artemis-film-guides.com

Guides for teaching and studying films, literature and language

 

Teaching Film?   

Too busy to write teaching materials?

Studying Film?

All you need and more

from Artemis

Everything the busy teacher needs to successfully teach film analysis to teenagers.

            All guides are

ð      formatted on A4 for instant classroom use

ð      intended for photocopying, so no problems with copyright

ð      reasonably priced

ð      provided with detailed answer sheets

ð      written by an experienced high school teacher

ð      going to save you hours of preparation time

 

Unsolicited testimonials:

 

Judy Lewis is an outstanding practitioner who produces work of an exceptional quality. We have purchased numerous units and always found them to be academically rigorous, interesting and detailed.  I would never hesitate to recommend her wonderful resources.
                                           
Sam Glassock, English Co-ordinator, Covenant Christian School, NSW, Australia

Your breakdown of Juno is jaw-droppingly good... then I looked back at the sheer number of no-doubt equally good teaching guides you've done, and, Judy, you are a marvel.  A Boswell for the film industry.                                                                                        John Slade, US film teacher

I have just spent a couple of hours going through the material and am very, very impressed!  Thank for such an incredible resource.                                                       Linda O'Hara, Belgium

May I take this opportunity to say that I have just finished teaching a unit on Macbeth using your Student Worksheets Booklet and it is one of the best resources I've ever used – thorough, well-structured and easy to use.  Thank you.                                                    Catherine Laing, Beijing

Latest: 

Shakespeare's lovely comedy

As You Like It

 

(photo right from the 2009 London Globe production)

 

 

 

The King's Speech

The success story of 2010 – the film that audiences and critics worldwide loved.  Brilliant acting, script and direction – and demonstrating inspirational values.  What's not to love?

The Social Network

Winner of numerous screenplay and directing awards, this is the fascinating story of the founding of Facebook. 

A brilliant film.

 

 

 

The Blind Side

Multi-award-winning film of the wonderful story of NFL football star Michael Oher and the Tuohy family who helped him overcome a deprived childhood to achieve success and fortune.

Inspirational and thematically rich.

 

An Introduction to Film Techniques

A series of PowerPoint presentations on film techniques, illustrated by shots from films.

 

AND NOT JUST FILM GUIDES!

Literature guides, based on resources built up during many years of classroom experience.

Shakespeare's plays

Yes, I know there are dozens of websites out there.  What I offer is material of the highest calibre, with answers provided and academic standards that can be relied on, ready-formatted for teachers to use in the classroom.

 

King Lear                  Macbeth                  Othello       

Much Ado About Nothing         Romeo and Juliet

As You Like It

 

Other guides to literature and language

George Orwell's Animal Farm

Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale

Susan Cooper's King of Shadows

Selected Short Stories of Owen Marshall

William Golding's Lord of the Flies

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

John Steinbeck's The Pearl

Catherine Chidgey's Golden Deeds

War Poetry

The Origins of Our Words

Notes and task sheets built up over dozens of years in the classroom. 

Ready to use; answers provided.

Access a printable list here.

 

Guides to 56 Films

 

All film guides include

*   Scene–by-scene commentaries

*   Plot analysis questions (and answers)

*   Questions (and answers) on setting

*   Character tasks and notes

*   Topics for theme discussions

*   Quotations and scene list

*   Lists of cast, crew, awards

And some or all of the following:

*   Narrative structure task sheet

*   Motifs, allusions, symbolism, parallels

*   Detailed analysis of selected scenes

*   Genre study; Auteur Theory

*   Notes on music, costumes, special effects…

*   Production notes

*   Puzzles, quizzes, word searches

 

 

About a Boy

An entertaining comedy/drama that deals with issues of bullying and appropriate male behaviour. 

Mean Creek

A lean, uncompromising film about teenagers seeking revenge on a bully and then facing the consequences of a prank gone wrong.

American Beauty

Multi-award winning drama satire of the 'American Dream'.

Moulin Rouge!

Vivid, colourful and exuberant – excellent for studying editing and camera technique.

Atonement

The brilliant film adaptation of a brilliant novel.  Superb direction, acting, music, design, cinematography, screenplay.

The Navigator

Vincent Ward's small miracle of a movie – its allusive story, structure and film technique provide rich areas for study.  Now out on DVD.

A Beautiful Mind

Excellent for teaching: high calibre acting and screenplay, and contrasting genre styles. 

No. 2

Award-winning comedy-drama about a Fijian matriarch's demand for a feast – today!

Bend It Like Beckham

Very accessible tale of an Indian girl in London who wants to play football.

O Brother Where Art Thou?

Brilliant, entertaining and richly inventive comedy about three escaped convicts in the '30s.

Billy Elliot

A boy in an English mining town pursues his dream of being a ballet dancer.

The Pianist

Multi-award winning account of survival in the horrors of Nazi-occupied Warsaw.

The Blind Side

An inspirational tale of one boy's success, and the open-hearted family that helped him. 

 

Pleasantville

A comic fable of two modern kids transported into a 1950s black and white sitcom.  Stunning cinematic techniques. 

