Parasite - The first 4 Minutes

A Guided Film Warm-Up for Close Viewing and Visual Analysis

Price: $5
Format: Printable + Fillable PDF | 3-Part Structured Activity
Length: Approx. 30–45 minutes
Best For: Grades 10–12 English, Film Studies, IB Film, AP Lang

🧠 What It Is

This three-step viewing activity helps students ease into the world of Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite by guiding them through the film’s opening sequence with a mix of narrative observation and cinematic analysis.

Teaching a foreign-language film can be a challenge—especially when your students are trying to balance watching the screen, reading subtitles, and taking thoughtful notes. This activity is designed with that struggle in mind. It gives students two full chances to absorb the first four minutes: once to simply watch and take notes on what feels familiar (theme, character, dialogue), and a second time to go deeper into the family dynamics and visual storytelling.

👀 Why This Matters (from one teacher to another)

If your students are used to watching films in English, note-taking is already a juggling act. When subtitles enter the picture—as in Parasite—that act becomes more complex. This activity gently scaffolds the experience by:

  • Lowering the stakes on the first viewing (just watch and react like it’s any film you’ve studied before)
  • Refocusing attention on the second viewing (this time, pay closer attention to specific characters and relationships)
  • Encouraging active revision and layering of notes so students can compare first impressions with deeper insights

This method not only builds confidence but models how professional critics and scholars view films multiple times—with a new lens each time.

📌 What’s Included:

  • 3-page student worksheet (printable PDF + fillable Google Doc)
  • 16 prompts aligned with the opening scene’s narrative and visual structure
  • Shot-based analysis questions tied to a companion presentation good for independent deep dives, small group discussions, or teacher-led discussion
  • Introductory cinematic concepts:

🎯 Learning Goals:

  • Strengthen active viewing and note taking strategies
  • Analyze how character and class are introduced through visuals
  • Build vocabulary for writing about film
  • Engage in slow, structured thinking before moving into full-film analysis or essay writing

👩‍🏫 Perfect For:

  • Teachers introducing foreign-language cinema
  • Units on satire, genre-blending, or social critique
  • Students new to formal film analysis
  • Pre-writing or pre-discussion activity for a Parasite essay or scene analysis