Just Being in a Different Space....

There is something about simply being in a different space that will help spark something new in us.  No matter whether that is on a vacation, or  through changing the furniture design in our living rooms, or taking a class to a new and different space, we are bound to have a new experience just by occupying different space.  So was the case when this semester's students ventured to see La La Land at our local theatre, The Catlow (www.thecatlow.com).

After all, it's far more fun to watch a film on the BIG screen rather than on our little big screen in the classroom.  And there's just something about being in that space that brings the best out of some students.  Being in this larger space, out of school hours, allowed us to mix and blend our classes.

Here's what I loved most about this experience:

1.  There are 3 different film teachers at our high school, so I loved collaborating with them--and best of all, our students got to mingle with students from the other classes.

2.  We film teachers don't all use the exact same films in our courses, so it was fun to see them discuss the films they were watching, make recommendations, complain about Citizen Kane still being considered "The Greatest Film of All Time," etc.

3.  Students who don't always participate in class came out of their shells and shared great ideas about La La Land.  There's just something about being in a new space that can be so refreshing and rewarding.


My first shot, sans flash:
   

The second one--that blinded them.  Oops.

Goals & Guest Bloggers

It was my goal to write more on my blog this year...and my efforts have trailed off here at the end of the semester.  I also wanted my posts to have more substance--which is a goal I believe I have achieved.

Yet, as 2017 is nearly upon us, I'd like to make sure I post more often--and reach my goal of having more student participation on the blog.  This semester I taught a Studies in Literature and Film course, and I had hoped to have some student-written posts--or at least some reviews.  I didn't ever invite students to write, so that is something that I hope to accomplish next semester.

However, I have selected some student writing (reviews of the foreign language film Life is Beautiful) to share here.  I hope you have a wonderful winter break--one filled with constant reminders that Life is Beautiful.

Life is Beautiful gracefully tells a sentimental tale of love against adversity, and ultimately, human spirit. The film encompasses the Holocaust, but chooses not to embrace it with sheer negativity. Life is Beautiful is a fantastically endearing story, capturing the audience with its simplistic values of hope and familial love.

First introduced is Guido, the comically clumsy but quick-on-his feet protagonist. On numerous occasions, coincidentally and intentionally, Guido encounters a woman called Dora. Through these surprise meetings the two build a relationship and become a family with the addition of their son Joshua. The dynamic is always light and humorous, even as Nazis subtly invade their town in Italy. Guido and Joshua, Italian Jews, are sent to a concentration camp, so Guido creates an elaborate game to protect his son from the horrifying truth about the Holocaust.

Life is Beautiful is set in grim circumstance, but the inextinguishable optimism projected by Guido maintains the film’s theme of love and spirit. On some occasions, the harsh setting is utilized to shift the mood to a more uplifting one. An example of this is when Guido announces his love for “Princess Dora” through the camp loudspeaker, typically used to blare German orders. In other cases, the situation is crudely exposed with an opposite effect. As Guido carries his sleeping son through the camp, he wanders up to a shadowy mass, and the fog slips away to reveal a towering pile of bodies. This serves as a barbarous reminder, to Guido and to the audience, that the Holocaust is not a game, after all. Guido is protecting Joshua from unthinkably brutal truths that he will not realize until years later, but to everyone else, it is terrifying reality.

Strong character development enables Guido, Dora, and Joshua to overshadow the disturbing backdrop of their story. When Guido and Joshua are forced into a concentration camp, attention is directed to the construction of a mythical game, drawn up to distract the audience as much as Joshua from the horrors of war. Guido’s contagious energy and humor outweighs German oppression throughout the film, guiding the plot to the very end where innocent Joshua is reunited with Dora. Life is Beautiful thematically concentrates on familial love and sacrifice to combat cruel injustice and shield Joshua from the Holocaust.

Rating: ★★★★/5

            Foreign films never used to interest me; maybe it’s because I didn’t want to put in effort to read the subtitles and watch the cinematography at the same time. After watching Life is Beautiful, I kind of fell in love. Italian is such a beautiful language, and that’s part of the reason I loved watching this movie. I have never seen such a funny yet serious actor as Roberto Benigni. His personality just makes me want to find him and hug him! Life is Beautiful is now one of my favorite films.

Life is Beautiful is about an optimistic and lighthearted Italian-Jewish man and his family who are taken to a Concentration Camp during World War II. Their only child, Joshua, is too young to understand what is going on. Guido, played by Roberto Benigni, tries to protect his son from knowing creating games and making the most out of the situation.

