IB Text Analysis: Pan’s Labyrinth

IB Text Analysis Worksheet: TEMPLATE

“Director/Conductor” by La Chachalaca Fotografía is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Summary

A guide to planning, researching, and creating your IB Film Text Analysis

  • Follow the directions for each step below
  • Include for your notes, where required

Student Work

  • Justin’s Post, Draft Paper, Bibliography
  • Neil’s Post, Draft Paper, Bibliography
  • Satchel’s Post, Draft Paper, Bibliography
  • Dexter’s Post, Draft Paper, Bibliography
  • Sam’s Post, Draft Paper, Bibliography
  • Jadee’s Post, Draft Paper, Bibliography
  • Laari’s Post, Draft Paper, Bibliography

Guidance for Your Work

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

13.5 Hours To Complete

  • Please track how long it took you for each stage

Step 1 – Preparation: Spend 2 Hours

Total Time:

Step 2 – Pick a Film, Watch It, and Write Notes: Spend 4.5 Hours

Total Time:

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.

  1. Watch the trailers and pick ONE of these films (or the two episodes) (10 minutes)
    • Pan’s Labyrinth [Spain/Mexico] Director Guillermo Del Toro 2006 (Rated R)
      • Trailer
      • Available on Netflix and other streaming services
      • Google Drive (Film and Commentary)
    • Across the Universe [USA] Director Julie Taymor 2007 (Rated PG-13)
      • Trailer
      • Available on Hulu and other streaming services
      • Google Drive (Film, Commentary, and Extra Features)
    • The Handmaid’s Tale, Season 1 Ep. 01 and 02 [USA] Director Reed Morano 2017 (Rated R – Mature Rating on Hulu)
  2. Review Drew’s TA Guide Sheet (he scored very high!) (10 minutes)
  3. First Viewing: Watch the film and record your reactions (2 hours)
    • Take notes (below in this post)
      • How does the film (various scenes) affect you?
      • Remember every scene is like a mini-movie
      • Pay attention to which scene best represents the film, for you
  4. Second Viewing: Notice the cinematography, mise en scene, actor movement, wardrobe, sound (diegetic, non-diegetic, music, etc.) choices (2 hours)
    • Review the Big List of Film Terms for cinematic elements, mise en scene (what’s represented on screen), and sound
    • Write notes (below in this post)

Notes:

  • Film in different language: Spanish/Mexican film. Could alter how dialogue is given, and understood to the viewer.
  • Later decided to watch the commentary version instead.
  • Insect shot turns into a reaction shot, then shows the ruins.
  • Showed the insect as being important.
  • Can show the personality of a character with objects, as with a magnifying glass to make them obsessed with small details.
  • Lighting changes extremely from the hallway to the bedroom (warm to cool).
  • Scene changes from peaceful, and intimate, to a violent scene, that being of the labyrinth, and a changing of color palette, and into the scene of the men being killed.
  • The scene of the killing of the two men seems to be quiet, and quick, and almost having no consequence. Even the guards seem to not care. The crickets are still chirping, it’s almost not a big deal.
  • Camera is staged simply when the bug turns into a fairy.
  • Camera is a lot more active in the fantasy world, compared to that of the real life world.
  • Magical world was to feel used.
  • Wipe transitions were extremely important, and are plentiful.
  • Every character is at a crossroads.
  • Some of the effects look a bit dated (vomit from the frog)
  • Set in a time with almost no food, yet the people seem to have a feast.
  • Dining room in real life is similar. With a monster at the head, but the difference is that real life is very square, but in the Pale Man’s room, it’s circular.
  • There is a lot of ambiguity within the film, especially within the faun.
  • Act Two starts with several things. Palette change, the two worlds colliding, etc.
  • Magic is utilized every other scene in the film, like a pattern.
  • In the amputation scene, it was cut short, yet in the execution scene earlier, it completely showed the violence. However, the commentary states that violence should only be shown when it is absolutely necessary.
  • The contrast of the two worlds of the wall, with the inside being warm, and the outside being cold is stark.
  • Shows a nice POV shot of the art on the walls.
  • The act of instinct is distinct in this scene with the Pale Man. The act of not listening to the fairies, and that of eating from the banquet.
  • Personal thing: I kind of think the “monster behind the unaware person” thing is stupid.
  • Replacing the doctor’s head when he looks at the camera right at the end of the scene was really clever.
  • One of the important parts of the real world and magical world being combined with the mandrake is used in such a small way.
  • The way the director explains how the creatures are seen, as through a specific lens is interesting.
  • Might sound weird, but the shot of the broken train, especially when the camera gets low looks similar to Star Wars, with the captain similar to that of Vader.
  • Very unlucky that they shot during a drought, and had to artificially make the landscape look wet. Also having to artificially do recoil, and other effects.
  • During the torture scene, I really thought they were going to do a transition with the pole, but, they didn’t.
  • The torture scene shows how heartless/evil the captain is. With him seeming calm, throughout the chaos. How much he controls the scene.
  • The death of the doctor was very unique. Simply done.
  • Apparently a lot of the actors were seen as being miscast. With two in particular usually within comedy/light films.
  • The shot of the umbrella transition to reveal others was unique.
  • The transition from the captain from being the one in control to being tortured was I guess the word is rewarding.
  • I thought the commentary was funny on him saying how cows are evil.
  • The dynamic truly changes with this short event of scenes, with the captain losing his control, and instead of the rebels being slaughtered, it’s the other soldiers.
  • Never mind, it goes back to normal.
  • The blood when the princess gets shot seems more saturated compared to other instances of when blood is used.

