WHAT ARE FILMS?

Week 1
History  Importance  Genres

SOCIETAL FILMS (LITR 1023)

 INTRODUCTION

What are films?

 Film is a visual art-form used to simulate experiences that

communicate ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or
atmosphere through the use of moving images.
 The word "cinema," short for cinematography, is often used
to refer to filmmaking and the film industry, and to the art
form that is the result of it.
 HOW ARE FILMS MADE?

 Photographing actual scenes

 Photographing drawings
 Miniature models using traditional animation techniques
 Computer-Generated Images or computer animation
 Combination of some or all of these techniques, and other
visual effects
 BRIEF HISTORY OF FILMS

First Motion Picture Camera Spoken Words Begin

(August 15, 1889) (August 15, 1927)

The First Motion Picture Trip to the Moon Highest Grossing Movie
(August 15, 1878) August 15, 1902 December 31, 2009

Film in Process First 3D Film

(August 16, 1888) (August 15, 1922)

Cinématographie First Cartoon with Synchronized Sound

(December 28, 1895) (December 28, 1928)

Graphics not accurate; for educational purposes only.

HIGHEST-GROSSING FILM OF ALL TIME

Avatar
(2009)

Avatar is a 2009 American epic science

fiction film directed, written, produced,
and co-edited by James Cameron. Avatar
is the highest-grossing film of all time to
date with a box office of USD 2.847
billion.
 IMPORTANCE OF FILMS

Empathy
From a young age, we are shown movies that
communicate the feelings and experiences of others. As we
age, movies continue to giving us stories about people in
situations that may help us to understand the struggles of
individuals other than ourselves.
 IMPORTANCE OF FILMS

Education
Films can often teach us the most through introducing us
to a subject that we knew nothing or very little about. It
can be a way of life, an area of research, or even a time in
history. These stories we see show us something new we
can then explore.
 IMPORTANCE OF FILMS

Something New
Movies are one of the greatest forms of creative
expression. Artists put their vision to work and, when done
well, it inspires out own creativity and imagination.
 HOW DO MOVIES AFFECT SOCIETY?

 Cinema can be very powerful

 Expand our knowledge of history and culture

 Through advertisement of different products

 Help the economy grow and prosper

 BASIC FILM GENRES
 Action
 Comedy
 Horror
 Science Fiction (Sci-Fi)
 Western
 Romance
 Thriller
DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Week 2 & Week 3
Purpose  Types  Social Issues

SOCIETAL FILMS (LITR 1023)

 WHAT ARE DOCUMENTARIES?

 Documentaries are non-fictional motion picture with the

purpose of documenting some aspects of reality, intended to
maintain a historical record.
 It is factual and concerns public matters rather than private
ones. It could be about various subjects such as a major
injustice in the society, a political event, a historical event, life
circle of an animal, among others.
 DOCUMENTARIES DEFINED

Documentaries may contain recorded spontaneous action, but

they can also be scripted in advance. However, documentary
filmmakers do not create events or characters; they only
attempt to recreate the reality. Therefore, documentaries have
no actors, sets, or made-up locations. They are filmed in real
locations with real actors.
 DOCUMENTARIES DEFINED

Pioneering Scottish filmmaker John Grierson (1898-1972) is

often considered the father of documentary film and credited
with coining the term “documentary” in his review of Robert
Flaherty’s film Moana in the February 8, 1926, issue of the New
York Sun.
 THE AIMS OF DOCUMENTARIES

 Maintain a historical record

 Inform and educate the viewers
 Inspire or persuade the viewers to raise their voice against
injustice or take actions to stop it.
 PURPOSES OF DOCUMENTARIES

Serve as learning tools

Documentaries serve as an extra learning tool even when other

excellent learning machinery is available. Documentaries, along
with these materials, bring many enhancements such as
flexibility to the learning.
 PURPOSES OF DOCUMENTARIES

Engage the audience

There can never be one purpose of documentaries; however, all

of their objectives is to engage or entertain the audience. While
documentary filmmakers try to change and improve the society
through their film; they also try to shed light on various causes
or justice hoping that their film will move the masses to demand
change in an entertaining way.
 PURPOSES OF DOCUMENTARIES

Expose the evil of the society

When a filmmaker or makers join hands to highlight the plight

of people in the community within no time, the information is
viewed by the greater audience. It may cause a mixed reaction
or even uproar on the social media platform in this day and age.
 LET’S TALK ABOUT SOCIAL ISSUES!

