Using Film in the Classroom/How to Read a Film

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 15.04.01

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. Rationale
  3. Objectives
  4. Enduring Understandings
  5. Essential Questions
  6. Content Background
  7. Strategies
  8. Activities
  9. Content Standards
  10. Bibliography
  11. Notes

Look Behind You! Mastering the Art of Suspense with Poe and Hitchcock

Margaret Mary Deweese

Published September 2015

Tools for this Unit:

Activities

Activity One: Preparing for Analysis: the Poe-ganizer

Materials:

  • Power point with information about the elements of suspense
  • enough 8 ½ by 11 paper (preferably colored paper) for each student to have two sheets
  • scissors
  • rulers

Process:

I will first show my students a power point that will help us discuss the essential elements of literature that we will focus on in this unit. I will have my students make two foldables at this time although one we will not use one of them until another activity. They will take each sheet of paper and fold in half like a hotdog, leaving a ½ inch difference. They will then measure out six equal parts on one side of the hotdog, cutting with scissors only to the top of the paper, thereby making six tabs. They will write the terms on the tabs and their notes about the terms under the tabs, using the ½ inch remainder to write the title of the notes, in this case: Essential Literary Elements of Suspense. I will have them make the other one while we have our supplies out but we will not write anything on it yet.

Activity Two: Remembering Poe, the Man

Materials:

  • A&E Film Edgar Allan Poe
  • Power point with brief information on elegies

Process:

I will show my students the film The Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe by A&E Biography. The film is only forty five minutes long but is full of great information about Poe’s life and important contributions to American literature. I will let them know that they will process this information after the film so they may want to jot down some notes here and there, as long as it doesn’t prevent them from viewing the film. When we have completed the film, I will allow my students the time to discuss the film with their groups, focusing on what they found most interesting or important. This should take about ten minutes. I will then ask them to produce an elegy for Mr. Poe. On the power point I will have some background information on what an elegy is and an example of one from part of the song American Pie by Don McLean, an elegy to the death of rock and roll and those that die in a plane crash. An elegy is a poem that remembers someone who has died. Their elegy poem, will need to have eight to ten lines and include the reasons why they mourn Poe, including at least five specific references from something they saw in the film. Their elegy poem may rhyme or not. Later in the year we will make reference to the elegy poem when we analyze Walt Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!”.

Activity Three: Poe’s Tell Tale Heart

Materials:

  • Copies of The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
  • Storyboard Template
  • Copy of Scott Mansfield’s film The Tell Tale Heart

Process:

It is now time for us to delve into Poe’s short story, The Tell Tale Heart. We will read this short story together for the first time so that no one is left behind. We often do close readings of texts in order to become better readers, but this quite frankly is not one of those occasions. Instead, I want them to be completely free and at ease so that they may enjoy our story. I only stop reading to them a couple of times so as not to disrupt Poe’s pacing. However, I will need to check for understanding somewhat as we go along. After we have read the story, we will discuss the story briefly as a class, allowing my students to grapple with whatever they need.

Once we have discussed the story a little, my students will then create a graphic representation of how a film adaptation of The Tell Tale Heart would look like; what would appear in each shot in the film adaptation. This is called a storyboard. Their storyboard should look exactly like the finished film image on a movie screen would look. They will draw three cartoon frames, or shots, down the left side of a piece of paper. They will then have two column headings on the right side of the paper with the following headings: “What did you want to demonstrate?” and “What lines from the story helped you see this?” They will repeat this on a second piece of paper so that their completed storyboard will have six shots.8

I won’t go into all of the formal elements yet, however, I will remind them of how movies make use of specific techniques that a writer cannot, such as lighting, sound, and camera work. They may also come up with some ideas and techniques from their prior experience with films. Artistry and skill is not what is important here but instead it is the demonstration of their comprehension of the story as well as how they will interpret it as a film that are the important points.

After we have some time to share our storyboards in our groups, I will show them an actual film adaptation of The Tell Tale Heart. We will discuss how this adaptation compares with their storyboard.

Activity Four: Hitchcock and Strangers on a Train

Materials:

  • Copy of Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train
  • Pre-made second foldable
  • Power point of the Formal Elements of Film

Process:

Like with Poe, I want my students to have a sense of Alfred Hitchcock as a man and as an artist. I will show them the fifty-five minute documentary of Alfred Hitchcock on Youtube from “Living Famously”. I will have my students take out their second blank foldable so that they may now record the formal elements of film from the power point.

We will then watch the film Strangers on a Train. I will stop the film at pivotal places in order to point out different elements or to get comments. Again, this will be only a few times so that I don’t interrupt the pace and suspenseful ride of the movie.

When we have finished the film, I will have my students write a Movie Review consisting of a well composed five paragraph essay that describes how the film is suspenseful and also encourage or discourage others to see it, depending on their opinion.9

Activity Five: That’s a Wrap!

Materials:

  • Access to the IMovie app via Ipads or computers for student groups
  • Access to costumes, props etc. for filmmaking

Process:

We have now experienced the elements of literature and film through two masters of suspense. It is now time for my students to demonstrate what they have learned by making an original short suspense film with their group. I will allow them time to create, write and gather any supplies prior to a day set aside for filming. I will instruct them to build suspense in Poe and Hitchcock-like ways, using any and all of what they have learned in this unit.

When my students have completed their films we will have a viewing day and watch and enjoy all of the films as a class. We will evaluate the films and vote on our favorites.

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