Step 3 – Choose Your Extract, Watch It, Write Notes, and Research: 2.5 hours

Total Time:

  1. Open your TA Bibliography Google Doc (In Your IB Google Drive Folder – Mr. Le Duc created)
    • You will add your MLA sources as you research
  2. Choose your 5-minute extract (scene)
  3. Re-watch this scene numerous times and write notes in the Task Analysis Guide (below) (15 minutes)
  4. Research to support your notes (1 hour)
      • Cultural context Evidence: Textual analysis and sources
        • Answer these questions:
          • To what extent do you demonstrate an understanding of the cultural context of the film text?
          • To what extent do you support your understanding of the cultural context with research from appropriate and relevant sources?
    • Add to your notes in the Task Analysis Guide
  5. Re-watch your scene numerous times and add to your notes (15 minutes)
  6. Research to support your notes (1 hour)
    • Re-read Criterion B Film Elements Rubric
      • Evidence: Textual analysis and sources
        • To what extent do you evaluate how the extract makes use of film elements to convey meaning in the chosen film?
        • To what extent do you support your observations with the appropriate use of relevant film vocabulary?
    • Write notes (below in this post)

Step 4 – Compose A Rough Draft: 2 hours

Total Time:

  1. Watch Mr. Le Duc’s Convert a Table into Text with Editpad.org tutorial and do the following: (5 minutes)
    1. Copy and paste the two columns of your Text Analysis Guide notes (below) into editpad.org
      • This will convert your two-column table layout into a regular text document
    2. Copy and paste from editpad.org into your Google Docs TA Paper Template
  2. Thoroughly re-read and examine your work with the Text Analysis Rubric (PDF) (10 minutes)
  3. Compose your rough draft (1.75 hours)
    • Weave in your research the following
    • WHAT: Your observation about a film element in the 5-minute scene
    • WHY: Relate the film element to the shot or scene’s emotional or narrative importance
    • HOW: Explain how the film element works in the context of this scene
    • SO WHAT: Justify it with the cultural context, as needed

Step 5 – Get Draft Peer Reviewed: 30 Minutes

Total Time:

  1. Get it peer-reviewed with the TA Worksheet (PDF) (30 minutes)
    • Peer Reviewer: Look for evidence of each section of the document
    • Look for WHAT, WHY, HOW for each statement in the paper
      • There should be at least one WHY or HOW or every WHAT statement
    • Look for cited research to support statements, where it makes sense
    • Write comments to help the author
      • Add them as “Add Comments” on the side, so you do not add to the word count of the document

Step 6 – Revise: 1 Hour

Total Time:

  1. Revise your draft (1 hour)

Step 7 – Get Feedback from Mr. Le Duc and Revise: 30 Minutes

Total Time:

  1. Get feedback from Mr. Le Duc
  2. Make final revisions and check format (30 Minutes)

Step 8 – Finalize Paper and Cover Page: 15 Minutes

Total Time:

  1. Clear cover page with the Title of Film & Timecode (5-minute film extract)
  2. Sans serif 12 point font
  3. In-text citations
  4. Less than 1,750 words maximum

Step 9 – Finalize Bibliography and Check Format: 15 Minutes

Total Time:

  1. Update your TA Bibliography Google Doc (In Your IB Google Drive Folder)
    • Finish and check the format of your MLA sources as you research

Step 10 – Upload to Turnitin.com: 10 Minutes

Total Time:

  1. Upload your TA paper (from Your IB Google Drive Folder)
  2. Upload your TA Bibliography Google Doc (from Your IB Google Drive Folder)

Text Analysis Guide (For your 5 Minute Scene)

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 PLACE 5 MINUTE TIME INTERVAL HERE…

PART 1 –  The film, your scene, why it is of interest, and how your scene relates to the whole film.

Brief Summary of Exposition

Writer, Director, Producer, studio, year released Main characters, conflict, identify the genre. Identify the aspect ratio.

Context of Extract in Film – briefly describe the scene

At 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 Rationale for Selection – relation to the entire movie

Why is it interesting and why does this scene best illustrate the themes of the whole movie?

