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24 Writing About Film

tuhi mo te kiriata

“Don’t settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had.”

—Angela Bassett

te ao Māori principles

There are key principals that we, as an English Department, consider important as part of a holistic study at school.

  • Mana – The prestige and authority of the writer. Writers can build mana through impactful stories that uplift readers.
  • Whanaungatanga – The connections and relationships between characters, writers, and readers. Literature brings people together.
  • Kaitiakitanga – Guardianship and protection of stories, language, and knowledge. Writers have a duty to share stories responsibly.
  • Wairuatanga – The spirituality and deeper meanings conveyed through literature. Stories can be profound and moving.
  • Mauri – The essential life force or vitality of the writer coming through in their work. Writing with purpose and energy.
  • Aroha – The empathy, compassion, and love writers show through their words. Literature builds understanding between people.
  • Tikanga – The customs, protocols and values upheld through storytelling. Writers adhere to cultural principles.

Key Terms

Essay a short piece of writing on a particular subject.
Magic Sentence a sentence designed to create a structure that responds to the expectations of the task in a logical and meaningful way
APRICOT acronym for important elements of analysis within any given text: Audience, Purpose, Register, Imagery + Representation, Content + Context, Organisation, Tone.
Genre Specific Techniques categories of technical knowledge divided by their specific genre class, for example tilt and pan are associated with film studies, whereas caesura and lineation are assocated with poetry.
Communication the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium.
Response a verbal or written answer.
Command Words the words and phrases used in exams and other assessment tasks that tell students how they should answer the question.
Argument a reason or set of reasons given in support of an idea, action or theory.
Convincing being clear and thorough in response to a given task.
Thesis a statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved.

Learning Objectives

  • To use writing structures to respond with clarity and concision to a given question.

Exercises

Spelling

metaphor metaphorical metaphorically analyse analysis
analytical compare comparison comparative contrast
contrasting evaluate evaluation synthesise synthesis
hypothesise hypothesis categorise category interpret

 

Summary Builder

Below is a piece of writing that you should attempt to summarise into around 100 words.

The Science of Laughter

Laughter has profound effects on both our minds and bodies. Understanding the science behind it reveals why embracing humour is so key for wellbeing.

Physically, laughing deeply exercises and relaxes muscles. It increases oxygen intake and stimulates the circulatory system. Laughter releases endorphins – neurotransmitters that relieve stress and produce euphoria. This is why laughter literally feels good.

Mentally, laughter has anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects. It reduces levels of stress hormones like cortisol. Humorous experiences also stimulate the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. This boosts mood and resilience against negative emotions.

Socially, sharing laughter synchronises brainwaves and increases bonding between people. Humour establishes common ground and facilitates warmer interactions. Laughter puts groups at ease through contagious ripples of cathartic release.

Psychology shows humour derives much power from subverting expectations. Puns, exaggeration, sarcasm, and irony all play with surprise. Individual differences shape what each person finds funny based on background and temperament.

As laughter’s benefits become clearer with research, finding humorous joy in life seems more important than ever for mental and physical wellbeing. Both creating and sharing more laughter can transformatively enhance our human experience.

 

Writing About Film

tuhi mo te kiriata

Bringing the unit together into an essay response means pulling on all the threads we have looked at over the course of the unit.

Remember, film is basically drama on screen; therefore, it is important to ensure you have revised and recalled the elements of drama from the Shakespeare Unit. If you have not done so, you may like to relook at the Year 10 PressBook to help with your knowledge of drama, you can find the link here.

And, of course, we are writing an argument in written form. So if you need to relook at the structure of argument from the Year 9 PressBook, then you should go here.

English is an interrelated discipline, meaning one thing informs the next. You should have solid comprehension of how narrative develops, how characters are created, how setting impacts on our understanding – and so on. Just because we are studying film doesn’t mean the other aspects are forgotten about!

APRICOT, GST and Patterns

Over the course of this year we have discussed the importance of macro analysis (APRICOT), Genre Specific Techniques (GST), and the patterns that writers / directors use to portray a story or narrative.

You may like to think about creating charts to assist with this.

TITLE (Character name / Theme  / Setting
Overview: Write a short summary about the character, or the setting so that you have an anchor of knowledge about that particular idea.

