WARNING: Possible side effects to film production in the classroom

I’ll admit it. My knee-jerk reaction to having my students create a film of any sort is a resounding no. Not because I’m opposed to film as a medium, and not because I’m afraid of technology. Well, maybe I’m a little bit afraid . . . Anyway, the main reason I’m not crazy about asking my students to create film is simply lack of time. It takes SO much time to create a quality project – even if it’s only a thirty-second commercial. We’re so strapped for time as it is, why ask students to go to all the hassle when they can accomplish the same goals by writing a paper?

Then I read the Hobbs chapters.

And I realized how my reluctance to take on this type of project might rob my students of valuable learning at a much deeper level than meeting the standards. There are possible side effects to creating video projects in the classroom, and these side effects can have lifelong impact.  They are:

1. Improvement in self-esteem

Any genre of film used in the classroom will be a highly scripted endeavor, even if it is a thirty-second commercial, or an interview segment. When students realize this, it results in an “aha” moment. Before students peek behind the curtain as to how scripted media is, most students think that those youTube hosts or TV emcees are naturally gifted speakers, and those witty/intelligent/snarky, etc. words fly out of their mouths spontaneously. Students don’t realize there are script writers, rehearsals, and multiple takes just to get it to look natural and spontaneous. The “light bulb” moment occurs when students realize that with careful planning, they too, can create a similar product.

2. Break out of comfort zone

Creating a video forces students to do things they wouldn’t normally do, such as interview strangers or people they don’t know well, as referenced in Hobbs’ chapter five.  The Ladue student found interviewing difficult at first, but then said, “It became natural after hours and hours of doing it. Breaking out of my comfort zone was surprisingly fun” (p. 86).

3. Promotes intellectual curiosity 

Hobbs believes working with media composition promotes intellectual curiosity, provided students are highly engaged in their topic (p. 88-89). There are many ways to communicate message via the film medium, but to do it well, students must fall in love with the subject matter.

4. Develops ethical stance

In the Hobbs chapter, students want to produce a conservation video about the pond behind their school. Normally, the pond is polluted with garbage, and when the students went to film it, they found a strong wind had blown it away, along with their chance of creating a meaty conservation video (p.91). Students wanted to “stage” the pollution by adding trash to the pond to serve their production purposes. A great class discussion on the ethics of filmmaking ensued.

5. Encourages critical thinking

Perhaps the most important “side effect” to teaching filmmaking is having students engage in critical thinking. Film is power, and the strength (and bias) of its message has no parallel. The first act students must reflect on is how they plan to portray their characters and what message they want to send. In Hobbs’ fourth chapter, she offers an important list of questions for students to ponder when engaging in film composition (p. 69).

Credit: bridgethegapmedia.com