July 2 – 3 - Sydney Opera House

PART 8: THINKING ABOUT FILMS, A RESOURCE FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS
Screen literacy: thinking beyond the screen
Going to the movies can be great fun! It can also be an enjoyable way to learn about our world and the people
who live in it. Whether you are viewing a film for entertainment or as a learning experience, thinking and
talking about it with others can help everyone to understand more about the story and its messages and find
out more about how films are made. Focused discussions can help us to become more aware of thinking
behind the choices and decisions made by filmmakers. In turn this can help us to express our own ideas,
thoughts and feelings more clearly and effectively.
Pre-screening questions
• What do you like about going to the cinema? How is it different from viewing television?
• What do you already know about the film or films you are about to view?
• How did you find out the film or films?
• Why do you think this film, or these films, may have been made?
• What can you find out about a film and about filmmaking by reading film credits?
• Questions to think about while viewing films
• What did the film make you think about?
• How did the film make you feel?
• How did the filmmaker make you feel this way? You might think about how the filmmaker used the
camera, lighting, types of actors used (live or animated), costumes, props, sound or other interesting
aspects of creating a story for you to view on screen.
Post-screening questions
• Did you enjoy the film? Why or why not?
• Did the film remind you of any other films? In what ways?
• What types of characters were in the film?
• Did you like the characters? Why or why not?
• Did you care what happened to the characters? Why or why not?
• Why do you think some films include characters that many people will not like?
• Did the film remind you of anything from your own life?
• How do the Indigenous people or characters in the film solve their problems?
• What can Indigenous people or adults do in real life if they have problems that are difficult to solve?
• Are there things about some of the film characters and their lives that surprised you?
• Did the film end in the way your expected? Were you satisfied with the ending? In what other ways
could it have concluded?
• Was this film, or these films, like shows or films you usually watch on TV or at the cinema? What are
some similarities and differences?
Thinking more about the film
Do you think the filmmakers selected appropriate setting/s for the film/s? Why do you think these choices
were made?
Were particular colours featured in set design, costuming or props? How can this help to create mood or
atmosphere? How does the ‘look’ of the film contribute to the story or to the message of the film?
Message Sticks Teacher Kit 2008 ©ACMI 35