Here is an example from the novel 1984, it gives you an idea of the depth expected in this section:

O’Brien represents the Party and the seemingly limitless power it has over the citizens of Oceania. He tricks Winston into believing there is a rebellious group know as the Brotherhood of which Winston longs to be a member. O’Brien initiates him into the Brotherhood asking a series of violent and horrific questions. However, later in the novel he appears at Winston’s bedside in the Ministry of Love as the ‘re-educator’ or brainwasher of Winston’s initial rebellion. O’Brien admits he pretends to be connected to the fabled Brotherhood in order to catch Winston in an act of open disloyalty and thought crime. O’Brien has an almost psychic ability to understand Winston’s inner-most thoughts after watching him for seven years. Throughout the novel Winston’s belief and love for O’Brien is unfaltering, leading to his demise.
QUOTE METHOD / TECHNIQUE EFFECT
Find specific dialogue, or moments in the text that you could quote as part of your response Explain what specific technique the writer / director is using. Try to use a mix of APRICOT, GST and Patterns. Explain how this quote, and technique creates an intended response in the reader / viewer.
e.g.

“we shall meet in the place where there is no darkness” – Winston’s dream

 e.g.

Inclusive 1st person plural pronoun

Symbolism

Setting

Tone

Organisation (foreshadowing)

 e.g.

Foreshadows Winston’s capture and torture in the Ministry of Love (place with no darkness).
Lures Winston into a false sense of security/ Makes Winston believe in the possibility of a future where people can be ‘free’.
And continue..    
Remember, it is important that you are very intentional about the choices you make for the quotes. You want to maximise your ability to write on anything but minimise the number of quotes you actually have to learn.

Memorising

In Year 9 you were taught about memory palaces and the science of Reading to Study. By this stage you should have established how you remember things best. That may be a memory palace, or it may be a set of flash cards. Whatever you choose to do, it is important that you have a ‘little and often’ approach to your learning. This way you are able to create automatism (doing things automatically) rather than having to think about everything at the same time.

Write often. Being practiced at the writing process is incredibly helpful!

Command Words

Command words are the words and phrases used in exams and other assessment tasks that tell students how they should answer the question.

The following command words are some often used examples.

Analyse

Separate information into components and identify their characteristics

Annotate

Add notation or labelling to a graph, diagram or other drawing

Apply

Put into effect in a recognised way

Argue

Present a reasoned case

Assess

Make an informed judgement

Calculate

Work out the value of something

Comment

Present an informed opinion

Compare

Identify similarities and/ or differences

Complete

Finish a task by adding to given information

Consider

Review and respond to given information

Contrast

Identify differences

Criticise

Access worth against explicit expectations

Debate

Present different perspectives on an issue

Deduce

Draw conclusions from information provided

Define

Specify meaning

Describe

Give an account of

Design

Set out how something will be done

Determine

Use given data or information to obtain an answer

Develop

Take forward or build upon given information

Discuss

Present key points

Distinguish

List the differences between different items

Draw

Produce a diagram

Estimate

Assign an approximate value

Evaluate

Judge from available evidence

Explain

Give reasons

Explore

Investigate without preconceptions about the outcome

Give

Produce an answer from recall or from given information

Identify

Name or otherwise characterise

Justify

Support a case with evidence

Label

Provide appropriate names on a diagram

List

List a number of features or points without further elaboration

Name

Identify using a recognised technical term

Outline

Set out main characteristics

Predict

Give a plausible outcome

Relate

Give a technical term or its equivalent

Show

Provide structured evidence to reach a conclusion

Sketch

Draw approximately

State

Express in clear terms

Suggest

Present a possible case

Practice Practice Practice

Practice makes permanent, so ensuring you know how to put words together on the page is a vital skill that will help you with your knowledge and your skill in English.

Remember, if you wanted to be a swimmer you would have to get in the pool. You must be a writer, so you need to put pen to paper!

Learning Objectives

Framing film analysis within your body paragraph

 

Ko te reo te tuakiri | Language is my identity.  
Ko te reo tōku ahurei | Language is my uniqueness.
Ko te reo te ora. | Language is life.            

License

YEAR 11 ENGLISH PROGRAMME Copyright © by Christopher Reed. All Rights Reserved.

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