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?

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, Steadycam, or moving crane. Invisible V conspicuous. Are tracking shots motivated by character movement?
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 picture

Live 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.

Music

Is the music telling you what to feel?  Music can be used as a counterpoint to the action.

Editing

Ellipsis (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 Context

In 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 Audience

Teens/adults or male/female age group, college education art crowd, liberal, conservative, Christian

Generic Expectations

http://www.filmsite.org/filmgenres.html also research  http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Tropes

Themes

Man V Man, or one of the others, is this film an allegory?

Motifs/Symbols

What specific devices support your definition of the theme? Look for recurring elements.

Film Criticism

Both 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

External Assessment Criteria SL and HL

Peer Review Checklist

Comparative Study Worksheet 2020-21

“Film scripts for sale in Soho! #newyork #newyorkcity #nyc #movies” by Nat Ireland is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Summary

A guide to planning, researching and creating your DP Film Comparative Study

  • Follow the directions for each step below
  • Include for your work where it is required

Student Work

  • To be placed after students create posts

Steps and Tasks

  1. Brainstorm possible films for the task. You must select TWO films from contrasting cultural contexts.
  2. Brainstorm and justify at least three different areas of FILM FOCUS for your two chosen films.
  3. Brainstorm and justify at least two different CULTURAL CONTEXTS for your two chosen films.
  4. Consolidate your ideas and develop at least three different RESEARCH QUESTION topics for your study. 
  5. Finalize your choices and select your RESEARCH QUESTION. Choose two films for comparison.
  6. Develop the main arguments you will make about your topic.
  7. Collect evidence from the films that support your argument. All in a separate document.
  8. Research secondary sources for information that supports your argument.
  9. Write your Narration and plan the audio-visual components of your video essay.
  10. Recordassemble, and edit your Comparative Study Video Essay.
  11. Create a Works Cited document (separately) once your Comparative Study is finished.

Guidance for Your Work

“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.”

Comparative Study Task Components

For this assessment task, each student identifiesselects, and researches each of the following task components.

  1. TASK 1: One area of film focus.
  2. TASK 2: Two films for comparison from within the chosen area of film focus, one of which originates from a contrasting time (historical) or space (geographical) to the personal context of the student, and the other film identified for comparison must arise from a contrasting cultural context to the first film. Students are required to select films they have not previously studied in depth. The selected films cannot come from the prescribed list of film texts provided for the textual analysis assessment task and, once selected, the films cannot be used by the student in any other assessment task for the DP film course or the extended essay.
  3. TASK 3: A clearly defined topic for a recorded multimedia comparative study, which links both the selected films and the identified area of film focus. Each student should invest time in researchingdeveloping, and honing their topic (which in most cases is likely to be expressed in the form of a research question) to ensure it is clear, focused and concise, in order to provide them with the maximum potential for success in this task. The topic should seek to enrich the student’s understanding of the chosen area of film focus and should avoid a plot-driven approach to the comparison.

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.

1. FILM Choices List (Around 10 mins)

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 films e.g. 1941, USA, Dir: Orson Welles
The Shawshank Redemption 1994, USA, Dir: Frank Darabont
The Martian 2015, USA, Dir: Ridley Scott
Get Out 2017, USA, Dir: Jordan Peele

2. Areas of FILM FOCUS

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.
Genre, Prison Applies for the Shawshank Redemption, due to Shawshank being set in a prison, Get Out due to Chris being stuck in his body/house, and the Martian with Mark being stuck on Mars.
Portrayal of Freedom The idea of freedom is questioned in all three choices. Get Out shows the horror of losing freedom of your actions, Shawshank Redemption portrays this with Institutionalization, and The Martian portrays this due to Mark being stuck on Mars (?)
Drama Two of these films rely not upon action sequences, but through visuals on what the characters are doing.

3. Chosen CULTURAL CONTEXT

For this assessment task, “cultural context” involves consideration of some of the following factors, some of which may be blended (such as socioeconomic factors).

  • Economic, Geographical, Historical, Institutional, Political, Social, Technological
Identify at least TWO Cultural Context possibilities for your chosen films films.
Justification for this Cultural Context. Be as specific as possible.
Institutionalization Institutionalization doesn’t just apply towards prisons, it applies towards any other culture. Watney in the Martian gets used to life on Mars, while Dufresne gets used to life in prison, and Shawshank Redemption heavily shows the idea of Institutionalization with Brooks.
Time frame of films The Shawshank Redemption portrays mid 1900’s in an American prison, although all films are somewhat portrayed in America, time frame is important. The Martian takes place in 2035, and Get Out takes place in 2017. Social structure was completely different in these different times.

4. RESEARCH QUESTION Possibilities

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)
Portrayal of Freedom How well does (Film 1/2) portray the idea of Freedom?
Genre, Prison How does the representation between a prison differ between (films 1/2)?
Film Narrative How does the portrayal of time differ between (films 1/2) and how does it affect the film as a whole?

