Same series but not quiet as strong a connection as Vol 1. Still plenty of interesting stuff. Here are my brief notes on some of the films regarding their applications in the teaching context. If you are going to be selective in your viewing I would recommend watching the
orange titled films first.
Dear Sweet Emma: (5 min) This short animation of an old woman Emma who is not quite as sweet as she initially seems. For cartoon, some minor gruesome sequences like a cat in for garbage disposal unit. Black comedy for 15+
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness: (15 min)This is a brilliant and powerful visual journey that draws on the style of a 1950s educational documentary. Slowly builds a visual language with a sense of humour to finally pack a provocative punch that wants to make audience think about their own p.o.v. regarding the pro-life / pro-choice debate. This is definitely a great teaching texts with senior students but needs to placed in the appropriate context.
Child's Play: A short political anti Bush advert.
Milton Rogovin: (12min) A simple documentary that records an elderly photographer journey as he returns to a community where he had taken a series of photos of the working minority groups in his neighbour since the 1970s. Good for any junior English documentary study.
The firefly Man (10 min) Another animation - focus on an elderly man reliving through flask back /nightmares an incident where his wife / child are killed in a bear attack. Touches on the themes of lost and magic realism(?). It might be useful in Junior curriculum.
Coyote Beach (21 min) I personally found this film a little drawn out. It focuses on a young power couple on a day retreat to an isolated beach. The film varies in control in pacing which loses tension and mood at times but it is still a useful film to watch as a character / relationship study. It does successful create a quiet tension, mood and atmosphere for extended passages of the film without quite sustaining it. The characters are intentional frustrating as the film-makers position the audience on either side of this power struggle / mind game that the relationship moving to and fro.
Family Tree (31 min) An exploration of the extended family as a unit / the love within the family through a Thanksgiving dinner. The film has a touch of magic realism has the long lost son who has returned has a strange relationship with trees and water. Themes of belonging, understanding differences within family structure are the focus of the narrative. With the film features solid televisual acting and characterisation, it almost runs at 30 min like a pilot for a new show. The sequences in the kitchen are a useful demonstration of creating conflict within a confined space. Useful as a teaching text year 9 to 12.
Here was the Anthem: (21 min) A Mexican crime / drug film (subtitled) portrays a drug deal with young rich kids going wrong - becomes a nightmare journey into the underworld. Paying homage to a genre of crime flicks and Mexican cinema. Theme: The haves and have not's / Crime. Useful teaching text.
And the redman went green (2 min). This is a great example of a short experimental exercise
in film-making with the juxtaposition of two separate actions: 1.) a woman waiting to cross the road and 2.) A roller blader, coming together to create an atmosphere of anticipation, tension and finally poetic resolution. No strong narrative, just a chance momentary meeting. This is helpful to study the camera and editing technique used to build the action sequence.
Space Off (21 min). An interesting play with the sci-fi genre focusing on a trip to Mars. The film demonstrates in teaching context how you can take one slice/ aspect of larger story and develop it into an interesting narrative that would stand alone as a short film.
Good Night Valentino.(15 min) I particularly enjoyed this film for variety of reasons that likes it an interesting text to study in Drama / English. 1.) for the use of historical figures in a fictional context exploring an unknown conversation like Michael Frayn's "Copenhagen". History could be an interest resource for inspiration, 2.) For its sense of film style drawn from Valentino's era of silent film, framing both ends of the film a silent film, using great locations filmed evocatively with an attention to detail, and 3.) it is a useful film is reflect on the use of the narrator to drive the film, lending it a sense of a poetic monologue. There is a great sense of tension in the film's stillness. The theme touch on masculinity and the burdens of film. Definitely a teaching resource with senior students.
Home Road Movies. Animation again. Not much interest to me at the moment.
The Most Beautiful man in the world (6 min). This film is useful because it is working within the same time frame as HSC drama films. It is also interesting to look at the way the film-maker starts and finishes the film. With very little dialogue, the title of the film becomes possibly sinister or at least ambiguous in the context that the central protagonist is a small girl playing in a field near her home where she encounters a strange man. The film tells the story visually with the " shots suggested by the landscape locations". Due to minimal dialogue, the sound scape becomes important to create atmosphere and mood. The commentary is worth listening to.
The Winter People (14 min) This film positions the audience into reading actions with a haunted overtone as a mother and daughter close down the holiday house for the winter. But the young girl believes the house will be occupied by the winter people. The films plays with the convention of horror / ghost stories and would be useful teaching resources in any year 7 to 12 context. Also demonstrates potential of working with what special locations that you can get access to.
The Morning Guy: (5 min) A cheesy comedy about a husband who drives his wife mad play a radio announcer in their house. Okay with average acting and camera work.
