Transcript The media are all about writing

The media are
all about writing
Frank Baker
[email protected]
Media Literacy Clearinghouse
www.frankwbaker.com
November 7, 2007
Media Messages
Oft quoted statistic:
On a typical day, we come in contact
with an average of 3000 media
messages
M= multitasking
In a world dominated by digital
technology and visual text, it is vital
to equip all students with the skills to
communicate effectively. They must
grow up knowing how to interpret
the visual messages with which they
are constantly bombarded, and as
importantly, they must know how to
express themselves in this medium.
Teaching with/about media
“Movies, advertisements,
and all other visual media
are tools teachers need to
use and media we must
master if we are to
maintain our credibility in
the coming years.”
Jim Burke, from
The English Teacher’s Companion
Teaching with/about media
The problem:
Most teachers have no background on
how to teach the “languages of media”
The solution:
Media literacy:
critical thinking about media
The media are all about writing
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Radio (music)
Television (shows, commercials)
Film (scripts)
Internet (web pages, podcasts, blogs)
Photography (visual literacy)
Journalism (TV, newspapers)
Advertising/PR
Media Literacy/Core concepts
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All media are constructions
Media use unique languages with their
own set of rules
Media convey values and points-ofview
Different people interpret the same
media differently
Media are concerned with power/profit
Source: Center for Media Literacy
Critical thinking questions
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Who created this message? (authorship)
For what purpose was it made?
For whose eyeballs (audience) is it intended?
What techniques does it use?
Who or what might be omitted and why?
What does the message mean?
How do I know?
Who benefits from the message?
Teaching scriptwriting
Heidi Hayes Jacobs
Ed Consultant
“If video is how we are
communicating and
persuading in this new
century, why aren't more
students writing screenplays
as part of their schoolwork?“
Script format
VIDEO
AUDIO
everything that is seen
everything that is heard
(narration, sound effects,
music)
Language of TV/Film
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Cameras
Lights
Audio
Editing (aka post-production)
Set design
Costumes
Actors: non-verbal expression
Examples
Cell Phone commercial
Script
Examples
VISA Ad Commercial
Questions (refer to handout)
Examples
Toy Advertising
Cinderella’s Magical Talking Vanity
Examples
Public Service Announcement (PSA)
“Think Before You Post”
Motion Pictures
Ever seen a screenplay?
Storyboards
Adapting a novel
video
New Resources
Publisher: NCSS
NCTE