You’ve Seen the Film – Now Get Reviewing!

 

A spectacular 312,000 primary aged children went to the movies for free during this October’s National Schools Film Week (NSFW) 2009.  They formed 80 per cent of the total Festival audience.   And now the NSFW’s charity organisers Film Education are encouraging teachers to get their pupils to enter a nationwide film-reviewing competition and so make the most of their cinema experience. 

“It’s a case of now they’ve seen the film why not capitalise on it by getting pupils to produce a lively and persuasive piece of writing,” says Film Education’s director Ian Wall.  “The Young Critics Award 2010 is not just open to those that went to a NSFW screening, but given nearly 400,000 children and teenagers – one of our best total attendance figures to date – went to one of 2,500 screenings at over 500 locations featuring more than 200 films; there is a potential buzz out there that it would be a shame not to tap into.  And this is where this competition comes in.”  

For a week every October for the past 14 years Film Education has been inviting primary and secondary pupils to the cinema – providing an opportunity for them to see film how it should be experienced – ten foot high, in the dark and as members of a collective experience. “Each year the programme we offer is a product of careful consultation with teachers,” explains the Festival’s director Nick Walker.  “It is harder to find independent and foreign-language films that are appropriate for primary audiences but this year we have been able to include the new film version of Emile and The Detectives and Max Minski and Me both as yet unreleased and shown in German with subtitles and the French animation of the West African folk tale Kirikou and the Sorceress.”

Positive feedback from teachers suggests that NSFW screenings are highly valued as a means of giving children powerful insights about unfamiliar issues and other people’s lives.  Teachers also praise the events for building their pupil’s ‘cultural capital’ and giving them an opportunity to learn how to behave in a public space.  Notable also have been comments reflecting the hard economic times.   “I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful and valuable opportunity you gave to our pupils on Friday,” says Tracey Hamilton, the acting deputy head of Spring Lane Primary School in Northampton.   “Although our school is extremely close to the cinema many of our pupils never get a chance to go as their parents/carers have a lot of other financial commitments.  To see the joy on the faces of the children was so rewarding!”

That for many families a trip to the cinema is increasingly out of reach was also uppermost in Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle’s mind who spokeout against the high price of cinema tickets at the launch of National Schools Film Week in London.  He pointed out that many parents found that an outing to the cinema costs "too much" and encouraged exhibitors to pursue "more aggressive marketing techniques to do with price".  He added: “One way of combating internet piracy is to encourage more young people to visit the cinema.  There has always been this feeling of a special occasion when you go to the movies.  I think there's something wonderful about sitting in the dark. It is very built into the DNA of the cinema."

NSFW is not just about providing an excuse for an outing, adds Film Education.  Its aims are to build the cinema audiences of the future and also switch children onto a film diet that is richer than the standard commercialfare usually targeted at them.  In addition, many of the events are enriched by pre-and post-screening talks by industry insiders providing the background to specific film’s making, marketing and significance.  And it is just these insights that the charity hope to see reflected in the reviews they receive as entries to the Young Critics Award between now andnext July. 

“In order to provide teachers with extra support this year,” says Ian Wall, “we are creating some new resources showing how writing a film review can be embedded throughout the curriculum and offering children the chance to explore what makes a good film ‘crit’.” 

Young Film Critic of the Year 2010 entries, terms and conditions: http://www.youngfilmcritic.org/how.html.

Closing date: 23 July, 2010

Categories:

Junior Film Critic (7-11)

Junior Film Critic - sensory impaired (7-11)

There are also two Mini-Film Fan categories for children aged between 3-7  who are invited to submit a poster or illustration based on a film scene. 

For further information about National Schools Film Week 2010: 

http://www.nsfw.org/

The primary How To Write A Film Review and a special guide for Early Years and Key Stage 1 teachers entering children for the mini-film fan competition will be published on-line early in the New Year.  The following list is derived from the up-and-coming primary resource: 

What Makes A Good Film Review?

1.  Be adventurous - it is very much harder to write interestingly about a spectacular cgi dominated movie than a more thoughtful film dealing with more character-lead events or set in a different period or country.  This is why reviewing a film featured in National Schools Film Week is a good idea.  The trouble with blockbusters is that it is hard to insulate yourself from all the hype that surrounds them and which is suggesting the film is ‘fantastic’ and ‘a hit’ before you even see it. 

2.  Reel in the reader quickly.  Spend lots of time on your first paragraph.  Readers are going to scan that first to decide whether or not to read further and so you need to make it dramatic and interesting.  

3.  Write in the present tense. For example: ‘the main character of the film is called…’ or ‘when the film starts we see…”.  

