Visual Arts Syllabus 7-10
Jane Mills Pilot Project Consultant
Please note that the site is in an initial stage of development and to ensure that it meets its intended goals, suggestions are more than welcome. I am sure that the site will grow with time.
If you have any constructive comment, suggestion or additional resource that might be added, please contact me at dougpipe@ozemail.com.au
Many thanks to Jane Mills for the use of material from her draft document Cineliteracy: The Tools to Re-imagine My World.
Doug Piper Westport PS
Bulletin Board
This is a dynamic collection of many sites all related in different ways to visual literacy. At some stage I will organise these into related groups. People can also contribute additional URLs for site that they feel should be included by emailing them to me at dougpipe@ozemail.com.au.
DET Schools from the Bathurst and Orange districts have been participating in a multi-staged digital video project which climaxes in Education Week each year with a film festival. The site has a range of very worthwhile ideas and resources. Check out the appropriate sections on the site. The theme idea for the 2004 festival is outlined.
Stu Hassic is the St George DET district Technology Adviser. Stu in addition to the wonderful and ever growing collection of technology resources he has put together on that site, has developed a Power Point presentation that answers many questions related to Digital Video. Click on Support, then Technology then Power Point Shows.
The Director in the Classroom is both a great book and an even better web site. A source of much practical information and resources. Check the website and get your hands on the book.
A secondary teachers' guide to using film and television. This Guide offers advice to secondary teachers. It outlines eight basic techniques and practical activities for the close study of film and television in the classroom. These techniques are mapped on to English and eight other curriculum subjects
www.apple.com Apple Mac have a number of very useful pages on their website including several devoted to teaching video production in schools. You can view some of the short videos that have been made by a number of school students and others.
www.desktopvideo.about.com An excellent resource with many pages for beginners.
www.cyberfilmschool.com You and your students can learn a great deal about the basics of video production from this site.
www.script-o-rama.com This site has hundred of movie scripts that you can download.
www.videoguys.com/dvfilm This will useful for the technically-minded, and should be compulsory for technophobes!
www.exposure.co.uk/eejit/lingo/index This has a useful glossary and a non-patronising style for beginners.
www.exposure.co.uk/eejit/index An excellent step-by-step guide with pic's of storyboards etc.
Television programmes about video & film production
All education institutions can copy free to air television programmes without additional payment. To find out more about copyright and relevant TV programmes for your syllabus, visit http://www.enhancetv.com.au
Keep an eye on the television listings as these programs are often repeated but they also be purchased, cheaply from www.tapeservices.nexus.edu.au
ACMI Lending Collection Click on the Collections link for the online catalogue of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) Lending for more than 40,000 videos, 16mm films and CD-ROM and DVD titles. Lends only within Victoria to individuals and organisations. Membership fees apply.
Australia's Cultural Network A public access gateway site to Australian cultural organisations, websites, resources, news and events. In the Film and Video section in the Websites option, you will find links to a variety of Australian sites including film and broadcasting organisations, associations and guilds, industry directories, online screen journals, what's-on movie guides and film and video lending libraries.
Australian Film Institute (AFI) These are the people who bring you the annual AFI awards (a useful bit of screen culture for your students to analyses). Their Research and Information Centre is a research library, international in scope, specialising in screen history, criticism, theory and, in particular, Australian screen industries. It contains over 5,000 books, 750 screen journal titles, 25,000 news clippings files from 1979 onwards, press kits, scripts and stills. Their website is invaluable for its educational and research resources which include some study guides and material on a number of Australian movies, genres and film makers.
Australian Film Commission This includes industry news, AFC publications and information, as well as links to over 100 other Australian screen culture sites and a searchable index of Australian sites which provide resources for the film, TV and new media industries.
Australian Film, Television & Radio School The library page on their website is a useful source of information. Click on 'Library' and then on 'Research Tools' for: electronic and print databases, e-journals, pathways to information and further links to relevant screen research sources. The library is for students and members only.
Filmink Film reviews, interviews, notice board, online competitions etc.
Independent Film Features reviews, interviews, extensive archive, daily email summary, in production news and events.
National Film & Video Lending Collection Click on the Collections link for the online catalogue of the General and Screen Studies collection of 16mm films and videos, formerly housed at the National Library in Canberra, now managed by ACMI Lending Collection in South Melbourne. Lends nationally to organisations and film societies. Does not lend to individuals. No membership fees, but freight charges apply.
Screen Network Australia A gateway site to improve access to information on the Australian film and television industries. Also contains links to other relevant Internet screen information sources, industry news and a calendar of Australian screen events.
ScreenSound Australia Search the Collections (National & ASEAN) of ScreenSound Australia (formerly the National Film and Sound Archive) listing over 360,000 items from Australia's film, television, radio and recorded sound heritage. Some restrictions on access apply.
Urban Cinefile Australia's best non-academic online journal. It will keep you up to date on developments in the Australian film industry and what's on in Australian cinemas. Reviews and interviews are archived on the site.
Overseas Information Resources
Internet Movie Data Base The Internet Movie Data Base is an amazing source of information about thousands of movies and film makers. This is the champion of website movie information sources. It has a useful glossary as well as pages for fans, access to trailers and a popular page of 'goofs' for most of the movies mentioned.
www.allmovie.com This is a popular research resource for a wide range of movie matters. It has a glossary and an ever-growing list of useful essays for background information on genres, movements and individual filmmakers and films.
www.eeggs.com What is an "Easter Egg"? - The term "Easter Egg", as we use it here, means any amusing tidbit that creators hid in their creations. They could be in computer software, movies, music, art, books, or even your watch. There are thousands of them, and they can be quite entertaining, if you know where to look.
www.slipups.com What is a Slip-Up? - The term "Slip-Up", as we use it here, means any amusing accidental blooper or mistake that wasn't caught, and made its way to the viewing public. They can be inconsistencies in movies, like an actor wearing something in one shot, and it's missing in the next shot.
www.movie-mistakes.com This is a favourite among students, film buffs and all those with a sense of humour. Don't, however, be persuaded that film making is merely a series of goofs made by idiots.