5. Final Decisions

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)
Genre, Prison Shawshank Redemption The Martian Genre, Prison How does the portrayal of a prison differ between the Shawshank Redemption, and the Martian?

6. Developing Your Topic

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.
Portrayal of time How much time passes by throughout each film? Which film feels longer because of this?
The cause of the protagonists being in their place. Dufresne is placed into Shawshank due to a (possibly false) murder of his wife. Watney is stuck on Mars due to a storm.
Ingenuity of protagonists. Each prison has their own set of problems, and seeing how the protagonist deals with these could be seen.
How much does each of the protagonists want to escape? The protagonists view the situations differently. Obviously, one is just on a completely different planet, with no other people, while the other is in a prison with fellow inmates.

7. Selecting Supporting Evidence (Primary)

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.)
Watney is flown into the storm due to a piece of debris, which also pierces his suit.
Despite having to leave a man behind, the other crewmates decide to leave due the situation, showing that he will be stranded for (mostly) the rest of the film.
Dufresne in court, being formally sent into prison, for 2 life sentences. Showing who he was before being sent in.
Dufresne approaches Shawshank, and sees the environment, and the people around it.
Watney comes across an obstacle, that being which of a limited supply of food, and to solve that, he has to go through organic waste to create soil.
Watney eventually creates a solution, and creates a greenhouse within to supply himself with food.
Dufresne’s personal problem is with a gang called “The Sisters”, led by Bogs Diamond, who target him for months.
Andy overhears the captain of the guard, Hadley, and get’s his trust through doing his taxes.
Andy quietly requests the guards to beat up Bogs in his cell, and afterwards, having him sent to a mental hospital.
      To escape, Watney comes up with the idea to create a system of communication with NASA, utilizing a camera to look at hexadecimal letters. He eventually gets instructions on how to help him escape.
Knowing he has to utilize the rover, he has to follow the rules to gather supplies to eventually escape the atmosphere.
He eventually leaves the atmosphere, and is picked up by another ship that’s above orbit.
Dufresne comes up with an escape utilizing a rock hammer that he got from a fellow inmate, Red, and a fake I.D. when doing the guard’s taxes.
He utilizes a poster on his wall to cover up a large hole he carved in, and escape through the sewer system.
Despite showing that Dufresne was in fact innocent, he had to break the rules to escape.

*Add more rows as needed.

8. Selecting Supporting Evidence (Secondary)

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.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3YLb5eMlRw Video essay based upon how Andy finds his freedom within Shawshank.
https://shawshanktrail.com/sites-listed/shawshank-prison/ Some information solely upon the Shawshank prison.
https://www.gradesaver.com/the-martian/study-guide/summary I haven’t actually watched “The Martian” in a while, so I just kind of read this to just understand the basics again.

*Add more rows as needed.

9. Writing Your Narration

Using the information, scene choices, and external sources you have compiled in parts 6-8, you will now write your voiceover narration and match it up to your chosen visual examples.

For the final Comparative Study, your narration should be no longer than 10 minutes in length.

Assemble in Two-Column AV Formatt in Celtx (Tutorial) or use Google Docs

Remember that you need to:

  • COMPARE and CONTRAST your two chosen film using the arguments and evidence you identified in parts 6-8
  • Begin your narration with a detailed justification for the chosen cultural contrast
  • Use an equal balance of the two selected films.
  • Write in a third-person voice to construct your argument (similar in tone to your Extended Essay and other
    comparative analytical work you have written in Film class).
  • Identify where any WRITTEN TEXT will appear on the screen and highlight this (to reference during the
    creation/editing stage)
Voiceover Narration Ideas Which visual evidence/scenes line up to this part of the narration?

10. Assembling the Comparative Study

Now you will collect all media resources needed for the task and construct your video essay.

REQUIRED STEPS

  • Import the digital copy of your chosen films into editing software
  • Identify and extract chosen scenes and clips
  • Place and edit clips into a rough timeline for your video essay
  • Record audio narration (both partners should participate in narrating this practice task)
    into an audio file using recording equipment (Zoom recorders, iPhone, DSLR Rode video
    mic, etc.)
  • Import your recorded narration audio file into your project timeline
  • Assemble, edit and fine-tune clips and narration until your video essay takes shape
  • Create and add any required textual information in the timeline (including black slate at the start)
  • Audio mixing of narration and movie clips (adjust levels so that narration and movie sounds complement each other)
  • Export the final video essay movie file
    • Upload Unlisted draft to YouTube for peer review
  • Create Works Cited list separately (Google Doc)

*NOTE: Separate tutorial and tips sessions will be held throughout this process to provide guidance on recording your voice-over narration and mixing the audio levels successfully.

