[Kieran]

Hi Michael,

Thanks very much for your great analysis of the filmmaking activities.

1 Second Film:
As is, expect I would make them focus on something ‘Korean’ – it can be something they love, or something they’re curious about – anything!

This one easily lends itself to a cultural focus. In fact, all of them do!

5-second films:
I could have them do these in *either* Korean or English – whichever isn’t their first language. If possible, they could also work in bi-lingual pairs in order to have some peer-help. Same topic as the 1-second film.

I like the idea of bi-lingual pairs giving each other support. Nice!

1-minute film:
Possibly, as a longer 2-part project for the term. They could do this twice: once in English/Korean (whichever *is* their L1), and then, later, in whichever language *isn’t* their L1.

Great idea to do this in both languages!

Film Reviews
This could be an alternate choice for a project, though I wouldn’t require students to do it in Korean unless they were at a sufficiently high level; probably English only.

This would obviously depend on the students’ Korean level.

Filming a Dialogue
This looks fun, but I wonder about the logistics – it would really depend on the specific scene. That being said, we could have students perform the scenes in their own language (and their own ‘culture’ – i.e., modifying it as they choose to fit into their own cultural norms) and then compare them. That would be fascinating – if we could make it work!

Good point about the logistics. You’d have to choose the scene carefully to make sure it’s feasible to do in the classroom.

These all sound like things the students would actually enjoy doing!

Yes. Students do generally enjoy these filmmaking activities.

Thanks again for your great analysis, Michael.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Michael,

Thanks very much for your answers.

Have you used any of these new short film and video genres with your students?
No, but I’m hoping to in the future as they look excellent!

I’m happy you’re enthusiastic about using these new genres.

Which genres do you think would be most popular?
I think viral videos would be of most immediate interest, but I’d try out ‘unknown’ genres on them as well.

‘Viral’ videos are often popular with students.

Thanks again for your answers, Michael.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Michael,

Thanks very much for your answers.

Of the generic activities, I think #1 could be adapted for my students , but with the Korean vocabulary. I would add, because we’re watching mainly Korean films with English subtitles, that they ‘notice’ not (only) which character says the expression but how that expression is translated. This could prompt so good learning and class discussion.

I like this noticing activity. It would definitely prompt good learning and class discussion.

Of the detailed ideas, I think “Words” has the most possibility. This could be used to *both* improve their awareness of, and skills with, collocations and phrasal verbs as well as look at how difficult it is to ‘translate’ these into Korean (i.e., it’s often impossible).

“Words” is an incredible film. It can be used over a number of classes. One class could be dedicated to each of the eight verbs used in the film.

Thanks again for your answers, Michael.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Michael,

Thanks very much for your excellent answer.

Thinking about my upcoming classes (not only K-culture but also advanced discussion) I think that two films: “Moments” and “We’re the Superhumans” would be great choices. This is not only because analysing them in terms of the cinematic techniques used, but because these two things are ‘hidden’ in Korean culture. That is to say they are present, but there is still a stigma attached to them and they are not discussed – they are largely ignored in most discussions of Korean society unless you are working with people in those sectors.

Those are two good shorts to work on. Many societies try to hide homelessness and disability.

I think it’s very important for (Korean) students to learn that difficult topics need to be discussion openly and honestly.

Absolutely. I agree that students need to learn that difficult topics need to be discussed openly and honestly.

Thanks again for your excellent answer.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Michael,

Thanks very much for your answers.

Did you enjoy the films and videos?
Yes!

‘m happy you enjoyed the films and videos!

Are the values presented in the films and videos important in the culture of your teaching context?
I think discussions of values are important – and becoming increasingly more important – even though I’m “just” teaching ESL/EFL. For the K-culture class I’m prepping at the moment, values discussion will be an integral part of the course.

You can definitely work on values in the culture course.

Are there any short films related to values that have worked well with your students?
I don’t think I’ve done this – yet.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy working on them in the future.

