| Date | Task Description | Time Spent | Was this a Best Practice? |
| 3/20 | Finished filming, uploaded videos to computer | 50 minutes | X |
| 3/21 | Began editing film – March Madness | 50 minutes | X |
| 3/22 | Continued editing and uploaded sound | 30 minutes | X |
| 3/23 | Added sound, completed editing, downloaded completed film | 40 minutes | X |
| 3/24 | Began write up for film | 45 minutes | X |
Are there any other comments you would like to include? If so, please enter them here:
| Session Number | 6 |
| Week Number | n/a I don’t know |
| Total Estimated Hours Contributed this Week: | |
| What was your overall goal for this week? | Complete one film for film portfolio |
| Date | Task Description | Time Spent | Was this a Best Practice? |
| 3/13 | Listened to and create film pitch | 45 minutes | X |
| 3/14 | Storyboard and plan 2 films for film portfolio | 40 minutes | X |
| 3/15 | Began filming 1 film – Editor role for film portfolio | 30 minutes | X |
| 3/16 | Filmed | 50 minutes | X |
| 3/17 | Filmed | 50 minutes | X |
Are there any other comments you would like to include? If so, please enter them here:
“Director/Conductor” by La Chachalaca Fotografía is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
A guide to planning, researching, and creating your IB Film Text Analysis
“The TA is an exam. Failure to turn in the work within the 4 weeks, unless the teacher requests extenuating circumstances directly from the IB, should be considered a fail.” – IB Film
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The goal of IB Film is to expose students to films from all over the world and to increase their critical and practical understanding of film as a creative art form and reflection of its time period, society, and political and cultural environment. As a result, this class requires the viewing of a wide variety of films. In some cases, these films may carry an R rating, or, in the case of films made before 1968 and some foreign films, will have no rating at all. Please be assured that all the films selected for this course have a high degree of artistic merit and that many have won numerous awards and are considered part of the film canon. However, if you object to any film shown that does carry an “R” rating, you will always have the opportunity to request that an alternative film be assigned, and/or be excused from class and not view the film.
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| TASK COMPONENTS (INQUIRY) | NOTES |
| The extract may be up to five minutes in length and must be a single, continuous sequence of the film | |
| Time of 5-minute clip | 1:17:00 – 1:22:00 |
| PART 1 – The film, your scene, why it is of interest, and how your scene relates to the whole film. | |
| Brief Summary of ExpositionWriter, Director, Producer, studio, year released Main characters, conflict, identify the genre. Identify the aspect ratio. | Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, and released by Vice Films and Kino Lorber, “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” is about the residents of a worn-down Iranian often referred to as the “Bad City” throughout the film. The main focus of the film is a female vampire who protects the residents by attacking the men that disrespect women. Those who disrespect her or other women are killed. One man named Asham, however, is different and there is immediate attraction between the two. The film is set in Iran but was shot in America. The aspect ratio of the film is 2.35 : 1. The genre of the film is a Horror/Romance. |
| Context of Extract in Film – briefly describe the sceneAt what times does your scene occur, how it begins, and how it ends. Do not describe it further. The judges have seen the movie. | The scene begins at 1:17:00 with Atti and Hossein sitting on opposite sides of the bed facing away from each other and ending at 1:22:00 with “The Girl” killing Hossein. |
| The Rationale for Selection – relation to the entire movieWhy is it interesting and why does this scene best illustrate the themes of the whole movie? | This scene illustrates the idea that “The Girl” is there to help women and portrays the idea of overruling a society where men abuse their power. Hosseim was causing harm to Atti which called on “The Girl.” I also believe that this scene provides meaning behind the title of the film. It takes away the initial idea of a girl being in danger when walking home alone and the vulnerability surrounding htem, and instead creates a different meaning. It instead is portraying the girl walking home alone as a threath to those that cross her path. |
| PART 2 – Remember to integrate the Director’s intent with each of the following areas in this section | |
| Narrative | |
| Script – Not just dialogue but in terms of being the spine of the storyExplain how this scene advances the plot. How do the events of this scene clarify/complicate matters? How does this scene affect/cause future events? What new information is revealed or suggested about a character? Is there anything deliberately withheld? Anything unusual in the dialogue? Word choice? Delivery? Accents? Repetition? | This scene advances the plot as it was Asham’s father that was killed by “The Girl.” This creates further complication within the characters when Asham discovers the truth and has to battle on what he should feel. Not only did “The Girl” save someone from a man’s harmful actions, but she also released Asham from his father’s burdens. |
| Cinema Photography | |
