Senior Project Presentation 1

Objective: Students will understand the implications of film propaganda and be able to detect biases presented in films.

Procedure:
1. Ask students what propaganda is. Ask them to define it.
2. Provide a formal definition.
3. Ask students about the different emotions that movies have evoked in them in order to make the point that film can be very persuasive, in my opinion more so than any other form of art because the different senses used to perceive it.
4. Explain that evoking a connection, specifically a visceral one, is the whole point of a film. A film-maker wouldn't make a film if he or she had nothing to say. Every film has a bias and a perspective but there is a difference between social commentary and political activism and propaganda film. Propaganda film is specific in its intentions, which is often to convince the viewer of a point usually by providing misleading, one sided, propaganistic content.
6. Ask students for examples of propaganda film, keeping track of who gave which example.
7. Ask those same students why the film they said is an example of propaganda film.
8. Explain that motion picture is an illusion, moving images at a certain rate makes the eye perceive motion, however that motion is not really happening. Hence the illusion. However, since film is images and digital media is not allowed for the presentation we can use images to (or propaganda posters) to examine the elements of propaganistic content. I will then use propaganda posters to guide the students through reading the persuasive content/composition of the image. I will also use an example from Triumph of The Will to show how if you are not paying attention these details can be easily "missed". When you miss details like that, you never really miss them. You did not conciously read what you saw, but the image still made an impression - much like subliminal messages do.
9.  Why is it unethical? Discuss the implications with the class. Talk about Nazi Germany and their propaganda films, also mention the flip side with America's propaganda films - which led to an increase in patriotism and enrollment in the army but also depicted many racial ideals.
10. Ask a student to analyze a poster to check for understanding, and ask another student who gave an earlier example of propaganda film why that film falls under propaganda.
11. Conclude on the note that film is so potent in its persuasiveness because unlike an idea or concept being told to you or reading about it, film allows you to experience it. I have come to this conclusion on my own. This is why it is important to be able to detect propaganda, because the implications are very scary. Anyone can persuade you to believe anything, it is so important for people to be able to think for themselves, but how can we begin to ask you to do that when you don't even know how to read when it is happening?

Checks for understanding: different questions asked throughout presentation (questions explained in procedure).

Resources/Materials:
-propaganda posters (hoping that Navoroli or Daly have some lying around that they can let me borrow)
-celluliod strip (to explain the illusion of film)