Social issues are a set of problems that affect many people

within a society. It is a group of common problems in present-
day society and ones that many people strive to solve. It is often
the consequence of factors extending beyond an individual's
control.
 SOCIAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION

Low Quality of Education

The comparison of completion rates between the highly

urbanized cities in Metro Manila and other parts of the country
reveals the poor quality of the Philippine educational system.
 SOCIAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION

Lack of Budget

Despite the fact that the Philippine Constitution requires the

government to devote the greatest amount of its budget to
education, the Philippines continues to have one of the lowest
education budget allocations among ASEAN countries.
 SOCIAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION

Unaffordability of Education

Across diverse social groupings, there is a significant

discrepancy in educational achievement. Pupils from
socioeconomically challenged homes have much higher dropout
rates in primary school. Furthermore, the majority of tertiary
freshmen come from quite well-off families.
 SOCIAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION

High Drop-Out Rate

According to UNESCO data, the Philippines has 1.4 million

children who are out of school, making it the only ASEAN
country among the top five countries with the largest number of
out-of-school youth. The Department of Education reported a
6.38 percent primary school dropout rate and a 7.82 percent
secondary school dropout rate in 2012.
 SOCIAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION

Job Mismatch

There is a significant gap between school preparation and actual

job requirements. This is a huge problem at the tertiary level,
and it is also the reason for the continued unemployment or
underemployment of a large number of educated people.
 SOCIAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION
Brain Drain

Due to the modern phenomena of globalization, brain drain is a

continuous problem in the Philippine educational system, with
the number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who worked
overseas at any time during the period April to September 2014
estimated at 2.3 million. This continued mass departure causes
an unprecedented brain drain, as well as serious economic
consequences.
 SOCIAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION

Social Divide

Most modern nations have had an equalizing influence. Because

of this socioeconomic difference, education has become a part
of the institutional process that generates a separation between
the rich and the poor.
 SOCIAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION

Poor Facilities in Public Schools

Large-scale shortages of facilities include non-working or poorly

maintained public comfort rooms, lack of classrooms,
overcrowding in classrooms, poor ventilation, and unsanitary
and crowded canteens. There are far too many students yet very
few resources available.
 SOCIAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION

Low Salary of Teachers

Teachers in public schools are among the lowest-paid

professionals in the Philippines, and among the lowest-paid
teachers in Asia. It is a socioeconomic issue that impacts not
only instructors but also students and the entire country.
 SOCIAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION

“If you want to do any policy changes that means you pay
attention and you invest [in] the teachers. Do not invest [in] air-
conditioned rooms… because these things can happen under
the papaya tree. But if the teacher is b*bo, no learning
happens.”
Clarita Carlos
February 15, 2022
WHAT MAKES A DOCUMENTARY A DOCUMENTARY?

Observation
(Fly on the Wall)

Putting the audience in a role of eyewitness where the camera

appears to be unseen. Indirect address to the audiences.
Documentaries focus on real people and real stories.
 WHAT MAKES A DOCUMENTARY A DOCUMENTARY?

Interview

Use interviews to make a contrast between observation

sequences.
Structured in two ways:
 Intercut fragments of observations
 Completely uninterrupted sequence
WHAT MAKES A DOCUMENTARY A DOCUMENTARY?

Dramatization

Even though all documentaries use a sense of drama, it is

specifically used to portray people and events the filmmaker
cannot gain access to in real life.
These sequences are said to be based on fact.
WHAT MAKES A DOCUMENTARY A DOCUMENTARY?

