Social Skills for Success:
Running Your Secondary Film Club
The resource provides everything needed to simplify setting up a KS3 film club
and integrates a variety of opportunities for teaching soft skills and film literacy.
This would be easy to use as an extra-curricular film club and also includes
many films and activities which could be used easily in the English classroom.’
Shauna McLaughlin, Teacher, St Dominic’s High School
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles,
which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
See, think, make.
Imagine
intofilm.org
Into Film is a trading name of Film Nation UK. Registered Charity number 1154030.
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Leaders’ notes
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Introduction
Age range: KS3/Third and Fourth Level
Skills focus/curriculum links:
critical thinking; cultural awareness; English; literacy; computing and ICT
Why run a film club for this age group?
The early years of Secondary school can be a challenging time for young people as they establish their own identity
and their place amongst their peers. A film club offers students a safe space to explore a range of issues relevant
to them, using film characters and storylines as stimuli for discussion. Through the shared viewing experience, and
through being part of a club, young people can build their confidence, self-esteem and interpersonal skills. This in
turn can boost their literacy and critical thinking skills in the classroom.
This resource suggests a range of films, with young people at their centre, spanning a wide range of styles, cultures
and time periods to celebrate the universal experience.
It is important for me to have a film club because some people are not as
privileged as others and can’t watch many films, but film club is free, it’s
enjoyable and everyone can come and have fun there“
Year 9 club member, Wanstead High School
About this resource
This easy-to-use guide makes setting up – and running – your new club easy and fun, developing your members’
confidence in expressing their opinions whilst supporting their literacy and critical thinking skills.
The guide is structured using these key Into Film principles:
1. SEE - pages 4-6: advice on setting up your Into Film club and watching films in club sessions, including
a ‘Recommended viewing’ list on pages 24-26 suitable for lower Secondary-aged pupils.
2. THINK - pages 7-10: fun and engaging Activity suggestions designed to work with the films on the
recommended viewing list.
3. MAKE – pages 11-12: practical ideas for engaging your club members in simple, fun filmmaking.
4. IMAGINE - pages 13-14: this final section offers links to Into Film programmes such as Talent Development
opportunities, meet the industry and Green Light to Opening Night.
5. Plus an Assembly PowerPoint carefully created to help you recruit new members to your exciting new film club.
Available to download from www.filmclub.org/resources.
The activities will work with any film on the Recommended viewing list and can be used to extend the after-school
film club experience, or to boost engagement in the classroom. Through the wide and varied range of film suggestions,
pupils will also broaden their cultural awareness as they discover animated tales from different times and places.
intofilm.org
2
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Leaders’ notes
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
What are the benefits of Into Film clubs?
• Joining Into Film and starting a film club gives your school access to thousands of fantastic films to watch, as well as
opportunities for members to develop skills in reporting, programming and reviewing.
• Clubs can access educational resources, as well as support for filmmaking, putting youth voice at the very heart of the
scheme.
• Through participating in a film club, children and young people can engage directly with members of the film industry,
discover career opportunities and learn how to pursue them.
• Club leaders can benefit from training and CPD to assist the use of film as a learning tool and access support on
introducing filmmaking into your club.
• Through film-industry support, Into Film is able to offer free cinema events, including the Into Film Festival, and
year-round screening events and activities.
Currently there are more than 9,400 Into Film Clubs across the UK and
the number is growing all the time. In recent surveys, club leaders have
emphasised clear benefits for their members:
91INCREASE
% SAY FILM CLUBS
MEMBERS’ ENJOYMENT OF SCHOOL
intofilm.org
3
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Activity outlines
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
SEE
Summary: Tips for setting up and running your first club sessions,
including carefully chosen film titles that will engage and inspire
your new members
Getting started
Use this checklist to help you get your club off the ground:
1. Timings – One of the first things to think about is the day and time your club will run. Some clubs run for an hour
each session, some for two hours or more; some run every week and others every fortnight. Your club session might
depend on the availability of your chosen room or venue. Decide what works best for you and your setting and
reassess if you need to at the end of the term.
2. Choose a venue – Some leaders use a classroom for their club, some use a school hall or other shared space. It’s
important to use the same space each time, if you can, so club members get used to the experience and feel a sense
of ownership of the space. You may also want to use the ICT suite after the session so members can submit film
reviews.
3. Launch your club – Your club starts with your members, so look at ways you can encourage students to join –
especially those who might not ordinarily get involved with a school club:
• Use the Assembly PowerPoint presentation to capture students’ interest.