Examples of Possible Task Components (from the IB)

Area of film focus Film 1 Film 2 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?

External Assessment Criteria SL and HL

Peer Review Checklist

 

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)
__ Balance between visual and spoken elements
__ Make clear reference to your sources as on-screen citations (text on-screen)
__ Make sure 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 focus, 2. Titles of the two films for comparison, and 3. 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 presentation is 10 minutes maximum, including title card and credits
__ Make sure two films are listed in sources

Film – Week 11 – Updating Workflow – Mind Like Water

“‘Be shapeless and formless.. like water’ (Bruce Lee)” by Akinini.com is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

“Have a mind like water.”

― David Allen,  GTD

SUMMARY

  • I’ve done some work for creating PSA’s on Sneakonthelot, and have learned about “happy chemicals”, and that I’m most likely extremely deficient on them.

PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)

Screenshot from sneakonthelot.com
Screenshot from sneakonthelot.com
  • Quick thing: Couldn’t get past Development due to approval of the PSA Topic, but will continue later.

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)

OUTSIDE (PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)

Image from bananatreelog.com

  • Dopamine: Gonna have to be honest, although I do some (used to do one) of the activities given, I don’t feel like I get rewarded with that much dopamine. I used to regularly lift weights until we got back to Phase 1 in quarantine. I should probably start to do some other activities that help with this, because I’m literally not doing any of these recommended activities anymore. However, I will start to go to the gym again once it’s safe to do so.
  • Oxytocin: Whelp, I really just listen to music, I don’t do any of these activities.
  • Serotonin: Oh no, got no serotonin in me, and kind of feel the effects that are being described.
  • Endorphins: Still don’t really do any of those activities.
  • Conclusion: I should honestly try to do a few of these activities, like trying to exercise from home, which seems like the easiest for me to accomplish.

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

  • I’ve learned the basics of creating a PSA announcement, and that I have very little “happy chemicals” in me. I really should try to do other activities.

Film Week 10 – GTD Part 2

Film – Week 10 – GTD – Getting Things Done – Part 2

Image from BiggerPlate.com

Teens are overwhelmed, partly because they don’t yet have the skills to manage the unprecedented amount of stuff that enters their brains each day.  – from LifeHacker.com

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”

“You can do anything, but not everything.”

― David Allen, (GTD) Getting Things Done for Teens: Take Control of Your Life in a Distracting World

SUMMARY

  • Just did some stuff on Sneak on the Lot, and learning how to organize tasks more efficiently.

PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)

Screenshot from Sneakonthelot.com
Screenshot from Sneakonthelot.com

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)

Screenshot from Animated Book Summary And Review at YouTube
  • Stress Free Productivity: Humans are built to do what’s natural. So, unnatural movements would be extremely hard to place into one’s lifestyle, not just physically, but also mentally. It’s important to understand that things easier in time, but only add up to stress, so it’s important to plan things out.
  • Getting Things Done, Dave Allen: Understanding it’s important that your brain is better for creating ideas, and not holding them. It’s also important to understand the 5 simple steps for GTD (Capture, Process, Organize, Review, Engage)

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)

Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
Screenshot from Animated Book Summary And Review at YouTube

Examine Two GTD Maps: Basic and Detailed

  1. Detailed map by guccio@文房具社 icensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
  2. Basic map from BiggerPlate.com embedded below

GTD-based Trusted System

Image from Trello.com
  • I usually just write on notepad the stuff I do and put it on my desktop, but I could try to utilize Trello.

OUTSIDE (PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)

  • It’s important to know when to relax, and how to relax. Try not to overwhelm yourself.

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

  • I’ve learned that I really should understand what tasks I have to do, and understanding stress management. I’ve also switched from notepad to Trello.

Film – Week 8 – Screenwriting

“Ali film script” by Zadi Diaz is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

“You can’t fix a bad script after you start shooting. The problems on the page only get bigger as they move to the big screen.” – Howard Hawks

SUMMARY

  • We’ve learned the essentials of story writing. Going into through Celtx, and through Sneak on the Lot. We’ve also learned the universality of storytelling, and how most stories are incredibly similar, in terms of plot.

PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)

Image from sneakonthelot.com/my-courses/

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)

  • Deadlines
  • Requirements
  • Time management
  • Sleep schedule
  • Procrastination

OUTSIDE (CREATIVITY & THE BRAIN)

 

  • An extremely important deadline is coming up, while the protagonist is busy, an event comes up, and they have to divide their attention between these two objectives.
  • A successful businessperson is gaining a lot of wealth, but unethically, then another person calls them out upon their actions.
  • A person gets into a car crash with another, but one of the drivers has an important event coming up.

STUDIO (FILMING)

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

  • I’ve learned that I honestly don’t have much conflict in my life at the moment. There are only a few amount of goals that I currently have, and it’s difficult to come up with a decent story across them. My only two main goals are: to lift more at the gym, and to focus on schoolwork. That’s really about it, but I guess the journey to accomplishing these goals can have a story within them.

