Julie Green, Director of Education at
Film Education, explains how films can be used to encourage
families to read for pleasure.
The box office and critical success of Casino
Royale, The Prestige,
The Devil Wears Prada and
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion,
the Witch and the Wardrobe is evidence enough that
books and films are inextricably interlinked. Bookshops
have to be well prepared for increased sales on titles that
are made into films, as seeing the film is often accompanied
by buying the book or vice versa.
Film is undeniably a powerful and significant cultural
medium, but is also seen as highly entertaining. It follows,
therefore, that using film is an extra way to encourage
children to do some relevant and useful reading.
Film Education's 20 years of specialist experience in moving
image education, providing teaching and learning resources
based on film, has proven that using film and cinema as
a learning resource is a vital way of stimulating reading
opportunities. Below are some of the resources that parents
may want to use to generate stimulating reading experiences
based on trips to the cinema or viewings of popular DVDs.
Parents might be taking their children
to see films that take their inspiration from classic children's
texts, such as:
Eragon (dir. Stefen Fangmeier,
released 15 December, 2006)
The book was written by 16-year-old Christopher Paolini;
it was first published privately by his parents in 2002.
The Film Education resource is available at: www.filmeducation.org/filmlib/e.html
The Kite Runner (released in the UK in December 2007). Based on one of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory, The Kite Runner is a profoundly emotional tale of friendship, family, devastating mistakes and redeeming love. The Film Education resource is available at: www.filmeducation.org/kiterunner/index.html
Charlotte's Web (dir. Gary
Winick, released 9 February, 2007)
E. B. White's classic tale (first published in 1951) of
a spider who saves a pig from the slaughterhouse is brought
to the big screen in this touching film.
The Film Education interactive CD-ROM on this title will
be sent to schools in January 2007. Teachers' notes and
taster activities can be found at: www.filmeducation.org/filmlib/c.html
Film Education has a long tradition of providing child and
parent-friendly resources on films based on or about books.
Since the company's foundation in 1985, we have worked on
over 160 films that are based on books, plays or the lives
of authors. These include:
The Adventures of Huck Finn (dir.
Stephen Sommers, 1993)
Based on The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn, written by Mark Twain in 1884.
Download the resource from: www.filmeducation.org/filmlib/a.html
Big Fish (dir. Tim Burton,
2003)
Based on the novel Big Fish: A
Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace, 1998.
See: www.filmeducation.org/filmlib/b.html
The Grinch (dir. Ron Howard,
2000)
Based on How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
by Dr Seuss in 1957.
Download the resource from: www.filmeducation.org/filmlib/g.html
Matilda (dir. Danny DeVito,
1996)
Based on Roald Dahl's 1988 novel of the same name.
Download the resource from:
www.filmeducation.org/filmlib/m.html
Polar Express (dir. Robert
Zemeckis, 2004)
Based on the Caldecott Medal-winning book of the same title
written by Chris Van Allsburg in 1985.
Download the resource from:
www.filmeducation.org/filmlib/p.html
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
(dir. Baz Lurhmann, 1996)
Teenagers who need convincing of the power of Shakespeare's
words may respond to Lurhmann's version of his 1597 play.
Download the resource from:
www.filmeducation.org/filmlib/w.html
© Film Education 2006
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