• Keep them informed by displaying the posters provided in your Into Film welcome pack around the school.
• You could even plan an exciting launch event for your first screening.
• Remember to use the ‘letter to parents’ to let them know about your club and get permission for students to attend.
• Once you’re up and running, you could give another assembly message where your new club members act as
ambassadors to encourage other students to join.
4. Make the club special – Help your members feel pride in, and ownership of, their club:
• Get them involved with decorating the space. They could make simple props or posters that could be added
quickly to the space at the start of the session to make it feel special.
• You could even ask your local cinema if they can give you used posters or ‘standees’ from the foyer.
• Hand out membership cards to help your members feel part of the club.
5. Seating – Think about the best way to fit your club members into the space:
• Will they be sitting on chairs or on the floor? Could they bring cushions to make themselves more comfortable?
Can everyone see the screen?
• Some members may need to sit closer or further away to accommodate individual needs, so try to check this out
first.
6. Picture and sound – Make sure the space has a good-sized screen with a reasonable picture so your club members
can enjoy the viewing experience:
• If you’re using a projector, check the focus and brightness before your screening.
• Draw curtains and blinds, or use sugar paper to darken the windows so the picture can be seen clearly.
• Finally, check the sound is working and can be heard by all.
intofilm.org
4
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Activity outlines
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
7. Screening rules – Make sure you agree these with your members at the start so everyone can get the most out of
the film:
• Get members involved with creating a short list of easy-to-follow ground rules, eg no loud talking; no noisy
eating; no walking in front of the screen; clean up at the end of the club etc.
• You could display these somewhere prominent or give them to new members as they join.
8. Choosing a film – We’ve made selecting relevant films for this age group easy with the Recommended viewing list
on pages 24-26.
• Try starting your club with a film that will capture members’ attention. Then, once the club is up and running,
gradually introduce more varied films.
• Your members can also indicate what they’d like to see by logging in to their member accounts and adding films
to their wish lists.
• You can balance and supplement mainstream films with challenging choices or complement topics you may
currently be studying in class.
9. Ordering films through the website – Browse Into Film’s catalogue of more than 4,000 films, using filters including
age, genre, duration and theme, to put together your screening choices for the term:
• Try to include up to 20 films on your request list, and remember to prioritise your titles as high, medium or low.
• You will receive three DVDs at a time which should help with forward planning. It can be a good idea to stay in
possession of at least two unwatched films so you are never without an option to use, and remember to pop any
DVDs you have watched back in the post straight after your screening so that you can be sent your next film.
10.Further guidance on making the most of your club:
• Log in to your member account at www.filmclub.org/login, where you can also gain advice and tips from other
club leaders via the online message boards, or contact your regional Programme Coordinator.
• The site also features FAQs to guide you: www.filmclub.org/index/faqs
• Or try using this short, helpful guide: www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/getting-started-into-film-clubs-v2.pdf
Property of [20th Century Fox] © (1990) All rights reserved
Not only do we enjoy watching films as a group, but we comment and discuss
views on various aspects of the film such as directing, lighting and props. Film
club is not only a great way to have fun with your friends and enjoy watching
films, but it opens our eyes to viewing films in a completely different way. We
get to understand what elements a film needs to be successful and special.“
Nicola, film club member, Dr Challoner’s High School, Buckinghamshire
intofilm.org
5
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Activity outlines
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Running a session
Before the screening
• Greet your members. Try to make new members feel welcome by giving them a membership card and making sure
there is an opportunity for introductions. You could try an ice breaker activity such as this paired card one:
www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/ice-breaker.pdf
• You may find it helpful to display the title and an image from the film from the Into Film Clubs website to help set the
scene as your members arrive. You could also show the month’s Into Film show to create a buzz:
www.intofilm.org/news/behind-the-scenes
• Use the ‘Before screening’ discussion guide on page XX to get your members ready for the film they are about to
see. These quick and simple questions work well when used with pairs or small groups. They can also help to engage
members who arrive early for the film. You could encourage more active responses by setting a timer, or a word
limit, or throwing a bean bag to members to decide who goes next. Suggested sentence starters are given to help all
members feel included.
Screening your film
• Just before you start the film, you may find it helpful to give a quick reminder of your agreed club rules.
• To help members engage with the film, ask them to think of at least one thing they would like to share at the end of
the screening. You could revisit the ‘Before screening’ discussion guide here, or write the ‘3Cs and 3Ss’ – camera,
colour, character, sound, story and setting on the whiteboard, as prompts, to give them ideas. Alternatively, members
could use the Film viewing mind map on page xx to record their emotional and critical responses to aspects of the
film. This encourages active viewing, develops critical thinking and will help them to recall information and participate
in discussion after the film.
