You may find the following list of key terms helpful as you plan your personal course of study: characters, setting, plot, exposition, rising action, falling action, climax, resolution, theme, conflict, point-of-view, narrator, motivation, mise-en-scene, lighting, shot, props, focus. Below is an overview of the flow of the unit, followed by a more detail description of what should be done. The Supplements section at the end of this unit will be of use to you as you and your students progress through this unit. I have included when to use each one.
During the first week, we will familiarize ourselves with the elements of fiction and the elements of filmmaking. It is during this week that we will compare these 2 versions of storytelling. Students must understand that while voice is used in both forms, ironically it may be more easily recognized in film because of certain sensory characteristics (lighting, shots, etc.). I think that at this point students should be told that they will learn to develop the voice in their own writing as we apply ourselves to analyzing film for the way that voice is used there. Eventually students will develop skills so that they can recognize the (often) more subtle ways that an author uses his voice in written stories.
Next, we will apply our knowledge of the elements of fiction and filmmaking to analyze an American film that is relatively familiar to students. The relative familiarity of a popular film will make the identification of these basic elements more accessible. Once we have a firm understanding of these basic elements, we will then choose a few scenes from the movie that we have just watched and analyze them using Supplement 1. We should reinforce the fact that this is the foundation for developing their own voice. We will then analyze different scenes to see what the filmmaker's voice may have been trying to say to us.
At this point, the basic concepts should be getting more solidly engrained in students' minds. Now, we are ready to remove the comfort of familiarity to truly assess how well students understand this concept of voice. To that end, we will begin our process of analyzing a foreign film. We will build the background knowledge necessary to view and analyze a foreign film. Special attention will be given to the issue of "sameness" of teenagers in American and Senegalese cultures. This will give students a basis for connecting with the characters in the film that we will be watching.
Next, we will analyze a short film from the country that we have chosen. During the analysis, we will pay close attention to the child's perspective on the plot; this will make the analysis more focused and may allow students to find more connections with the story than they may have originally thought possible since my students are about the same age as the character in the movie. During this week, it is important to emphasize the connection between writing and "story": all good writing is interesting and fluent (like a movie), not stale and formulaic. We will apply our knowledge of the elements of fiction by identifying them in this film. Students will be challenged to listen for the voice of the film. Supplements 1 and 2 can be used here as they are or with modifications. Ideally, this should function as independent practice of what we have been working on previously.
Guided Practice: Film One
We will use the context of this first film as a guided practice of recognizing the elements of fiction and the elements of film. For this part of the unit, I suggest a film with a child as the main character. A popular film like
Pay it Forward
is easily accessible and is so contemporary that students will "get it" without the added complication of a foreign or less modern film (For other suggestions on what to view for this first film, see below.). Watching the movie in its entirety with a guide sheet (Supplement 1) will reinforce the vocabulary that they have learned. Questions include:
-
1 Who are the characters?
-
2 What is the setting?
-
3 What are the major conflicts and what type are they?
The second step of this guided practice will be to now look at the elements of film-making. It will be most effective to choose several poignant scenes from the movie ahead of time and have students watch for specific elements. We can begin with characteristics like mise-en-scene and lighting. Ultimately, we will pay particular attention to how the filmmaker has focused our attention on specific situations and characters. The concept of voice can effectively be introduced at this time. Supplements 2 and 3 can be used now.
The following activity can be an extension activity for students who are ready to move on. Not only does the film have a voice (a clear attitude that the director wants to share with the audience), but each character has a distinct voice that helps carry the film's themes. By looking at
one
scene from the perspective of several characters (these can be inanimate or real), students begin to experiment with the ways that voice can change. For instance:
-
1 What would you be thinking if you were character A in this scene? Why?
-
2 What would you be thinking if you were character B?
-
3 How are those two perspectives different?
-
4 Which one has the strongest voice in this scene? Why is that so?
-
5 How has the filmmaker orchestrated both voices to convey a tone all his own?
Independent Practice: Film Two
We will use the context of a second film to strengthen students' analytical abilities and then to demonstrate that knowledge in meaningful writing. Once we have established a foundation for students, we can remove the "crutch" of familiarity that a popular, American film provides to many of our students. They are now ready to apply their skills to a foreign film.
A concentrated amount of time should be spent building students' background knowledge of the country from which they will view a film. Basics such as geographic location, language, and rudimentary cultural awareness will not only broaden their view of the world, but will make the film more readily accessible.
The structure of the analysis of this film should mirror that of the first one. In other words, students will begin with a complete viewing of the film after which they should comment on the elements of fiction that they noticed as they watched; you can use Supplement 1 again. Then, students will analyze the particular elements of film-making that the director used. Supplements 2 and 3 can be used again in conjunction with the following questions.
-
1 What indications of
hope
does the director provide?
-
2 Where is your attention focused in this scene and why?
-
3 What is the director saying in this scene? How do you know?
Now students are ready to be shown a scene in the movie, and asked to describe the voice in that particular scene. They must give evidence to justify their explanation. I have not included a supplement for this activity, but at this point, students should have completed Supplements 1, 2 and 3 twice (once with each film), so they should be prepared to complete this assignment without the guidance of a worksheet.
Putting It All Together: Practicing with Written Text
Now, students should be given the opportunity to apply their awareness of voice to other forms of literature. They should be given 2-3 samples of young adult literature each with varied voices. These can be either fiction or non-fiction. Students will then be asked to identify the voice in each of the samples and to justify their answers in a written assignment. I have found that selections from Teen Ink are very engaging and provide excellent examples of student literature. The magazine is published monthly and online at teenink.com and features all writing and artwork strictly by teens. What a resource! Supplement 5 can be used to guide you and your students through this process.
This unit focuses on giving its participants the tools to understand and analyze story and how it is portrayed on film and to use that understanding to intensify their own writing. Upon completion, students will be able to think and write critically about film (story) which will strengthen their ability to write about other forms of literature, a major objective in the middle school English curriculum.