Handouts for CAMTESOL 2013 presentation Lights, Cameras, English Activities for reading and writing based on film

1. Lights, Camera, English
Promoting EFL Literacy with Film: Part 1
Susan Kelly
.sksogang@yahoo.com
Small Group Blogs
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Sample Scenes
Background: Jimmy is friends with married couple, Harold and Maisy. Jimmy works with Harold and they
are staying at the same New York hotel. Maisy invites Jimmy to spend the weekend in Italy so he can
meet her single friend Donna. She hopes to do some match making. Donna happens to be in New York
and meets Jimmy. At first she likes him, but then through a mistake confuses him with Maisy’s husband
Harold. She thinks Harold was flirting with her.
With your group members write some scenes that show these characters in Italy. The following beats
must occur in your scenes.
1. Jimmy doesn’t want to go to Italy. Then he tells Harold he really likes Donna and hopes to win her
heart. Then Harold gets a messages that Donna is Maisy’s friend, who will be in Italy so now Jimmy
agrees to go.
2. Maisy and Donna sit by the pool in Italy, Maisy asks Donna if she met Harold in New York. Donna
nervously mentions that Harold was very flirtatious with her. She explains that Harold sent her flowers
and danced with her. To Donna’s surprise, Maisy thinks that’s fine!
3. Harold tells Jimmy that he met a young woman at the park and almost kissed her. He wants Jimmy to
keep this a secret.
4. At a restaurant Donna enters and sees Jerry. She tries to avoid him. He sees her and goes to her
before she can leave. He tells her that Maisy knows exactly the write woman for him. This shocks
Donna, who says she admires Maisy and Jerry agrees. Donna says, “I know who you are.” Jerry says
why should that matter. After a bit of talk, though Donna is still shocked by Jerry. Then he asks her to
marry him. She ends the scene saying, “How could I fall in love with anyone so low!”
You will work with four or five partners. If you group has five people give Harold an assistant who always
makes mistakes and annoys him as a 5th character.
You will work together to write these scenes. Next week the groups will act out their scenes for the class.
Be creative. There are many different ways to make this unique. You can decide the character’s jobs and
history. You can choose where these scenes take place and you can change the cities.

2. Some good websites for teaching with film:
Filmsite.org, offers good, comprehensive information
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/filmstudies/index.html has a great listing of film studies
resources
Media Literacy Clearing House for K-12 educators www.med.se.edu:1081/
Screensite.org film course syllabi:
www.auburn.edu/~rileyjl/screenwriting/home.html screen writing resources
Hollywood Stock Exchange: www.hsx.com
Movie Clichés List: www.moviecliches.com
Journal of Popular Film and TV
www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0412/mag.jhtml
National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA)
www.naatanet.org

3. Every critic has a thesis that they try to prove by giving good reasons for their
opinion. After reading the three reviews of The Matrix, work with a partner to
answer these questions:
What is Nev Pierce’s thesis about The Matrix?
What evidence does he present to convince us?
What is Bob Graham’s thesis about The Matrix?
What evidence does he present to convince us?
What is Roger Ebert’s thesis about The Matrix?
What evidence does he present to convince us?
Compare your responses with another pair’s.

4. Inference Practice: Text and Subtext in Movie Dialog
Text
Carl to Rick: You’re getting to be your best customer
Subtext
Rick, you’re drinking too much
Text
Annina: Monsieur Rick, what kind of a man is Captain Renault?
Rick: Oh, he's just like any other man, only more so.
Subtext
Text
Captain Renault: By the way, last night you evinced an interest in Se ñor Ugarte.
Victor Laszlo: Yes.
Captain Renault: I believe you have a message for him?
Victor Laszlo: Nothing important, but may I speak to him now?
Major Heinrich Strasser: You would find the conversation a trifle one-sided. Se ñor
Ugarte is dead.
Ilsa: Oh.
Captain Renault: I am making out the report now. We haven't quite decided yet whether
he committed suicide or died trying to escape.
Subtext