Week 9 – GTD – Getting Things Done – Part 1

“Day 092/366 – To Do List” by Great Beyond is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Your toughest work is defining what your work is! –  Peter Drucker

SUMMARY

  • Understanding time management, and setting important goals.

PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)

Image of David Allen at TED Talk
Screenshot from David Allen TED Talk

In this ‘room’ you are going to try Getting Things Done (GTD).

STEP 1: MAKE A LIST

Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
  • Film: Sneak on the lot, and a blogpost (?)
  • Math Apps: Single homework assignment
  • French: 3 assignments due that are taking away 20% of my grade, however there isn’t a late assignment markdown.
  • Env Sciences: Niche Partitioning assignment
  • English: All the President’s Men assignments
  • History: Italy assignment
  • TOK: Nothing
  • College Apps: Still have to do some.

STEP 2: NOTICE WHAT YOU NOTICED

Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
Screenshot of David Allen TED Talk
  • Since my French grade is the lowest, I will try to focus on that, but I think Film will be the easiest to work on.
  • Day 1 classes (French, Film, Math Apps) are of a high priority than day 2 classes (Env Sciences, English, History)

STEP 3: SET A TIMER

https://giphy.com/gifs/time-clock-konczakowski-d3yxg15kJppJilnW

I will try to focus on the last blogpost (screenwriting), I will try my utmost to not get distracted.

OUTSIDE (PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)

David Allen image
Oct. 2020 Lucidchart interview with David Allen
Image from FastCompany Magazine, https://www.fastcompany.com/3026827/the-brain-hacks-top-founders-use-to-get-the-job-done
Image from FastCompany Magazine, https://www.fastcompany.com/3026827/the-brain-hacks-top-founders-use-to-get-the-job-done
  • Reflect on GTD and getting to the top of the colorful list above for a minute
    • How can the GTD process help you tame the crazy-busy dragon of modern life?

  • Then, go for a 15-minute walk, if it is safe to do so
  • Write a few sentence reflection
  • DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS, AFTER YOU ARE DONE

OPTIONAL EXERCISE – Literally, read the article and go for another walk 🙂

 Katia Verresen homepage
Katia Verresen, kvaleadership.com

“I coach C-suite executives and rising stars from the earliest startups to Fortune 100 companies. My passion is to help ambitious leaders achieve their full human potential.”  – Read more about Katia…

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

  • Write only a few sentences of WHAT YOU LEARNED
  • In one or two sentences, describe a PROBLEM YOU SOLVED
  • DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS, AFTER YOU ARE DONE

WEEKLY ACTIVITY EVALUATION

  • Give feedback on this week’s class Content and Process
  • DELETE THIS WHOLE SECTIONAFTER YOU ARE DONE

Film – Week 7 – Tools, Time, and Rooms

 

CreativeCommons image Tool Stash by Meena Kadri at Flickr.com

SUMMARY

  • Essentially, we went through the Sneak on the Lot beginner course, and learned some things there. Afterwards, we were to be creative, and think of a screenplay.

PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)

  • A crash course that goes over the basics of Davinci Resolve. Although I’m already familiar with it, it’s nice to go through the basics once in a while.

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)

Image from sneakonthelot.com/my-courses/
Image from sneakonthelot.com/my-courses/
  • Sneak on the Lot:
  • Theater: It’s explained on to navigate this site, how reviewing, the scoring, etc.
  • Fade In: An application on how to write screenplays easier. Giving things like Scene Headings, Action, Character, Dialogue, etc.
  • The Game: Essentially the “scoring” of Sneak on the Lot. How people review your work gives you “fame”, this fame is given based on certain film challenges.
  • Challenges: Challenges to incentivize users to want to make and enter their films. There’s also a quiz that has to be taken afterwards.

OUTSIDE (CREATIVITY & THE BRAIN)

  • For a story, I feel like if I were my own protagonist, I would honestly be my own nemesis. It wouldn’t be much of a story about winning something, but so much as just going through days. Considering social distancing (as a setting), there wouldn’t be many characters. It would mostly be a story of motivation on doing things.

Developing Quality Workflow

What is Workflow?

“A workflow consists of an orchestrated and repeatable pattern of activity, enabled by the systematic organization of resources into processes that transform materials, provide services, or process information.” – Wikipedia

Stages of Creation Development

Inspiration

How do we find ideas to develop?

We find ideas to develop by just general thinking. This thinking could be greatly accelerated by different tools and processes. Inspiration is especially important for thinking of ideas, looking at other examples is extremely important. Quality of inspiration is measured by you, and the people you might be working on a project with.

Intention

How do we clarify our specific goal(s) for a project?

