Teen Evolution

Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles,

which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org

See, think, make.

Imagine
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Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org

Teachers notes

Teen Evolution

Teen Evolution
Curriculum focus
PSHE, PSE, English, media and film studies, moving image arts, health and wellbeing and social studies
Age range
1419

This resource is suitable for KS4 and KS5 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as third and fourth level
in Scotland. These flexible discussion starters, activities and worksheets can be used as they are, or adapted to
suit your learners and your chosen Festival film.

About the festival

The Into Film Festival is an exciting and unique event for young people, taking place around the UK this November. The
Festival helps bring learning to life for 519-year-olds by inspiring young people to watch, make and understand film in
new and creative ways, as well as helping to build a lifelong passion for film. The thousands of free film screenings and
filmmaking workshops on offer have clear learning outcomes and our festival strands tie in with the curricula across
the UK to support education and personal development. Taking part in the Festival may be just the first step on a young
persons journey into film and we are here to support teachers and students along the way.
About this strand
Since the word was first coined in the 1940s and this significant phase of life acknowledged, teenage attitude, music and
fashion has notably defined the decades. Time travelling via Shakespeares 16th century and Austens turn of the 19th
century lovers, this Festival strand takes in the revolutionary 1940s, coming up to date with contemporary and futuristic
interpretations of adolescence. Through fiction and documentary, we track the evolution of the teenager on film. Films
in this strand include: Boyhood, Chronicle, Rebel Without A Cause and Enders Game.
For teachers of relevant subjects and for any educator who wants to give young people an opportunity to reflect on
teenage identity this resource supports learning about representations of young people on screen, with activity ideas
for before and after the screening. To see a full list of Festival films in this strand, and for related classroom resources,
see bit.ly/TeenEvolution.
Advice on using film in the classroom
If you want to explore more films back in the classroom, you can order DVDs for free through your Into Film Club
account. Not yet Into Film? Joining Into Film is easy and free go to the website to find out more and to register:
bit.ly/FilmClubs or email support@intofilm.org.
The Into Film website features a range of engaging resources that put film at the heart of children and young peoples
learning: bit.ly/IntoFilmSchoolResources. For advice on filmmaking with young people, see this helpful guide:
bit.ly/SecondaryFilmmaking and for a student-focused guide on storyboarding and planning a film, see this helpful
how to video: bit.ly/HowToStoryboard.

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Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org

Activity outlines

Teen Evolution

Before viewing: discussion starters

Summary: Students question their own, and others, perceptions
of teenagers through a series of discussions and debates that will
challenge their preconceptions and encourage personal responses.
Learning outcomes:
Students can interpret, evaluate and classify a range of depictions and opinions by drawing upon their own knowledge
and experience of moving image texts.

Perceptions of teens
1. Write the word teenager on the board. Divide the class into groups, to represent different ages: e.g. a 7-year-old;
a 30-year-old; a 50-year-old; an 80-year-old. Give each group a large sheet of paper and ask them, in character,
to write down words or phrases that their group might use to describe teenagers.
2. Remaining in character, each group must voice their opinions on teenagers. What does each group think of
teenagers? What words or phrases do they use? Why do they think that?

Stereotypes
1. Introduce the definition of stereotyping. In pairs, students discuss films they have seen that are about teenagers and
list the types of stereotypical representations that they typically contain.
2. As a class, discuss whether these stereotypes are positive or negative and whether they are true to real-life teens.

Its a teenagers world

1. In this activity, students watch a range of trailers for films featured in this Festival strand from the US, UK and Europe.
Students create a mind map of the themes, stories and characters being portrayed:
Watch the trailers for these UK films featured in this Festival strand in the strand:
Here And Now and God Help The Girl.
Then watch these trailers for US films in the strand: Boyhood and G.B.F.
Finally watch trailers for films from Europe: We Are The Best (Sweden/Denmark) and This Aint
California (Germany).
2. Ask students to make links and highlight any themes that are represented more than once. Are teenagers greatly
different according to where they come from, or do they experience similar things whilst going through this
transition from childhood to adulthood? Would any of these films have a different storyline if they were set in
another country?

