Film Literacy Online: Websites for Film Educators

Abstract: 

Film literacy may be regarded as a part of film or media education and is about the ability to analyse the usage of various elements of film language, to interpret the meaning of films and to produce a film of one’s own. The research in film literacy had resulted in the development of various teaching practices, tools and activities for teaching film on different educational levels. In the current digital era, plenty of those practices are available online in the form of websites, webpages and applications for film educators. This paper examines the presence of film literacy online by analysing the presented information and overall design.

The study is the first stage of the design research, which is part of doctoral dissertation project 2019-2023. The paper combines the research in film literacy, media education and HTI (human technology interaction). The research data includes various English-language online platforms, websites and webpages designed for the use of film educators. Content analysis was used to analyse the quality of film literacy information presented online, while user experience analysis - to analyse the way the data looks, feels and functions. The resulted systematic collection of various websites would be useful for film educators, especially when one is looking for a specific information.

The findings of this study revealed a significant lack of websites or online tools that provide materials or instructions for teaching film literacy in international environment. In times of globalization and increasing internationalization of education, it is crucial to consider the possibility of teaching film in international class, and to provide teaching practices, materials and guidelines online for film educators around the world. There is a need for a website that would do so and function as an open source environment with welcoming user experience. Designing such an online environment is the next step of the doctoral dissertation project.