Critical Conversations
Get Out is a film known for being about race, the topic is unavoidable. When I'm teaching or working with students, my job is to help students unpack the conversations around uncomfortable topics, such as race, and to also help them learn how to productively have these conversations
Analysis
Conduct a shot by shot breakdown of the first 4 minutes of It Follows to explore suspense, POV, and more.
9th Grade ELA
A Thematic + Visual Analysis Project for Middle & High School Students
Film
When it comes to describing film, I often find myself using many words interchangeably... "scene" and "sequence", the composition of "a frame" and the composition of "a shot". When we're together using these words in context, the nuanced definitions don&
Books
When pairing a book and show, I wonder about the decision making behind the changes. Some I understand come from the nature of prose versus visual storytelling, or telling a story within the structure of a one hour episode in the season of a series. But when there are other changes, I think it leads
Books
Compare/contrast the opening chapter of The Duke & I with the opening scene of Bridgerton Season 1. Explore character, relationships, theme, and style.
Analysis
Shot by Shot Breakdown worksheet with scaffolded questions to help you connect cinematic devices with character, theme, and technique. Answer key included.
Film
I love fall, and enjoying Halloween (although I haven't made the effort to get in costume for years) is a big part of it. For me, scary movies and horror films help me embrace the cool chill and increasing amount of darkness thrust upon us in October. There&
Books
It Follows has brought to mind, “what makes a movie work?” to me since I first watched it a few years ago. When some of my favorite horror films include Us and The Babadook, which get at themes of class, grief, and motherhood, I find myself really stopping to appreciate movies, books, and stories th
Film
I've been exploring the opening sequences of horror films, originally because I had ambitions to put together a series of activities for the month of October - but, we'll see how that comes together. But this week, it's led me down a rabbit hole
Analysis
An image focused model film analysis for the b characters of Coraline
Coraline
The first year I was tasked with teaching Film Studies as a general education English course (4 credits) with seniors, I was unsure where to begin. I had the guidance of a colleague, but our backgrounds and expertise with regards to film were so vastly different that I couldn'