Practice with short films to extend literacy

1. Mark Reid BFI
25th
February 2016
mark.reid@bfi.org.uk
@BFIEducation

2. the angle
the case
the practice
the evidence
the next level: developing film-makers

3. the angle
The moving image is the richest, most
complex artform and medium of expression
human beings have ever invented. And it’s
the first one that we learn..

4. the case
It is vital and obvious that understanding,
manipulating, and appreciating the film
sentence should be an accepted part of the
education system
Anthony Minghella

5. To be literate is to participate fully in a culture
To participate fully in 21C culture, we
have to be literate in the moving
image
Film, media, or literacy?
Film and media AS literacy

6. Choose and access
Understand and analyse
Create and express
Challenge
Participate
About Literacy…

7. Three Cs…
Creative Critical Cultural

8. … integrated

9. backstory

10. Reframing Literacy…
• Since 1999.. Core period 2004 -
08
• 4 - 14 yr olds
• 70+ Local Authorities in England;
also cross-UK
• Research and evaluation (Moving
Literacy On, Marsh and Bearne,
UKLA)
• Big impacts on literacy - and
pedagogy
• 7 (now 9) DVD compilations of 55
(75) short films; 20,000 copies sold
• 200 Lead Practitioners trained;
cascaded to 2000 teachers 2005-07

11. the practice

12. Why short films?
• New to children
• Manageability
• cinematic qualities

13. Short film pedagogy
• ‘Tell Me’ grids - in target language
• Hiding and revealing
• Stopping and starting

14. A question about print and film

15. Character
Setting
Story
Symbol
Sequence
Chronology
Camera
Colour
Sound
Composition
Cutting
The Cs and Ss

16. character setting
story mood
Tell Me Aidan Chambers/ CLPE 1992

17. The Tell Me questions: adapted for film
Basic questions
Was there anything you liked?
What caught your attention?
Was there anything you disliked?
Was there anything that puzzled you? That you'd
never seen in a film before?
Were there any patterns?

18. General questions
Have you seen any films like this before? How
were they similar? How were they different?
How is this different from other films you've seen
before?
Having talked about the film, have you changed
your mind about anything? Seen anything new?
Been surprised by anything?

19. Special questions
How much time did the story in the film cover?
Are there parts of the story that took a long time
to happen but were shown quickly? And vice
versa?
Were there particular things in the film - shots,
sounds, images - that you liked or didn't like?
How could you have made the film better?
Has anything in the film ever happened to you?
What would you tell other people about this film?
How many different stories can you find in the
film?

20. Special questions
Where did the story happen? Did the setting matter,
or could it have been set anywhere? Are there parts
of the film that are especially about this place?
Which character interested you the most? Is that
character the most important person in the film? Is
the film really about someone else?
Did you ever get to know what the characters were
thinking or feeling? Or was the story told from the
outside of the characters, watching them, but never
knowing what they were thinking or feeling.

21. an example

22. character setting
story mood
Tell Me Aidan Chambers/ CLPE 1992

23. Hide the screen, Mark…
♯bfiopeninglines

24. puzzles patterns
surprises predictions
Tell Me Aidan Chambers/ CLPE 1992

25. St. Mark’s School, Holloway
Come and join us to hear our
wonderful songs. Until when they
came.
The family skipped along the sunny
street looking forward to it but then..
At the old but colourful train station
Can I by 100 mangoes?
(In a market) ‘Can I buy 10 mangoes
please?’ ‘Get out of my stall, you are
not welcome here.’
‘Shut up! Shut up! I’m coming, I’m
coming.’ The man opened the
door. ‘What?’ ‘Hello I love
doughnuts! The other man said.
It was a summer’s day in a peaceful
little town where I live. I was
walking along feeling very happy
until a very ecstatic dog pounced
on me!’
One day, everybody was enjoying
there party until man in a long
black coat walked in with 3 blood-
thirsty dogs.

26. Le Pain et la Rue
Abbas Kiarostami
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7RvD9yrHYQ
You have been watching

27. Starting Stories and Starting Stories 2 (EYFS/ KS1)
Story Shorts and Story Shorts 2 (KS2)
Cine-minis (KS2 &3 French and literacy)
Real Shorts (KS2 & 3 non-fiction)
Screening Shorts; Moving Shorts (KS3/4 English)
Available at BFI Filmstore online
BFI Shorts

28. the evidence

29. What does the research tell us?
Digital Beginnings, Jackie Marsh et al, Sheffield University:
Children develop enormous repertoires of knowledge, skill, understanding
before they set foot in school. Most parents recognise the value of this;
many teachers do not
Reframing Literacy, BFI/ Moving Literacy On (Jackie Marsh and Eve
Bearne)
Impacts on attainment, motivation, pedagogy, and system capacity
Impacts of Moving Image Education: A summary of research for
Scottish Screen
7 impacts: incl: engaging disaffection; enjoyment and self confidence;
literacy attainment;
The Bradford Media Literacy Project
Progress of average 4PS, 57 children, in 10 primary schools
Reading as well as writing

