaking, including language such as frame, shot, scene, and sequence.  I would then go into detail about each, including types of shots, camera angles and movement, and editing techniques, with film clips and stills as examples.

Medium shot, The Hunger Games

Extreme close-up shot, Titanic

Canted camera angle, Inception

After going over these terms and examples, I would have the students analyze a scene of their choice, from the New York Times Anatomy of a Scene selection.  They would analyze character placement, scene setup, framing, camera angles and shot choice, and how these all relate to the purpose of the scene and the meaning of the message created by these techniques.  Once this is complete, I would have the whole class watch a movie and review it based on the qualities and techniques we have reviewed.  By the end of this unit, the students should have a better understanding film in relation to art.