Phil McCarten/ReutersTom Sherak, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, announced the Oscar nominations for the 84th annual Academy Awards. Go to related article »
It’s movie season, as evidenced by the annual convergence of three major events in the film industry: the announcement of this year’s Oscar nominees, the Golden Globes and the Sundance Film Festival in full swing.
We have two related resource collections: “Film in the Classroom” and “10 Ways to Teach the Oscars,”but here are some more ideas for teaching with this year’s films.
From Book to Film
Six of the best-picture Oscar nominees this year — “The Help,” “Moneyball,” “The Descendants,” “Hugo,” “War Horse” and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” — were books first. In addition, all five best-actress nominations, as well as three for best actor, are for performances based on books. What other films can you name from any era that are based on books? For which of these do you think the book is better than the film, and for which do you believe the film is better than the book? How hard or easy do you imagine it is to “translate” a written piece to the screen? What gets lost? What is added?
Compare any of this year’s nominees with its book to delve into these questions. Or, try your hand at creating a storyboard or video of a scene from a novel or work of nonfiction you’re currently reading in or outside of school.
What It Means to Be Great
Our Student Opinion question today is What Are the Best Movies You Saw in 2011? Write in and tell us. How many of those movies are among the award nominees this year? Why might some of your favorites have been overlooked? What movies do you think will win this year? Why? What, to you, makes a great film? Choose one film you love from any era and watch it again, taking notes this time on what details make watching it such a powerful experience for you. Then, write an essay about or review of the film that analyzes what makes it effective, perhaps modeled on the writing of your favorite Times movie critic.
Picking Winners
Take a look at Times critics’ Oscar nominee predictions from this year. Who was most accurate? Did they seem to be favoring who and what should win, or who and what was likely to win? What surprised the critics? What factors in the past seem to have been predictive of Academy Award winners? See how you and your friends do by filling out an Oscar ballot to predict the winners, then watch the Academy Awards together to see how you fare.
Editing the Language of Film
Whether or not you have read or seen “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” you can examine some of the film’s edits in a related slide show to delve into the language of film — and to inspire your own edits in any medium. What do you learn from the slide show about how editing affects an audience’s understanding of tone, character, point of view and plot? How might you edit a piece of your own to strengthen it? Use the slide show’s captions as models to write annotations of your own about the reasons for your most significant edits. How did you refine your work to strengthen its message and structure?
Everything Old (Hollywood) Is New Again
This year’s contenders for the Academy Award for Best Picture include “The Artist” and “Hugo,” both set in the early days of moviemaking. Watch one or both movies, with this video about them. Then, do historical research about the place and time of one of these films — or any of the other nominated films, whether the 1960s South of “The Help” or the World War I setting of “War Horse” — to get a sense of the lives of real people who lived then and there. How well would you say the film you watched scored on historical accuracy? Why? What do you think viewers who know little about the milieu might take away about the world that is depicted? What tools did the filmmakers use to make that place and time come alive?
Anatomy of a Favorite Scene
Inspired by the Anatomy of a Scene video series, like the one about the Oscar-nominated film “The Artist,” create a video of your own in which you comment on a scene from a favorite movie. (Our lesson plan can help!) The Critics’ Picks video series, like this one from A.O. Scott, might also serve as inspiration.
Depending on course curriculum, you might focus on historical accuracy or perform a close textual reading. Hold an Anatomy of a Scene event where all the videos are shown and discussed.
Timeless Ideas About the Oscars
Much of our 2010 10 Ways to Teach the Oscars post is still relevant, like the writing assignment about whether judges are able to separate the merits of the nominated films from the frenzy surrounding them, or the persuasive essay on the role ceremonies like the Oscars play in our culture. You can update the “Do the Math” statistical analysis of Oscar predictions and winners activity by using this year’s “And the Nominees Should Be. . .” feature.
The Industries Around the Industry
Why is Hollywood such big business? What other industries does it enable and support? Consider the amount of attention paid to red carpet fashion, andwhat goes into dressing celebrities for awards ceremonies. Aside from aesthetics and fun, why else is style such a huge focus? Try to figure out how much is spent on clothes, stylists and beautification during movie season, or focus on another industry that is supported by Hollywood, like advertising.
