Unlike written texts, films generally employ three common types of artistic devices. These devices, while fairly obvious once described, may not be immediately apparent to a young viewer. Educators can help students identify these devices, define their characteristics, and understand how they relate to the film or movie in question. Repeating this exercise will allow the young viewer to gain the skill to quickly make the connection between the artistic devices used by the filmmakers and the underlying meaning of the film.
Today’s ELA curriculum has its roots in the literature of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The stories that interested the people of those times and were expressed through the written word. However, today’s youth will experience the vast majority of storytelling through screens (television, feature films, video games, or the web). Therefore, to remain relevant, modern educators must address the stories told on screen as well as those found in traditional written formats.
The three levels of artistic devices are:
1) Traditional elements and devices of fiction in novels and short stories
Many hours of current ELA instruction are devoted to the elements and resources of fiction. They include: plot, character development, protagonist, antagonist, prologue, expository phase, crisis, rising action, falling action, denouement, epilogue voice, symbol, foreshadowing, flashback, imagery, irony, contrast, archetype, motif, etc. These are also found in scripts and analyzing these elements and devices in the middle of a film can help students understand their use in written texts.
2) Traditional Stage Devices
These include: sets, simple lighting, costumes, props, sound effects, performance choice, movement choreography, music, and dance. The response to music and dance is something many young viewers are already used to, as they are a crucial component of many popular movies and film productions.
3) Cinematic methods
This layer of artistic expression includes shot angle, camera movement within the shot, music/sound effects, editing, colors/visuals, and lighting levels.
In conclusion, no single method has been agreed upon to adapt the ELA curriculum to the current digital environment. There are many discussions and varied methods. Regardless of the method, however, students will ultimately benefit from having the tools to make sense of what they see on screen. The important point to be drawn from this writing is that each ELA course (grades 6-12) should devote a substantial portion of their lessons to analyzing stories through film and documentaries.