LEARN NC

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CareerStart lessons: Grade seven

4.5 India: A filmmaking capital

By Meredith Ebert · Adapted by Kenyatta Bennett and Sonya Rexrode

Provided by CareerStart

Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • explore the filmmaking industry in India
  • examine the careers available in filmmaking
  • understand the motivation for marketing decisions in film advertising

Teacher preparation

Time required for lesson

Approximately 70 minutes. Homework time may be required.

Materials needed

Pre-activities

Before beginning the lesson, familiarize yourself with the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi. You may choose to read one or more of the articles linked from the “Materials Needed” list.

Activities

  1. Introduce the lesson by telling students that India makes more films every year than any other country. Share information with students about the Indian film industry. (Background information can be found on the Bollywood World website.) Explain that the production of a movie requires many people, not just actors and a director. Brainstorm with them all the jobs necessary in creating a film. List them on the board.
  2. Hand out the matching activity on filmmaking careers. When students are finished, project the answer, and have students check their answers.
  3. Divide students into groups of five. Tell students that they will be part of a filmmaking team. However, their job is not to produce an entire film, but to produce the advertising trailer for a film currently under production about the life of Gandhi. Remind students that a trailer consists of a series of selected shots from the film being advertised. Their purpose is to attract an audience; therefore they usually draw from the most exciting and noteworthy scenes but in abbreviated form and without spoiling key plot elements. The scenes are not necessarily presented in the order in which they appear in the film. Pass out the trailer production planning worksheet.
  4. Have students research the life of Mahatma Gandhi on the internet. Some possible sources for student research:

    As a filmmaking advertising team, students should choose three scenes from Gandhi’s life that would be most effective in attracting an audience. Have students use the trailer production planning worksheet to describe what they will include in each scene that will attract interest without spoiling the plot.

  5. Each “trailer house” will share its trailer plan with the rest of the class. After all groups have presented their plans, discuss whether some scenes were used by more than one group. Which scenes? Why?

North Carolina curriculum alignment

Social Studies (2003)

Grade 7

  • Goal 8: The learner will assess the influence and contributions of individuals and cultural groups in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
    • Objective 8.01: Describe the role of key historical figures and evaluate their impact on past and present societies in Africa, Asia, and Australia.

  • North Carolina Essential Standards

    • Social Studies (2010)

      • Grade 7

        • 7.C.1 Understand how cultural values influence relationships between individuals, groups and political entities in modern societies and regions. 7.C.1.1 Explain how culture unites and divides modern societies and regions (e.g. enslavement of various peoples,...