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Pre-Production

Lesson 14: StoryTelling & The Documentary

Pre-Production/Lesson 14

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Self-Awareness

Self-Management

Social-Awareness

Relationship Skills

Responsible Decision-Making

CASEL 5 Competencies

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) FOCUS

Self-Awareness - the ability to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts and values and how they influence behavior across contexts�
Reflecting on past experiences and actions, specifically how you arrived at the point of action and how it has influenced others, is one way students can practice self-awareness�
One way to practice or begin engaging in storytelling is to tell one’s own story

Responsible Decision Making - The�ability to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations�
Working in teams, being open to ideas, using sound judgment, and problem solving is one way students can build responsible decision making skills

Pre-Production/Lesson 14

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Essential Questions

How does Narrative Story Structure enhance a film?�
What is Linear Story Structure and how can I use it in my film?�
How does Self Awareness and Responsible Decision support our Team Project?

Pre-Production/Lesson 14

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Review:

Film Alert! Defining US

Pre-Production/Lesson 14

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER

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Review

Film Kit Practice Activity

What do you notice about the shot sizes in the trailer? �
What types of angles are used to tell the story and why? �
How is framing used to tell the story in the film?

Pre-Production/Lesson 14

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Inclusive Opener

Narrative Storytelling Structure sample- Connecting to TILL

Pre-Production/Lesson 14

T: As you know from English or Literature classes you have taken, there are different types of storytelling structures. Documentary films follow those typical structures many times as well. They are real stories, but they have a clear beginning, middle and end.

T: Look at this slide. A narrative story structure includes an inciting incident, a complication, the climax, a reversal, and finally a resolution. The inciting incident is the event or moment that steadily pushes your protagonist toward your main story, or your second act. The complication consists of an action or actions that further the impact of the inciting incident. The climax is the moment of peak emotional intensity. Reversals throw the main character, the story, and the audience into a new direction and emotion. Let’s look a bit further.

(2 minutes)

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Engaging Strategies

Exposition- the beginning of the plot where the reader learns the characters and the setting of the story.

Rising Action- also known as the complication, refers to the events that take place in a story between the exposition and climax. The part of the plot that moves towards the climax through a series of progressively more complicated events and decisions by the main character or others.

Climax- the point in the narrative where the tension, excitement, or stakes reach the highest level

Falling Action- refers to the events that follow the climax of a story, the events that happen after the climax and before the resolution

Denouement- In film, the denouement is the final scene or sequence of a story. It occurs after the climax when all conflicts are resolved, and all questions answered to bring about a sense of conclusion or resolution for your audience.

Can you identify one of these narrative elements of the plot in the TILL clip?

Pre-Production/Lesson 14

T: Look at the components in narrative story structure and their meanings. Exposition, which is the beginning of the plot where the reader learns the characters and the setting of the story. The rising action refers to the part of the plot that moves towards the climax through a series of progressively more complicated events and decisions by the main characters or others. The climax is the point in the narrative where the tension, excitement, or stakes reach the highest level. The falling action refers to the events that follow the climax of a story, the events that happen after the climax and before the resolution. The denouement is the final scene or sequence of a story.

T: Coupled with story structure, I want you to think about how the story is told. In a moment we will look at the Trailer for the movie Till, a movie some of you may have seen. The movie trailer is a dramatic re-enactment of real events (not a documentary), and linear means they present the re-enactment in the order the events happened in real life. You will want to keep this in mind for your own project as you build out the overall beg, middle and end of your film as your film should be linear in format.

T: Be prepared to identify one of these elements of the plot in the Till clip.

(10 minutes)

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Film Clip Analysis

Pre-Production/Lesson 14

TILL- A Linear Narrative. A linear narrative presents the events of the story in the order in which they actually happened

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Engaging Strategies

[Show the Till trailer.] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYGlsSHb1Bw

T: Let’s discuss where we saw the narrative components. [review trailer prior and be prepared to discuss with students]

Exposition- the beginning of the plot where the reader learns the characters and the setting of the story.

