{"id":11515,"date":"2014-07-18T09:23:29","date_gmt":"2014-07-18T13:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/?page_id=11515"},"modified":"2023-12-07T10:08:53","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T15:08:53","slug":"mockingbird-media-literacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com\/mlc\/mockingbird-media-literacy\/","title":{"rendered":"To Kill A Mockingbird: Media Literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Download this page<\/a> as an Adobe (pdf) document<\/p>\n

What is media literacy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Media literacy refers to composing, comprehending, interpreting, analyzing, and appreciating the language and texts of…both print and nonprint. The use of media presupposes an expanded definition of ‘text’…print media texts include books, magazines, and newspapers. Nonprint media include photography, recordings, radio, film, television, videotape, video games, computers, the performing arts, and \u00a0virtual reality…constantly interact…(and) all (are) to be experienced,\u00a0appreciated, and analyzed and created by students.” 1<\/p>\n

Media literacy helps students see the world through a new lens. Media\u00a0influence the way we see the world. The media “construct” a world which
\nmay or may not truly represent things as they are.<\/p>\n

Today, the phrase 21st Century Skills is being used in education circles\u00a0and it includes “media literacy,” because, the authors’ say, students\u00a0need these analytical and critical thinking skills not only to survive, \u00a0but also to become part of the competitive global economy.<\/p>\n

Core Concepts of Media Literacy :<\/strong>
\nIn order to best understand the concept of media literacy, it will help teachers\/students to study the core concepts.\u00a0 Core concepts are an\u00a0appropriate framework through which all media can be better studied and \u00a0understood. These\u00a0 5 core concepts are based on those developed by\u00a0international media educators in Great Britain, Australia, and Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Core Concepts of Media Literacy2<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Applications to Film<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

All media messages are constructed<\/td>\nIn film, scenes are shot out-of-order and then edited (constructed) to make a logical sequenced story.
\nWho is in charge of the “construction:” the producer, the director, the cinematographer, the editor? What role does each of these people play in the production of a film? (see EDITING<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Media messages are constructed
\nusing a creative language with its own rules<\/td>\n		\nIn film, a wide, establishing shot (for example) is used to tell the audience: here is where the action is taking place, take a look at this; music may also be composed to convey a mood or evoke an emotion
\n(see also CAMERA SHOTS<\/a>; LIGHTING<\/a>;MUSIC<\/a>; SETTING\/ART DIRECTION<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Different people experience the same message differently<\/td>\n\nThe audience brings its prior knowledge and experiences to its viewing of the film and thus may come away with different interpretations and understanding of what it all means.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Media have embedded values and points-of-view<\/td>\n\nAfter viewing the film, some viewers may get a “stereotypical” view of life in the South during the depression.\u00a0In what ways does the film convey stereotypes.
\nAre the blacks in the film subservient to the whites?
\n(see SYMBOLISM<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Media messages are constructed to gain power and\/or profit<\/td>\n\nThis film would not have been made if the studio and producers did not feel they would receive a return on their investment. (To Kill A Mockingbird won several Academy Awards in 1963, and was one of the most profitable films of that year.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Critical Inquiry<\/strong>
\nClosely tied to the CORE CONCEPTS listed above are KEY QUESTIONS. “At the heart of \u00a0media literacy,” says the Center for Media Literacy’s Elizabeth Thoman, “is the principle \u00a0of inquiry.”\u00a0 We want students to learn how to ask questions about the media messages \u00a0they encounter in their daily lives.\u00a0 Listed below are some key questions and how students \u00a0might relate them to the film, To Kill A Mockingbird:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Key Questions of Media Literacy2<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Some Key Questions to Consider<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Who created this message?<\/td>\n\nWho wrote the SCREENPLAY<\/a>? What are the challenges of adapting a screenplay from a famous piece of literature?
\nWho was the PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, and CINEMATOGRAPHER? What are their roles and responsibilities
\nCould it have been EDITED<\/a> differently, if so, how so?
\nWhere is the SETTING <\/a>of this film?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What techniques are used to attract my attention?
\n(See: LANGUAGE OF FILM<\/a>)<\/td>\n		\nWhy was it shot in “black and white”?
\nHow do CAMERA SHOTS<\/a> communicate meaning?
\nIdentify SYMBOLS <\/a>throughout the film.
\nListen closely to the MUSIC<\/a>; how does it contribute to the film?
\nIn what ways does it communicate happiness; about childhood; fear and uncertainty?
\nWhat role does LIGHTING<\/a> play?
\nListen for SOUND EFFECTS<\/a> and discuss how they influence you during a particular scene.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
How might different people understand this\u00a0message differently from me?<\/td>\n\nHow might different viewers from me, interpret this film differently?
\nWhy do they not “see” the same things that I see?
\nHow do my life’s experiences filter my understanding of the film?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What lifestyles, values, and
\npoints-of-view are\u00a0represented
\nin or omitted from this message?<\/td>\n		\nHow do the producers of this film REPRESENT the antagonist or the protagonist?
\nWhat do the SETTING<\/a>, the clothes, the accents of the actors all communicate about the time period or the way of life of these characters?
\nHow do the children learn about right and wrong; good vs evil?
\nWhat role does each character play in communicating values?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Why was this message sent?<\/td>\n\nWhy was this film made? Did the success of Harper Lee’s book play a part?
\nDo you think it was risky making this film during the Civil Rights period in American history? Why or why not?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Other questions worth consideration:<\/strong>
\nWho produced the film? Why?
\nWhat was the purpose of producing the film?
\nWhat experience did screenwriter Horton Foote have that made
\nhim an appropriate choice for adapting Harper Lee’s novel?
\nWhat techniques are used to make the audience believe the story?
\nWhat lifestyles are shown or implied?
\nHow might other people see this film differently from me?
\nIs anything left out of the story? Why? (compare the novel to the film version)<\/p>\n

More about core concepts here:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Media Literacy Core Concepts
\nhttp:\/\/www.media-awareness.ca\/english\/teachers\/
\nmedia_literacy\/key_concept.cfm
\n<\/a>
\nCenter for Media Literacy’s MediaLit Kit
\nhttp:\/\/www.medialit.org\/bp_mlk.html<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>What is media literacy?
\nhttp:\/\/www.media-awareness.ca\/english\/teachers\/
\nmedia_literacy\/what_is_media_literacy.cfm<\/a><\/p>\n

Other resources:<\/p>\n

Center for Media Literacy\u00a0 http:\/\/www.medialit.org
\n<\/a>
\nMedia Literacy Clearinghouse http:\/\/www.frankwbaker.com<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

See bibliography<\/a> for all source material cited here<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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