Film

“If all the serious lyrical poets, composers, painters and sculptors were forced by law to stop their activities, a rather small fraction of the general public would become aware of the fact and a still smaller fraction would seriously regret it. If the same thing were to happen with the movies, the social consequences would be catastrophic.”

– Erwin Panofsky, 1934

Course Descriptions

Film Cinematography 1 A, B

Credit: CTE or Fine Art
Prerequisite: None
Length: 1 year
Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12
Learn the art and science of motion pictures. Learn the skills needed to communicate dramatic information, ideas, moods, and feelings through the making and producing of video/cinema. Includes instruction in theory of cinema technology and equipment operation; production, directing, editing, cinematographic art, audio techniques for making specific types of cinema and the planning and management of cinema operations. This course is great preparation for testing in IB Film Cinematography junior or senior year. You can even join SkillsUSA and compete in regional and maybe even state competitions. Remember skills pay the bills!

Film Cinematography 2 A, B

Credit: CTE or Fine Art
Prerequisite: Film Cinematography 1 A, B or Film Cinematography (IB) 1 A, B
Length: 1 year
Grade Level: 10, 11, 12
This course is a continuation of Film Cinematography 1. Work in teams to make films. This course emphasizes artistic expression for the purpose of communicating ideas through cinema. Study the history and development of cinema. Explore skills needed to explore contemporary social, cultural, and political issues and creatively solve problems within and through cinematic productions. Engage in critiques of student films and productions of professional filmmakers for the purpose of reflecting on and refining work. You can even join SkillsUSA and compete in regional and maybe even state competitions. Remember skills pay the bills!

Learning Two Languages

While students are learning in your course, they will be learning two distinct but related languages.

  1. One is the language of film analysis,  which will begin with textual analysis of individual films and build into understanding institutional, sociological, historical, and theoretical topics related to film.
    • THIS FILM IS IMPORTANT (TO ME) BECAUSE . . .
  2. One is film language itself and particularly those skills needed by the screenwriter, cinematographer, director, editor, and sound designer/sound editor.
    • LOOK AT WHAT IS IMPORTANT (TO ME) . . .

Syllabus

  • This page is our syllabus

Social Media Contract

Teams

  • Most productions will be in teams with students taking on various production roles and documenting progress in a film production journal, a WordPress blog hosted by Edublogs.org (free)

Film Language

Film language is used by directors, producers, editors, and other film professionals to create meaning from the moving images of film and video. We “read” (or decode) this language in a similar way to the way we interpret written language. Our interpretation of what happens is not limited to what is present on the screen, but also in influenced by what we may understand about factors like the context of a situation or the conventions of a genre.

In this I.B. course, a student will not only need to understand film language so that they can interpret film texts, but they must also demonstrate that they can communicate in film language in at least one of the five major areas of the course:

Career Overview (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Daily Schedule

Overview of Class Components and Assessments

Part One: Textual Analysis

Part Two: Film Theory and History

Part Three: Creative Process Techniques & Organization of Production

External Assessment

Textual Analysis – HL 20% – SL 30%  (Details)

Students at SL and HL demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of how meaning is constructed in film. They do this through written analysis of a prescribed film text based on a chosen extract (lasting no more than five minutes) from that film. Students consider the cultural context of the film and a variety of film elements.

Students submit the following:

  • A textual analysis (1,750 words maximum) and a list of all sources used.

Comparative Study -HL 20% – SL 30%(Details)

Students at SL and HL carry out research into a chosen area of film focus, identifying and comparing two films from within that area and presenting their discoveries as a recorded multimedia comparative study.

Students submit the following:

  • A recorded multimedia comparative study (10 minutes maximum).
  • A list of all sources used.

Internal Assessment

Film Portfolio -HL 25% – SL 40% (Details)

Film Portfolio Role

Students at SL and HL undertake a variety of film-making exercises and demonstrate and document skills in one film production role, led by clearly defined filmmaker intentions. They acquire and develop practical skills and techniques through participation in film exercises, experiments, and the creation of at least one completed film.

Students submit the following:

  • Portfolio pages (9 pages maximum: for three film production roles) and a list of all sources used.
  • A film reel (9 minutes maximum: for three film production roles, including one completed film).

Collaborative Film Project

Collaborative Film Project – 35% HL (Details)

Bringing together all they have encountered during the film course, students at HL work collaboratively in a core production team to plan and create an original completed film.

Students submit the following:

  • A completed film (7 minutes maximum).
  • A project report (2,000 words maximum) and a list of all sources used.

