Dystopian Deep Dive: Week 1 Lesson 2 Blog for Creative Writing and Film Studies

By golly, the mid to late 2010s was such a wonderful time for dystopian film! Today, my Creative Writing and Film Studies class continued their investigation of Film Genres and National Cinemas, with a ‘deep dive’ focus on dystopia.

While I was designing the jigsaw task for this lesson, I remember doing my best to choose films from various years, and about various topics within the genre. While I had success with the latter (from telekinetic children, to quarantine on islands of trash, human experimentation, and evil dictatorships) I did however make peace with the fact that the best examples were clustered around the 2010s. Upon reflection, this was certainly a time where interest in dystopian film peaked, especially in a form that exhibited tell-tale characteristics and crossover from the teen film genre, and was for the majority marketed to a PG-13 audience. Young people were showing an interest in a future that may not be the brightest. After kicking off with a discussion of The 5th Wave (2016), and a rather critical article from The Guardian of its limitations, the films I offered for the jigsaw task were The Thinning (2016), The Hunger Games (2012), Divergent (2014), Isle of Dogs (2018), The Giver (2014), The Maze Runner (2014), and The Darkest Minds (2018). The initial reception of these titles sparked excitement, especially for The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and The Thinning (the students who chose the latter were curious, largely due to the scandal involving one of the stars and now controversial YouTuber, Logan Paul). For my blog (which I will try to keep brief, and in doing so, ‘to the brief’ and expectations set for the students regarding these regular blogs), I will discuss The Thinning.

The Thinning has been categorised as a social science fiction thriller web film, and was released by YouTube Red in 2016, making it available to watch in full by anyone on YouTube (I can still remember the high frequency of advertisements for it on the platform). The film starred actress and model, Peyton List, and then famous (now arguably infamous) YouTuber, Logan Paul. Without giving away any spoilers, the premise of The Thinning focuses on the real world concern of overpopulation. While we are currently experiencing this issue now, the film is set in a world where it has gotten so serious that countries must “cull” their population each year. While some countries picked the oldest people to go, America in this film has chosen to identify who must die via a yearly academic aptitude test delivered to school children on an iPad (while surrounded by armed guards). If this is not horrific enough, we soon learn that this game of life and death is rigged in the favour of those well connected financially. Some students will study tirelessly, while others of the upper class need not worry about any revision. The film offers some provocative jabs towards American capitalism and political propaganda, gun violence and abundance in the USA, and the relationships between corrupt politicians and the wealthy. While the sequel lacked lustre for me in my opinion, I was very glad to see a follow up instalment for this film franchise nevertheless. I would recommend this film as a fun Friday night watch, and the convenience of its accessibility on YouTube is a draw card in this age of increasingly portable viewing experiences.

Videos:

Riley Petersen. 2022, Dystopian Movie Montage - Riley Petersen IB Film, online video, viewed on 3 February 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNnnH2fAnlk

Since I'm Not a Hypocrite: Week 1 Lesson 1 Blog for Creative Writing and Film Studies

Today, I taught the first lesson of the Year 9 elective subject: Creative Writing and Film Studies. As a requirement of the course, students will be introduced to the idea of film and creative writing blogging. Using my Wix site as an exemplar, students will be able to give shape and form to their thoughts, ideas, and observations, and collect their writings in an online portfolio of work. Since I am not a hypocrite, I will practise what I preach and commit to blogging right along with them!

The unit’s driving question is as follows:

For their first piece of writing, students have been asked to compose a blog about their understanding of the topic so far. They may choose to write about:

• Their favourite film genre and why

• Their favourite genre film

• Why they picked this subject

• Why they love film / what do they like about it

• Or a key need to know question i.e. how might film genres take a different shape over time and/or in different countries?

For my blog, I will touch on all five prompts (while students are only expected to write 300 - 500 words, they are more than welcome to write more. Especially with blogging, when you’re experiencing a wave of creativity, you have to ride it!)

