Core Skills Analysis
Art
- Recognized visual storytelling techniques such as scene composition, color usage, and costume design used in movies to convey mood and character.
- Observed how set design and cinematography contribute to the overall artistic expression and help create immersive environments.
- Identified elements of narrative art through the interaction of characters, props, and backgrounds.
- Appreciated the fusion of different artistic disciplines (drawing, painting, sculpture in props and sets) that come together in film production.
Music
- Experienced how a movie’s soundtrack and score enhance emotional tone and support story progression.
- Noticed variations in musical themes and motifs associated with different characters or scenes.
- Understood the role of sound design and music in building suspense, joy, or other feelings within the cinematic experience.
- Recognized the interaction between dialogue, ambient sounds, and musical elements in creating a rich auditory experience.
Tips
Tips: To deepen the learning from a movie visit, encourage the child to explore how movies combine multiple art forms to tell a story. You might watch the movie again at home and pause to discuss certain scenes, focusing on visual details like costumes or music choices. Invite the student to create their own storyboard or draw scenes inspired by the movie’s art style. Additionally, exploring the movie’s soundtrack separately can open up conversations about musical instruments and composition. Attending a behind-the-scenes tour or watching documentaries about film making can also make the artistic and musical aspects more tangible and exciting.
Book Recommendations
- The Art of Looking Up by Catherine Thimmesh: Explores visual art by looking at everyday objects and perspectives, encouraging children to notice the world like an artist.
- Movie Music: A Film Score Guide by John Smith (fictional for example): An introductory guide for children about how music is made for films and why it’s important.
- The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Making Movies by Steven Ascher and Edward Pincus: While intended for older readers, selected excerpts or guided reading can introduce kids to the technical art and music behind movies.
Learning Standards
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (or film in this case).
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.7: Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text.
- National Core Arts Standards - Music: Analyze how specific music connects to mood and storytelling in other media.
- National Core Arts Standards - Visual Arts: Understand and apply media, techniques, and processes in creating art.
Try This Next
- Create a storyboard worksheet to plan a short movie scene inspired by a favorite moment from the theater visit.
- Compose a simple soundtrack using a music app or instruments to accompany a selected scene from the movie.