Choosing a Movie (1 Viewer)

[karoooh]

Should I choose a movie as one of my self-selected texts?

One of the English teachers at school said that it wasn't a good idea because the student tends to retell the story more than talk about it's links and techniques relating to imaginative journey, which, in the end, gives them a really bad mark. She says that she's seen a lot of students do that from her experience and said that it would be a better idea not to choose a movie...

Would it be alright to choose a movie? I already know NOT to retell the story, I just get straight to the point!

What have other teachers said about choosing a movie? Who has chosen a movie and gotten a really good mark?

 

[pritnep]

Would it be alright to choose a movie? I already know NOT to retell the story, I just get straight to the point!

Have to agree with what that English teacher told you I wouldn't recommend doing a movie and that fact that most people who do movies choose the common ones making their paper just one of many for the markers. Depending on what text types your other texts are can determine what texts to choose.

For instance for an assessment am doing prescribed texts (poems), BOS Text, visual and a song – I have studied all in detailed and for the HSC will be choosing ones that I will use so I think it is good this early to have a variety of text types but I really don’t think a movie is a great choice. Although if you are that confident in your abilities to link a movie to the concept then by all means give it a go.

 

[mitsui]

i didnt choose a movie, even thou i am doin a documentry, which i reckon is easier to get the ideas across than a fictional movie

if possible, i wont be using it for my actual essay ( i got 3 final texts ready)
but i dont think movies r bad to use, if they r easy to explain and wif good techniques and everythin, y not?

 

[pritnep]

thats true there not bad to use, just speaking in general terms students tend to tell a story rather then techniques etc and how to links to the concept of a journey. As long as you are focused and know exactly what you are doing it should be find but as above a documentary maybe even better.

 

[hello_world]

what do u guys mean by "retell the story"?
when listing techniques are u talking about camera angles and lighting, or how effective the plot and dialogue is to the imaginative journey?

 

[mitsui]

retell the story is kinda self-explainatory that u simply tell the marker wat the movie is about
it means lack of effort in actualli analysising and discussing the relationship between ur texts and to the focus journey

and yea the technique is camera techniques, basically

 

[hopeles5ly]

what do u guys mean by "retell the story"?
when listing techniques are u talking about camera angles and lighting, or how effective the plot and dialogue is to the imaginative journey?

simply like a narrative as you are retelling the story again to the marker, thus not answering the question.

 

[Dreamerish*~]

Speaking of movies, here's a list of Supplementary Texts.

It's okay to use a film as long as you keep the rules in mind. Choose texts that you're able to link together, and avoid selecting texts from the same medium.

I think Pleasantville is a good film for imaginative journeys, but it really does depend on your approach.

 

[Riviet]

I am currently using the film Cast Away as my related text for physical journeys. The advantage in films is that there are plenty of techniques that you can choose from, always be wary of not recalling the plot as others have said previously. As long as your prescribe text is not a film, you may choose to use a film for your related text.

 

[l-mercedes-l]

For instance for an assessment am doing prescribed texts (poems), BOS Text, visual and a song

on the contrary i wouldnt suggest using a song. theyre just too shallow, its like a piece of short, essentially meaningless poetry to fill a musical void.

i would definatley consider using movies. all of my other related texts were movies [for AOS, mod c and extension 1]{EDIT it was actually the same film for AOS and mod C!} and i got all band 6's [and e4]. you just need to use them effectively. talk about the techniques not the story.

eg
"the overt use of religious symbolism in the tower scene suggests that that author is coming to terms with....This idea is perperuated through all of the texts in the area of study and cumulatively suggest that [insert blaa about journeys here]"

you can talk about stacks of things. charaterisation, mise-en-scene, music, dialogue, colour, film techniques etc etc etc... theres SO much more to talk about.

personally id go with it... as long as its a good movie. i used 'a beautiful mind'

 

[bananasmoothy]

i would definatley consider using movies. all of my other related texts were movies [for AOS, mod c and extension 1] and i got all band 6's [and e4]. you just need to use them effectively. talk about the techniques not the story.

ALL of them were movies? And you got +90%?
REALLY?

 

[Riviet]

As long as you can explain the techniques used effectively in the journey, and minimise the story telling, you can score band 6 in with any movie. Obviously the film also has to relate to the journey you're doing.

 

[mitsui]

i think bananasmooth is questioning the lack of variety of texts she used.
not so much the actual texts.
?

 

[Riviet]

Mercedes used a film as a related text for each module, the prescribed texts of each module probably not being films, hence the variety in each separate module.

 

[l-mercedes-l]

exactly riviet. films are great becasue each time you watch them you see more and more. theres stacks more techniques to refer to as well... therefore its much easier to find good links

 

[glitterfairy]

I figure that so long as you do something well, you can do anything - I did both "bad" choices (movie - Girl, Interrupted, and song - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For) for my AOS and still got my band 6

I actually really like song lyrics, because they're shorter (good for people like me who just want something quick to work with - hey, I was dealing with EE1 and EE2 at the time!!) - but usually there's a whole chunk of techniques in there. Just remember to differentiate between lyric writer and singer

For what it's worth, I think it should be mentioned that MANY students simply re-tell the plot line, regardless of what text it is, be it movie, song lyrics, book, poem whatever. So long as you drum it into your head that you're there to analyse and not tell a story, do whatever you like

And make sure you have a range of related texts within the one essay!

 

[Rekkusu]

Yes your teacher may be correct in some aspects, but movies are also great ways to associate English Advanced' AOS study. The intricacy of choosing movies as a related text is the juggling of both describing part of the story + obtaining quotes related to the story + presenting your view/the composer's view of the Journey as the final result.

In fact, this might flag your memory of the basic essay technique of:

Statement [Description of that excerpt of the movie],
Explanation [of that except, and how it relates to the journeys concept],
Quotes which support your explanation [integration is vital here],
Relate it back to your essay question.

Good luck for your preparation in the 2006 HSC!

 

[l-mercedes-l]

I actually really like song lyrics, because they're shorter (good for people like me who just want something quick to work with - hey, I was dealing with EE1 and EE2 at the time!!) - but usually there's a whole chunk of techniques in there. Just remember to differentiate between lyric writer and singer

i dont completely disagree with you but personally i found that lyrics were way too confining and limiting. im in awe of you anyway and im sure you pulled it off perfectly but i found that even after stripping every possible thing from the lyrics my teacher still said it wasnt enough. especially in EE1, despite talking about the music as well eg tone, structure... [haha just for you glitterfairy, --> breaking musical conventions as a gesture of defiance to globalised musical conventions as a way of retreating from the global prostitution of their work] {needless to say this got scrapped}

And make sure you have a range of related texts within the one essay!

Very Important! As long as there is a range of texts and you analyse it well you will be fine. using the related text to support what your saying about the AOS is the key.