Teach Secondary -Issue 15.1

they’ll be able to spot and distinguish in the products they consume today. “But I just watch videos onmyphone!” At one time, many assumed that the rapidly expanding availability and bandwidth of the internet would enable near instant access to virtually every film ever made, and encourage students to expand their cultural horizons – but that’s not quite what’s happened. While it is indeed technically possible for students locate virtually every film or series ever made somewhere online, teachers have found themselves needing to fight back against a strain of audiovisual homogenisation. Everything often looks the same, and everyone seems to be consuming much the same things (those ‘things’ often being daily viral videos on TikTok). Students see worse than ever, but by that I don’t mean the overlit shots of so many modernmovie productions, or those CGI effects that rely so heavily on post-production processes. I mean the lack of internalised references that’s preventing this generation from consuming audiovisual texts falling outside of what social media algorithms serve up for them. That’s why it’s more important than ever that we educate students on how to watch (and, indeed, how not to). Attention is the currency of our times, so it’s up to teachers to recommend, introduce and open up paths of discovery that lead to different creatives and their unique perspectives. The number of students unfamiliar with the likes of Sofia Coppola, Michel Gondry or Guillermo del Toro and their work is huge, despite those creators generally being considered to not be that obscure. It’s been a pleasure seeing howwell the students respond to these three directors’ very different directorial styles. I believe that despite all the endless scrolling on their phones, our students are still able to recognise talent, personality and beauty when they see it, and that it makes sense to have them analyse what makes certain works appealing. Now especially, would it not make sense to challenge students to become critical thinkers? The practical element Finally, it’s worth highlighting that 30% of film and media grades are based on coursework. In film, students have to create an introductory sequence to a suggested longer work. Inmedia, they’re tasked with producing a short music video, a magazine or the opening part of a TV series, thus demonstrating their understanding what makes eachmediumunique, and how codes and conventions can be challenged. This practical element teaches students that everything they consume on their phone screens involves an immense amount of invisible yet highly creative work behind the scenes, courtesy of a large creative industry that’s powered by thousands of people. The students’ practical work is also essential because the art of storytelling sparks cognitive development. A key issue for this current cohort is their tendency towards self-isolation and lack of empathy when compared to their generational predecessors. Putting your phone down for two hours and placing yourself in someone else’s shoes requires effort; it demands that students recalibrate their ability to focus, and reorient how they see and think. The challenges involved in representing an idea, person or theme, and in understanding the ‘other’ are rewarded during this coursework process. It requires them to build their own representations and to develop their own voices. From initial storyboard drawings, through location photography, shot composition, set design and visual effects work, these students get to choose how they want to be seen, and have the chance to become creators themselves. At a time of great uncertainty regarding authorship and the algorithmic forces that distribute the content we consume, the fact that we can teach students such abilities shouldn’t be treated lightly. Just as we should resist the notion of ‘cinema’ being reduced down to ‘content’, we should ensure that students can’t be reduced to mere nodes picked up by algorithms. Because if our students don’t choose how they want to be represented, someone else will do it for them. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jose Sala Diaz is head of media at The Priory School, Hitchin; the photos used to illustrate this article were all made by media and film students at the school 61 teachwire.net/secondary T H E A R T S