Thanks again for your answers, Michael.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Michael,

Thanks very much for your great answers!

Have you used short films and videos as writing prompts before?
Not from short films / videos, but from paintings and pictures.

Using a screenshot from a short film as a wriitng prompt is very similar to using a painting and a photo as a writing prompt.

Have you used any other writing activities inspired by short films or videos?
one review activity I did worked very well. I had small groups of students write a journalistic interview with the lead character from some of the films we had studied. They had to use a mix of ‘thin’ and ‘fat’ questions (thin = closed, yes/no; fat = open, requiring longer answers). They had to construct the series of questions, and then write the answers as they believed the character would have answered them. One group totally rocked it. The interviewee was “Blade” (Wesley Snipe’s grumpy vampire killer). His answer to every question was either a grunt or a growl. ?

This sounds brilliant!

Which of the activities in the text do you like most? Why?
I really love the “Two characters”. the “How are they feeling?” question leads nicely into a “How would you express this in your / in Korean culture?” (Sorry, I’ve phrased that last awkwardly.)

“Two characters” is a popular activity. I like how you’ve adapted it to focus on culture.

I also like the empathy question, as I think empathy is an important aspect of intercultural communication.

Empathy is definitely vital in intercultural communication and intercultural communicative competence.

Which of the activities could you use with your students?
All of them!

I’m delighted you like all of the activities!

Thanks again for your excellent responses, Michael.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Michael,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of the silent film activities.

1. Observation Questions
I would alter this by starting with basic observation questions, and then ask them:
“What do you see as an example of Korean culture here?”

Great that you’ve added a question to suit the needs of your teaching context.

The class discussion would (possibly) focus on their answers to this question. I might also give them more time to ‘rank’ their answers from most significant to least significant – to give them something to reflect on.

I really like this ranking activity.

2. Food for thought.
I would have my students do this, but have them consciously think of what a typical member of their culture might be thinking. After, the class can do some cultural comparison.

I like the way you’ve adapted this to focus on culture. Nice!

3. Reconstruct a story
This is possibly too difficult, but students could ‘reconstruct’ the story of a short film as it would / could happen in their own culture.

It would be possible to get students to reconstruct the story of a short film as it would happen in their own culture. I like the idea. You could use it with some short films but not all, I think it would depend on the narrative.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Michael.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Michael,

Thanks very much for your great analysis of the activities.

Hello there! (Plus, apologies for my absence.)

Absolutely no need to apologise. Great to have you back!

1 Do you agree with the benefits of using short films in the article? Are there any other benefits that you can think of?

I do, and I can’t think of any other significant benefits. I think the benefits listed cover the bases!

Yes. The benefits in the article do cover most of the bases!

2 To download and read the five generic activity sheets.

1. Viewing Guide
I like this (of course I do!). One thing I thought might be useful is to have individual students, or small groups, focus on one or two questions and then have the whole class collaborate to create a ‘comprehensive’ response.

I like your idea of having individual students, or small groups, focus on one or two questions and then having the whole class collaborate to create a ‘comprehensive’ response. Great idea!

2. Video Ads
I like this as well, and have used something similar in some of my classes. One question I might add is “How is the camera used in the ad?” Depending on what’s being sold, the camera movement can be very rapid, with jump cuts (eg in ‘late-night infomercials’) or use a very slow ‘ken burns effect’ coupled with das music (eg for charities who want to hook you emotionally).

Excellent idea to add the camera question.

3. Setting
I really like this for the course I’m preparing. I would add, because my course is focused on Korean culture, another question “What do you see that is, or might be, Korean about this setting?”

Brilliant to adapt this question to your teaching context.

4. Sound grid
I love this! The four areas make it very clear what students should be listening for. I will certainly use this in at least one of the films in my course “A Tale of Two Sisters.”

I’m glad you like this one. It’s great that you’ve decided to use this one in your course.

