Using Photographs in Film
In this activity, students will compose a short video that pairs a statement on photography with archival photographs.
PHOTOGRAPHY LESSON 3:
FILM/VIDEO
1—2 class periods (45-90 min) + video assignment
VIDEOS:
On Photography Video and Transcript (as needed)
HANDOUTS:
Handout 1(as needed)
Handout 2 (as needed)
Lesson 2: Handout 2A (as needed)
Lesson 2: Handout 3 (as needed)
Unit Research(as needed)
WORKSHEET:
TEACHING PLAN:
- Art and Culture
Medium > Visual Arts
Subject Matter > Art History
Subject Matter > Philosophy
- History and Social Studies
Themes > Culture
World > The Modern World
- Literature and Language Arts
Genre > Essay
Place > American
Place > Modern World
- Analysis
- Critical thinking
- Cultural analysis
- Discussion
- Film editing
- Gathering, classifying and interpreting written and visual information
- Internet skills
- Interpretation
- Media analysis
- Making inferences and drawing conclusions
- Online research
- Representing ideas and information orally and graphically
- Research
- Synthesis
- Technology
- Using archival documents
- Visual analysis
- Visual art analysis
- Visual presentation skills
- ELA Reading: 7
- ELA Writing: 7, 9
- ELA Speaking & Listening: 1-2, 5
- HSS Reading: 7-9
- HSS Writing: 7, 9
LESSON 3 HANDOUTS
- Allow additional time for peer review, fine cutting, and critique of finished videos.
- Assign a response paper to accompany the video, asking students to reflect on their choice of statement and images and to evaluate the impact of the finished video.
- Post videos to a class vlog or web gallery, or arrange a coordinated school or public screening of the work, highlighting a shared class interest or theme (see our Information for Teachers).
- To deepen studies, ask students to reflect on the wider use of photography in film, considering fiction films such as Rear Window, Blow-Up, Memento, Proof, City of God, A Thousand Times Good Night, Coco, or other contemporary narratives, as well as recent documentary films. Rather than have them construct their assignments in response to a theoretical statement, ask students to compose short videos in a genre of their choice, featuring 10 or more photographs in their projects.