• Once the film has started, it’s a good idea to check the picture and sound are both suitable. Standing at the back at
the start is helpful for checking both sound and image, and for making sure all your members are sitting comfortably
and getting into the film.
Sharing the experience
• Consider allocating roles and responsibilities for club sessions. These might be the same each time or change session
by session. For example, some members could help set up the space; others could set up the screen; some could
look after snacks if you are having these in your club.
• You may wish to arrange to have healthy or themed snacks at your screenings so that members really get the feeling
of being at the cinema, and have the opportunity to eat something after the school day finishes. Aim to involve
students in this element of the club – whether bringing in homemade treats, selling snacks or planning themed food.
Recommended viewing list
For a carefully selected range of films that have common themes of change and transition, identity and belonging, and
with narratives focused on young people’s experiences, see the Recommended viewing list on page 24-26. These films
are ideal for lower Secondary aged students and the list includes background information on each title along with the
classification rating, running time and links to additional resources. You can easily make cross-curricular links by sharing
this list with different subject departments so they can input into your film choice. This can help make your film club
even more relevant for teachers and help you engage a wider range of students.
intofilm.org
6
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Activity outlines
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
THINK
Summary: A wide variety of activities to choose from that will
offer next steps for your Into Film members, enabling them
to discuss and reflect on their viewing experience and gain
confidence as critical viewers.
First impressions
These ‘after viewing’ activities enable members to record and share their immediate responses to a film, encourage
them to express their opinions and help them feel comfortable sharing these in the club environment. Use these to build
a sense of belonging within the club:
• Get members to give the film a star rating out of five. You can do this quickly by getting them to hold up fingers on
one hand.
• Challenge members to think of one-word summaries. What was the film like? What was it about? Can it be
summed up in one word?
• Try the Creative comparisons exercise on page 15 to stimulate quick-fire critical thinking. These sentence starters
get members reflecting on the film in fun and unusual ways.
• You can also use the symbol review cards available on the Into Film site to build non-verbal responses:
bit.ly/SENReviewing
• Get members to interview each other about their immediate response to the film in a vox-pop style. You could use
the ‘After viewing’ discussion guide on page 17 to give members ideas for questions. These short interviews can
be filmed or audio-recorded if equipment is available, enabling members to revisit them later on and see if their
views have changed.
Discuss and reflect
Film club has helped me with my communication as it gives me the confidence
to talk to new people“
Year 9 club member
Encourage members to engage with more sustained discussions inspired by what they have seen, developing their
confidence in speaking and listening:
• Use the ‘After viewing’ discussion guide on page 17 to enable group or pair discussion. Suggested sentence
starters are given to help all members feel included.
• Ask members to share one question the film raised in their minds and use these as discussion points. You could
use a ‘Grid Analysis’ technique (developed by the British Film Institute from Aiden Chambers ‘Tell Me’ questions) to
help members think of ideas. This technique is designed to prompt creative thinking and ideas and should build
confidence where members can see there are no ‘wrong answers’:
intofilm.org
7
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Activity outlines
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Similarities
Surprises
Puzzles
Patterns
Review
Film club has helped me with school work because when we review films I use
different adjectives which I can now use in English“
Year 9 club member
A great way to help develop your members’ skills and confidence is to get them writing and sharing reviews. You can
start with short reviews then build members’ skills and confidence in review writing:
• If you have time in the session, get members to complete a short review and share it through their member
account on the Into Film clubs website, www.filmclub.org. This can be a written review or a picture review, a
symbol review, an audio or video review.
• It’s best to do this as soon after the film as possible: you could set it as a follow-up before the next session if you
don’t have time after the film.
• For more help and ideas on review writing, read previous winning reviews at www.filmclub.org/films/star-reviews
and see our Guide to effective reviewing for Secondary bit.ly/SecondaryReview.
Remember - all reviews are read by the staff at Into Film, and each week one is featured on the Into Film Clubs ’Review
of the Week’ web page and wins Into Film goodies. Make sure you share this with your members to encourage them
to review. You could also consider running your own reviewing competition for your club. Just ask your coordinator to
send you the in-school review competition certificate.
intofilm.org
8
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Activity outlines
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Activity suggestions
Summary: These activity ideas can be used to extend the club
experience or to support critical thinking and literacy in the
classroom. They are designed to work flexibly with any film in the
Into Film catalogue.