5. Listen then view.
I quite like this idea – I’ll have to give it more thought as to how to best use it.

This one works very well too.

Thanks again for your great analysis, Michael.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks very much for your great lesson outline.

Pre-viewing

I’d show students a picture of the protagonist, Alma. I’d get them to describe her and make predictions about who she is and where she’s going, completing a setting/character analysis activity sheet.

Using a screenshot of the character would work really well with this film. I like your sequence of activities to go with the screenshot and think they would work really well.

While viewing

I’d get students to predict what’s going to happen in the film. Students will watch the film and it will be paused at key points. Students will share ideas in pairs and write down their predictions. The film will restart and students will check their predictions. Repeat this.

Your described the prediction process really well here. Again, I think this sequence would work well.

Extension activity: I’d get students to sequence events from the film, watch the film one more time to check.

Do you mean to put events into order here? if so, that would definitely work nicely.

Post viewing

I’d get the students to reflect on what they had watched and share their thoughts in class feedback.

This is nice. Perhaps we could scaffold this a little by giving students a few questions to discuss in order to guide them a little. For exaxmple:

How did the film make you feel?

Did the ending surprise you? Why/Why not?

What words would you use to describe Alma?

What words would you use to describe the film?

Students would then write a sequel, following on from what happens at the end of the film.

Writing a sequel would be a great homework task.

Thanks again for your great lesson outline, Andrew.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Marialena,

Thanks very much for your great lesson outline.

The short film I chose is The Present.

I nice choice.

Pre-viewing: I would do the adjectives list activity that you suggested.

The adjective activity would work well here.

Additionally, I would initially play only the sound at the beginning of the video to encourage the students to predict what the start of the video is about (gaming) by asking questions such as – Where is the film set? / What sounds can you hear? / What is happening?.

Showing the film without sound is a great way to get students speculating, inferring and predicting.

After they predict that somebody might be playing video games I would also ask them – Which of the adjectives on your lists are generally used to describe people who play videogames? (by their peers vs by parents) – in order to connect it to the previous activity.

This is a good pre-viewing task. I like the way you’ve connected it to the previous task.

While-viewing: Pause at different points and ask students -> What do you think about the boys behaviour? and What happens next?

Pausing and asking students what they think of the boy’s behaviour is a very effective way of checking comprehension. The question ‘What do you think happens next?’ is obviously really effective at getting students to make predictions based on present evidence.

Post-viewing: I would use the video as a prompt for a discussion around the themes of disability and the treatment of nonhuman animals.

Yes. The film lends itself very well as a prompt for discussion of disability and the treatment of nonhuman animals.

For h/w: write a sequel of the film (How’s the life of the boy now that he’s got a nonhuman companion?)

A sequel would work really well for homework.

OR ‘Though Bubbles’ -> re-watch the film and write down the thoughts of the boy and the dog

Getting students to write the thoughts of the mother, son and dog would be a lovely activity.

Thanks again for you great lesson outline, Marialena.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of the suitability of the film.

The short film I’ve chosen is Alma – I’d use it with older classes of young learners, teenagers and young adults.

This is a great short and a good choice.

There’s no dialogue, just music and sound effects. It’s just shy of 5 minutes long which means it can be rewatched during the lesson.

A five-minute silent short film with a clear coherent narrative is pretty much perfect in my opinion.

Students are familiar with toys and toy shops, but not like this one! It’s a little creepy and mysterious but I think that’s what makes it interesting and it think it will appeal to the students too.

Yes. It’s quirkiness is one of the things that make it so appealing.

The film can be exploited in a number of ways, leading to a variety of possible tasks in the pre, during and post viewing stages.

There’s definitely a wide range of activities we could do with this film.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Andrew.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Marialena,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of the suitability of the film.

I chose the short film The Present.

A good choice and an interesting film to work with.

Level: A2 – B1 (low B1)
Student type: Primarily young learners and teenagers (as they could identify with the character), though I assume it would work really well with learners of all ages

From my experience, I can say it works with all levels but possibly best with kids and teens.

