Critical Analysis of Film
Final Project, Spring 2006

Critical Analysis of Film

For a brief overview of this lesson plan please click HERE!

Introduction: 
In my opinion, critical analysis should be one of the major components to any high school English class.  I am under the impression that critical analysis is something that all students need to understand and practice because it is something that they use daily; with or without knowing it.  In today’s world, for example, high school students are bombarded with various texts.  Web pages, song lyrics, advertisements, magazines, television shows, films, and video games all contain messages that students read, analyze, and internalize.  With that said, it is imperative that students know how to analyze these said texts, break them down, and find out what the texts are really saying.
That’s where film comes in.  Almost everyone loves to watch a good movie.  In this unit I am taking the entertainment value of film a level higher.  I am not only asking students to enjoy the artistic value of film and interpret its themes, but I am asking them to become skilled and sophisticated interpreters of film as well.  This will not happen overnight.  Students will have to learn background information, practice applying their skills to various films, and finally apply their learning to an original project.    

Audience:
The intended audience for this unit is my senior English students at Eagan High School.  The class is a survey course that all students are required to take.  My section is comprised of eighteen males and thirteen females.  There is one Hispanic student, one Somali student, and three African American students.  The rest of the class is made up of Caucasian students.    

Context:
Up to this point students have completed extensive units involving William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, and have read a plethora of short stories.  The Critical Analysis of Film unit is the last unit of the spring trimester and is meant to build on the critical analysis skills that the students used during their other literary units.  So, this unit will reinforce prior learning and force students to stretch their critical analysis skills and apply them to a different type of text.          

Placement within the Curriculum:
This unit will be the last unit of the spring trimester.  It will take about five weeks to complete.  As has been stated, the unit is meant to reinforce the critical analysis skills that students acquired during their literary-based units.  The unit also expects students to expand their understanding of critical analysis and apply that understanding to film.   

MN Teaching Standards:
Grade 9, 10, 11, 12
C. Media Literacy: The student will critically analyze information found in electronic and print media, and will use a variety of these sources to learn about a topic and represent ideas.
4. Determine whether the evidence in a selection is appropriate, adequate and accurate.
6. Make informed evaluations about television, radio, film productions, newspapers and magazines with regard to quality of production, accuracy of information, bias, purpose, message and audience.
7. Critically analyze the messages and points of view employed in different media, including advertising, news programs, web sites, and documentaries.

Grade 9, 10, 11, 12
D. Research: The student will locate and use information in reference materials.
1. Use print, electronic databases and online resources to access information, organize ideas, and develop writing.
7. Distinguish between reliable and questionable Internet sources and apply responsible use of technology.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the unit students will:

• Become skilled and sophisticated interpreters of film.
• Become mini-experts on a variety of films from various directors, eras, origins, and sources.
• Understand provocative cinematic techniques but also the challenging thematic meanings of the required films.
• Comprehend basic film techniques.
• Use specific methods of critical analysis to understand, interpret, and articulate themes seen in the various required films. 

Activities:
This unit is intense in that it requires a great deal of concentration and focus on the students’ part.  It is also a fast-paced unit in which a lot happens in class.  Here is a brief description of the types of things that we will be tackling during this unit.   

DAY ONE:  Students already have an understanding of the various critical lenses that they can employ when looking at texts.  Since they already have foundation with that aspect of the unit, students will spend the first day in the computer lab learning about various film technical terms and how those technical elements affect the film as a whole.  Instead of having students surf aimlessly on the Internet they will complete a webquest.  Currently, I do not have a webquest set up for this assignment but I really liked the concepts and some of the websites that can be found under a webquest that forces students to pick and research a specific job in the film industry.   The address for the webquest is: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/webfilmpropa.html.

DAY TWO:  As a class, we will come back together and discuss some of the things that were discovered during the webquest.  This will be done in an open class discussion.  During this session I will also lecture some of the more prominent film techniques.  I will have a PowerPoint presentation for my students complete with mini clips from films that will demonstrate some of the techniques that we will be discussing in class.  This will be a very important foundation day for students and we will cover a lot of material. 

DAY THREE:  Before we start our first film, I will go over the Clip Test expectations with my students.  I will have sample Clip Tests that we will discuss as a class and each student will be provided with a handout that has this information on it:
CLIP TESTS
The clip test gauges students’ ability to demonstrate powers of critical analysis through the in-depth study of a brief segment of film. At the conclusion of each class period, students study an instructor selected scene from the day’s film, and students will write a one-page, single-spaced, sentence-outline-format analysis in response to these two questions:

1. What kinds of general information (regarding setting, dramatic structure, texture, and thematic meaning) are provided, and how does the scene relate to the whole of the film?
2. What cinematic techniques (regarding color/light, sound, cinematography, editing, characterization, blocking, etc.) convey meaning in the scene, and to what effect?

Clip Tests will always be due two days after the clip is shown in class.  This will give students enough time to create concise and thorough answers. 
Once students are familiar with my expectations of the Clip Tests we will start our first film.  The first film that we will be watching in class is On the Waterfront.  This is a good film to start out with because it has great literary elements like setting, dramatic structure, and thematic meaning.  In terms of cinematic techniques it’s great because there is some very good editing and characterization throughout the film. 

DAY THREE-FIVE:  Continue watching On the Waterfront.  Once the film is over I will show students the specific clip for their Clip Test.  I will show the clip twice and ask that students take notes as to what is happening during the clip.  I will take it easy on them during the first Clip Test and choose a clip that contains quite a bit of material to work with. 