Time and place (critical thinking and communication skills)
1. Start with some quick ideas about the film’s setting. What impressions did your members get of the time and place in
which the film was set? How did the time and place affect the story and the characters? How far was the experience
shown on screen similar or different to the local area of your club? (10 minutes)
2. How might the film have been different if it was set in a different time or place? Get members to write different time
periods (anything from ‘Roman era’ to ‘2,000 years in the future’) onto pieces of paper. Get them to write down
different places on separate slips of paper (eg ‘Paris’, ‘Mars’, ‘a clothes shop’ etc). Pick one of each at random and use
these to generate quick-fire ‘scenarios’. (10 minutes)
Exploring character (literacy skills)
1. Say what?! This can be a good way to introduce an unfamiliar film to your club. Show the group a freeze-frame
from the film where two or more characters are in the middle of a conversation. Members work in pairs or groups
to create speech or thought bubbles, or even short scripts, based on what they see. If they’re feeling energetic, they
can perform these and record the results – then, when they have seen the film, they can compare their ideas with
what actually happened. (15 minutes)
2. Get members to create social media profiles for film characters. How would these characters present themselves to
the world? Who would their friends be? What would be their likes and dislikes? (5-10 minutes)
3. Character crossroads – This activity encourages members to reflect on decisions characters made in the film.
What if a character had made different decisions? How would this have affected the outcome of the film? Use the
Character crossroads sheet on page 19 to help members explore these ideas. (10-15 minutes)
4. Agony aunt – This will help members develop their skills of empathy and communication. Members think about
the problem faced by one of the characters in the film – this could be anything from a small issue to an important
dilemma. What advice would they give the characters in the film? Try to do this for two or more characters. You
could develop this into a written exercise where members try writing about their problem, and requesting help, from
the perspective of the character, then discuss or write replies from an ‘agony aunt’. (20 + minutes)
5. Character encounters – Get members into pairs or small groups to role-play characters from the film. They could
adopt a ‘talk show’ format where one member plays the role of interviewer and the other plays the film character.
This activity will work best if members have tried out one or more of the activities above first to give them ideas.
These could be explored in small groups, shared with the wider club and even filmed. (20 + minutes)
intofilm.org
9
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Activity outlines
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Sound focus
1. Members explore the importance of music and soundtrack and how it helps to create atmosphere, excitement and
emotion in a film:
• Try the ‘sound on/vision off’ technique with your members. Play them a scene - perhaps the first scene of a
film - but without the image. Challenge them to imagine what they might see once the film starts using the
Sound on/vision off worksheet on page 20. Share the results.
• You could reverse this and play the visuals only, challenging members to write the dialogue or descriptions for
blind or visually impaired audiences.
• You could also try playing a clip with the sound off, and using another device to play contrasting music over the
clip. This can have interesting and unusual results. More ideas for music-focused activities can be found in this
resource: bit.ly/GCSE-Music
intofilm.org
10
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Activity outlines
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
MAKE
Summary: Inspiration and guidance to help students start
making their own films. These activities develop members’
understanding of film and give them ideas and basic skills to
apply this new knowledge and make their own short films as
part of their club activity.
Understanding filmmaking
Filmmaking can help develop a wide range of ‘soft skills’ such as communication, planning, problem-solving, teamworking, creative thinking and independent research to benefit members in school and beyond. These activities don’t
require any previous experience of filmmaking; the ideas are self-contained, achievable and inspired by films that
members have watched in their club.
1. Help members get to grips with the basics – and improve your own confidence – using these Into Film filmmaking
resources:
• Storyboarding - Start any filmmaking activity with a simple planning exercise that gets students thinking through
their film ideas. This short video guide offers a great introduction: bit.ly/HowToStoryboard
• Guide to filmmaking – Secondary - Supporting information on shot types and camera movement can help
develop learners’ film-language understanding and broaden their critical vocabulary. See pages 8-11
www.intofilm.org/schools-filmmaking
2. Show your members some examples of student-made films to give an idea of what other young people have
achieved and to inspire their own filmmaking: bit.ly/SecondaryShorts
Practising filmmaking – quick-fire ideas
Try out these filmmaking ideas with your club members to get them excited about making their own films:
1. Create your own film scene
Give each student three Create your own film scene cards on pages xx - xx at random (one each of cards with
location, characters and a prop on them). Students plan, then film, a 60-second scene that incorporates the prop,
setting and character they’ve been given.
