Teaching Filmmaking

Dr. Limoncelli sets out to design a summer filmmakers§workshop for §high school students. She constructs the curriculum§with the idea §that learning to make their own visual stories will§help students with §their critical and creative thinking skills as well§as creating a process §that would help them to develop a more positive§self-image. This §study tells the story of the filmmakers workshop,§focusing on four §of the students who took part in the class, from the§point of view of §their teacher/researcher who follows them on their§journey. This §study has all the details of a how to guide for§English or Language §Arts teachers who want to support the filmmaking§endeavors of §their students. The students in this story learn to§analyze films and §then engage in discussions about character, narrative§structure, and §how themes are developed. They brainstorm story§ideas using §writing exercises and then develop their own ideas§for film. They §learn how tell their own story using techniques of§narrative imagery. §To read this journal-based study is to experience the§thoughts, §hopes, and struggles of the students and the teacher§as they share §the process of learning.