You can earn 0.5 credits one time with this course


You must choose 10 films from the list below:

--Princess Bride
--The Kid
--Dead Poets Society
--Hidden Figures
--Pursuit of Happyness
--The Art of Racing in the Rain
--Gifted Hands (Story of Ben Carson)
--Les Miserables (1978 version with Richard Jordan as Jean Valjean)
--Life of Pi
--The Hundred Foot Journey
--Hoosiers
--The Majestic (with Jim Carey)
--October Sky
--Secretariat
--The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
--The Hobbit (any of the three)
--Any of the Lord of the Rings movies


To receive 0.5 credits for this course, you are required to do the following:

Part A
--Watch this video on "The History of Film"   (17 minutes) and take
notes over the video
--Watch this video on "How to Analyze A Film" (16 minutes)
and take notes over the video


Part B
--watch the movie two times.  Between viewings, read 
through the discussion questions below so you can
watch the movie the second time, focusing on answering
the questions.

Part C
--look up each movie you watched on imdb.com 
(or another website) and write the following:
--names of 4 main actors
--rating of film (pg, pg-13, etc) along with why the rating 
(click on rating of film top left corner)
--IMDb rating (out of 10 points) and come up with a couple of reasons why
--Your rating (out of 10 points) and what you liked/disliked 
about the film

Put this info in a folder (electronic, or print them out).

Part D
--Click Here for a long list of questions to discuss with your parent(s) or other adults who watched the film with you.  You must have a good solid discussion over at least 2 of the questions of each section.  You must then type out your discussion thoughts (at least one paragraph...5-7 sentences, put them in a folder (electronic, or print them out).






























































































Tons of discussion questions for films.

Questions to Stimulate Student Interest -- Get them Talking and Thinking

•What is the message of this movie? Do you agree or disagree with it?
•Did anything that happened in this movie remind you of something that has occurred in your own life or that you have seen occur to others?
•What feelings did you share with any of the characters in the movie?
•Did any of the characters in this movie make you angry? Tell why.
•Did you come to respect any of the characters in this movie? Who was it and why did you come to respect that character?


Empathetic Reaction Discussion Questions:


1.  Is the problem to be solved in the film that can be seen in the struggle of the protagonist against the antagonist familiar to you in any way? If so, describe the similarities and differences.
2. The problems faced by the protagonist sometimes stray from the central conflict in the film. Describe these problems and show how they are familiar to the problems you or someone you know must face.
3. The personal qualities that help the protagonist solve his or her problem are often a part of the lesson to be learned in the film. What are these qualities and where have you seen them in your own experience, either in your own behavior or in behavior of someone you know?
4. Complications come along and make problem solving more difficult. What complications does the film’s protagonist face.
5. Depth of feeling is what makes a film worth watching. Of the many feelings expressed in the film, with which are you most familiar?
6. The resolution of the film teaches a lesson. How can you apply the lesson in the film to your own life?

Questions Concerning Characterization

1. The characters must be credible; how they act and what they say must make sense. What aspects of the personalities of the major characters in this story affect their credibility?
2. Is there consistency in the characters throughout the story? Do their actions follow their natures and ring true?
3. What motivates the major characters? Are their motivations or wants explained outright or revealed over time?
4. Are there any relationships between various characters, be they friends, lovers, co-workers, or family members, that are important to the story? If so, describe the relationships that you believe contribute to the story and how those relationships advance the action of the story.5. What motivates the protagonist in his or her struggle against the antagonist?
6. How does the protagonist work against the antagonist? Recount one specific episode in this struggle.
7. In what ways are the characters’ actions driven by the values endorsed or criticized in the story or by ideas presented by the story?
8. Are there any transformations or changes that occur over the course of the story in any of the major characters? For each transformation or change, describe how it comes about and how it relates to the story’s themes or ideas.
9. As the story progresses toward a conclusion, internal as well as external conflicts suffered by the major characters are resolved. Select one of the major characters and describe his or her internal and external conflicts. In addition, tell how the character’s choices lead to a resolution of these conflicts.

