Welcome to IBDP Film, an AMAZING course where you will:

Explore film production roles: All students will explore all key production roles

Read films: As texts analysing film elements and cultural contexts

Contextualising Film: Examining the evolution of film across time, space and culture

Collaborative production: Film is a collaborative venture and although the collaboration is a HL component, you will all need to work together at some point during this course

Task 1: Showing & telling

Our first task, please make sure you take notes for your film journal. We are going to watch these two clips. Watch the opening section of UP first. Then watch the clip from Sin City. Make a note of some of the things you notice, do you see any similarities between them? In what ways might they differ?

And the boring but essential stuff...

Task 2: The Film About Me Is...

What is your favorite film? OK OK... a tough one... So pick one film that speaks to you, one you feel a real connection with Create a short presentation in any format to share next class. Include the trailer, is there more than one trailer for this film? Why did you pick that trailer? 

Points to consider:

Director | Cinematography | Visual Qualities | Genre | Motifs | Sound | Script | Special effects | Cultural Context | 

Task 3: Genre?

What is Genre? What are the conventions or rules that define a genre, can something be more that one genre? What are the ingredients (conventions) of a particular genre? 

PART 1) In pairs choose genre (in secret) you need to create a pictorial representation of that genre. The picture cannot include words, unless they are sound effects, which you might associate with the genre. You should include cartoon images of: characters, settings, props, events in the story, the look of the film…

Next lesson you will share your poster with the group and we will have to look at the conventions on your poster and guess what the genre is.

PART 2) Reflective Journal: Please upload your poster image to your Reflective Journal. Reflect on the elements of your poster, which refer to the repertoire of elements identified in this genre & the repertoire of elements. (100 words max). This then needs to be turned into a video presentation. Edit sections of films together and record your voice over this reading your script.

Part 3) Independent Study: Watch one of the documentaries on genre by Mark Kermode and make some notes in your Journal.

Task 4: Film Roles?

The IBDP FILM course focuses on 5 main production roles:

• Director

• Cinematographer

• Sound Designer & Composer

• Editor

• Screen-writer

Assignment:

1) Research and find 3 (three) examples of successful professionals in each one of these roles. Write up your research in your journal. Make sure you watch some of their works and justify why they are successful and relevant to be studied.  At least one of those professionals per role must be from a different country. 

2) You will have to pick one professional from each role and create a movie that displays excerpts showing each of their skills (no longer than 10 minutes). You will pick a song to use to bind these shots together - but be mindful of your sound designers work! See the Roger Deakins short to see how effective sound can be used.

3) You will discuss some key points about the role and what the person you chose brings to this role - this may be narrated or typed like in the biggest loser.

This WILL BE A Formative ASSESSMENT - But formative feedback will focus on criteria C of the comparative study

C. Assembling the comparative study

• To what extent does the student assemble the texts in a clear, logical, audible and visually appropriate manner?

• To what extent does the student provide an equal treatment of the roles selected for study?