2. To be continued…
Members imagine there is a sequel to the film they have just watched. How would this film open? They plan, film and
edit the first minute.
3. Alternative ending
Members imagine a completely different ending to a film they have watched. As a group, they script, plan, film and
edit this, picking up from a clear point in the original film.
4. Deleted scene
Members come up with a deleted scene for a film they have seen recently that adds a new dimension to the
narrative or characters.
intofilm.org
11
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Activity outlines
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
5. Genre shift
Re-imagine a film in another genre. What key features would need to change? Create either a trailer or a key scene
that changes the genre and appeals to a completely different set of fans.
6. Be Kind Rewind!
Take a film your members love and remake it using lo-fi techniques. Try and make it as close to the original as
possible. See an example of a school’s homemade sweded film, The Hobbit: bit.ly/HobbitSpecial
intofilm.org
12
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Activity outlines
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
IMAGINE
Summary: Suggestions to inspire and cultivate filmmaking potential
in students and inspire them to consider future careers in film.
When you join Into Film and set up a film club, you are also inviting your members to imagine the possibilities of a
career in the film industry. Film club allows club leaders to not only inspire members with exciting film but also to
cultivate their filmmaking potential through classroom resources and unique opportunities for film-industry interaction:
Our Behind The Scenes programme is accessible through our website and gives young people unprecedented access
and insight into the world of film, helping them to better understand the role of film and filmmaking.
Film industry career development
Members with an interest in the film industry can also join our unique Into Film Talent Development programme, which
provides unprecedented behind-the-scenes access and invaluable opportunities to forge a career in film or the wider
creative industries. Our Talent Development students have access to a wide range of assignments all designed to help
them develop a deeper understanding of film, the film industry and to help develop their confidence and key skills.
By joining our scheme students can receive training in film reviewing, presenting and filmmaking. They also have the
opportunity to attend high profile industry events and interview filmmakers at press junkets and on the red carpet. Some
of them have visited film studios in the UK and even in Hollywood.
It’s been an indescribable transition... I began to understand that I had adapted
to the way that the film and press industry worked and I was able to finally be a
part of it“
Josh, Young Reporter, Into Film
For more information on the Talent Development scheme and to see an interview with our Into Film reporter Jake, visit
www.intofilm.org/schools-talent-development.
Film industry school visits
We regularly arrange for film stars and experts to visit our film clubs all over the UK, giving our members rare
opportunities to meet professionals from the full spectrum of the filmmaking process. See examples of recent in-school
visits on the Into Film Clubs website bit.ly/InSchoolVisits
We got to meet Jason Flemyng! Jason was extremely hilarious and it was an
opportunity of a lifetime. I learnt amazing stuff that could help me with my
future career“
Michael, club member, Bishop Thomas Grant School, South London
intofilm.org
13
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Activity outlines
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Green Light to Opening Night
Our most recent scheme offers young people an opportunity to follow the creation of a film from conception to
delivery. Our young reporters are leading and presenting a series of short films that will allow young people to follow the
creation of a film in great detail in an unprecedented opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of all the stages and
skills that go into the films they enjoy in their clubs and the cinema.
Animation director Eamon Butler’s talk gave an invaluable insight into the
amount of work that goes on behind the scenes in creating effects and
animation in the films he has worked on. His willingness to answer questions
about the film industry and how his career had evolved enabled the students to
see that a job in the industry doesn’t have to be just a dream“
Keith Murphy, Head of Media
intofilm.org
14
If this film was an animal
it would be…
If this film was an ice cream
flavour it would be…
intofilm.org
Are you able to think of any more creative comparisons for the film?
If this film was a book
it would be…
If this film was a well-known
person it would be…
One of the best ways to help someone understand something they haven’t experienced yet is by comparing it to something that they have. Can you complete the sentence for
each of the comparisons below?
Creative comparisons challenge!
15
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Before screening: discussion guide
The film
• Which film are you going to see?
The film we are going to see is…
• What do you think the film you are going to see will be about?
I think the film will be about…
• Can you name two things you already know about this film?
Two things I know about this film are that… and…
• Have you ever seen advertisements about the film you are going to see? If so, what did you see and did it tell
you anything about the film?
I saw a (trailer/poster)… about this film. It told me…
The screening experience
• Describe two differences between seeing a film in your club and seeing a film at home.
Seeing a film in my club is different to watching it at home because…
• Does seeing a film with other people make it more enjoyable? Why or why not?
