Weekly plan for year 12 Film Studies - Term 2

Week 1

• Shawshank Redemption viewing
• Characterisation and archetypes in Shawshank Redemption (w/s 14a)
• Structure and narrative in Shawshank Redemption (w/s 14a)
• Messages and values in Shawshank Redemption (w/s 14a)
• Genre in SR (w/s 14a)
• Independent study:  This site http://www.shawshankredemption.org/  has some really interesting reflections by the director of the film, Frank Darabont, under 'Analysis'.  If you ignore the awful green text, his comments give a terrific insight into the feature film-making process.

Week 2

• Birdman of Alcatraz viewing
• Compare characterisation and stereotypes, structure and narrative, messages and values, and genre in the two films.
• Independent study: read the viewing notes (14c) for the film and the wikipedia entry for Robert Stroud  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Stroud
• How accurate is the representation of Stroud in the film, in the context of your background reading? How authentic should cinema be in portraying real events?
• The Magdalene Sisters viewing

Week 3

• The Magdalene Sisters - the language of film (w/s 14b)
• The impossibility of escape (w/s 15) - read and discuss in pairs/ as class.
• The use of voiceover (w/s 17) - bullets 1&2, discuss
• Costume and genre in prison films - annotate and share
• Scenes from prison films for discussion (w/s 18)
• Independent study - contextual reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalene_asylum
• Donnie Darko viewing

Weekly plan for Year 13 Film Studies - Term 2

Week 1

• Complete FM3 film, show the group and get feedback.  Upload feedback to the blog.
• Use your feedback to write your Reflective Analysis  http://howardschoolfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/fm3-reflective-analysis.html
• Independent work:  Small-scale Research Project  http://howardschoolfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/small-scale-research-project_10.html  http://howardschoolfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/fm3-research-project-questions-to-ask.html  'Feedback' your progress in class.

Week 2

• Complete outstanding screenings of FM3 films and get feedback.  Upload feedback to the blog.
• What is 'world cinema'?  What is distinctive about it?
• Screening of 'City of God'
• CoG: responses, characters and context
• Analysis of the opening scene of CoG.
• Independent study: CoG wider reading  http://howardschoolfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/city-of-god-useful-resources.html
• Independent work: Small-scale Research Project

Week 3

• What are the messages and values in CoG? (close analysis and discussion)
• Analysis of CoG 'turning point' scene.
• Independent study: CoG wider reading  http://howardschoolfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/city-of-god-useful-resources.html  (continued)
• Independent work: Small-scale Research Project

Week 4

• CoG close analysis (continued).
• CoG final scene analysis.
• CoG: power, poverty and conflict (how are these themes created?)
• CoG assessment
• Independent work: Small-scale Research Project