Reading Film
The 3Cs and 3Ss
The 3Cs and 3Ss are a convenient way to help unpick a film, generate discussion and get your pupils understanding the rich text of film!
Story Setting Sound Colour Character Camera
The six simple divisions cover pretty much every area of a film, and it helps to concentrate on one aspect at a time. Start with the more familiar concepts such as character, story and setting, then as pupils become more familiar they can choose different aspects to focus on.
The BFI developed the 3Cs and 3Ss - the alliteration helps children remember the multi-faceted nature of moving images.
Every element of an audiovisual text can carry meaning, and films can be ‘read’ like any traditional text.