The Farewell Film Sequence Analysis Practice Activity

Analyze Framing, Theme, and Family Dynamics—One Shot at a Time

💵 Price: $8
📦 Format: Printable PDF, Editable Google Docs + Answer Key
📚 Best For: Grades 10–12 | English, Film Studies, IB Language & Literature
🎞️ Scene Focus: “Billi Learns the Truth” Bedroom Sequence (~8 min)

What It Is

This shot-by-shot visual analysis activity guides students through a critical emotional scene in The Farewell, where Billi learns the truth about her grandmother’s illness. The structured worksheet trains students to track framing, mise-en-scène, shot distance, and sound, while making inferences about character symbolism, cultural tension, and thematic nuance.

Perfect for building:

• ✍️ Essay prep or comparative visual analysis
• 🎞️ IB-style short film commentary practice
• 💬 Thematic discussions around truth, family, and cultural identity

Skills Students Will Practice

• Shot-by-shot cinematic breakdown
• Tracking framing, eye lines, and emotional beats
• Analyzing symbolic positioning within the frame
• Understanding mise-en-scène in relation to theme
• Applying vocabulary like foreground/background, match cut, rule of thirds, and more

What’s Included

• Guided analysis chart for 20+ shots (with question prompts and camera movement filled in)
• Differentiated prompts exploring:
  • Visual symbolism of light/dark
  • Character positioning and emotional shifts
  • Repeated framings that reinforce cultural and personal tension
• 5 end-of-activity interpretive reflection questions
• Detailed answer key with sample notes for teacher modeling or feedback

✨ Sample Prompts:

• “What does Wang establish about the sides of the frame? The truth? The family?”
• “What patterns emerge in how the mother is positioned between Billi and her father?”
• “How is the ‘lie’ visualized through lighting, depth, and blocking?”

Use This Resource To:

• Build cinematic analysis skills in a story-driven, emotionally grounded way
• Spark discussion on East-West cultural values and intergenerational expectations
• Prepare students for IB Paper 1 or AP Seminar visual text analysis
• Complement a literature unit with a visual close reading companion