| a) Camerawork – describe shots in specific termsShot size: ELS, LS (stage), full shot, MS, CU, ECU. Camera angles: bird’s eye, high angle, eye level, low angle or Dutch (oblique), camera movement: pan, tilt, dolly or tracking, handheld, Steadicam, or moving crane. Invisible V conspicuous. Are tracking shots motivated by character movement? | The shots throughout the scene remain as a steady cam with the occasional tracking of a character. Full shot of the two characters sitting on the bed. ECU of Atti ECU of record player. Full shot and still camera movement of Atti with her back turned in the center standing up and slowly walking away ECU of her face in the light CU of dancing in contrast to the light ECU of Hossein watching Atti ECU of hands battling Stage of entire room as Atti gets up in disagreement and as he wrestles her down toward the bed CU of belt and needle ECU of attis eyes opening ECU of cat eye Full shot of the girl in the street, entering, and attacking |
| b) CompositionOpen/closed composition, aspect ratio, rule of thirds, Kubrick single-point perspective. | |
| c) Depth of FieldConsider foreground, mid, ground, and background. Deep focus is associated with wide-angle lenses. Could be flat. Narrow ranges of focus may be the result of telephoto lenses. | |
| Mise-en-scene – The overall look and feel of a movie | |
| a) Position of characters and objectsIdentify the dominant, does movement guide our focus, character proxemics patterns (intimate, personal, social, and public distances). How does the director add meaning to these choices? Is one character encroaching on another’s space? Watch for space being used to portray relationships/changes in relationships. Watch for windows, doors, parallel lines that frame people or objects. Entrapment. Look for actor placement. Front – actor facing camera, greatest intimacy. One-Quarter Turn – very popular. Profile – character lost in the moment, a bit more distant than the previous two. Three Quarters Turn – useful to convey anti, socialness, Back of Head, most anonymous shot. Creates a mystery or feeling of alienation. | |
| b) LightingLow or high key. How does the director use light to focus our attention? Key, fill, and backlighting. What is the source of lighting in the context of the scene? | |
| c) Color schemeHow does the director use color and what is the director’s intent for doing so? Look for color symbolism or color associated with characters. Color to suggest a mood. Color as foreshadowing. Contrasting colors ( the monolith v white room) | |
| d) Set/location/propsSet design. Studio or on, location, describe props, scenery, what was the Director ́s intent for using them? How dense is visual information? Stark, moderate, or highly detailed? | |
| e) Costume, hair, make upPeriod, class, gender (emphasize or diminish), age-appropriate, silhouette (close-fitting or baggy), fabric (plain, sheer, rough, delicate), accessories. Color is very important in relation to character. | |
| f) Acting/body languageActing style, body language, blocking, period, or contemporary. Individualized (Joker), Stylization. Look for subtext (character says one thing but means something else). Consider typecasting as a shortcut to characterization. | |
| Sound – watch scene w/o pictureLive sound, sound effects, and music. Sound can be diegetic, meaning characters would hear it, or non, diegetic, meaning that characters would not hear it, such as narration or music over the credits. Explore the relationship between diegetic and non, diegetic sound when appropriate. | |
| MusicIs the music telling you what to feel? Music can be used as a counterpoint to the action. | |
| EditingEllipsis (time compression) and cross-cutting, fades, dissolves (fades between scenes), wipes, matching cuts, straight cuts, dialogue overlap, and sound bridges. Consider how long each shot lasts. | |
| Part 3: Analyzing the Film as a Product | |
| Sociocultural ContextIn what way was this movie a product of its time? What does the audience learn about the culture or historical context of the film? | |
| Target AudienceTeens/adults or male/female age group, college education art crowd, liberal, conservative, Christian | |
| Generic Expectationshttp://www.filmsite.org/filmgenres.html also research http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Tropes | |
| ThemesMan V Man, or one of the others, is this film an allegory? | |
| Motifs/SymbolsWhat specific devices support your definition of the theme? Look for recurring elements. | |
| Film CriticismBoth contemporary and current. Use brief quotes from two different sources. Record the details: reviewers’ names and publication names/dates | |
| TASK COMPONENTS (ACTION) | |
| Compose Paper | |
| Part 4: Sources | |
| Source 1 | |
| Source 2 | |
| Source 3 | |
| Source 4 | |
| Source 5 | |
| Source 6 | |
| Source 7 | |
| Source 8 | |
| Source 9 | |
| Source 10 | |
| TASK COMPONENTS (REFLECTION) | |
| Revision 1 | Proofreader: |
| Revision 2 | Proofreader: |
| Revision 3 | Mr. Le Duc |
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Cinematographer
Cinematographer
Throughout the pre-production I want to be able to increase tension and develop the genre of horror throughout the film using various shot sequences, lenses, angles, and camera positions. I also will maintain an open mind and collaborate with my team to improve our film
I was watching Grey’s Anatomy at home when I saw a scene where Meredith is watching the television showing a video of her mom. I realized that this sequence of shots would be perfect for our scene in which the victim is watching the news about the serial killer. The scene was the first shot sequence of Season 11 Episode 4. The scene opens with a clear image of the video playing, and then cuts to a more pixelated version with a slow zoom out to show the television.