Tools we could utilize for clarifying goals are just forms of communication. Texting, emailing, etc. could all be utilized to clarify our goals. As for the process, we could we could talk to each other, bounce ideas, and see if something is a good concept. Quality of intentions is always down to the individual.

Pre-production

How can we brainwrite, brainstorm, storyboard, and plan our ideas at this phase?

Bouncing ideas off each other is essential to pre-production. Double checking ideas to make sure they work, talking with others, etc. These are all ideas that require other individuals, or if the individual is talented, a whole lot of work for checking their ideas.

Production

How do we communicate with each other and execute our plan for this phase? This is where we actually make the project.

We could communicate with others during production, since each person during production has a specific job to do for projects, it’s important to understand what each person’s perspective is. We execute plans by telling everyone our intentions behind the action, and our general ideas. Those who are most qualified in each field should speak out first, while those who want to give suggestions could also give them.

Presentation/Performance

How do we share our project with our learning community, advisory members, and the world?

We could obviously publish our work online, and even ask friends, or other people that we want to ask. An example of that is submitting a film for a contest (like Satchel did), to give out our projects to the world.

Feedback

How do we conduct a feedback session at the end of the project development cycle?

Knowing where pieces of feedback come from is especially important. If given out by anonymous sources, their information might be unreliable, however, if they are qualified people that are interested in fields of art, for this instance film, then their feedback should be held to more importance than others.

Recipe for Success: Barack Obama

President Barack Obama from Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama

Born: August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii

Personal Success Definition

I define success of one who is memorable to at least hundreds of people.

Barack Obama was the 44th president of the United States, making a lasting impact on the United States, and the world, as a whole.

Skills for Success

Obama is: 1) A politician. 2) A leader. 3) Charismatic. Barack was born in Hawaii. In 1988, he enrolled in Harvard Law School, where he became the first black man to become president of the “Harvard Law Review”. After that, he eventually became a civil rights attorney, and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School. After that, he became a member of the senate, for Illinois. He eventually ran for president, and won, winning 2 terms in a row.

How He Used These Skills

Obama utilized his leadership skills to be well recognized in his communities, with being president of the Harvard Law Review, and eventually teaching a class, then running for senate to then a president. Obviously, being a politician requires some charisma, which he utilized to have support for him.

Challenges Overcome

Obviously, since Barack is a minority, it may have been more difficult for him to gain support from others, yet he overcame this challenge with his skills, and I would imagine it to be difficult to get into law school, and such.

Significant Work

Image of Barack Obama’s first inauguration from Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_inauguration_of_Barack_Obama

Obama, after graduating from Harvard, eventually got himself up to become president of the United States, which is a significant achievement in it of itself. Not only that, but he was elected twice, showing general favorability towards the American population. With this image showing his inauguration.

Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_inauguration_of_Barack_Obama#:~:text=The%20first%20inauguration%20of%20Barack,the%20commencement%20of%20the%20first

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama#Post-presidency_(2017%E2%80%93present)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/barack-obama/

