Reading in the Dark: Using Film as a Tool in the English Classroom.

194 Pages·2012·3.23 MB·English

DOCUMENT RESUME
CS 217 685
ED 456 446
Golden, John
AUTHOR
Reading in the Dark: Using Film as a Tool in the English
TITLE
Classroom.
National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, IL.
INSTITUTION
ISBN-0-8141-3872-1
ISBN
2001-00-00
PUB DATE
NOTE
199p.
National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon
AVAILABLE FROM
Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096 (Stock No. 38721-1659: $19.95,
members; $26.95, nonmembers). Tel: [phone] (Toll Free);
Web site http://www.ncte.org.
PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom (055)
Books (010)
EDRS PRICE MF01/PC08 Plus Postage.
Classroom Techniques; *Critical Viewing; *English
DESCRIPTORS
Instruction; *Film Study; *Films; High Schools;
Instructional Effectiveness; Language Arts; *Reading
Strategies; Units of Study
*Film Viewing; *Textual Analysis
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
To believe that students are not using reading and
analytical skills when they watch or "read" a movie is to miss the power and
complexities of film--and of students' viewing processes. This book
encourages teachers to harness students' interest in film to help them engage
critically with a range of media, including visual and printed texts. Toward
this end, the book provides a practical guide to enabling teachers to ,feel
comfortable and confident about using film in new and different ways. It
addresses film as a compelling medium in itself by using examples from more
than 30 films to explain key terminology and cinematic effects. And it then
makes direct links between film and literary study by addressing "reading
strategies" (e.g., predicting, responding, questioning, and storyboarding)
and key aspects of "textual analysis" (e.g., characterization, point of view,
The book
irony, and connections between directorial and authorial choices) .
concludes with classroom-tested suggestions for putting it all together in
teaching units on 11 films ranging from "Elizabeth" to "Crooklyn" to "Smoke
Signals." Some other films examined are "E.T.," "Life Is Beautiful," "Rocky,"
"The Lion King," and "Frankenstein." (Contains 35 figures. Appendixes include
a glossary of film terms, blank activity charts, and an annotated resource
list.)
(NKA)
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Reading in the Dark
NCTE Editorial Board: Jacqueline Bryant, Kermit Campbell, Willie Mae
Crews, Colleen Fairbanks, Andrea Lunsford, Gerald R. Og lan, Jackie
Swensson, Gail Wood, Paul Bodmer, Chair, ex officio, Peter Feely, ex officio
Reading in the Dark
Using Film as a Tool in the English Classroom
John Golden
Grant High School
Portland, Oregon
National Council of Teachers of English
1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, Illinois 61801-1096
Staff Editor: Tom Tiller
Interior Design: Doug Burnett
Cover Design: Diana Coe
Digital Imagery ©2001 Photo Disc, Inc.
NCTE Stock Number: 38721-3050
©2001 by the National Council of Teachers of English.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or trans-
mitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including pho-
tocopy, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission
from the copyright holder. Printed in the United States of America.
It is the policy of NCTE in its journals and other publications to provide a fo-
rum for the open discussion of ideas concerning the content and the teaching
of English and the language arts. Publicity accorded to any particular point of
view does not imply endorsement by the Executive Committee, the Board of
Directors, or the membership at large, except in announcements of policy,
where such endorsement is clearly specified.
Film photos: Museum of Modern Art/Film Stills Archive. Courtesy of Colum-
bia Pictures (The Remains of the Day), MGM (North by Northwest), Miramax Films
(Life Is Beautiful), Paramount Pictures (The Conversation, Rear Window, and Ver-
tigo), RKO Pictures (Citizen Kane and Notorious), The Samuel Goldwyn Com-
pany (Henry V), Twentieth Century Fox (Edward Scissorhands), United Artists
(Othello and Rocky), Universal City Studios (Do the Right Thing), Universal Pic-
tures (Crooklyn, Frankenstein, and Psycho), and Warner Bros. (The Color Purple).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Golden, John, 1968-
Reading in the dark : using film as a tool in the.English classroom/John Golden.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-8141-3872-1 (pbk.)
1. Language arts (Middle school) 2. Motion pictures in education. I. Title.
LB1631 .G619 2001
428.4dc21
2001042754
6
For Laura, who honestly believes that anything is possible and who started me on
this by asking, "Why not?"
And for Eleanor, who arrived just in time to be included here, and to spit up at least
once on the manuscript.
vii
Contents
ix
Figures
xi
Acknowledgments
xiii
Introduction
1. Film Terminology and Cinematic Effects
1
The Shot
1
Framing
3
Focus
6
Angles
8
Camera Movement
12
Lighting
15
Sound
17
Editing
20
Mise-en-Scène
25
Putting It All Together
26
Playing Director
34
2. Film and Reading Strategies
36
Predicting
36
Responding to the Text
42
Questioning the Text
47
Storyboarding
53
Soundtrack
58
3. Film and Literary Analysis
61
Characterization
61
Setting
66
Point of View
71
Symbol
82
Irony
88
4. Teaching a Complete Film
96
98
The Lion King
102
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
106
Crooklyn
King of the Hill
113
Life Is Beautiful
117
8
viii
Contents
Frankenstein
125
Bride of Frankenstein
129
Rocky
132
Smoke Signals
139
Cyrano de Bergerac
143
Elizabeth
148
Appendixes
A. Glossary of Film Terminology
155
B. Blank Activity Charts
157
C. Annotated List of Resources
168
D. Index of Films Discussed
172
Author
175
9
ix
Figures
Use of paper "cameras" to visualize shots
2
1.
4
Long shot in The Color Purple
2.
7
Deep focus in Citizen Kane
3.
10
Low angle in Othello
4.
High angle in Vertigo
11
5.
14
Low angle and upward tilt in The Conversation
6.
18
Varied lighting in Othello
7.
24
Eye-line match series
8.
27
Mise-en-scene in Do the Right Thing
9.
28
Mise-en-scene in Citizen Kane
10.
Long shot in North by Northwest
31
11.
38
Mood in Citizen Kane
12.
40
Setting in Rear Window
13.
42
Prediction chart
14.
43
Sample viewing/reading log
15.
49
Levels of questioning chart
16.
52
High-key light in The Color Purple
17.
55
Storyboarding chart #1
18.
57
Storyboarding chart #2
19.
59
Soimdtrack chart
20.
Characterization chart
63
21.
Characterization in The Remains of the Day
65
22.
67
Characterization in Henry V
23.
72
Setting chart
24.
Point of view in filmsubjective, authorial, and neutral
75
25.
77
Shift toward subjective perspective in Notorious
26.
Authorial point of view in Notorious
78
27.
1 0