Written By: Adaley Heninger

IB Film is an exciting and artistic class for students going the IB path. Film is one thing many students enjoy watching. Many kids use the streaming service Netflix to watch their favorite shows, movies, and series. Now take that entertainment and turn it into a class. 

Within IB Flim the students work on different Units to better understand film. These units consist of films from other countries. From Japan to Europe and elsewhere they watch these films and write essays on them. They read over screenplays and talk about how the author uses certain plot devices. It is very similar to reading a book in your classic English class. Looking over the words used to build tone in a book can transfer over to asking the question “How does the coloring of the film affect the mode?” 

Students learn about the proper names for certain ways to affect tone and mood as well. As mentioned earlier the coloring of a film is called color grading which is used to influence the mind into thinking differently about the scene. As students work with finding tone and mood within the screenplay they can learn how to transfer it into other films. Comparing a film from Japan with a Sci-fi genre can be very different from a Western Cowboy movie. The movie's setting, color grading, and mood are essential. 

They also write essays on how two films can differ. Inside this class, they watch movies from different time periods and ask how IB Film students can explain the passing of time. Movies have greatly improved considering Silent movies came about in the 1910s to 1920s. By watching these different movies they can pick apart how society worked. Silent films were more expressive and the actor was forced to work without speaking. Now we can incorporate sound and sight to create intricate and moving scenes. 

IB Film students also have the chance to create their own films. Having to pull from what they learned after watching films in class, so they can create their own stories. They can affect mood with the color grading they have learned. They can also use different types of production techniques that IB students have learned from around the world. Building screenplays and utilizing different types of cameras to create enticing shots as well. 

IB Film is a fun and interactive class for students throughout IB. From watching screenplays and books come to life on a screen to making their own. Being able to take knowledge from a new film to incorporate into their own. IB Film is for the kids who enjoy watching and creating. Curious about this class? Email your counselor for more information.