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Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org

Activity outlines

Teen Evolution

Teen evolution
1.

Watch this short interview with writer Jon Savage: bit.ly/BTSTeenage. The following phrases and statements are said
in this interview:
History of pop culture
if teenagers are defined as age 13-24
Teenagersdidnt always exist
You have to invest in youth
A lot of adults are scared of teenagers

2. In pairs, students discuss their understanding and opinion of each of these statements.
3. Join this into a class discussion: was there anything in this short film that students didnt know before?
Is there anything they would like to find out more about? Anything they disagree with?

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Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org

Activity outlines

Teen Evolution

Before viewing: activities

Summary: Students examine a synopsis and trailer to identify how
it speaks to a teen audience, before curating and promoting their
own mini film festival aimed at an audience just like them.
Learning outcomes:
Students can interpret a written synopsis and translate this into a visual scene, discussing and deciding on the
aspects they would expect to see in that film.
Students can research, select and organise information according to specific criteria, to produce an idea for an
event and supporting materials to reflect real-world outcomes.
Students can examine and interpret film trailer images, infer appropriate sound and suggest their own ideas on
music and dialogue to create an appealing effect on a teen audience.

Predictions
1. Organise students into groups and direct them to bit.ly/TeenEvolution to search for a synopsis for their
chosen Festival film. If you do not have Internet access in the classroom, source this synopsis beforehand and
distribute copies.
2. Students use the synopsis to predict two or more scenes they would expect to see in the film.
3. In groups, they create these scenes as frozen pictures or tableaux and when ready, share with the class. If cameras
are available, students photograph these frozen pictures to create a slide presentation of the scenes.
Extension: as students present each tableau, say individuals names, signalling them to speak. They should voice
something they think the character might be thinking or saying at this point in the action.

Trailer soundtrack
1. Find a trailer for the film you are going to see online (try a site such as bit.ly/FindAnyFilm or bit.ly/IMDbSite) and play
it to students with the sound off, at least twice.
2. In pairs, students write the script to accompany the trailer and decide on an appropriate music soundtrack.
3. Students could then play their chosen soundtrack over the visuals of the original trailer and voice their lines of
dialogue.
4.

Introduce students to the idea that copyright law applies to most commercial music. They should watch this short
animation to help them: bit.ly/HowToLegal. Direct them to a website that hosts copyright free music, such as
bit.ly/LegalMusic or bit.ly/MusicArchive and challenge them to find an appropriate, alternative, copyright-free track,
to re-perform their trailer.

Extension: students reflect on the challenges presented by this task, exploring the concept of Intellectual Property and
copyright in terms of film music, and the film industry more widely. For further ideas, see bit.ly/CMMResource.

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Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org

Activity outlines

Teen Evolution

Film festival marketing

1. Ask students to take on the role of curators of their own teen-friendly, film festival. In pairs, they must research and select
three films they would screen, using the Into Film website catalogue to guide them: bit.ly/FilmsCatalogue. They must select
films according to the following criteria:
One film made before 1985
One film in a foreign language
One film from the last three years.
2. Students make notes on their findings on the Research and marketing worksheet on page 10 of this resource.
They should start their research by looking at the full list of Festival films in this strand see bit.ly/TeenEvolution.
3. Students then produce a poster, aimed at teenagers, to publicise these films and their film festival. Encourage
students to use their imagination about when, where and why the films might be screened, as well as giving the
festival an appropriate title. For further ideas about film festival posters designs, see bit.ly/FestivalPosters and the
Preparing your film festival poster worksheet on pages 11 to 13.