Midsommar
Hereditary
| Film Title | Do the Right Thing |
| Year | 1989 |
| Director | Spike Lee |
| Country | USA |
| Genre | Comedy/Drama |
| If you could work on this film (change it), what would you change and why? |
Film information can be found at imdb.com
As you view films, consider how the cuts, camera angles, shots, and movement work to create particular meanings. Think about how they establish space, privilege certain characters, suggest relationships, and emphasize themes. In addition to shot distances, angles, editing, and camera movement, note details of the narrative, setting, characters, lighting, props, costume, tone, and sound.
Ask yourself the following questions:
| TOPIC | YOUR NOTES |
| 1. Who is the protagonist? | Mookie |
| 2. Who is the antagonist? | Sal |
| 3. What is the conflict? | Radio Raheem goes to Sals and in the aftermath of the argument he gets killed by the police |
| 4. What is the theme or central, unifying concept? (summarize in one or two words) | Racism |
| 5. How is the story told (linear, non-linear, with flashbacks, flash-forwards, at regular intervals) | Linear |
| 6. What “happens” in the plot (Brief description)? | |
| 7. How does the film influence particular reactions on the part of viewers (sound, editing, characterization, camera movement, etc.)? Why does the film encourage such reactions? | |
| 8. Is the setting realistic or stylized? What atmosphere does the setting suggest? Do particular objects or settings serve symbolic functions? | |
| 9. How are the characters costumed and made-up? What does their clothing or makeup reveal about their social standing, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or age? How do costume and makeup convey character? | |
| 10. How does the lighting design shape our perception of character, space, or mood? | |
| 11. How do camera angles and camera movements shape our view of characters or spaces? What do you see cinematically? | |
| 12. What is the music’s purpose in the film? How does it direct our attention within the image? How does it shape our interpretation of the image? What stands out about the music? | |
| 13. How might industrial, social, and economic factors have influenced the film? Describe how this film influences or connects to a culture? | |
| 14. Give an example of what a film critic had to say about this film. Use credible sources and cite sources.Example: “The Shawshank Redemption Movie Review (1994) | Roger Ebert.” All Content. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2015. | |
| 15. Select one scene no longer than 5 minutes that represents well the whole film and shows relevant cinematic elements. Write a one-sentence description of the scene and record the time of the scene.Example: from 1:05:00 to 1:10:00.Explain why you chose this scene. | PLACE THE TIME STAMP FROM THE SCENE HERE… Example: 00:00:00 – 00:05:00 |
| 16. In the selected scene: write a sentence for each of the elements below to justify why this scene best represents the film: | |
| a. Screenwriting: | vulgar language- cursing, very loud, back and forth between characters Sals movements are more large and dramatic while Mookie remains calm with small movements |
| b. Sound Design: | Very loud, money crinkling, footsteps, cars |
| c. Camera Movements/Angles: | isolated shots when arguing, then both in the same frame with a wide shot when being resolved – during the two shot the camera is low on the ground – maybe to put the money on the ground in the shot? when camera is eye level it has more movement, when it is on ground it is still. Mookie is on the left and Sal is on the right, one door apart Pans out at end and shows the world still going on Background behind Sal shows a mural representing MalcomX vs MLK and their different philosophies |
| d. Light Setup: | buildings in the background of both Mookie and Sal are lighter and appear clean, where Sal and Mookie are it is dark with hues of green and yellow, low saturation Giant shadow over Sal and his shop while the rest of the neighborhood is in sun |
| e. Soundtrack/Score: | classical jazz during argument then transitions to classical music when it’s resolved |
| 18. What’s the socio-cultural context of this film? | Racism |
This worksheet was developed with ideas from many IB Film teachers, thus should remain in the Creative Commons
“Film scripts for sale in Soho! #newyork #newyorkcity #nyc #movies” by Nat Ireland is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
A guide to planning, researching, and creating your Film Comparative Study
“Simple formative analysis of film elements, no matter how precise or insightful, won’t cut it which is why the research question needs to be crafted in such a way that it provides scope for theoretical and socio-historic exploration. It’s basically an EE in disguise but focusing on two very different textual sources.”