DAY SIX-DAY SEVEN:  We will finish up the loose ends of On the Waterfront.  Students will share their thoughts and Clip Test answers on the first film during class discussion.  At this time I will reiterate and point out different film techniques like lighting, sound, characterization, etc. and how that relates to the critical analysis of the film.
Once we have discussed everything that we need to discuss we will start the next film which will be Modern Times.  Even though this is a silent movie, there is a lot to look at and discuss.  Not only do I want to incorporate this film to expose my students to the Silent Era of film, but the movie also lends itself to critical analysis by being a social commentary.  After we view the film in its entirety I will show students the selected clip for their Clip Test.   

DAY EIGHT-DAY TEN: Students will present their Clip Tests answers during in class discussion.  We will discuss different lenses that can be looked at in relation to Modern Times.  It will especially beneficial to hit on the Marxist lens at this time.  Once we have properly discussed the film as a class we will move on to the next one: Rear Window.
I decided to incorporate Rear Window into the unit because Hitchcock employs a lot of great characterization and editing into the film.  These two elements combine to ignite an incredibly suspenseful plot.  I think the students will get a kick out of this film because it is interesting and will keep them guessing.  In terms of critical analysis, this film will be useful in that students will be able to analyze the various characters found in the story. After we watch the film students will have the opportunity to watch the selected clip for their Clip Test.

 
DAY ELEVEN-DAY THIRTEEN: Students will present their Clip Test questions and answers in an open class discussion.  After discussing editing and characterization and how those two film elements fit into critical analysis we will move onto watching One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
This film made its way into the unit because of its great characterization and the moral dilemma at the end of the film.  This will be a good one for students to analyze because there is a typical villain and a not so typical hero.  The selected scene for this film’s Clip Test will be the final scenes in which the main character is smothered with a pillow.  This will be a heavy film but I think it is one that students will enjoy. 

DAY FOURTEEN-SIXTEEN: Again, we will discuss our Clip Tests.  Once discussion has subsided we will move on to our fifth and final film, Do the Right Thing.  This film is a great one to show in class for film technique purposes and for critical analysis purposes.  Lee loads this film with social stereotypes, plays off of actual events, and utilizing interesting editing to get his message across.  There is a lot to look at in this film and that is why I have saved it for the last in-class Clip Test assignment.  I will be very interested to see how students react to this film and what they discover about the film after they critically analyze it.

  
DAY SEVENTEEN-TO THE END OF THE UNIT:  After we have fully discussed our Clip Test questions and answers for Do the Right Thing students will receive the guidelines and expectations for their unit project.  For their unit projects, students will be in groups of four and complete a wiki for their chosen film.  The project requires the students to look at an actual event and then compare that event with the film adaptation of the event.  The purpose of this project is to get students to further practice their critical analysis skills and to look at how film manipulates events in order to sell more tickets.  Here’s a description of what the project would look like:
In small groups, students will research and study a film from the provided list below.  It is the groups’ job to decide on a film, watch the film, do the research, collaborate on the wiki, and give a small in-class presentation on their findings.  The wiki must contain all of these elements:

1. Bulleted release and production data.
2. A 500-word account of the actual historical events later depicted in the film.
3. A 500-word discussion of the context surrounding the film, addressing either its production, its reception, or both.
4. A 500-word interpretive plot summary and critique.
5. Labeled, formatted images interspersed throughout the text.
6. A set of working hyperlinks leading to valuable, relevant web resources.
7. Four or five detailed discussion questions for viewers’ consideration.
8. (paper only) A typed, single-page, signed memo from each panel member, (1) detailing his or her own contributions to the efforts and (2) summarizing the contributions of the other members.

The materials will be evaluated on the completeness and clarity of the contents as well as on the purposefulness and professionalism of the presentation.
The Film Choices Are:
*Bonnie and Clyde                                                     *Born on the Fourth of July 
*Ghandi                                                               *Rudy
*Billy Elliot                                                         *Tombstone
*Capote                                                               *Monster
*The Rookie                                                           *Good Night, and Good Luck
*Amistad                                                              *Goodfellas
*The Hurricane                                                        *Mississippi Burning
*Raging Bull                                                          *North Country
*Miracle                                                              *The Pianist
*Donnie Brasco                                                        *Band of Brothers    
Students will be given a week of in class time to find research and collaborate on the wiki.  They will have to watch their specified film outside of class.  At the end of the week of in class work time, students will begin their project presentations.  Project presentations will be about five minutes in length and cover all of the areas of question that are highlighted in the assignment description. 
Assessment:

Clip Tests will be assessed using this rubric:

 Wiki Unit Assignment Rubric:

Students will also be assessed on their participation throughout the semester.  There will be no formal assessment in the area of participation but students who regularly come to class and contribute meaningful pieces will be rewarded.  Students who are class disruptions, cannot properly handle themselves during in class movies, or are students who would rather sleep than participate will get class participation points taken away. 

Resources: 
Looking back on this course made me realize a few different things.  First, I really like the idea of incorporating the wiki into my classroom in one way, shape, or form.  From the experience that I have had with the wiki in class, I discovered that it is a great tool to use and truly promotes cooperative learning.  Thanks to our webquest unit, I also have a new appreciation for that type learning.  I can see where students would be very enthusiastic to learn using webquests and that is why I put it into my unit plan.  Thanks to several discussions with my small group during our online meetings, I also discovered various ways to incorporate media (including film) into my classrooms and make that be really engaging and worthwhile.  So, throughout this semester, I have not only learned to be more comfortable with media and technology, but I also learned about the importance and significance of incorporating media and technology into the classroom.    

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