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Where and when?
The following activity is taken from Film, part of the Resource Books for Teachers series. Film helps teachers select, structure, and teach lessons around films.
In this activity, students watch a film clip, take notes about the pictures and words that give information about the setting, and then compare and discuss their notes.
Time 20-30 minutes
Materials
A 3-4-minute film clip with a strong sense of setting in its narrative, for example, the scene near the beginning of Notting Hill (1999) where William (Hugh Grant) walks through a weekday market in the Notting Hill area of London and describes the neighbourhood in voice-over; enough copies of the worksheet (above) for each student.
Preparation
Make copies of the worksheet for each student; cue the film clip.
Procedure
- Write the word setting on the board. Ask the class What is the setting of a film? As student volunteers give their answers, write key words from their responses on the board.
- Explain to the class that the setting of a film (the time, place, and circumstances in which a film takes place) gives them a lot of information about the story, and that in this lesson they are going to look at the setting of a film.
- Distribute the worksheet. Go over all items on the worksheet to make sure students understand the questions.
- Explain the activity to the students. They are going to watch a clip from a film. As they watch, they should look out for visual clues and listen for words that give information about the setting of the story. After viewing the clip, they should complete the worksheet.
- Play the film clip.
- Allow enough time for the students to complete their worksheet.
- When the students have completed their worksheets, divide the class into small groups and ask students to compare and discuss their answers.
- Write the words saw and heard on the board. Conduct a whole-class discussion centred on the following questions:
- What things did you see that gave information about the setting?
- What words did you hear that gave information about the setting? Write key words and phrases from the students' responses under the appropriate word, saw or heard, on the board.
Variation 1
Intermediate
In classes at intermediate level and above, students can discuss this additional question in step 8: What aspects (costumes, music, etc.) gave the strongest sense of setting?
Variation 2
Advanced
Advanced students can be asked to draw up a list of explicit and implicit techniques that film makers use to communicate information about setting to their audience.
Related title
Film
Source
Oxford Teacher’s Club:
http://www.oup.com/elt/teachersclub/articles/film?cc=gb
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