Activity 3: Exploring Video Realism
This activity makes use of video from a range of different programming genres. The tape I use consists of six 1- to 2-minute clips from the following films and television programs:
If video equipment is not available, a television guide with names of programs students are familiar with could serve as a substitute. Use of actual clips is preferable, however, since they help students focus attention on the visual and verbal elements of the message, which facilitates use of evidence in reasoning and communication. The airing of clips in the classroom also avoids arguments based on students’ different experiences -- for example, when one learner says “TV news,” she may mean the nightly network news broadcast while others may think of the tabloid news programs such as Hard Copy or Inside Edition.
Clips from a variety of sources could be used, but when making selections it is important to include a range of media messages with different forms of realism. For example, Romeo + Juliet makes use of a contemporary urban setting, with emotionally charged interaction. The fact that the characters speak in Elizabethan prose creates a highly unlikely juxtaposition. It is also important to select from a diverse array of genres, including films that tell fictional stories, documentaries, historical fiction, advertising, and news. All incorporate complex dimensions of realism in characterization, setting, costume, sound, image, special effects, and other elements. It is especially important to include video images that are rich in realistic or phony dialogue, authentic or artificial settings, and emotionally complex interpersonal dynamics.
To begin the activity, the teacher draws a horizontal line on the chalkboard and asks students to draw their own line, either working as individuals or in small groups. The line represents a continuum, or “Reality Check Diagram,” and should be labeled with “Unrealistic” at the extreme left and “Realistic” at the extreme right. The activity involves viewing each clip and placing it on the continuum. In working on this task, learners will begin to recognize that such assessments are judgments -- that they do not necessarily reflect characteristics inherent in the clips themselves -- and that people are likely to have different perspectives on realism, depending on their prior experiences, knowledge, social identities, belief systems, and values.
To encourage development of writing skills, I ask students to complete two sentences after viewing each clip:
To add a whole-class component to the activity, indidividual students can share their responses to the sentence starters and their positioning of the clips on the continuum. It can also be effective as a small-group activity, where teams of students collaborate to create a continuum chart. Each video clip is discussed in relation to its realistic and unrealistic elements, and students write justifications of their reasoning for assigning the clips at particular points on the continuum. It is not uncommon for this activity to generate vigorous discussion from learners, since different perspectives on the video clips invite learners to reflect on the underlying reasons for their judgments.
I used this activity in a Grade 11 English class, with students aged approximately 16 years. Shawna’s and Terrence’s judgments, shown in the figure below and explained in the linked file following, are indicative of students’ diverse and complex approaches to the process of assessing the realism of video segments. For example, Shawna frequently refers to the genre of the message in evaluating its realism. She uses language that demonstrates her knowledge of genre (news, historical fiction, drama, ad), and these concepts shape her judgments. With the ADT ad especially, she recognized and struggled with the paradox of using a realistic audio clip (the call to emergency services) in the context of a commercial message.
Click here for Terrence and Shawna’s explanations of their positioning of the clips along the continuum.
We also see the power of emotional resonance and its influence in shaping reality judgments. Terrence is especially sensitive to the dramatic intensity of scenes that he can relate to his own experience -- or to other media messages he has viewed. Emotional resonance creates a perception of realism, even when other elements (e.g., setting, character) are unrealistic. For example, students may recognize emotional resonance at work in their pleasure in science fiction.
It is apparent that when prompted, students recognize that their understanding of people who are different from themselves is affected by the steady stream of highly consistent and linked representations of others they experience through the media. In commenting on the realism of Romeo + Juliet, for example, Terrence blanched when asked about why he felt the representation of the gang members was authentic. He responded, “I’ve seen stuff about it in the news, on TV. [Laughs.] Music videos.” This response generated classroom discussion about how gang membership is depicted in music videos and whether these videos actually portray the gang lifestyle accurately.
Through discussions of video realism, students quickly come to recognize that, while there is broad consensus about the realism of some programs, others do not fit comfortably on the continuum. These sorts of questions arise:
By problematizing the concept of realism, this activity invites students to reflect on how genre-based expectations are used as they assess the realism they perceive in media messages. When students can appreciate that both fiction and nonfiction genres are in the business of storytelling, they gain insight into the socially constructed nature of all messages in the cultural environment. They appreciate the ways in which people can effectively communicate with one another and build trust and understanding by creating messages that reflect their world view.
Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
Posted April 2001
© 2001 International Reading Association, Inc. ISSN 1096-1232