50th Thessaloniki Film Festival - opening night

50th Thessaloniki Film Festival - opening night, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

Managed to get crash the Thessaloniki Film Festival twice last night and had a great time, didn't get home to way past my bedtime. As you can see from the photo the opening day party last night was enjoyed by all.

Teaching using film music

Here is an activity that I tried a few times over the last week with a lot of success. It can be done by all levels above intermediate. You'll need music from three different movies, preferably ones that your students haven't seen.

Lesson Plan

1 Tell your students that they are going to hear three pieces of music that come from a movie. What they have to do is think of;

Title
Genre
Scene

2 Make sure that they understand what genre means, if necessary, give examples or elicit different ones from the class.

3 Also make sure that where it says scene the students should write down what they think is happening at this point in the film, e.g. the hero is fighting with a two -headed alien at the top of the Empire State Building.

4 Play one to two minutes from the soundtrack.

5 Students compare their answers which each other. Elicit answers from the class. If a student knows the film then ask them to be the teacher and talk about the film.

6 Repeat these steps twice more.

7 Write on the board;

who where when which why how what

Now ask students to write down questions to ask you about the films from which you took the music.

8 Answer the questions.

Film therapy

When life gets too crappy then there are two film I watch that help me drag ( no pun intended) me out of my gloom;

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Lost in Translation

And if I see them the world becomes a better, more comprehensible place.