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"Even a five minute comedy romp, no matter how absurd, had to mean something."
Jim Henson, the Biography by Brian Jay Jones (2016)
Cinema remains one of the most culturally relevant and significant modes of media created by humanity in our history. In just the United States, the public spends billions each year on getting access to movies and films; the escapism of the theater gives us a window into experience and reflection, application and analysis. As film culture progresses, and new technology adds more and more to the potential art that filmmakers can create, it is supremely helpful to students to chart through the earliest of films, and note the progression of technology with history. Primarily, students are most benefitted by noting the progression of narrative, for a good story can make a film resonate with audiences every time somebody presses Play.
During the first year of the IB Film class, we will study a linear timeline of cinema and television and define its connections to culture through a historical perspective. Many of the units of film history that are studied will include a practicum portion, in which students will create their own films and film sequences using parameters and concepts from that individual movement. The general aims of the first year of the IB Film class are: 1) to assist students in successfully analyzing films created by others; 2) to assist students in successfully creating their own films; and 3) to assist students in reflecting on their own style and drives as filmmakers.
Students in the first year of the IB Film class will be required to have a class Film Journal/Notebook for notes, reflections, and planning, as well as their own camera (such as found on a smartphone), and access to their own editing software (such as free apps and programs available on smartphones or in Apple/Windows operating systems). Each major Unit of study in Film History will feature elements about the historical time period and the movement itself, as well several smaller cinematic elements that are included within the movement. Each major Unit of study will also feature an anchor film, which will suffice to focus students' attention as a paragon example of the time period, and as a piece of classic cinema.
IB Film Guide (2019) - Course Overview - https://ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/curriculum/the-arts/film/
The guiding document that governs instruction in the course is the Film Guide, which was edited and rewritten in 2019 to include new rules, practices, and assessments. The actual IB Film Guide will be provided to students in the course during their 2nd year in the program, before senior students begin work on their Assessments in the course.
Roles of Production - IB Film Guide 2019.pdfIB Defined Roles of Production handout - Taken from the IB Film Guide (2019) (edited for student use)
The Rules of Filmmaking are some easier-to-remember and easy-to-apply principles of thematic and technical filmmaking, as well as defining some philosophic elements of the medium. With your own Definition of Film, contemplate: how have the viewings and activities this year impacted my own understanding of Film?
IB Film Rules of FilmmakingRules of Filmmaking Handout
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