The BIG 4: The FOUNDATION of FILM ANALYSIS in THE IB FILM CLASSROOM
Adam, your resident IB film teacher, wants to help your students walk the talk. How understanding the Big 4 (mise-en-scene, editing, cinematography, and sound design) can transform student analysis and filmmaking.
TWO KEY APPROACHES TO HELPING STUDENTS MASTER THE EXTENDED ESSAY IN IB FILM
Adam, your resident IB film teacher, has two key pieces of advice to help students navigate the 4,000 extended essay in IB film.
THe META APPROACH to FILMMAKING: MAKING THE FILMMAKER the hero
Adam, your resident IB film teacher, looks at how approaching filmmaking as solving a problem can help kids understand the value of research and trial and error on the road to becoming better filmmakers.
And the oscar goes to…
Adam, your resident IB film teacher, discusses how incorporating an Academy Award style ceremony in class raises the bar for student films.
BUT/THEREFORE STORYTELLING APPROACH
Before you ask your kids to go write a script, start here with the But/Therefore storytelling approach and watch your kids become better storytellers.
CREATIVE STORYTELLING WITH COLOR: AN EXPLORATION of YELLOW (part 1 of 8)
Are you looking for creative ways to encourage young filmmakers to make more conscientious choices in pre-production that pay off in big ways when students make their films?
ATTACKING THE IB Film COMPARATIVE ESSAY
One of the four major assessments in the IB Film program is the comparative essay. In this article, Adam gives us a look at how be breaks down this major assessment into minor steps with great results.
REVISITING A SCRIPT: FOCUS on CONFLICT & CHARACTER
Consider this: most films that you see focus on two characters talking up on the screen.
Sometimes, they’re doing something, but most times, two or more characters are sitting down (maybe they are eating or drinking) and talking -- we call that a talking heads scene because the audience is literally watching two huge heads (on the screen) have a conversation
4D Filmmaking: Make your audience “feel” your story.
Skull Island: Reign of Kong. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Mixed with 3D visuals, a 4D ride incorporates sensory enhancements like heat blasts, water misters, fog machines, and seat prodders. The intention? Immerse the rider in a visual and visceral experience.
Although it may not seem obvious, filmmaking also has the ability to create the sensory enhancements of the 4D experience with the four major elements of filmmaking: sound design, mise-en-scene, cinematography, and editing.
Crafting A Story
Asking teenagers to write a filmable script is akin to making a promise to yourself to lose five pounds – both endeavors begin in earnest with the best of intentions, but the end result is disappointing and never lives up to the original promise.