This movie is definitely in my “Top 10 Films” list. I loved it so much, mainly due to the optimism and quirky personality of Guido. No matter what happened, he somehow made it positive. For example, when asked by Nazi Soldiers if anyone spoke German, Guido volunteered to translate into Italian, even though he had no idea what they were saying, all to protect his young son from knowing the real truth of where they went and why. Guido and Joshua played this game the whole time they were prisoners in the concentration camp, up to the day they were saved. Joshua found his father exhausted and carrying loads of iron up several flights of stairs. When asked what he was doing, Guido played it off and said he was helping make the first place prize for the winner of the game; a tank. Both of these examples, amongst plenty of others, help justify how great this movie and this actor is. Life is Beautiful was definitely a beautiful movie.

5/5 Stars

Blended to the Extreme

Recently, thanks to the excellent organizational skills of fellow teacher KK, our Film classes viewed a film at a local movie theatre.  We watched The Arrival, and thanks to the kindness of the employees at the theatre, we were able to spend some post-movie time discussing what we had just watched.  The film was rich with cinematography, sound, and other visual delights to discuss.  Most students liked the film, and it certainly provided us with a lot to discuss beyond just the filmmaking level.  What an intricately developed story!  So fun to discuss the plot on this one!  With few exceptions, students said that they would strongly recommend seeing this movie to their fellow classmates who were unable to attend.

Getting ready for post-discussion:
     


KK working her magic:
   




Schmitt's Scholars:





For my fellow teachers:
I've been reflecting about how to best facilitate a post-discussion in this environment:
1.  Should I view the film first (without them) so that I can create questions to discuss afterwards?
2.  Should I create q's on the fly (I could...) and share them via social media, so all of the students have the questions in front of them--and then discuss from there?
3.  Would it be better to host the discussion in a separate space because movie theatre seats don't allow for the best collaborative discussions?
4.  Would it be better to attend a weekend matinee? Easier to chat afterwards? (This was at 9:00 pm--after a 7pm movie)
5. This was a great opportunity to Blend classes.  We've got THREE sections of my classes represented, plus multiple sections of KK's classes and TW's, too!  What a great opportunity to meet with other students who are learning and working on the same concepts--in a different setting, with different people.
6.  I should work on getting students to Guest Blog.  They could write their Film Review, and I could share it here!
7.  Other ideas?  Share them with me at englishschmitt@gmail.com or @englishschmitt on twitter.

Analyzing Sound in Film

Our class began analyzing sound by reviewing some basic sound topics in our textbook:

 
 


Students reviewed topics such as Visible and Invisible Sound, Soundtracks, Score, Dialogue, Sound Effects and more.

We then analyzed different film clips, focusing on the information we learned from the text.  We viewed films such as Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, Almost Famous, and more.

To analyze a full film for its sound qualities, we watched The Hurt Locker.  Students are now crafting their culminating analyses that focus on these two standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2.D
Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.

I can't wait to see what they've created!

Types of Shots in Film

When analyzing film, it is important for students to have a good handle on the language of film.  So, we spend a good amount of time reviewing types of shots--through film, film clips, and still photos.  In today's exercise, students ventured out into the high school, armed with their iPhones or device of choice to take photos of the following types of shots:

Oblique angle 

extreme long shot                   

extreme close-up                    

medium shot  

high angle       

establishing shot                                

bird’s eye view                                  

low angle      

close-up                                 

juxtaposition   

For example, in each class, I took one type of shot--seen here:

  

   

Can you identify which one it is?

Scroll for the answer.....

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Answer: OBLIQUE ANGLE!  (affectionately called the Danny Boyle angle by Jack M)

Did you get it correct?  Hopefully, you did, and hopefully the Schmitt's Scholars took some creative photos to address the different types of shots.  Looking forward to sharing those soon!

You're Killing Me, Smalls

You know it's going to be a good day when a student walks in wearing this:



And while we might not be watching Sandlot, a shirt like that definitely gets us in the mood for some Movie Magic.

Today, we finished The Shawshank Redemption, a film many students were shocked to discover earned ZERO Oscars.  Yep, when your movie comes out the same year as Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction, it's hard to win.  And, of course, The Lion King snagged that Best Score award, so poor little Shawshank went home empty-handed.  But I digress....

Students took notes for our first film by following this pattern:
                           
                               Observation                                                                   Making Meaning

For example:      
Shot of Bible with hammer in Exodus             Cheeky punch at Andy's  "exodus"




Basically, students are to make observations of film aspects/choices they notice--and then explain why they think that choice is important.

Here they are in teacher-selected groups discussing what they consider to be their TEN BEST observations: