Scheme of Work
Assignment title: Analyse the ways that the director builds suspense and scare the audience in the film JAWS.
Teaching sequence:
The main thing to emphasise all the way through is the distinction between DESCRIPTION of the events and what is seen on the screen and ANALYSIS of the effect on the audience. This is actually quite simple in this assignment as the title focuses on how the director scares the audience. One way of maintaining this throughout the viewing of the film is to make pupils divide their pages into two columns one for description and one for analysis. It is also important to convince pupils that everything in the film is there for a reason.
1. General introduction to film terminology and techniques
You could show the film trailer to show examples of the basics - or a section of any film. Get pupils to draw the frames and label the different types of shot;
e.g.
close up - for facial expressions
extreme close up - object fills the frame
mid shot - used for two or three people talking
long shot - used to establish scenery show surround
high angle - camera shooting from above looking down
low angle - camera shooting from below looking up
pan - camera moves in an arc from a fixed point
track - camera moves as if on a track following a person or object
Zoom - camera moves in to a close up often used to focus attention on a relevant detail or emphasise a character’s reaction.
1. The opening sequence. (emphasis Music)
Play the opening sequence with the screen covered up – i.e. sound only
Ask pupils to write down what they think is happening.
Explore the ways that the music is used to create an atmosphere and is linked closely with the shark.
Show the opening sequence and first scene in full.
Complete the analysis of the opening sequence grid analysing the effect on the audience.
2. The second attack (the boy on the lilo)
Watch the attack (about 6 minutes of film 12-18 minutes)
Some...