Film Study

Camera Angles
How are a three-shot, a canted angle shot, a dolly shot different from one another? Find the answers here.

Clint Eastwood: an American Icon
"Using Eastwood as an example of an American film icon, students will learn about and understand the concept of icons by watching the American Masters episode Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows and by applying Guided Reading strategies to the essays and interviews featured on the American Masters Web site."

The Director in the Classroom
This page contains links to sites with information about filmmaking, including desktop video.

Field of Dreams
Ideas for analysis and evaluation.

Film as Film: Additional Movies and Literary Theories for Classroom Use
Ideas for teaching with Field of Dreams, Gladiator, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow,Thelma and Louise, and What Dreams May Come. This 3-page document requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for access.

Film in the Classroom
Pages at this site include The Language of Film, Adaptation, Literary Elements, Wrap Up Resources, and more. Handouts (storyboard, viewing log) require Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application.

Film in the Classroom
Tips for studying film in general, and a first-person account of moviemaking.

The Grammar of Television and Film
Extensive background information on camera angels, editing, sound, lighting, and much more.

Greatest Films
Interpretive, descriptive review commentary and historical background for hundreds of classic Hollywood and other American films in the last century, a wealth of film reference material of all kinds, a famous film quotations quiz, a complete Academy Awards (Oscars) History and detailed Film History - by decade, and hundreds of colorful, vintage film poster reproductions.

Jurassic Park: an Information Literacy WebQuest
Students evaluate the quality of Web sites. Familiarity with Jurassic Park is not essential.

Movie Speeches
This archive from the American Rhetoric collection includes a variety of clips and scripts organized alphabetically by title of movie. Titles starting with the will be found under "T".

March of the Penguins Educator Guide
This 16-page guide includes activities, a fact sheet, and related links. Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application required for access.

Memento
This 16-page document requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application for access.

The Pianist
This 13-page document requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application for access.

Stranded!
This 18-page teacher guide supports Stranded!, the Hallmark Channel presentation based loosely on The Swiss Family Robinson. It includes pre-viewing, during-viewing, and post-viewing activities, a synopsis, printable journal templates, and vocabulary related to ships. Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application required for access.

Studying Feature Films
This page includes a list of recommended feature films by genre and suggestions for analyzing and writing about films in general. Scroll down for a list of related links.

Through the Lens of Robert Capra
In this lesson, students will use guided reading techniques to learn about Capa's style and to discover the techniques that made him a great photographer. Students will also learn the basics of telling compelling stories through photos. In the culminating activity, each student will create a photo essay telling a story that has personal significance. This lesson from PBS is part of the American Masters series.

Using Documentary Film as an Introduction to Rhetoric
This extensive unit plan was prepared by classroom teachers and designed for AP classes. This 65-page document requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application for access.