The Story of Film Episode 15 – Cinema Today and the Future

2000 Onwards: Film Moves Full Circle – and the Future of Movies.

Flickr.com image of Digital on film" isa•bell 8/31/20
Flickr.com image of Digital on film” isa•bell 8/31/20
  • Swiss Miss (1938) dir. John G. Blystone and Hal Roach – Utilizes a studio set and a painted background. Shows the one true question within film “Something is going to go wrong, but what?”. This films’ answer was a monkey.
  • Blonde Venus (1932) dir. Josef von Sternberg – Utilizes a diffusion filter. A very absurd film.
  • Employees Leaving the Lumiere Factory (1895) (introduced in Episode 1) dir. Louis Lumière – Movies started with this documentary. Filmed square on.
  • Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) dir. Michael Moore – Showed that reality can be dramatic. One of the first hit documentaries. Took over $250 million in the box office.
  • The Bourne Supremacy (2004) dir. Paul Greengrass – Tries to be a documentary. Also made $250 million at the box office. Images were rough. Footage was heavily/speedily cut.
  • Être et avoir (2002) dir. Nicolas Philibert – Observational. Camera at child’s height. Tilts up to capture sadness. Shows a vivid human being.
  • Zidane – A Portrait in the 21st Century (2006) dir. Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno – Utilized extra long lenses to film a football match, but to capture the presence of one person. Thoughts were subtitled, even if not said out loud. Utilizes zooming.
  • The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) dir. Andrew Dominik – Wasn’t only in documentaries where reality bounced back. Utilizes Sepia, and defocuses the edge of the screen.
  • Way Down East (1920) (introduced in Episode 1) dir. D. W. Griffith – Softly lit. Similar to that of a scene in “The Assassination of Jesse James”.
  • Climates (2006) dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan – Shows an intimate scene. Shot digitally. Utilizes a shot of sad eyes, out of focus, half cut off. No dialogue, or music. Doesn’t directly display what’s happening.
  • The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005) dir. Cristi Puiu – New Romanian cinema. Utilized camera as if it were handheld, fluorescent lighting, used to show indecency.
  • The Headless Woman (2008) dir. Lucrecia Martel – Boldly confronted reality. Usually, car accidents are filmed very violently/action heavy, yet in this film, it’s all in one camera angle, in the interior, showing the person behind the wheel. Static camera, shallow focus. Shows it’s tone with one scene. One the driver leaves, the camera doesn’t follow, it just stays in the interior. Shows isolation.
  • Battle in Heaven (2005) dir. Carlos Reygadas
  • Oasis (2002) dir. Lee Chang-Dong – Shows the man who’s talking out of focus.
  • Memories of Murder (2003) dir. Bong Joon-ho – A true story. Flat, deserted yellow land. Also utilizes a POV camera. Shows a simply shot conversation.
  • Oldboy (2003) dir. Park Chan-wook – More transgressive. Shows a dark stylized world. Based on another work of fiction. Shows an action scene in a unique camera angle, as if the wall in front of us has been removed, only showing what’s behind the long corridor. Shot is far back, as if shot like a cartoon.
  • Le Voyage dans la lune (1902) (introduced in Episode 1) dir. Georges Méliès(Although Mark Cousins and the title on the screen indicate that the scene being shown is from La lune à un mètre, the scene is actually from Le Voyage dans la lune. – One of the first science fiction movies. Extremely dream-like.
  • Mulholland Dr. (2001) dir. David Lynch – Shows a dance scene, with a pure purple background, with shadows. Shows a moment of innocence. Shows layers. Shows a cafe scene. Has a shock, showing a monster of terror, as if handheld camera. Heavily plays with light. It was similar of that to the “Wizard of Oz”, with a noir layer attached to it.
  • Requiem for a Dream (2000) dir. Darren Aronofsky – A great distortion movie about how drugs distort the world. The world is distorted by speeding it up, by applying a lens. Shows paranoia.
  • Songs from the Second Floor (2000) dir. Roy Andersson – Color is a drab green, then turns heightened, as if a musical fantasy. Ending shows symbols of religion. All in one camera angle.
  • Way Out West (1937) dir. James W. Horne – Andresson is a fan of this. The simplicity of shots, square on, symmetrical.
  • Indiscreet (1958) (introduced in Episode 5) dir. Stanley Donen – Shows how a man utilized split screen to get around censorship.
  • Rules of Attraction (2002) dir. Roger Avary – Also utilizes split screen. However, each screen is an actor, so the actors are looking into camera, as into each other.  Feels as if we’re in the middle of the situation. The cameras then pan, combining into one image, showing both actors. We go from inside the moment, into an outside perspective.
  • Avatar (2009) dir. James Cameron – Shows how computer generation can be heavily utilized. Utilizes a flowing camera. Everything was animated in computers, except the most important thing. Facial expressions.
  • Motion Capture Mirrors Emotion (2009) dir. Jorge Ribas – Shows how Avatar was made, shows how people create motion capture, and digital camera. Shows multiple camera angles. Especially split screens. Shows 21st century cinema.
  • Tropical Malady (2004) dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul – Filmed in natural light, in long takes. Filmed in the summer. Backdrop is so still, it almost looks painted. However, halfway through, the film almost restarts. Scenes lit by moonlight. Films the spirit of animals. Shows life and death in the same image.
  • Mother and Son (1997) dir. Alexander Sokurov – One of the defining movies in “Slow Cinema”. Derives from painting. Even stretches an image diagonally to change how the audience sees it.
  • Russian Ark (2002) dir. Alexander Sokurov – The most inventive film “The Greatest Gorilla”. Camera is almost handheld, as if a person was the camera observing the people within the shot. Whole movie filmed in a single take. Not a single cut. Rehearsed for 6 months. Steadicam was so heavy, the cameraman almost collapsed.
  • In One Breath: Alexander Sokurov’s Russian Ark (2003) dir. Knut Elstermann – Shows the ending after “Russian Ark” was filmed, shows how relieved everyone was, filmed with a handheld. Fully captures relief, and shows tears of joy.

Epilogue the Year 2046

  • Inception (2010) (introduced in Episode 4) dir. Christopher Nolan – Innovative sci-fi, could be a metaphor about how film could be. Colors are greens and blue. Has shots with no sound. Relies on dreams within dreams. Cameras and film color gradings change throughout each sequence.
  • Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) dir. Michel Gondry – Shows memories within the film. Camera turns into a horror-like film. With a flashlight attached to the camera.
  • Even the documentary itself shifts into a horror-esque theme, with the chiming sounds in the background, “horror-like” sound effects, sharp cuts, tone of voice changes, etc. Ends the shot with a tribute to film.