exploring texts
Most young children will have naturally built up some understanding of how moving image texts work through their home lives before they start nursery or school. These assets are often used in early years settings to successfully engage the learner through provision of games, puzzles, books and role play contexts - but how often do we watch and listen to film and moving image texts and discuss them just as we would with a book?
All of us have a 'wealth of experience in different texts, in all different modes that are worth bringing into the classroom, as well as honouring what the children bring'. Eve Bearne (2006) passionately argues the case for 'explicit teaching about how all these different modes of media work' so that young people can understand and use them to convey effective messages. Utilising, sharing and extending the skills that educators and pupils already posses in relation to all texts will provide breadth, balance, progression and relevance to all literacy skills.
In this multi-modal world young children interact with texts that are highly complex and do not necessarily follow a linear structure. 'Many children who can read only at a purely literal level with print texts can and do infer at far more sophisticated levels when watching moving image texts' (Look Again, BFI 2003), so educators need to ensure that literacy experiences provide opportunities to develop understanding of different textual structures but more importantly challenge and move forward the learners' thinking.
The Film Detectives
Moving image has a grammar of its own using colour, character, camera, story, sound and setting to generate meaning. Scottish Screen have developed the Film Detective characters to assist pupils with their reading of texts. The characters below can be focused on individually or relationships between them can be explored.
The Film Detectives provide a visual, characterised and more personal method of introducing basic techniques of film analysis, which young children can empathise and connect with. Publications such as Look Again, Starting Stories (both BFI) provide explanations and useful information about these basic techniques.
All of the schools involved in the case studies below used the Film Detectives roles to assist pupils to read and make texts. The majority of children involved identified with and used the characters to good effect but we did find one or two groups who found it easier just to work with the headings colour, camera, character, setting, sound and story.
Over time, it is beneficial for children to view a variety of different moving image texts: short films, popular culture, documentary, archive materials, animation, live action, texts that have a clear narrative structure and those of a more abstract nature. These should not be presented in any hierarchy, rather through exploration, analysis and discussions with peers and educators the children will reflect, start drawing conclusions and form their own points of views about what is a quality text.