The Bourne Identity

A high interest, well-crafted spy thriller that rewrote the genre, it is ideal for the less academic, yet with plenty to extend the more able as well.

 

The Player

Robert Altman's dazzling satire is rewarding to study on many levels.  A modern classic, it is highly recommended.

 

Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing

The best way to introduce Shakespeare to students – lively, fun and beautifully made.

The Princess Bride

A cult favourite - a superbly entertaining and rewarding film for study.

Chicken Run

Brilliantly funny, texturally rich, all the techniques of live action.  85 minutes long - perfect for the classroom.

The Queen

The most acclaimed film of 2006; a fascinating study of the clash of tradition and modernity, and of the power of the media.

The Constant Gardener

Visually and cinematically superb, with powerful and topical themes, this is a good film for study.

Remember the Titans

About the forced integration of an American high school football team; even for those who don’t like football.

Crash

Best Picture Oscar winner – a study in racism and the effects of strangers on the lives of others.

Richard III

Ian McKellen’s triumphantly cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare’s play. 

Danny the Champion of the World

Wonderful adaptation of the Roald Dahl book; plenty of material for theme study and drama.  At last available on DVD.

Shakespeare in Love

Perfect to team with the study of Romeo and Juliet, but marvellous on its own as well.

Dead Poets Society

Peter Weir's moving and inspiring examination of life in a boys' school in 1959.  Guide written by Peter Beale.

 

The Shawshank Redemption

Teaching notes by Peter Beale.  The classic prison movie about degradation, uplift and hope. 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Charlie Kaufman's highly original and exciting tale; the film of 2004!

Shrek

Delightful animated fairytale, with enough to please all ages.  All 'live action' techniques utilised.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

A brilliant adaptation of Dahl's much loved book.  Aimed more at older children than adults, it will be a joy to teach.  Wide range of techniques employed.

Sione's Wedding

Infectious comedy set in the lively and attractive world of Auckland's Samoan community.  Released internationally as Samoan Wedding.

The Fellowship of the Ring

Thrilling and exciting; superbly acted, directed and filmed – it has it all.

Slumdog Millionaire

The success story of 2008 in cinemas as well on screen.  Brilliant techniques make for rewarding teaching.

Finding Neverland

Charming, moving film about the inspiration for Peter Pan.  Excellent for all ages.

The Social Network

One of the outstanding films of last year.  Its brilliant screenplay and filming explore the founding of the phenomenon that is Facebook.

 

Heavenly Creatures

Peter Jackson’s masterpiece about a real-life murder by two schoolgirls in 1950s Christchurch.

Spider-Man

A winning combination of high interest action and cinematography, with great characterisation and acting.  Highly recommended for classroom study. 

Holes

A superb adaptation of the popular book by Louis Sachar, about a boy who is sentenced to digging holes in a dried-up Texas lake.

Stranger Than Fiction

In this lovely postmodern comedy-drama, which asks serious questions and has fun doing it, a tax auditor learns he is the character in a novel being written.

In My Father's Den

Character study cum thriller – a weary war journalist returns to his small NZ town for his father's funeral.

Strictly Ballroom

Baz Luhrmann's first feature hasn't lost any of its sparkle or charm.  Only 94 minutes long – perfect for the classroom. 

Into the Wild

Sean Penn's controversial 2007 account of the adventures of Chris McCandless. 

10 Things I Hate About You

A lively 1999 update of The Taming of the Shrew, set in an American high school. 

Juno

The hit of 2007.  A smart and delightful comedy, with plenty to engage students, to provoke debate and to study. 

The Truman Show

Brilliant film about a reality television programme with a star who doesn’t know he is on TV.

The King's Speech

Inspirational and enjoyable story of how a reluctant king found his voice with the help of a friend.

V For Vendetta

A futuristic thriller, a dystopian satire, a sci-fi action film, and even a love story.  So much to teach the guide has 139 pages.

A Knight's Tale

In the Middle Ages, a thatcher’s son pretends to be a knight.  Deliberately anachronistic and great fun.

Walk the Line

The hugely enjoyable story of Johnny cash and June Carter is rich in themes, characterisation and techniques; great for genre study too.

Lars and the Real Girl

A wonderful and charming comedy-drama about the power of individual and community goodness.

 

Whale Rider

A wonderful film about a young Maori girl proving her worth as a leader of her people. 

Little Miss Sunshine

The comedy hit of 2006, it has much to say about winning and losing, leadership and co-operation.

The World's Fastest Indian

Anthony Hopkins stars in this charming tale of Kiwi Burt Munro, who broke speed records in his 60s on his modified 1920 Indian motorcycle.

The Matrix

A rich, complex and entertaining film.  Great for the classroom.

Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet

The most sumptuous film ever of a Shakespeare play – visually stunning; excellent for teaching technique

Access a printable list here

An Introduction to Film Techniques

The easy way to teach students about film techniques – via PowerPoint presentations that you can show them or that they can watch by themselves. 

 

What's Coming Up?

How about the delightful 500 Days of Summer:  is anyone interested?  Email me if you are.

Click here to see what else is in the pipeline

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