Film as Art
Filmmaking has evolved into a broad area for artistic expression. Exploring the filmmakers’ art will open the door to the technical and narrative techniques for creating and telling stories through this visual medium. At one level, each film tells its story through the actors and their dialogue. At another level, the director and crew express the story and its themes and messages through various cinematic techniques including
- Music
- Color, Lighting, and Shadows
- Cameras, Point of View, and Framing of Scenes
- Narrative Sequencing and Time
- Humor
- Character Development
- Irony
- Foreshadowing
Every nuance and detail is used to articulate the vision of a film’s creators. Exploring these tools and techniques can help your children learn to express themselves with film and video, or spark an interest in the various technologies that underpin the production of film and video.
Complementing Traditional Subjects
With, literally, a world of film subjects from which to choose, you can find a movie that is topic and age appropriate for your homeschoolers. You have the luxury to select films that can aid in teaching particular subjects such as:
- English
- Drama
- Science
- Mathematics
- Geography
- Government
- Speech/Rhetoric
- Astronomy
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- History
- Medicine
- Music and Dance
Context, Worldview, and Critical Thinking Skills
Movies can entertain and inform. Every film reflects the worldview of its creators, and that is an important thing to keep in mind whenever viewing a film. Using a movie as an educational tool, you can help your children learn to view critically, analyze the message, and understand the context that is being conveyed. The very same tools that the filmmaker uses to create an interesting and compelling film are also employed in framing the messages or agendas that are present within that film. Using film in educating your kids gives you the chance to explore the world and the various influences in a controlled environment—an environment that you control. Guided discussions and activities allow you to articulate your beliefs and worldview in comparison with what is portrayed in any particular film. Ensuing dialogue helps children ask questions, explore alternatives and learn to discern and evaluate what they see and hear from the perspective that you, as a parent, are instilling in their minds and hearts. The insight and skills derived from a study of selected films can prove invaluable in equipping your children’s future lives as adults.