Look Up

Learning objective: to show understanding of the short film Look Up

‘Look Up’ - rethinking social media

1. Before we watch the short film ‘Look Up’, think about and answer the questions below.  I would like you to work in groups of 2-3 for this activity.  Make a copy of this document and share with your team members.  Team members need to make sure they add the shared document to their ENA111 folder.

What do you think social media is?
List the types of social media you know of.
List the types of social media you use each week.
How does social media make your life better?
Describe a problem you (or someone else you know) have had with or because of social media. How did you (or the other person) deal with the problem?

‘Look Up’ - A spoken word film for an online generation.

‘Look Up’ Is a lesson taught to us through a love story, in a world where we continue to find ways to make it easier for us to connect with one another, but always results in us spending more time alone. Written, Performed & Directed by Gary Turk.

Questions about the overall message and ideas in the film:

In your own words, explain what the film is about.
What is the message which the narrator (Gary Turk, who also wrote the script) is trying to get across to us?
Who do you think this film is aimed at?
What makes this film powerful?

Questions about some visual techniques in the film

COLOUR

Throughout the film, Gary Turk  is speaking on his own, against a dark, plain background. Why? What does the emphasise?

CINEMATOGRAPHY

What is the name of this shot?

Whose perspective do we see the screen from?

What is showing on the screen?

Why do you think the director chose this for the screen?

What does this emphasise?

A                                                     B                                                   C

What is the director’s purpose in showing us a series of shots of a children’s playground?

What types of shots are used in the frames above?

Choose ONE of the shots above and explain why the director has framed it in that way. (What is he emphasising?

In the shot above, many people move quickly past Gary Turk, using a method where most of the frame is speeded up while he is kept still. What does this technique emphasise?

ORAL TECHNIQUES

The main oral technique used in this film is monologue. Does this make the film personal (close to us) or impersonal (distant from us)? Explain your answer.

The film opens with the line “I have 422 friends and yet I am lonely.” What form of social media does this use of  the word ‘friends’ refer to? Why do you think he is lonely when he has so many friends?

What language technique makes this film like a poem? Give an example to support your answer.