4.  Who would enjoy the film? Remember to discuss those elements of your film that will best suit particular age-groups or occasions – e.g.  ‘the perfect film for the holidays…”or “a film for anyone concerned with the environment…”. 

 

5.  Don’t just tell the story. Provide a thumb-nail sketch of the film you are reviewing but don’t spend ages spelling out every plot line twist and turn.  It’s your opinion that the reader wants to read. 

6. Put the film in context.  A weak review does not give a clear enough overview of the film's context and plot - plot descriptions are dull to read in a review and must be used sparingly, but the narrative must be addressed to let the reader know where they are.  Also, the more complex a film is, the clearer you need to be about it - it's vital to make it clear that the complexity/impenetrability/’muddledness’ belong to the film, not to your writing or to your thoughts about it.
 
7.  Describe the film’s mood.  It is essential to give a strong idea of the (all-important) mood of the film.  This is not about telling the reader what a film looks like, but explaining what sort of film is it, how does it make you feel and what sort of atmosphere does it evoke

8.  Capture the experience.  Reviewers often only have a single screening to make up their minds about a film so try to write some notes (despite the dark) while the film is showing.  That might sound crazy but it is possible with a bit of practice.  Try to write your review soon after seeing your chosen film. 

9. Don’t gush.  Words like ‘awesome’; ‘unique’; ‘great’ should be avoided.  They are lazy terms.  If a scene is spectacular explain why.  If a film feels fresh explain why it is different from other films you have seen. 

10.  Dish the dirt.  Don’t be shy. Say exactly what you think.  Tell the reader whether you loved or hated it - and why. We want to hear your personal opinion!  Sometimes the reviews that stand out are those that are very critical of a film but do justify the criticisms.  It’s not enough to say a film is ‘rubbish’.  If it seems confused, unbelievable, slow or sloppy then do explain your judgements, and as with any piece of criticism point-out precisely where you think it goes wrong.

11. Expand your cinematic vocabulary.  Good film criticism often involves making astute comparisons. The more diverse and numerous the films you have seen and thought about, the more insightful, relevant, and intelligent your observations will be.

12. Avoid clichés like the plague. 

13. Take care.  Nothing is more off-putting for an editor (or a competition judge) in receiving copy that is badly punctuated or inaccurately spelled.  It can be tempting trying to rush your entry but it won’t help your chances if your review is full of errors.  Type it out in another document and check it carefully before pasting it into the entry form. 

14. Write for a Martian.  In short, it's often a good idea to imagine your review is an alien's first and only experience of this film: tell them as much as possible about it, in every relevant way. Make it as entertaining as possible, but don't let the piece or a single idea run away with you: above all, make it very clear to the reader if they should spend their money on seeing it.

15. Write with affection; inspire curiosity.   

Detailed Guidance Notes are available here.

Details of the 2009 primary Young Film Critic Award winners

 

Mini Film Fan (4-7)
Harry Keen	Broomhill Infant School Brislington	Bee Movie
7-11 Category
Hammad Raza	Rudston Preparatory School, Rotherham	Ratatouille
7-11 Sensory Impaired Category
Olivia Ansah-Smith	The Fox Primary School, London	Bridge to Terabithia

They each won a free Film Education training day for their teacher, a free film screening for their school and they each received a goody bag on the day complete with a T-shirt, mug, DVD’s and Amazon vouchers.

"It develops their listening skills and observation skills. It also enabled
them to  look at themes, for example  Heroes which is the school’s topic for
next term , it helped broaden their concept of what a hero can be and
encourage them to feel they could also be heroes, that heroes don’t have to
be “big” – if a mouse can be a hero so can you.”

Margaret Middleton, teaching assistant  - Two Rivers Primary, Staffordshire (Film:  The Tale of Despereaux)

“One of the parents said that she had never taken her kids to the cinema due to such low income and so getting this opportunity was very special indeed.”
Mrs Rachel Crook, Education Co-ordinator at Green Lane Primary School

“Going to the cinema inspires the kids to want to do work about the film afterwards. They went to work on storyboarding and also some writing.”
Nicole Essex, West Rise Junior School, Eastbourne took her Year 6 class to see Alvin and the Chipmunks.

“NSFW includes the children in national events, highlighting national initiatives and makes them feel part of a wider world.  It was clearly a prestigious event and the children benefited from seeing the film in a cinema where it was an occasion and the film was of high quality.  It was joyful experience and a novelty for them to see a story right through without the option of hitting the pause button.”
Irwyn Wilcox, head teacher of Ysgol Glannau Gwaun, Fishguard. (Film:  Arthur and the Invisibles)