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Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org

Activity outlines

Teen Evolution

After viewing: activities

Summary: Inspired by their cinematic experience, students
investigate and debate some of the wider topics, themes and issues
raised by teen films through documentary filmmaking and role play.
Learning outcomes:
Students are able to describe their personal response to the film, listening to the opinions of others and explaining
their own points of view.
Students can identify film industry job roles, interpret their contribution to films and demonstrate this
understanding through role play and responding to questions.
Students compare and contrast teenagers through history by planning and producing a mini-documentary in a
historically relevant style.
Students can research, plan and debate issues, explore both sides of an argument and evaluate the strengths and
validity of verbal responses.

Developing a personal response

1. At the cinema, ask students to film vox pops with each other to record their immediate response to the film. If
cameras arent available, they could write their response on an exit slip. This can be compared later on with their
classroom responses, after they have had to time to reflect on the film.
2. In the classroom, when you see students after the Festival screening, give them a few minutes at the start of the
session to think about their responses to the film and then to discuss these with each other.
3. It is a good idea to move students around the room at this stage so they can share their thoughts and opinions with
as many other people as possible. You could stick agree and disagree signs around the room, read statements
about the film aloud and ask students to stand in relation to how strongly they agree/disagree.
4. How would they review the film they have seen? Use the Into Film Guide to Writing Effective Film Reviews
Secondary to get students reviewing the film: bit.ly/SecondaryReview.

Movie chat show

1. Students watch a selection of examples of press junkets (interview clips with stars and experts from the film industry)
here: bit.ly/IntoFilmBTS.
2. What kinds of questions are asked, and what sorts of answers are given? How should questions be phrased to elicit
the most interesting answer?
3. Arrange students into groups and explain they are going to role-play a film review show, focusing on the film they
have just watched. Give groups the following roles:
programme host
an actor from the film
the films director
the films costume director

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Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org

Activity outlines

Teen Evolution

5. Explain that the host will interview individuals about the film. Students should prepare questions and answers together
and have time to rehearse their discussion, before filming it or performing to the rest of the class. They should show their
understanding of the different roles they are playing as well as knowledge about the film.

Age of the teenager?

1. Show students this short British Path public information-style film from the 1950s when the term teenager was
first becoming common: bit.ly/TeenagerPathe.
2. What are the key themes of the film? Are they still relevant today?
3. After watching, students create their own public information film about teenagers today, using a similar style.
Students script, storyboard and present their ideas in a similar format to that used in these films.
Extension: students film ideas and edit to create a black and white, archive film effect. For more ideas of public
information in a similar style, see: bit.ly/TeenagerPathe2.

Debate
1. Organise students into two groups and explain they will be debating the motion: These days, teenagers have got it
too easy! Give one group the task of finding arguments to support this motion; the other group finds arguments to
challenge it. If Internet access is available, allow time for research. Encourage students to include evidence from the
film they have seen to support their ideas as well as their own experiences and other research.
2. Groups choose representatives to propose and second the motion, and to reply on the other side.
3. Once these representatives are chosen, the other students are given a specific peer review speaking and listening
focus to evaluate the performance of the debaters. They listen to the debate, making notes according to their focus,
and then be ready to feedback on positives and areas to improve on in future.
4. At the end of the debate the class can hold a ballot to decide a winner.
Extension: one group of students is given responsibility to film the debate from a range of angles. The footage is then
edited in groups to create different outcomes:
A documentary style piece about teenage development
A one-sided case either supporting or criticising teenagers
A clip for the school website showcasing student voices

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Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org

Activity outlines

Teen Evolution

Extension activities
Summary: These activities challenge students to analyse the
positive and negative representations of teenagers that they
have encountered, and create their own cast of characters that
challenge or reinforce the stereotypes found in teen films.
Learning outcomes:
Students develop skills to help them analyse representations of teen characters in film and apply these skill to a
range of examples, using evidence to support their analysis.
Students can construct an original teen film by drawing upon their knowledge and understanding of genre
conventions and audience demographics.