Seeing a film with other people makes me feel… because…
• Can you name two jobs you think are involved in making films? Which one would you most like to try and why?
Two jobs involved in making films are… and…. I would like to try… because…
• What two rules would you make about how to behave while watching a film in your club?
Two film club rules I would like to make are… and… because…
Your voice
• What are your top two favourite films? Why?
My top two favourite films are… and… because…
• Do you think your friends should watch your favourite film? Why?
I would recommend this film to… because…
• Who is your favourite actor or character and why do you like them?
My favourite actor is… because… My favourite character is… because…
• What do you think you will enjoy most about the film today?
I think I will enjoy…. because…
intofilm.org
16
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
After screening: discussion guide
The film
• What did you like most about the film?
The thing I liked most about the film was…
• Who was your favourite or least favourite character and why?
My favourite character was…. because… My least favourite character was…. because…
• What did you think about the setting of the film?
I thought the film’s setting was…
• Did the film remind you of anything you’ve seen before?
This film reminded me of… because…
• Did the film leave you with any questions or puzzles?
The film made me wonder…
The shared viewing experience
• What did you enjoy about seeing this film in your club instead of at home?
I enjoyed seeing this film in my club because…
• What films would you like to see next in the club? Why?
I would like to see… next because…
• What makes watching films with your film club special?
My film club makes watching films special because…
Your voice
• Did the film surprise you or teach you anything new? If so, what did you learn?
This film surprised me because… This film taught me that…
• Do you think your friends or family should see this film? Why?
I think… would like to see this film because…
• If you could invite someone involved in making the film to come and speak to your class, who would you
choose and why?
I would like to invite… to talk about this film because…
• How would the story of the film be different if it took place in your school or local area?
If this film took place in my school or local area it would be different because…
intofilm.org
17
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
My film notes
Use this sheet to jot down your notes and record how you feel during the film.
Who are the main characters and what happens in the film?
Things I like
Things I don’t like
Surprising or interesting moments
intofilm.org
18
about how this alternative choice could change things for this character and others.
Effect on the story - later on What things might change later in the story?
Effect on the story - later on What happens? How does the choice affect this character
intofilm.org
and others?
Effect on the story - at the time What difference might this change make? Think
and others?
The alternative... What other decision could the character have made at this point?
Effect on the story - at the time What happens? How does the choice affect this character
personal values?
The decision... What does the character decide? Did they follow social norms or their own
Key ‘crossroads’ moment in the film
Explain the choice a character has to make. Can you think of a moment that shows this?
Character crossroads worksheet
19
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
intofilm.org
Sounds heard
You will hear, but not see, the sounds within a film. While the film is
playing, note in the boxes below what you are hearing and what you think
those sounds tell you about the film, or what might appear on screen.
Sound on/vision off
What the sounds might look like
20
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Create your own film scene – prompt cards
Props
A large hat and coat
A flying car
A treasure map found
within the guts of a fish
A pair of X-ray glasses
A cardboard box
A time machine
200 litres of yellow paint
A mobile phone
A magic mirror
A pair of skis
A teapot
A bow and arrow
intofilm.org
21
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Create your own film scene – prompt cards
Characters
A superhero of your choice
A bored office worker
trying to do no work
A school bully
A renegade ninja
A talking dog
A washed up ‘80s pop star
The first female president
of the USA
The big bad wolf
Henry VIII
A 17th century
highwayman (robber)
A chat show host
Inventor of the internet
intofilm.org
22
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Create your own film scene – prompt cards
Locations
A tropical island
The Empire State Building,
New York City
A supermarket
Behind the scenes at
a cinema
The wild windswept
Cornish moors
The Olympic Games
An erupting volcano
The moon
A pod on The London Eye
A TV studio
A dark forest
A medieval battlefield
(mid-battle)
intofilm.org
23
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Recommended viewing list
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Recommended viewing list
The table below offers a wide range of films tailored to lower-Secondary-aged pupils, which have young people’s
experiences at the centre of the story. They’re all available to order online from the Into Film Clubs catalogue.
Film titles in blue have additional resources available – just see the column on the far right for a link to these online
materials. If you would like further information about a film title, including details about the film’s classification, just
follow the link to the film on the Into Film Clubs website.
Film durations are also colour-coded here for ease: 90 minutes or under
Titles
Over two hours
Links for teacher guidance
Existing Into Film resources
10 Things I
Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew
Hate About You
re-imagined in a modern American high
1999 | 12 | 1hr 34m school setting, with the same strong female
lead character. This film explores difficult
relationships between siblings, friends and with
the opposite sex.