Rising Action- also known as the complication, refers to the events that take place in a story between the exposition and climax. The part of the plot that moves towards the climax through a series of progressively more complicated events and decisions by the main character or others.

Climax- the point in the narrative where the tension, excitement, or stakes reach the highest level

Falling Action- refers to the events that follow the climax of a story, the events that happen after the climax and before the resolution

Denouement- In film, the denouement is the final scene or sequence of a story. It occurs after the climax when all conflicts are resolved, and all questions answered to bring about a sense of conclusion or resolution for your audience.

T: Did you notice the linear structure, the re-enactment of events told in the order they happened?

(7 minutes)

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Self-Awareness

Self-Management

Social-Awareness

Relationship Skills

Responsible Decision-Making

CASEL 5 Competencies

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) FOCUS

Self-Awareness - the ability to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts and values and how they influence behavior across contexts�
Reflecting on past experiences and actions, specifically how you arrived at the point of action and how it has influenced others, is one way students can practice self-awareness�
One way to practice or begin engaging in storytelling is to tell one’s own story

Responsible Decision Making - The�ability to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations�
Working in teams, being open to ideas, using sound judgment, and problem solving is one way students can build responsible decision making skills

Pre-Production/Lesson 14

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Engaging Strategies

Pre-Production/Lesson 14

Walk The Line: Values and identities

Ground Rules - There are no right or wrong answers and everyone’s personal reflections should be respected.

How to Play the Game:

Move to the right of the line if you agree with the statement.
Move to the left of the line if you disagree with the statement.
Remain on the line or in the middle if you are unsure or neutral on the statement.

Materials: Masking tape or rope to create a long line on the floor; list of statements or questions related to values, beliefs and identity; space large enough for the whole class to move around comfortably; have the tape/or rope in place prior if possible

[Lay a long line of masking tape or rope down the center of the room. Prepare a list of statements or questions that prompt students to reflect on their values, beliefs, aspects of their identity and decision making. Examples include:

"I feel most confident when I am alone."
"I feel most confident when I am with my family (or friends)."
"A quality I admire in others is open-mindedness."
"I believe it's important to treat all people with respect and dignity"
"I am proud of my who I am and my accomplishments."
“My personal actions can significantly impact the struggle against systemic issues [such as inequality and racism].”
“Forgiveness is essential for personal healing, even when the wrongdoing is severe and unforgivable.”
“Taking responsibility for the consequences of my actions is a key part of who I am.”
“I listen to different perspectives so I can make well-informed and responsible decisions.”

T: Today you will engage in a practice of self-awareness by playing the game “Walk the Line”. The purpose of this game is to help you explore and understand your personal values and various aspects of your identity, as well as how you make decisions Please remember that there are no right or wrong answers, and that we should respect everyone’s personal reflections. I am going to read a statement aloud to the group. You should move to the right side if you agree with my statement, move to the left side if you disagree, or stay on the line or close to the middle if you are neutral or have mixed feelings about the issue.

[Read one of the prepared statements and wait for students to move to their desired location. Allow students a moment to observe where they and their peers have positioned themselves. After each statement you may ask volunteers to share why they chose their position. You may also ask reflective questions to deepen the conversation. Some reflective questions include:

-What experiences have shaped this belief or value for you?

-How does this aspect of your identity influence your actions and decisions?]

[After several rounds of questions, bring the group together for a seated discussion.]

(20 minutes)

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Reflective Closure

Pre-Production/Lesson 14

What did you learn about yourself during this activity?

What did you learn about your peers during this activity?

How does understanding your values and identity influence your decision-making and interactions with others?

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Reflective Closure

Pre-Production/Lesson 14

Key Things to Remember:

Self-awareness is essential for personal growth and responsible decision-making

Continue reflecting on your values and identity beyond this activity and consider how they impact your decision-making.