Introduction to a Documentary Film Project

In this, the third in a series of four resources that use Robert Wise's 1951 version of The Day The Earth Stood Still as the core text, young film makers examine the language of film including shot composition, camera angle, lighting,...

How do you read a frame? How do you read a shot? Here's a resource that shows viewers how to read films. As part of the study, class members examine the camera angles, lighting, movement, and cinematic point of view in Mr. Smith Goes to...

Watch the Skies! Duck and Cover! Project Blue Book! Film, as a reflection of historical, cultural, and social issues, are the focus of the final lessons in a film unit that uses primary source documents and Robert Wise's 1951 version of...

How are films made? As part of their study of film, middle schoolers investigate the pre-production, production, and post-production process and consider the role of the director, the screenwriter, production designer, cinematographer,...

An insult to American politicians? A satire of news media? Or a critique of censorship, political corruption, and media propaganda? As part of a unit study on film, class members examine how director Frank Capra's develops these themes...

Watching is not the same as seeing. Transform viewers from passive watchers to active students of film with this 34-page packet, filled with lessons and activities that use Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to examine the technology, the...

Middle schoolers explore the art of film with this carefully scaffolded series of lessons that introduces film genres, explores the narrative structure of films, and uses The Day the Earth Stood Still to model how to become active...

Yeah, but is it real? Clips from the famous documentary film series 56 UP launches an examination of the differences between reality television and documentaries. After considering the characteristics of each format, class members...

Prepare your class for creating their own documentaries. Before they get started, they'll need to know what a documentary is and what makes a documentary compelling. As a class, watch several documentaries from the point of view of the...

The third instructional activity in a series, this resource narrows in on two aspects of documentary films: focus and angle. After a brief explanation of the terms, class members view a student-made film and identify the topic, focus,...