BACK to Ontario Media Literacy Main Page
WIINDMILL PRESS (Canadian publisher of media literacy books and resources)
identify basic elements of text that help convey the message in print and media materials;
use basic media terminology to discuss visual images in print and electronic media;
create simple media works.
have students analyze a cereal box; consider the size of the font, the style of the font in different places on the box; consider the colour of the box and the secondary colours on the box; consider the picture on the front of the box and study its effectiveness
write a script for a radio commercial for this cereal
use the video camera and have students be "spokespeople" for the cereal, showing through gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice, the virtues of the cereal
watch a cereal commercial and analyze the "spokesperson" for the cereal (usually comes on at the end); discuss his tone of voice, the speed at which he speaks, his pauses and repetitions
discuss high, flat and low angle shots then show the commercial again, stopping it at select places; ask students to identify the camera angle then say why the ad-makers chose this camera angle (you may get answers like, "to look different, to make it differently")
have students create a comic strip in which they use each of the three camera angles at least once
discuss camera-subject distance shots: close-up, medium and long shot and view the cereal commercial, stopping at select places to identify the different shots
have students create a comic strip using each camera-subject distance shot at least once
bring in some children's magazines and adult magazines and compare the differences, zeroing in on colour, spacing, font styles, pictures, cartoons, etc
create a series of shots with a video camera or still camera and display them in class
choose a theme and have students take a variety of pictures (camera angles and camera-subject distance)
tell a story through pictures, using a variety of angles and camera-subject shots