For this assessment task, each student identifies, selects, and researches each of the following task components.
The assessment criteria for this task requires students to provide a strong justification for the choice of task components as part of the recorded multimedia comparative study. This includes the student’s justification for how films arise from contrasting cultural contexts.
| Which films are you considering for your final Comparative Study? List as many as you wish below as part of an initial brainstorm. Remember that you must select TWO films from contrasting cultural contexts for this task.e.g. CITIZEN KANE | Year, Country, and Director of the film.e.g. 1941, USA, Dir: Orson Welles |
| One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest | 1975 – Pscyhological – USA – Miloš Forman |
| Joker | 2019 – Thriller/Crime – USA – Todd Phillips |
| Taxi Driver | 1976 – Drama – USA – Martine Scorsese |
| Film Focus Possibility – identify the broad focus area and then add specifics (e.g. “THEORY – Auteur theory” or “GENRE – Horror”). Develop at least THREE options…you can create more by adding more rows. | Justification for this Film Focus. Be as specific as possible. |
| Film Theory – Psychoanalysis | |
For this assessment task, “cultural context” involves consideration of some of the following factors, some of which may be blended (such as socioeconomic factors).
| Identify at least TWO Cultural Context possibilities for your chosen films. | Justification for this Cultural Context. Be as specific as possible. |
| Historical | Films are set in completely different time periods – 40 years apart |
| Social | Both characters are in an outcast part of society – have a hatred for society |
Consolidate your thoughts above and develop at least THREE different research question possibilities. More are possible by adding additional rows to the table below. FYI these will be shared with the full class for discussion of strengths and weaknesses.
| Your Chosen Area of Film Focus | Topic for Comparative Study (written as a research question) |
| Psychoanalysis | How do films use the psychoanalysis film theory to display the effects of poor mental health care? |
Random sources:
Using your topic options in the table above, select ONE to be your final topic for this Comparative Study task. NOTE: There are examples from the IB of what this should look like below this table.
| Your Chosen Area of Film Focus | Film 1 | Film 2 | Contrasting Cultural Context | Topic for Comparative Study practice task (written as a research question) |
| Develop 3-5 main arguments that can be made about your topic based on your research question and chosen film focus. | Brainstorm how you could support these arguments within your video essay. |
| Identify at least 15 scenes from your chosen films that will help support the arguments you have outlined above. Screen clip a frame from each scene below. | Write notes about how this scene helps support your argument. (These notes will help form your voice-over narration.) |
*Add more rows as needed.
| Identify at least 3-5 secondary sources (articles, books, websites, video essays, etc.) which provide information that help support your arguments being made. In this column include the specific source citations. | Summarize the detailed information from the secondary source that you can use in this column. (You can copy+paste if they are from online sources.) |
*Add more rows as needed.
Using the information, scene choices, and external sources you have compiled in steps 6-8, you will now write your voiceover narration and match it up to your chosen visual examples.
Remember that you need to:
| Which Visual Evidence/Scenes line up to this part of the narration? | Voiceover Narration Ideas |
Now you will collect all media resources needed for the task and construct your video essay.