I.B. Film Learners Strive To Be:

  • Inquirers
  • Knowledgeable
  • Thinkers
  • Communicators
  • Principled
  • Open-minded
  • Caring
  • Risk-takers
  • Balanced
  • Reflective

Course Units

Unit Hours
Unit 0 Career Essentials 30
Unit 1 Screenwriting 10
Unit 2 Blocking And Acting 10
Unit 3 Camera And Lens 25
Unit 4 Light Design 10
Unit 5 Sound Design 20
Unit 6 Editing 15
Unit 7 Visual Story – Film Language 30
Unit 8 Exploring Film Production Roles And Film Portfolio (60) 30
YEAR ONE TOTAL 180

 

Unit Hours
Unit 9 The Film Journal 5
Unit 10 Collaborative Film Project (IB HL) 5
Unit 11 Working In Film Production Roles 50
Unit 12 Reading Film And The Textual Analysis (45) 15
Unit 13 Contextualizing Film And Comparative Study (45) 30
Unit 14 Pre-Production (30) 25
Unit 15 Production (30) 25
Unit 16 Post-Production (30) 25
YEAR TWO TOTAL 180

Unit Schedule

Course Description

  • Length of class: 1 year or 2 years (2 years for IB HL Assessment)
  • Occupational Ed IB Elective, or Art Credit: 9, 10, 11, and 12
  • The IB Film course aims to develop in students the skills necessary to achieve creative and critical independence in their knowledge, experience, and enjoyment of film. The course is divided into three sections inextricably interwoven through the course; textual analysis, film theory and history, and creative process. Through a textual analysis of films and a study of film history students will enhance the development of their creative, analytic and production skills. Students will create scripts for documentaries that study specific film styles and techniques, develop oral presentation that critically analyze short film passages, and produce short films.

IB Film Web Sites

Daily Schedule

Grade Scale

Level Letter Skyward High % Skyward Low % Descriptor
4 A 100.00% 92.50% Advanced. Consistently exceeds proficient level of standard(s).
3.5 A- 92.49% 86.67% Proficient but partial success at advanced level.
B+ 86.66% 80.84%
3 B 80.83% 75.00% Proficient. Consistently (usually) meets standard(s).
2.5 B- 74.99% 66.67% Basic but partial success at proficient level.
C+ 66.66% 58.34%
2 C 58.33% 50.00% Basic. Inconsistently (occasionally) meets standard(s).
REDO

Grade Scoring Table

  20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2.5 2.5 2.5 3 3 3.5 3.5 4 4
19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 2.5 2.5 2.5 3 3.5 3.5 4 4
18 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 2.5 2.5 2.5 3 3.5 3.5 4 4
C 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2.5 2.5 2.5 3 3.5 3.5 4 4
O 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 2.5 2.5 3 3.5 3.5 4 4
M 15 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2.5 2.5 3 3 3.5 4 4
P 14 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 2.5 2.5 3 3.5 4 4
E 13 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2.5 2.5 3 3.5 3.5 4
T 12 0 0 0 1 1 2 2.5 2.5 3 3.5 4 4
E 11 0 0 1 1 1 2 2.5 3 3 3.5 4
N 10 0 1 1 1 2 2.5 3 3.5 3.5 4
C 9 0 1 1 1 2.5 3 3 3.5 4
I 8 1 1 1 2 2.5 3 3.5 4
E 7 1 1 2 2.5 3 3.5 4
S 6 1 1 2 3 3.5 4
5 1 2 2.5 3.5 4
4 1 2 3 4
3 1 3 4
2 2 4
1 4
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
S C O R E

Film Assessments from 2018

  • IB Film average score was 4.71 (world average was 4.45)

Past Student Work

Self Authored Projects

  • Technical and creative media skills are developed through project work, working toward mastery
  • Projects are composed of a plan and a product
  • Each project is about two weeks in length
  • Students produce projects throughout the term
  • Students present the product the last day of the project cycle

Skills Development Projects

  • Skills development is embedded into each project with emphasis on 21st Century world of work core skills

Workflow Flowchart

Daily Work

  • Students will receive a daily grade for being on task with the daily work. Credit will be reduced for any conduct not contributing to an academic atmosphere. Credit will not be granted if the student is absent, but the points can be made up upon return. Please refer to the online class schedule for missing work and consult with the teacher for make-up work.

Self Evaluation

  • Students will publish blog entry detailing their work for projects
  • Included in the entry will be a paragraph highlighting what was done and learned
  • A screenshot showing an example of the work and progress will be included
  • Sample Student Evaluation

Journal

  • Students will maintain a journal
  • The journal details what was done and learned
  • Sample journal entry

Leadership

  • Students will contribute to the learning community in some meaningful way
  • Student-lead leadership projects will be developed between 1st and 2nd semester

Teams

The Power of Project Based Learning

Screencasts – Assistance in Self-Directed Learning

Academic Integrity

Resources

Film Analysis

Film Training

 

Books

The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media by Bruce Block

The Story of Film by Mark Cousins

Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film, by Richard Barsam and Dave Monahan

The Filmmaker’s Eye: Learning (and Breaking) the Rules of Cinematic Composition by Gustavo Mercado

The Five C’s of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques by Joseph V. Mascelli

Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen by Steven D. Katz

In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing by Walter Murch

The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know by Jennifer Van Sijll

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