Studying film and media is a great way to learn and explore more about the world behind your favorite films along with film techniques, storytelling, entertainment, and more to expand our knowledge. Now, with the new ‘Film and Media Studies’ class at Verrado High School, you can grow your passion for film and get a new perspective on how you watch movies.

When asked about her favorite part about teaching this class, Mrs. Spiegel said “Getting to talk about movies is what really stands out.”

Student Hannah Thude thinks that her favorite part of the class is “talking with my friends about the movies, it’s always interesting to hear other people’s perspectives and thoughts. Sometimes my friends change my mind about parts of a film…”

People can imagine the creative and inspiring debates and opinions that people have on a movie. Following this, Hannah believes “Film is art, and during class discussions I get to hear other people’s opinions on art, sometimes it changes my own thoughts. The discussions are usually very respectful, with others listening to people’s opinions whether they agree or not.”

Watching films and discussing them can help people focus on the storyline in a film; with this, people can get a new perspective and information about something that maybe they didn’t think about. This can help high schoolers understand and develop their connections to the real world.

Continuing on, Mrs. Spiegel says “This class teaches analysis skills, and being able to back your opinion on films can help us appreciate them.”

Not only do film and media studies encourage creativity, it develops critical thinking skills. Diving into the world of cinema helps students analyze and interpret the various genres from different time periods.

Along with this, when asked about how this class will benefit Verrado High School, Spiegel expresses “It can help with communication skills… and it can be relatable.”

In addition, Hannah Thude speaks that “We gain the ability to respectfully critique art, we gain the understanding of the technological and theatrical aspects of films, and the ability to appreciate a variety of movies… this class made me a lot more open minded to different films.”

This class can push people to find new perspectives on films they watch. Accompanying this, people can think of how students’ education can benefit from the experience this class can provide for them.

An upcoming project due in November of this year is the “Genius Hour Project”, a project in which students pick their favorite movie and present to the class the qualities of the film; this can help with growing the relationships and appreciation of other students in the class. In addition, this project helps people analyze movies on their own time as opposed to with a class.

When everyone finishes their presentations, the class will come together and vote on the film that seems the most interesting and they will watch it. This project can help students show off their passion for a film and can maybe help two people socialize more about a film they both enjoy.

The first film the class started with was City Lights (1931), followed by Nosferatu (1922). By starting the class with these pictures, it gives a good understanding of how the times were before our modern-day technology. For context, the movies are black and white, and there’s no talking in the iconic silent films.

The class will view many classic motion pictures that have been released over the years and proceed with discussing and analyzing each movie.