My favourite film genre and why

While I am a true cinema lover and that is a hard question to answer, I would have to say horror. While I couldn’t always stomach it, what I came to love about the horror genre is the freedom of expression that comes with a form that is not bound to social correctness, and strict expectations from viewers. Horror films can be offensive, cruel, crude, and downright strange. While they come with their own set of conventions and tell-tale attributes, horror films do not have to have a happy ending, the characters do not have to survive, and evil can in some cases be too great to overcome (and in the case of the film’s survival at the box office, that’s alright!). In my opinion however the best horror films are those that cross over with science fiction films (such as Life, Metropolis, and the recent Blumhouse Productions treasure, M3GAN), as they open our eyes to the true horrors in our own world; evil and malice that is often fuelled by the greed and unhealthy ambitions of humans that wish to have and achieve it all).

My favourite genre film

When it comes to defining a ‘genre film’, I understand it as a film that is a “classic” example of that genre. To love a genre film is to enjoy it fully, despite perhaps being able to predict the ending, and what happens next. While it isn’t my favourite genre by far, a romantic comedy that I really enjoy Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), starring Steve Carell alongside Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, and Emma Stone. While it is not a movie that pushes the genre anywhere unique, it doesn’t necessarily need to. The general premise is that Steve Carell’s ‘white bread America’ character realises he has no ‘dating game’ after being asked for a divorce by his wife. In turn, playboy extraordinaire Jacob (Ryan Gosling) takes him under his wing and teaches him to be cool. It is very easy to sit back, relax, and watch this film.

Why I picked this subject

Having a strong background in Film Studies, English literature, and writing, I was very keen to put forward this subject. I designed this first unit, “Film Genres and National Cinemas” to give the students a deep dive into key film genres, and their application over time and around the world. I am excited to facilitate learning in areas I am incredibly passionate about.

Why I love film / what do I like about it

As an English teacher, I often find myself thoroughly enjoying descents into fictional worlds. On one hand, diving into a wonderful book, film, or television series can be a great form of escapism. In this sense, for an hour or so I can be someone else, worry about the character’s problems, then most often celebrate when they solve them. There is a compact completeness and perfection to film and literature; a form of order that isn’t always present in the real world. On the other hand, while it may sound far reaching, I believe that people who commit to reading and viewing widely can become better people. To see the world from a multitude of perspectives, simulated or real, can lay the groundwork for true empathy and understanding for all, especially as the film industry continues to expand and improve on the representation of social and cultural minority groups.

A key Need to Know question

After compiling the Need to Know questions from today’s lesson, I drove home feeling utterly impressed by the way in which the students initially interacted with the unit’s driving question. One of the NTKs I liked best was: “How are movies able to connect and attract a different range of audiences?” That is certainly a great question, and through engagement with this unit, we will be able to clarify this, using a wide range of examples.

My teaching tactic and one of my major goals of this course is to get my students to read and view widely, as well as write and reflect often in a collaborative “low stakes” and “safe” environment. In the past with students (and even with my own personal experiences with writing), it can be hard to put words on a page. Sometimes the need to be “perfect” can lead to lingering blank white spaces in notebooks and Google Docs. I often say to students with the all too familiar 'writer’s block' that I can’t mark ‘nothing’ and you cannot improve on ‘nothing’. Any ‘something’ on a page is a welcome and excellent start. In the spirit of that, I am going to kick off a new cheesy phrase this term: To “get it right” is to “write”!

Note: In keeping with the expectations I have for my students in this course, I will commit to writing often, and will do my best to keep within the 300 - 500 word limit. While it is not really a limit, the expectation is not to write two essays a week, but to dedicate time to give shape and form to their thoughts, to process and consolidate their learning, and to interact with others through their writing. I am looking forward to reading their posts!

Videos:

English with Mr. McCoy. 2017, Film Genre Montage, online video, viewed on 1 February 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iodw3LbX82E

Come home early, Don Quixote: A thought piece on keeping grounded and aware of life’s blessings

This term, I have reflected on finding the beauty in every moment and finding hope at every turn. After reading and reflecting on Miguel de Cervante’s epic novel Don Quixote (1605) and its relevance to the modern world, I can clearly see it not only a cautionary tale about getting wrapped up in an impossible dream, but also as a tale of hope and a reminder that love, joy, and fulfilment are always just within reach; the challenge is to realise that…and to come home early, unlike our tragic hero. As a teacher, through education, I work to call my students towards the boundless possibilities of life ahead. This is something that is achieved through striving to provide learner agency, and empowerment through life-long learning. Sometimes we all need a reminder that growth and success is possible, and that we don’t need to be anything more than ourselves to be happy.

