Unit Guide
Film Literacy: Instruction in Color and Sound
This curriculum unit is designed to teach film viewers the rewards of doing more than sitting passively and being absorbed in the story. The students will analyze how color and sound in a film manipulates their emotions and thoughts. Additionally, advanced students will begin to explore other filming techniques. The unit is three weeks long with an introduction teaching about the structure and form of drama with a quick overview of major film techniques. Initially, the students will analyze a cartoon. The color palette in “Casey at the Bat” establishes setting and the role of the characters. The music defines the time period and influences the mood. Next students will analyze the 1984 version of A Christmas Carol. In the pauses between dialogue, the music swells to amplify the characters’ emotions and the mood of the scene. Literacy involves not just reading or viewing but also producing. Using the black and white version of The Monsters are Due on Maple Street, the students will have a chance to decide how color could be added to aid the plot and define the mood. Finally, the students will have a production component for the assessment, improving The Outsiders.