Questions Focusing on Plot

1. One way to examine plot is to determine what type of conflict it entails. The classic divisions are: (1) person vs. person; (2) person vs. society, (3) person vs. nature, and (4) person vs. self. Often, more than one of these types of conflict occurs in a story. Using this analysis, briefly describe the conflicts in this story and classify it according to the categories set out above.
2. In terms of rising action, climax, and falling action, describe the structure of the plot, stating when the action stops rising and reaches a climax and begins to fall.
3. What is the key moment in the story, the scene which brings illumination or an “ah-ha” moment?
4. What is the moment of climax, the moment of highest tension, when the solution to the problem is now in sight?
5. The film’s denouement establishes a sense of stability. What happens in this section of the story?

Questions About Themes, Messages, and Ideas

1. The significance of the story is determined by the power of its comment on the human condition. What comment is being made in this movie about what it is to be human?
2. What life lessons can be learned from the choices made by the characters in this story?
[This question can be limited to one particular character.]
3. The conclusion of the story suggests a solution to the conflict that can be applied to the human condition in general. What values or principles that inform the actions of the characters can help people resolve their own life’s conflicts?
4. What are the most dramatic issues relevant to our time that have been presented in this story? Describe the presentation of one such issue and show how it relates to the times in which we now live.
5. Stories can be persuasive. Show how the movie attempts to persuade viewers to accept the particular values or principles that the writers intended to promote.

Questions About Other Literary Elements

1. Stories can be told from the following points of view: first person, third person objective, third person limited, and third person omniscient. From whose point of view is the story told? Explain how the chosen point of view affects the way the story is told.
2. A symbol in a story is an object, an animal, a person, an action, or an event that stands not only for itself, but also for something else. Symbols are of two types. Conventional symbols have a widely accepted meaning outside of the story. Examples are a crucifix, a Star of David, or a nation’s flag. Other conventional symbols reinforce meaning by reference to a culturally shared conception of the object, animal, action, or event. For example, rain is often a symbol of life or fertility. The fact that a story is set in the spring can serve as a symbol for renewed life or purpose. Other symbols have meaning only within the story. These are called contextual symbols. They usually have no special meaning except within the context of the story such as who Gollum stands for in Lord of the Rings. Symbols keep their meaning as an object, animal, person or event, but within the story, they also suggest something else. Describe the symbols used in this story, both those that have meaning outside of the story and those which have meaning only within the story. What does each stand for?
3. The conflict in this film is resolved when one of the characters unexpectedly gets very lucky. Did this sudden event ring true or did it make the story seem less credible?
4. The conflict in this film is resolved when one of the characters unexpectedly suffers some very bad luck. Did this sudden event ring true or did it make the story seem less credible?
5. Does the story include elements of allegory? Explain why you think it is an allegory.
6. Is this story a parable? If so, explain why you think it is a parable.
7. The setting of a story includes the time at which the action of the story occurs and the physical location or locations where it occurs. Settings must be recognizable and have a relationship to the meaning of the story. What is the setting of this story and what are the ways in which the setting contributes to the story being told? Could this story be told in any other time or place?
8. The action in some movies disturbs the unity of the story or confuses the viewers as to the intentions of the filmmakers. Very often these scenes are left on the cutting room floor but sometimes they remain in the film. Have you noticed such a scene in this movie? Is so, describe the scene and explain why you think it disturbs the unity of the story or confuses the viewers.


Questions on Cinematic Devices and Effects

1. Describe the difference between long takes and short takes.
2. Analyze the use of music in the movie. Did it enhance the story that the filmmakers were trying to tell? How would you have used music in this movie?
3. Give examples from movies you have recently seen of diegetic sound, non-diegetic sound and internal diegetic sound. For each, describe why the scene qualifies as the particular type of movie sound.
4. What is the difference between “low-key lighting” and “high-key lighting” and what are their different uses in film?
5. What is the difference between “side lighting” and “front lighting” and what are their different uses in film?



   Film As Literature