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