•www.filmclub.org/
film/3128/10-things-i-hateabout-you
•www.filmclub.org/assets/
pdf/10-Things-I-HateAbout-You-Dept-Of-HealthResource.pdf
Au Revoir Les
This true story is set in a boarding school in
Enfants
Nazi-occupied France. The central characters are
1987 | PG | 1hr 44m teenage boys who both find it hard to fit in and
find friendship despite their differences. This is
a moving story of kindness, secrets and betrayal
that is still relevant to secondary school life.
•www.filmclub.org/film/3577/
au-revoir-les-enfants
•www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/
Au_Revoir_Les_Enfants.pdf
Beijing Bicycle
A moving and emotional Chinese drama,
2001 | PG | 1hr 43m this film tells the story of a battle over the
ownership of a bicycle. The protagonists are
male and female and their relationship explores
issues surrounding ownership and status. The
boy struggles through a life transition as he
copes with moving from the country to a city.
•www.filmclub.org/film/3122/
beijing-bicycle
Believe
Believe is a touching fictional tale in which
2013 | PG | 1hr 36m legendary Manchester United manager Sir
Matt Busby helps a talented but wayward
young footballer to fulfil his dreams. This story
explores the importance of making good
choices and friends in life.
•www.filmclub.org/film/18148/
believe
Bend it Like
A critically acclaimed, feel-good British comedy
Beckham
following Jesminder and Jules, whose shared
2002 | 12 | 1hr 42m passion for football brings them together in
a local girls’ team. Jes’ passion for playing
football conflicts with her traditional-minded
Indian parents’ attitudes to gender. Her desire
to please everyone explores issues of dual
identities, family conflicts and the importance
of challenging stereotypes.
•www.filmclub.org/film/2738/
bend-it-like-beckham
•www.filmclub.org/assets/
pdf/Identity-and-BelongingResource-Bend-it-LikeBeckham-october.pdf
British Council
Shorts Secondary
2013
2013 | E | 1hr 20m
•www.filmclub.org/film/17749/
british-council-shortssecondary
•www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/
British-Shorts-SecondaryResource-2.pdf
intofilm.org
Why show this film?
Over 90 minutes
Time-travelling chickens, a clockwork family
and clumsy undertakers are some of the
characters found in this amazing pick ’n’ mix
collection of short films for Secondary ages,
specially selected by Into Film’s Film Team and
the British Council.
24
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Recommended viewing list
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
At just over 80 minutes long, there are seven
short films and features that are short enough
to fit into a session whilst offering members an
exciting mix of animation and live action. Titles:
Skateboards & Spandex, Extraordinary Feats of
the 7th Period, Washdays.
Clueless
Jane Austen’s comedy of manners Emma gets a
1995 | 12 | 1hr 37m valley girl update as Alicia Silverstone’s so-notan-airhead struggles with love and life. This ’90s
classic explores the pitfalls of popularity and
peer pressure in humorous ways, prompting
members to consider the cost of being popular.
•www.filmclub.org/film/3660/
clueless
Edward
Tim Burton’s update on Frankenstein is also
Scissorhands
a brilliant and strikingly designed satire on
1990 | PG | 1hr 45m suburban values. It tells the story of a teenage
misfit who struggles to find his place in society.
•www.filmclub.org/film/2796/
edward-scissorhands
•www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/
Electric_Edwardians.pdf
Hairspray
Outrageous yet warm-hearted comedy about
1988 | PG | 1hr 38m Tracy, a “pleasantly plump” teen who won’t
let the prejudices of others stand in the way
of her fun. In doing so, she demonstrates the
importance of self-confidence and standing up
for what you believe in.
•www.filmclub.org/film/3799/
hairspray
•www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/
SEN-Inclusion-ResourceHairspray-october.pdf
•www.filmclub.org/assets/
pdf/FILMCLUB-Anti-BullyingResource-2013.pdf
Hugo
2011 | U | 2hr 7m
•www.filmclub.org/film/16876/
hugo
The sophisticated storytelling and lavish camera
work in this superb family adventure combine
to create a loving postcard to the power of film.
It focuses on an ‘invisible child’, an orphaned
boy who finds friendship and family through an
adventure with a kind-hearted girl.
Kes
A bleak film from famed British social realist
1969 | PG | 1hr 50m director Ken Loach about a young lad with an
unhappy life who befriends and tames a kestrel
hawk and finds purpose in his life.