Face it. Wouldn't you want to escape reality, and be limited only by your imagination? To be a hero of the world, with a legacy embroidered in gold, immortalised and remembered by all as a true and righteous individual…doesn’t that sound nice? Why escape reality though? Dreams can come true…right? Well, not if your dream is to become a fairy princess, or “insta-perfect” 24/7, or a knight in shining armour . However, if the world does not let one drop everything and commit to any and every dream, why are we bombarded with messaging in media that saturate and slowly marinate us in hopes of grandeur? Who is there to remind us of the story of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun with a pair of wax and feather wings? By telling us that our houses aren’t big enough, that we don’t make enough money, that we don’t own x, y, and z, that we will never have enough years in our life spans to accumulate the necessary tokens of happiness and perfection, is it really crazy to reach for the moon in want of touching the stars, and to be upset when we fall short? Exhausting? Yes. Joy? Five tokens, please.

Before I get into things, just so we are all on the same page, here are some key plot details for Don Quixote…

A regular man in Spain reads lots and lots of books about classic knights in shining armour, and the ways of chivalry. As a result, “...from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind” (Cervantes, 1605). During the time the story was set, some people believed that reading too much could actually cause a person to go mad and lose touch with what is real (this happens to be my view of social media and its effects on young people, but that’s a story for another blog). Don Quixote does just that and sets out on a quest to become a real life knight. He fabricates enemies, monsters to fight, and a perfect damsel who has the entirety of his heart. After a long and perilous journey, he finally comes to realise that he was mistaken and snaps back to reality with a violent click of his heels. Defeated, he returns home to his dear niece Antonia, and a village of friends and neighbours. On his deathbed, he renounces the books as a waste of time, and sets a condition for Antonia. If she were ever to marry, she must never marry a man who has ever read a book about knights, as this would forfeit her right to any inheritance.

Okay, here I am being that English teacher: with a chunk of life advice, and an equally chunky book recommendation to match. Like our hero Don Quixote, my nose is often stuck in a book - any book really, preferably as long as it isn’t too life-like. The world can be a tough place, and reading is an exercise as well as an escape for the mind. By bookmarking your life, you can see another’s through to the end. To complete a book brings a sense of calm, as you can see a character’s story through, and to find out what needed to happen all along. Regular people (non-psychics!) are not afforded this luxury; the future is a mystery, and mystery stories can be scary (especially when they are about you). I know I often opt for a story other than my own, as it allows me to know the answers and see them play out from a safe distance (but close enough to smell the crisp white pages). To dive into a kinder, more forgiving place, or perhaps to a setting far away (when someone else’s problems are what drives the plot and passage of time) is a welcoming invitation, and often has me wishing that life is was simple as a book; with a clearly articulated beginning, middle, and end, as well as complications that find inevitable and reasonable resolutions. No object is meaningless or distracting, those without purpose are blown to bits by Chekov’s gun. However, I continue to realise that books house the hopes and dreams of this earth, and everyone in it. Reality does not always reflect books, but books in so many ways reflect our reality, and the most stunning and gorgeous details the world has to offer are often front and centre in stories.

Upon reflection, I see Don Quixote’s tale being a common human experience, especially in the modern day age of media technology. Like Don Quixote and his fixation on knights, it can be easy to abandon our true selves and choose to embark on the impossible journey towards “perfect happiness” (as it is represented and carefully curated in the media). It is our jobs as teachers to help our students understand that happiness is not a cookie cutter outcome, that a successful life is not measured in how many Instagram followers somebody has, or in how many pairs of designer sneakers that stand in a line in our wardrobes. At the end of the day, the only way to be truly happy and fulfilled is to stay true to the real you, and to not get caught in the web of other people’s ideas of what you need to do next. The world is their oyster, as it is yours.

Books:

de Cervantes, M. (1992). Don Quixote (P. A. Motteaux, Trans.). Wordsworth Editions.

Videos:

HollywoodRecordsVEVO. 2008, Demi Lovato - La La Land (Close-Captioned), online video, viewed on 27 November 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmjO1p9Oxrk