Language: quasi-silent, only a couple of easy dialogues, also high visuality

Yes. It is quasi-silent.

Length: it’s on the ‘longer’ side (4:19) though given that it is quasi-silent and the narrative is mostly told visually time would not be overwhelming. It’s rather necessary for the narrative to unfold to dedicate the 4min.

In my opinion, 4–5 minutes is about the perfect length.

Relevance and interest: I think it’s relevant to teenagers given that it begins with a boy who we see playing video games – which is exactly what my students are always talking about – so already since the very first second it is captivating and familiar.

Excellent. The fact teens can directly relate to the film makes it suitable for them.

Then the themes of disability and treatment of nonhuman animals are introduced both of which could be of interest to students. Especially given that in Greece both groups are often disregarded by both the citizens and the state (huge numbers of abandoned companion nonhuman animals on the streets / mistreatment is a common phenomenon / no care for people with disabilities / lack of respect)

Great point. Sadly, these two groups are marginalised in many countries.

Task potential: adjectives to describe both the boy and the dog (character-wise) / prediction tasks

Adjective to describe character and making predictions are definitely two things we could use this film for.

Thanks again for your lesson outline, Marialena.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Angie,

Thanks very much for your evaluation of the framework.

Do you think it could work with your students?
Yes, sounds great!

I’m happy you like the framework.

Can you foresee any problems?
Maybe the film editing… I hope they don’t ask me any questions on that!

As I mentioned in a previous thread, most students already know how to edit a video or can learn to do so really quickly.

How would you adapt this framework so it could be used in online classes?
With my university students it wouldn’t be a problem. They would get the task and do most of it outside of class or would meet each other online. Presentation online.

Yes. Students can still the framework online.

Thanks again for your evaluation, Angie.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Angie,

Thanks very much for your great evaluation of the filmmaking framework.

Which ones could you use with your students?
All of them are interesting.

I’m glad you find them all interesting.

Which ones are your personal favourites? Why?
I think the how-to’s would be my favorite, but I’d have to test them.

The how-to videos are one of the best to start off with.

My question:
Do you have any recommendations on video editing tools? I am intrigued by having the students make their vids, but I never make any myself and find this quite intimidating, I wouldn’t know where to start to combine the vids of the students for example.

I recommend the software that students already have on their computers or mobile phone. The Window Movie Maker software which comes with Windows is absolutely fine as is the iMovie software which comes with Macs. It’s not necessary to use any other editing programmes. I would also say that students will know more about editing software than their teacher, and if they don’t know how to edit a video, they learn how to do so very quickly.

Also, anecdote: I had wanted students to record their presentations in class once (uni class), it was only for them to evaluate themselves after the presentation. One of the students anonymously complained to the university and as I hadn’t had them sign wavers to have their image taken and I hadn’t included it in the course description before they signed up I got into trouble over the issue.

Oh dear!Not a pleasant situation to be in. It’s necessary for students to sign a waiver if their image is going to be shared.

Thanks again for your great evaluation, Angie.

All the best,

Kieran

[Kieran]

Hi Marialena,

Thanks very much for your great analysis of what makes these films good at fostering empathy.

Common general features of the films that foster empathy: cinematic scenes, music used to generate empathy,

Yes. The films all use music really well to generate empathy.

relatable or extraordinary characters, situations in which we could potentially see ourselves, our friends, neighbours etc., real life inspired problems / scenarios,

Yes. The relatable character and situations help to generate empathy.

close ups, focus on the individual characters,

The close-up shots help to foster empathy.

colours that match the soundtrack (dark when melancholic music / brighter when upbeat),

The use of color also generates empathy.

positive images about situations to which society tends to attribute negative features (e.g. disability / illiteracy).

Yes. Positive imagery about what society often tries to hide is another factor which can generate empathy.

Thanks again for your great analysis, Marialena.

All the best,

Kieran

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