•www.filmclub.org/film/2852/
kes
•www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/
Transition-Days-Resource.pdf
Mean Girls
A smart comedy in which a new girl at school
2004 | 12 | 1hr 37m falls in with a popular crowd, only to find they
are more vicious than any jungle cat. Mean Girls
will help members consider whether you can
stay true to yourself and still survive school. It
was based on a real-life manual to help parents
deal with “Queen Bees and Wannabes” in their
children’s lives.
•www.filmclub.org/film/3955/
mean-girls
•www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/
Mean-Girls-Dept-Of-HealthResource.pdf
Millions
Comedy about two brothers who find a bag
2004 | 12 | 1hr 38m containing £265,000, which they have a few
days to spend before the British pound is
replaced with the Euro. What the boys do with
the cash, and how they feel about their sudden
fortune, makes for a thought-provoking film full
of hilarity, excitement and unexpected twists
and turns.
•www.filmclub.org/film/2878/
millions
Napoleon
Funny, endearing film about a nerdy type of
Dynamite
guy with a strange sister, slacker uncle and a
2004 | PG | 1hr 22m couple of pet llamas. Napoleon Dynamite does
not fit the mould of a popular kid in school but
he shows how, if you refuse to be labelled as a
loser, you can eventually win on your terms.
•www.filmclub.org/film/2891/
napoleon-dynamite
intofilm.org
•www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/
World-Health-Day-KS3.pdf
25
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.intofilm.org
Recommended viewing list
Social Skills for Success: Running Your Secondary Film Club
Somers Town
Uplifting comedy drama directed by Shane
2008 | 12 | 1hr 15m Meadows, which explores hard-hitting topics
such as homelessness as well as universal
themes of love and friendship. A teenage
runaway is helped by a kind Polish boy who
becomes a friend - until a girl comes between
them.
•www.filmclub.org/film/4487/
somers-town
•www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/
somers-town-film-guidefinal2.pdf
Son of Rambow
A hugely likeable coming-of-age tale set in
2007 | 12 | 1hr 31m 1980s Britain about a pair of school friends who
decide to film a sequel to Rambo. These two
boys from very different backgrounds strike up
a friendship through filmmaking. This film is
based on actual childhood experiences of the
director Garth Jennings and contains some
incredible stunts.
•www.filmclub.org/film/4341/
son-of-rambow
•www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/
son-of-rambow-studentbooklet.pdf
The Karate Kid
1984 | 12 | 2hrs
It’s never hard to guess what will happen next
in The Karate Kid - but it’s still a martial arts film
packed with energy and humour. It is all about
a boy who is being bullied and convinces an old
Japanese man to teach him karate so that he
can defend himself.
•www.filmclub.org/film/3883/
the-karate-kid
Tomboy
2011 | U | 1hr 24m
A beautifully understated, naturalistic drama
about childhood gender identity confusion
that’s both touching and gently humorous.
When the main character, a tomboy girl, is
mistaken for a boy, she plays along. However,
her situation becomes more complicated as
she grows closer to local girl Lisa, and tension
builds around the fact her deception can’t last
forever.
•www.filmclub.org/film/16770/
tomboy
•www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/
tomboy-filmguide.pdf
Wadjda
A sweet and uplifting story about ten-year-old
2012 | PG | 1hr 32m girl Wadjda who refuses to let the fact she’s a
girl stop her from doing the things she wants
to do. In this first ever film by a female Saudi
Arabian director, Wadjda takes action to show
her male friend a thing or two about what girls
can and can’t do in the so-called man’s world
of Saudi Arabia.
•www.filmclub.org/film/17811/
wadjda
•www.filmclub.org/behindthe-scenes/details/422/
haifaa-al-mansour
•www.filmclub.org/assets/pdf/
International-Day-Of-TheGirl.pdf
We Shall
Set in 1960s Denmark, this coming-of-age
Overcome
story is about a 13-year-old boy suffering
2006 | 12 | 1hr 49m troubles at home and at his new school, where
the headmaster keeps his students in line
through beatings and intimidation. Inspired by
TV news reports he’s seen about the American
Civil Rights movement, he decides to fight back.
•www.filmclub.org/film/17817/
we-shall-overcome
X Men
Popular superhero film about young people
2000 | 12 | 1hr 44m who are shunned by the rest of the world
when they discover they have superpowers as
the result of genetic mutations. At Professor
Xavier’s school they find a place where they can
belong, grow up with teenagers who share the
same problems as them, and be trained to help
humanity.
•www.filmclub.org/film/3073/
x-men
intofilm.org
26