Feature Article

Lights, Camera and Action in the Classroom AFI K-12 Screen Education Program is a "Dream Lesson"

Sean Daly, a 10th grade history teacher and AFI elective teacher at I-Poly High School in Pomona, California, shares his testimony on the success of the AFI Screen Education program. This popular curriculum has engaged teacher and students in the art of filmmaking, proving to be both an educational and entertaining experience for all.

I am a very lucky teacher. I work at a projectbased high school located on Cal State University Pomona's campus. Due to our curriculum and association with the university, we were offered the chance to work with the American Film Institute (AFI) in piloting their new Screen Education program, starting in 2001. The initial goal was two-fold--invite students to examine film as art instead of merely entertainment, and to further student interest and understanding of traditional high school novels and other subject matter.

AFI's first step was to educate the teachers. It was refreshing to have AFI model the same lessons that we would later implement with our students. All the teachers were grouped into teams, given one camera per team--and assigned the 'door scene.' Every participant in the Screen Education program knows the door scene. It is a simple set-up with unlimited options: Film a person approaching a door, getting their keys out, hearing a noise and getting nervous, opening the door and getting through with a sense of relief.

Students are immediately engaged in the lesson. Any time you hand students a piece of equipment worth hundreds of dollars, give them some time outside the classroom and ask them to be creative, they are instantly interested in the lesson. That interest is then turned into the next key part of the Screen Education program--peer critique. The films are viewed and critiqued by the entire class when everyone is finished filming. The teacher facilitates the discussion by asking students which film showed tension, suspense and relief. The "who, what, where, when and why" of the scene are explored in a student-led discussion. Students are eager for more knowledge at this point, and AFI's program makes sure the teacher has it so the students' needs are met.

Students are now asked to storyboard their door scene. Using the same groups and their new visual language, each team puts their storyboard together, including a new surprise ending. When the kids are finished and all excited about shooting their new scenes, AFI throws a curveball. The teacher collects all the storyboards and then redistributes them to different groups. The groups then have to shoot a different group's storyboard. This is done to show the students first hand the importance of being clear in their storyboards. Some groups will have more success than others. During the peer critique at the end of the session, the importance of storyboarding becomes clear to all student participants.

Those are only the first few steps of the lesson. The complete door scene lesson introduces the students to all of AFI's five steps of the Screen Education process. The steps are: Script Development; Screenwriting/Storyboarding; Production/Filming; Editing; and Exhibit/ Review/Reflect.

Students explore each step at different times during the door scene exercise, and their curiosity and willingness to review and revise really demonstrate the importance of each step. These steps are taught naturally, and once the door scene is complete these five steps are ingrained in every student. Refining and creating the door scene with AFI was a collaborative project. Feedback was, and still is, asked for from the teachers implementing it. It is quite exciting to make a suggestion and realize that it was included in the latest revision of the program. AFI knows films and the process, but the teachers implementing it know kids. The current Screen Education program is a teacher's dream lesson. It contains detailed instructions, justifications, state and national standards correlation, and resources. The program also ties into their Web site, www.AFI.edu, which contains many fine student examples and critiques.

Originally, the next step in the process was to take a scene from Of Mice and Men and film it. Students were allowed to change a scene's setting and time, or change its meaning or include a scene from the book that was not in the 1992 version of the film. Students had mixed results, and, as teachers, we asked AFI to open it up to other pieces of literature and other subject matter. The program was changed, and now teachers can adapt their steps to work with whatever they are reading or studying in their classrooms. At my school we have used it successfully with Of Mice and Men, All Quiet on the Western Front, Enemy of the People, 1984 and Frankenstein. We tie in the study of literature to history, social studies and other core subjects. The same five steps are used but now in more detail. AFI does a wonderful job of guiding teachers through adapting the steps to any subject matter. Students love it since it is more interesting and challenging than a book report.

Teaching literature can sometimes be a daunting task. No matter how successful student-led discussions are, some students never get the point of a book. However, using AFI's program, they all do. It makes the material more interesting for the students and furthers their understanding of the text. When a student group takes a scene from a book and breaks down the elements to produce a film, this exploration leads to greater comprehension. It also inspires those students who secretly try to avoid reading the book, to at least read their scene. After reading their particular scene, they often read more to have a better understanding of the entire story. Student testing on the literature has gone up since we have incorporated this program into our 10th grade curriculum. Student essays have also improved.

Overall the program is excellent. I was a studio teacher in Hollywood for 10 years, and this program mimics the exact steps I witnessed on many sets. This is real world stuff the kids learn. The most amazing part is it adds to the curriculum without distracting from it. Taking the time to follow these steps makes the teachers' and students' jobs easier, and, more importantly, a lot more fun!