Representing youth
1. Using the Representing youth worksheet on page 14 of this guide, students reflect on the teenagers portrayed in
their chosen Festival film and analyse how each is represented.
2. Can students think of similar or contrasting characters shown in other films? Which portrayal of their age group do
they most like, or identify with?
3. Using the Internet, magazines or newspapers, students source positive and negative representations of teen
characters in other films and create a mood board to illustrate their findings. When complete, display these around
the room and have a shared viewing of students work.
4. What is the balance between positive and negative representations? What advice would the class give to the British
film industry to promote more positive representations of young people? Students revisit their selection of films
for their own film festival, completed earlier: what three films would they now want to add in to show positive
representations of teens? They should provide a one- or two-sentence justification for each choice.

Casting call!
1. In pairs, students brainstorm ideas for a short teen film of their own, considering the narrative, character types,
themes and issues and settings. They could look at the Into Film catalogue to research features and shorts on that
touch on similar topics: www.filmclub.org/films. Shorts made by young people can be accessed at the Into Film
shorts youtube page. We would advise you to view these first to select appropriate examples for your students:
http://bit.ly/IntoFilmClubs-YouTube.
2. Students write a synopsis for their story, outlining the main action of their film.
3. They should then design the cast of characters that would be involved in the film. They should think of whether they
will use or challenge common stereotypes and create sketches of characters with annotations.
4. Students decide which real-life actors would play each role, and provide justifications for their choices.

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Film title

Brief synopsis

Theme(s)
Unique Selling Point

Use this worksheet to collect information about all the films in the Teen Evolution strand of the Festival. What poster ideas can you come up with?

Research and marketing

10

Teen Evolution

Teen Evolution

Preparing your film festival poster

Use the following prompts to help you focus your ideas about the content of your poster.

1. Title for film festival:

2. Slogan:

3. Text:

4. Weblink:

5. Where:

6. When:

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Teen Evolution

Preparing your film festival poster

Use the following prompts to help you focus your ideas about the content of your poster.

7. Why:

8. Images:

9. Characters:

10. Setting:

11. Iconography (signs and symbols):

12. Branding/logo:

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Teen Evolution

Preparing your film festival poster

These prompts will help you plan and design a poster for your own film festival:

A FILM POSTER WILL USUALLY HAVE ONE

PROMOTIONAL PHOTOGRAPH OR STILL IMAGE FROM
THE FILM AS A BACKGROUND IMAGE FOR THE ENTIRE
POSTER

OFTEN THE LEAD CAST MEMBERS ARE CREDITIED ABOVE THE TITLE

THE FILM TITLE WILL BE

BOLD AND NOTICEABLE
THE DATE THE FILM IS OUT IN CINEMAS

SOMETIMES A QUOTE FROM A REVIEW OR A

STAR RATING IS INCLUDED. NAME, Company

AT THE BOTTOM YOU WILL FIND CREDITS FOR:

THE STUDIO NAME, PRODUCER, SCRIPTWRITER, LEAD ACTOR, FILM TITLE,
MUSIC COMPOSER, COSTUME DESIGN, EDITOR, PRODUCTION DESIGN,
CINEMATOGRAPHER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, PRODUCER, STORY WRITER,
SCREEN WRITER AND DIRECTOR...
USUALLY ALWAYS IN THAT ORDER

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Teen Evolution

Representing youth
Analyse each teenage character in the Festival film you have watched. You could find an image of the character and
annotate your analysis around the edge. Use these focus questions to help you get started:

Are the teenagers in

the film represented
negatively or positively?

Are they able to

influence the world
around them or do
they just put up with it?

Are they conventional

or rebellious?

Do they keep safe or

take risks?

Do you see any

stereotypes?

Are male and female

teenagers represented
similarly?

How does the

representation of
teenagers contribute
to the films drama?

Extension
A mood board is a type of collage that visually represents ideas and concepts.
Based on your reflections, create a mood board to illustrate how teenagers are represented in teen films you have
watched. Try and choose a range of images that suggest how teenagers are represented, rather than literal illustrations
of characters, settings or props. Use the above questions to help you select the best ones.

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