Mise-en-Scene

Literally what the director(s) and producer(s) put into the frame.
For example, lighting and props in an interview.
WHAT MAKES A DOCUMENTARY A DOCUMENTARY?

Exposition

The line of argument which is what the film is saying. Sequences

that lead the audience to make their own conclusions.
WHAT MAKES A DOCUMENTARY A DOCUMENTARY?

Documentaries present the truth

(According the director)

Documentaries are a window into the truth of the subject

matter. At the same time, everybody looks out at the world from
a different window. Documentary directors are no different.
TEACHERS DURING THE PANDEMIC
Kara David
 DOCUMENTARY MODES

In 1991, American film critic and theoretician Bill Nichols proposed

that there were six different modes of documentary – poetic,
expository, reflexive, observational, performative, and participatory –
each containing its own specific characteristics. While some
documentary films may have an overlap in traits, each mode is a
category that can be boiled down to a few specific elements.
 TYPES OF DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Nichols (2001)

Poetic Documentaries

Poetic documentaries focus more on mood, tone, or juxtaposition of

imagery than linear continuity. Their main aim is to show experiences,
images, and the world from a different viewpoint.

They are often abstract and loose with narrative, and their goal is to
create a feeling rather than find the truth. Poetic documentaries are
often considered both unconventional and experimental.
 TYPES OF DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Nichols (2001)

Expository Documentaries

Expository documentaries aim to inform and persuade–often

through omnipresent "Voice of God" narration and by using
stock footage, archival footage, b-roll, or re-enactments.

This is the most direct form of documentary storytelling and

is an excellent way to share a message or information.
 TYPES OF DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Nichols (2001)

Observational Documentaries

Observational documentaries attempt to discover the ultimate

truth of their subject by observing the subject's real-life
without interruption - this is done by acting as a fly-on-the-
wall.
 TYPES OF DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Nichols (2001)

Participatory Documentaries

Participatory documentaries are defined by the interaction between

the subject and the filmmaker. These interactions will often support
the filmmaker's point of view or prove the film's intent.

These documentaries often present the filmmaker's

version of the truth by focusing on direct engagement with
subjects and capturing their reactions.
 TYPES OF DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Nichols (2001)

Reflexive Documentaries

Reflexive documentaries focus on the relationship between the

audience and the filmmaker. The subject matter is often the
process of documentary filmmaking itself.

The cinematographer will shoot behind-the-scenes style footage

of the entire film production process, including the editing,
interviewing, and post-production processes.
 TYPES OF DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Nichols (2001)

Performative Documentaries

Performative documentaries are focused on the filmmaker's

involvement with the subject. They will usually start with the
filmmaker deciding to document their journey to explore a
specific topic.
 WHAT ARE FEATURE FILMS?

A feature film is a film that is made for the purpose of

entertaining the audience. They are often called commercial
films. Comedy, action, romance, mystery, thriller, horror, and
adventure are some common subjects in feature films. The main
of these films is to entertain the viewers; they provide an
escape from the reality.
 REFLECT!

It was stressed in the documentary by the iWitness entitled

Pandemic Teachers that “[…] Isang misyon na sa patag man o
kabundukan, dapat walang batang maiiwan.”

What does it imply in our society where teachers are the ones
neglected?
FEATURE FILMS
Week 4
Meaning  History

SOCIETAL FILMS (LITR 1023)

 WHAT ARE FEATURE FILMS?

A feature film is a film that is made for the purpose of

entertaining the audience. They are often called commercial
films. Comedy, action, romance, mystery, thriller, horror, and
adventure are some common subjects in feature films. The main
of these films is to entertain the viewers; they provide an
escape from the reality.
 HISTORY

The first feature film was The Story of Kelly Gang, it is an

Australian silent film that lasted just over an hour. It was written
and directed by Charles Tait.
 HISTORY

In 1927, the film The Jazz Singer became the first feature film
released in sound. It soon became possible to release feature
films in color.
HIDDEN FIGURES