Session 3a: Using Film to Teach About China

[Anonymous]

I have waited for the week-end to responed to the knowledge I have gained this week, I went back to school later in life and every time I take a class now, I feel like a kid in a toy store with 1000's of dallors to spend. I have enjoyed all the classes and love to take classes form teachers who truly love their subject and love to teach.

Professor Ye seemed happy to be in front of teachers which can be alittle intimidating, and taught so many important points that I have to admit that I wished I had recorded the lecture.

Someone has already said that they did not know about the fabula/Sjuzet, neither did I, I am not a Lit. teacher, however; I can use this in Art. Many of my students do not even know their color wheel, so as they walk into my class their first assignment everyday is a vocabulary word, their first one will be Fabula and on the second day the word will be Sjuzet.

I start every day with a vocabulary word while I take role, I have 50 students every 45 Min. this list of words (if they have every one is worth one whole grade), and is used to get them in and settled. This really works, and if you think of each subject and how different the language is in each. Vocabulary is very important!

*Just a little side note I feel like I am fabula and can't get what is in my mind written into the Sjuzet.

[Anonymous]

Interesting concepts I learned from professor Ye's lecture. One is to absorb the film using imagery-taking into account the establishing shot-wide view, pan, tilt; editing; point of view and other techniques of film making. Since I teach Language Arts, it is enlightening to add to my vocabulary the words 'fabula' and "sjuzet.' Those are certainly literary terms.
I do teach poetry as a unit, the students compose their poems, I can add on the element of singing or rapping.[Edit by="amohammed on Aug 2, 7:05:38 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I think that using films to teach social studies is often a great idea. In my classroom I will probably not have the chance to show films because of the style of school I teach at, but I would like to start my own little library for sixth grade (The Ancient World) and also seventh grade (The Medieval World and Beyond). I will create a form and work out a check-out system for my students. I will provide a sheet with each film I recommend that will have specific questions for my students as well as bibliographic info on the film. This will allow my students to start understanding that there is so much more to a film than mere entertainment, although that is most often where love of film comes from.

[Anonymous]

I really appreciated Professor Ye's lecture because I teach in a Media Academy and I could really use some of the ideas/terms that he talked about. I usually leave all of the film stuff to the tech teacher in the academy, but armed with the information from Professor Ye's lecture I will be able to bring some of the film aspects into my social studies classroom. I am particularly interested to look into Susan Sontag's "Against Interpretation" where she discusses what to look for in a film - what it means vs. how it means.

In addition, I am looking forward to introducing my students to the terms fabula and sjuzet. I think that the discussion of these terms could be effective in all 3 parts of the media academy - english, tech and social studies.

[Anonymous]

It was exiting to listen to Prof. Yang Ye's Lecture; he has deep knowledge and passsion for both Chinese and Western films.

As a matter of fact (pause), I had a very little knowledge about Chinese films. The most recent Chinese film I saw was "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" several years ago. I knew Chinese producers were making many movies like other countries, but I did not know about their works. In this session I felt as if I have just discovered hidden treasures. Thank you for the introduction of "Hero", and Five constant virtures in Confucianism. As on of the Confucians in this summer seminar debate, and as an art lover, I would like to see Zhang Yimou's "Hero". (Thank you very much for showing us the important scenes.)

I read a Japanese book which mentioned "fabula" and "sjuzet". Like Prof. Ye, the writer did not translate the words; he used the original words with Japanese writing system and pronumciation. His reason was the same as Pro. Ye's.

Ang Lee, the director of "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", graduated from National Taiwan University in 1975. I attended the same uinversity until 1977 (note: there was no international relationship between Japan and Peoples Republic of China at that time, and the only country that had kept traditional Chinese culture was Taiwan. Since I wanted to study Chinese literature, Taiwan was the place to go). I saw the film, and liked very much. Now I feel closer to his work.

I will introduce Chinese films to my students when I teach Chinese culture (Although I teach Japanese language, teaching cultural back ground is important, too. Japanese culture is influenced by Chinese and korean cultures, especially in old days). I will incorporate the films with Chinese philosophy. (RE: Seesion 2b)

[Anonymous]

I already use film in my classroom to teach about just any concept that is presented on my lessons. Professor Yang Ye really made a wonderful presentation on how film can be used to convey powerful messages that would otherwise be difficult to explain orally if there is no picture stored in the brain. The visual effects that film produces leaves an everlasting picture in the brain that gets stored and retrieved whenever needed.

The other point I want to mention is that Professor Ye hit the nail right on the head when he discussed the importance of words in poetry by using either the fabula or the sjuzet. During the spring the ninth graders compose various poems ranging from haiku, limerick, diamante, free verse, and acrostic just to mention a few. Many of them have difficulty choosing the words to make their poems express their innermost feelings. When they begin to carefully select their words the end result is a message that exposes the most heart touching and sincere aspect of the writer.

Oh, I almost forgot; the movie clips were cool.

Maria

[Anonymous]

My uncle was one of WWII "Kamikaze Tokkotai". They were trained to serve Japan (Japanese Emperor) with "samurai" spirit. My uncle was an airplane pilot, and got lost/got killed over the Pacific Ocean (according to my family). But my grand parents were never nofified when and how their son disappered. It's a part of WWII history.

:~

[Anonymous]

This lecture was especially special to me because I love Chinese films. Something that I have always paid attention to in the films that I have watched is how the fighting scenes are almost, in a sense “beautified.” Literature is my second love. My first love is dance. And that is what I see in the Chinese fighting scenes, in movies like “Heroes” and “Crouching Tiger” and “Flying Daggers.” It is as if the two warriors are engaging in a beautiful dance as they fight . Every thrust of the sword, every leap in the air, glide made through space is delicate, and deliberate, and graceful. It’s a very beautiful dance. Every move made by one warrior is equally counteracted with the same grace and beauty by the other warrior. It is like a dance in celebration of life that both parties engage in to honor the other. No one is ever just killed without the honor of this dance taking place first. It is one of the reasons I love watching Chinese movies.