30. • Extensive range and high quality of activities undertaken in
relation to moving image media
• significant impact on the capacity of LAs to initiate and develop
work on moving image media education.
• Important contribution to teachers’ subject knowledge and
pedagogical content knowledge in relation to moving image
media education.
• Pupils have shown significant improvements in motivation,
engagement and attainment.
• Practitioners enabled to explore issues relating to the nature of
literacy in a new media age and to engage in work which will
significantly inform the development of educational practice in
relation to moving image media education
Moving Literacy On: Reframing Literacy

31. Phase 1 of the project involved 9 schools, 11 classes and 57 targeted
pupils. The aim was for the targeted group of children to make 4 APS
progress in Literacy in the 9 month project. The group made an average of
just over 4 APS in that time period. The 57 children were trained to be
‘Digital Media Literacy Leaders’ and the 9 staff involved became trained
Media Literacy Leaders.
Phase 2 involves a further 20 schools with 8 of the qualified MLLs from
Phase 1 co-delivering the programme to the new schools and their classes
this year. The target of 4 APS has remained and early data would suggest
we are on track for this target. CapeUK have supported the project in Phase
2 by funding professional film makers to engage with the training and work
directly with the schools as part of Phase 2. They will be evaluating the
impact of this engagement at the end of Phase 2.
Bradford Media Literacy Project

32. Greengates and Wibsey PSs
Qualitative.
The qualitative impact on the children has been extremely positive. At the start of the
year, I had a number of reluctant boy writers who would display disruptive behaviour
when we started a writing lesson. One boy would just put his head down and do
nothing. Recently this child said ' I love Media Literacy because I can write
anything now because I can imagine it.'
I can confidently say that all my children have been engaged by the use of media. It
has had a positive impact on both my writing and my reading which will be explained
below. But it isn’t just the data that has shown the impact, I recently asked the
children to write a letter explaining why they would like to continue with media next
year. Here are a few quotes from them;
“I really think we should do it because it has improved my writing. I can
describe things better because I can see them in my head .”
“I like talking about films in snack because I never joined in that much but
now I say more because I understand the story.”
“ I want to be a writer and it has helped my imagination a lot. I think I could
be a good writer now. “

33. Greengates and Wibsey PSs
Wibsey:
Reading attainment of focus children: APS 4.6
Writing attainment of focus children: APS 4.6
Developed IT skills (children and teacher)
Enhanced self-esteem and view of self as a learner.
Greater engagement with learning. Many children chose to blog about
their Media Literacy learning experiences on the school website.
Greengates:
Writing APS overall in Year 4 was 4.1 this year - the highest APS we
have had in one year group for writing in KS2.
My 6 targeted children’s APS was 4.3
All the children made an APS of 3 or more.
Several boys made and APS of 6.
Reading APS overall in Year 4 was 3.9 this year.
Some of the boys made an APS of 8.

34. Cinema Cent Ans de Jeunesse
• Watching, making, understanding film
• Since 1995; Cinematheque Francaise
• Film language themes: colour, sound, camera
movement, mettre en scene
• Clips to watch around the theme
• Exercises for trying out the theme
• Final ‘film essai’

35. 2013/14: The Long Take
there are two kinds

36. Where it all started: the Lumiere Brothers
Alasdair Satchel’s Youtube
playlist

37. Lumiere Brothers examples

38. Exercise 1: Lumiere minutes
Each participant will film a minute of material in
the manner of the Lumiere Brothers. The shot will
be from a fixed position, lasting one minute and
include the sounds recorded on location at the
time of filming. The ‘minute’ can be filmed either
inside or outside. Choose a place, a subject, a
moment, and record it, without influencing
anything in the shot.
All participants, including teachers, film-makers,
and cultural partners should make a Lumiere
minute.

39. ‘Lumiere Minutes’: some examples
http://markreid1895.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/first-london-
training-session/

40. Several varieties of long take
Long takes and… physical performance Sherlock Jr.
Deep focus: two scenes at the same time Citizen Kane
Decoupage: several scenes in one take The Player
Long takes and.… jeopardy Rope
The existential long take Stalker
Alasdair Satchel’s Youtube channel: Understanding Cinema

41. Exercise 2: Create a short scene
Create a brief scene which will then be filmed using a Long
Take.
Film the scene from a fixed point
Then film the same scene with a moving camera
Each version must be between 2 minutes long
Indicate which type of Long Take you are using in the title
card for the clip: double scene; telling a story; a
contemplative shot; a physical performance; changing
during the shot; split shot

42. Film essai: a troubling encounter
At a certain moment a character or characters have an
encounter which troubles them.
Create a film around the provocation above which includes
several long takes. The film can be edited together,
including elements of montage if you wish. Final length 7
minutes. In one of the Long Takes the camera must forget
the character or characters and become autonomous,
following another path, and then finding the character or
characters again.
This section should create an emotional response in the
viewer

43. Blue Raspberry

44. English blog
http://markreid1895.wordpress.com
Mark.reid@bfi.org.uk