| Area of film focus | Film 1 | Film 2 | A possible topic for comparative study |
| Film movement: German Expressionism | The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) | Edward Scissorhands (1990) | How and with what effect are specific film elements of German expressionism used within a chosen contemporary film? |
| Film movement: French New Wave | Breathless (1960) | Badlands (1973) | The influence of the French New Wave on New Hollywood’s use of innovative film elements in its representation of youth and violence. |
| Film genre and film style: Black comedy | No. 3 (1997) | The Big Lebowski (1998) | To what extent do “black comedy” films differ according to cultural context? |
| Film theory: Soviet Montage | Battleship Potemkin (1925) | Koyaanisqatsi (1982) | To what extent are specific features of Soviet montage theory faithfully employed in a contemporary experimental film? |
| TASK COMPONENTS (ACTION) | Notes / Suggestions | |
| __ | Assemble Findings | |
| __ | Develop a personal and critically reflective perspective | |
| __ | Identify and gather appropriate audio-visual material to support the study | |
| SCREENPLAY | ||
| __ | Justify the chosen topic and selected films | |
| __ | Make sure that the text is in a formal academic register (can be in the 1st person) | |
| __ | The balance between visual and spoken elements | |
| __ | Make clear reference to your sources as on-screen citations (text on-screen) | |
| __ | Make sure the primary weight of evidence for the study from the two chosen films | |
| __ | Make sure each film is given equal consideration | |
| __ | Make sure film language information is communicated clearly throughout (avoid “to be” verbs – make statements like “blah is this.”) | |
| __ | Make sure information is communicated logically rooted in film language | |
| __ | Have another student highlight the WHAT WHY HOW in your draft screenplay | |
| VIDEO ESSAY | ||
| __ | Recorded voice and edited commentary numerous times until happy with the material | |
| __ | Make sure your name and the school’s name ARE NOT IN THE ESSAY | |
| __ | Make sure to have 10-second title card with:1. Area of film focus2. Titles of the two films for comparison3. The chosen topic | |
| __ | Include breaks in your recorded commentary to enable other audio-visual material included in the study to be clearly heard (if needed) | |
| __ | Make sure film clip length matches points being made | |
| __ | Make sure still images have citations on-screen if you have them | |
| __ | Make sure text on-screen is legible and spelled correctly | |
| __ | Make sure information is communicated audibly (levels are good for all sound) | |
| __ | Make sure information is communicated visually appropriate manner | |
| __ | Make sure background music is from Creative Commons and is cited | |
| __ | Make sure edits are clean | |
| __ | Make sure the presentation is 10 minutes maximum, including title card and credits | |
| __ | Make sure two films are listed in sources |
Cinematographer
I will have evidence of using characters body language and movements to portray their change of emotion using ‘Inside Out’: Disney film based on science of facial expressions .
Director
My May 10th, as a part of my film team, by using NoFilm School’s Why Blocking is Essential and StudioBinder’s Blocking and Staging a Scene I will have evidence of strong and weak actor movements to reveal actor mental state and have evidence of blocking.
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/blocking-and-staging-scenes/
https://nofilmschool.com/2016/03/why-blocking-is-essential-visual-stories-alfred-hitchcock
N/A
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16AnEQnp49KZry2PcGbHcXUg19gATDApC3Pfta0CVh9Y/edit
I acted as director for this film production session, and my evidence is in the slideshow.
Throughout this production cycle, we encountered many challenges. Multiple people got sick including myself and our main character, Mr. Mcnabb. Both of us were out for at least a week dealing with illness. During this time, we had to communicate virtually to arrange how we were going to finish the film, and when we would be able to do so. Additionally, when we returned, many of our scenes had to be either cut out of the film completely, or made shorter due to the loss in time.
Because of the challenges mentioned above, we had to communicate very well with each other in order to figure out how and when we were going to complete the film. Additionally, we had to communicate with Mr. Leduc and explain what our challenges were and negotiate a new deadline for the completion of the film.
Throughout the production cycle, we used the Scrum for Trello tool to stay up to date on what tasks needed to be completed and what tasks we have already done. This allowed us to stay more organized and timely. Additionally, we all collaborated and worked with making music using GarageBand.
This production cycle helped us learn how to problem solve and workout around things we are unable to control such as illnesses. This can be helpful for our futures and just working around uncontrollable things that occur in life. It also taught us to problem solve and seek help to collaborate and work towards solutions.
“The characters personalities were developed very well. From the beginning you can get an idea of who everyone is and their individual personas” – Jack
Simple: Our film was intended to be simple and easy to understand. However, according to feedback it ended up being a little confusing as we were unable to film all of our shots to make it more cohesive. Given more time, I think it would have came out better.
Unexpected: Our film was unexpected as we made Mr. Mcnabb a DJ at the end. Nobody was able to see it coming as all they knew was he had gone missing.
Emotional: Our film was emotional because we build up the characters personalities and some people may start to understand the characters or relate to their conversations and reactions.
Grammarly
Samantha