[Anonymous]

Prof. Ye is wonderfully passionate, incredibly intelligent, and absolutely inspiring.

"Poetry should be the music of language," he said. Poetry is something can be glanced over or ignored at the high school level because we must cover three or four novels, as many essays, research papers, projects/presentations, so on and so. However, when you stop to think about it as the music of language, how can you not stop and have students savor their beauty.

I especially appreciated the exposure to several Chinese films, some of which I'd like to review for use in the classroom. Because the school at which I work is so diverse, introducing foreign films will not only help validate different cultures, but also help cultivate appreciation for diversity. Films are also a great tools in helping students understand how similar humans are regardless of our place of birth, our politics, or religion, or tastes. Students need more exposure to other forms of beauty, not just Western beauty, in order to change their perspective of what is beautiful.

Using the concepts of fabula and sjuzet will be an incredible vehicle to present to students prior to watching films for the purpose of keeping them focused and involved, as well as making them think critically. However, I do feel that simply asking them, " How was the story presented" is not enough. I do feel that asking students to understand the purpose of a film (or literature) is critical in helping them grasp the "how" of a it.

[Anonymous]

Professor Ye was amazing to listen to and learn from. The terms he alluded to are relevant for us to use in the classroom ( ie point-of-view from the camera lense, camera work/shot, editing (dissolve/fade/cut away) etc. I was most impressed by the terms "fabula" and "sjuzet" for message(story) and arrancement of the material (plot). These terms will make for a good lesson and discussion with students of all ages. Not only will the terms be useful in analyzing film, but anamie, cartooning, commercials, and still photoing. Students love to have a homework assignment that involves watching tv for any reason. I was impressed by the information we received on the making of Hero, especially to learn that the warrior scene was made with so many extras, mostly military. It brought a smile to my face when the same idea ( ie use people, which is what China has lots of) during the Openinc Ceremonies for the Olympics. It takes a special talent to employ that many people with the precision that Zhang Yimou is able to do so well. It is its own artform.

[Anonymous]

This session, led by the venerable Master Ye, inspired me to bring more films into my World Language class. What a story about the director Zhang Yimou as well, and his film "To Live" giving him a two-year ban from filmmaking! Fourteen years later he was put in charge of planning the Olympic opening ceremonies, the stage on which the rest of the world viewed a modern, vibrant China. As for his actual directorial style, I enjoyed the segment of "Hero" but found "Curse of the Golden Flower" like being forced to eat a can of frosting; so rich, colorful, and busy that I had trouble digesting the vision and lost track of the story.
The backlash from Beijing relating to "To Live" is something I'd like to learn more about. I love talking with students about Kurosawa's films, his global reputation as one of the greatest directors ever, and the contrasting lack of enthusiasm for his work in Japan (due to the plethora of Western influences found in his films). Ozu and Mizoguchi, on the other hand, are lauded in Japan for being more traditionally Japanese in style. What are some examples of traditional Chinese films, and might future Chinese films/directors suffer a similar fate to Kurosawa (and why)? Zhang, it seems, is a current cultural hero.
Also, a link to Roger Ebert's current blog:
The Triumph of China

His "Great Movies" section is where I get some of the most interesting reflections on Japanese film.

[Anonymous]

My heart skipped a beat when Professor Ye mimiced E.A. Housman's reading of "With Rue My Heart Is Laden." Just two weeks before the seminar I had been listening to a cassette of 20th century poets reciting their work. Master Ye's rendition was creepily spot on. I could almost see the old dude-white hair parted in the middle, a bushy mustache beneath a protruding nose, and a voice like some modal music with a drone note sounding in the back of the throat as an almost brogue carried the words along. But when Master Ye sang/chanted "Picking Fern," I was entranced.

We fiddle around with rap and other modern musics emphasizing rhyme and rythm and we forget how much baggage a good melody can carry. A neighboring math teacher and I have been conducting a battle of the choruses. She started with "The Math Song" with an unexpected foray into my classroom. That was countered by "The Islamic Way," based on the American folk song "Acres of Clams" set to the tune of the Irish "Old Rosin, the Beau" (The attachment has some of the lyrics). At Christmas we made a pre-emptive strike with "The Twelve Days of Christmas" which she countered with "The Star-Spangled Banner" in Japanese, lyric translations provided by the Japanese students who were visiting campus for two weeks. Then she hit us again just before school was out with "Differential DooWop"-I think I'm getting blitzed.

While watching a slide show on West Africa, I tossed off an initial line for a quatrain in alliteration. I had hoped to put the best student work to music but... Here's the line: "The magnificent mud mosques of Mopti, Mali..." Give it a go! I've also been noodling around a song on Rome sung to, what else, "Home on the Range."

The math teacher and I talked recently and are planning another round. I've been thinking Japanese and/or Chinese standards. The only melodies that come readily to mind are Martin Denny's "Sayonara," the Vapors "I Think I'm Turning Japanese," Louis Armstrong's rendition of "Chinatown, My Chinatown," and The Doobie Brothers' "Chinatown." We are going to try for a lot more student input this time. What do you think, a novelty spot on "American Idol."

[Anonymous]

I am really excited we got exposure to soo many films. As soon as I saw Farewell My Concubine I knew I would show that last part for the Cultural Revolution Unit.

I also think that showing part of Hero in another lesson in my China unit can highlight the amazing art, martial arts, and film of China. So many people don't know enough about it.

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