Beloit Tweens Become Movie Critics
Posted – Feb. 5, 2012
Beloit International Film Festival offers 5th graders the chance to learn the art of movie critiquing.
BIFF, in partnership with Kid’s First, is presenting film-critiquing workshops with area 5th grade students. They will be held Tuesday, February 14th and Wednesday, February 15th at the Eclipse Center in Beloit. This program teaches students about reviewing films in an effort to develop more educated and discerning film viewers in area youth. Students also have the opportunity to win prizes and give their critiques for the films they are shown. BIFF’s goal is to enhance the students’ enjoyment and understanding of film media and give them a skill they can continue to develop and enjoy the rest of their film viewing lives.
“This year we’re adding a new segment to Kids @ BIFF which we’re very excited about,”, “An activity will be conducted in the fifth grade classrooms prior to the program to give students a chance to become comfortable with the elements of critiquing and watching short films.”
The day of the event, students will arrive at the Eclipse Center, the various facilitators, trained by Kids First; begin by reviewing the major components of a film. Topics such as character development, sets, music, costumes and much more are discussed to help prepare the students for their reviews. Also, the importance of why films are reviewed and how film makers use the information is covered.
Students then watch a selection of short films that provide a variety of styles and content so students can see how the different components are used to make a film. The films are most likely productions the students will not have seen before. After the viewing is completed, the students pick the film they want to review most and complete a worksheet review. After the reviews are finished, there will be discussion about the films and group participation activities to allow the students to interact and share their reviews with others.
The Beloit International Film Festival is made possible by The Hendricks Group and presented in association with Beloit College and with a generous grant from Visit Beloit.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Melissa Hawks, Director of Educational Programming at BIFF, 630-631-3159, melissa@beloitfilmfest.org
