Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes

Part A: An Introduction To CAMELS

30 minutes

Part B: Exploring CAMELS

20 minutes

Part C: Jigsaw Discussion

20 minutes

Reflection

Part A: An introduction to CAMELS

Step 1

Explain to students that when we are studying a film, we consider the narrative elements and the film elements to determine meaning. We can use the acronym CAMELS to help remember the different film elements. Direct students to the first page of their worksheets for a table outlining each of the different components of CAMELS.

Step 2

Ask students to match each of the terms and explanations with the different sections of the table, writing each term and explanation in as a reference. Alternatively, students could cut and paste each shape into the table.

Teacher exemplar for reference:

	Stands for...	Which means...	For example?
C	Camera techniques	The way the camera itself tells the story of the scene - the way the camera moves, the size of the shot, the camera angle and the focus of the shots.	Point of view shot, zoom, high angle, low angle, focus, long shot, extreme close-up
A	Acting	Anything an actor does as part of their performance.	Facial expressions, body language and tone of voice.
M	Mise-en-scene	The way that anything that appears in the frame of the shot is arranged.	This can be the actors, lighting, props, setting, costume and colours.
E	Editing	The sequencing of the shots to add to the story.	Speeding up or slowing down of time, fades, wipes, cuts.
L	Lighting	The use of lighting effects to create a particular atmosphere in a scene.	Soft, hard, high, low, warm and cool lighting.
S	Sound	The sounds within a scene, both diegetically (occurring within the scene) and non-diegetically (added in post-production).	Sound effects, soundtrack, dialogue.

Part B: Exploring CAMELS

Step 1

Without providing your students with too much context, play this advertisement created for the STOP the Coward Punch campaign:

Swipe Out Violence (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfRtZZWZLek)

Watch the clip through once so students can become superficially oriented to the narrative.

Step 2

Split the class into six groups, and allocate each of them one of the CAMELS elements (camera techniques, acting, mise-en-scene, editing, lighting, sound). Each small group will be responsible for identifying what they see/hear in the clip and then spending some time considering its effect on the audience.

Step 3

Watch the clip a second time, and allow students a couple of minutes to note down what they see. Repeat this step until students are confident they have identified their CAMELS element and have specific dot points in the second column of the table.

Hot tip: It might be worth inviting the students studying ‘sound’ to close their eyes on the second watch.

Step 4

Ask students to now turn their attention to the third column of the table - "What is the effect?" - and to consider why the director of this clip would have used the CAMELS element in such a way. The goal here is to connect to the purpose and contention of this advertisement, which is that violent behaviour is unattractive, and violence "makes you ugly too". Circulate the room, supporting students in their discussions.

In the table below are some of the ideas students may come up with but is by no means an exhaustive list:

	What do you see/hear?	What is the effect?
Camera techniques	Point of view shots through the mobile phone, as if we are the ones watching. Some close-ups of people’s faces, looking angry. The focus is on the fighting people and those responding negatively to them.	The viewer can clearly see that those watching the fights are not impressed. The people fighting seem out of control. The viewer feels part of the advertisement through the point of view shot.
Acting	Some characters are physically fighting - punching, wrestling, yelling. People reacting look very critical of the fighting. Individuals ‘swipe’ the violent characters off the screen with their hands. The girl at the end speaks directly towards the camera.	It is clear that the violent behaviour is not celebrated/encouraged. The ‘swipe’ action links to some dating apps, suggesting if individuals are violent they could deter potential romantic prospects.
Mise-en-scene	Lots of people in the scenes, at a party. There are fairy lights, drinks, older furniture, street signs, a pool table - all suggesting a basement or outside party. People are wearing light casual clothes and caps. People are holding mobile phones.	It is clear the advertisement is set at a party, with lots of younger people.
Editing	Quickly changed between scenes and characters, sometimes back and forth. Switches between close shots and distance shots. Swiping the violent characters away.	Shows multiple points of view. Makes it clear the violence is looked down upon by many of the characters.
Lighting	Dark with coloured lights Changing colours.	It is clear the setting is a party.
Sound	Thumping low-pitched music Sounds of impacts, breaking glass, sweeping, screams. Sounds of talking and shouting in the background.	Creates tension by mimicking heartbeats and punching or violent sounds Regular tempo mimicks dance or rave music Talking and shouting indicate several people and violent behaviours occurring.

Part C: Jigsaw discussion

Step 1

Reorganise students from their initial CAMELS-based groups into larger groups that include at least one student who has notes on each of the elements. Students will take turns sharing the thinking from their small group with their new group, while the rest of the group takes notes into their own tables. After this jigsaw discussion, students should have a completed table of ideas.

An alternative to the jigsaw would be to work together on a shared document, collating their ideas and saving a copy for their reference.

Reflection

Bring students back together, and facilitate a class discussion about the key messages of the advertisement. You could start with questions such as:

What was the contention of the advertisement?
What purpose did it have?
How did it achieve this?
Was it effective?

Try asking students, "What makes you say that?" when they share their ideas to prompt further thinking and reflection.

Ask students to complete the written reflection after their worksheet as a plenary task:

What is the STOP the Coward Punch campaign aiming to do?
Did you find the video confronting? Why might others find it confronting?
Do you think some sectors of our community normalise violence?

Differentiated Learning

Extension -

Students could be provided with a second advertisement from the campaign to analyse, filling out the table of each element of CAMELS, independently:
Coward's Punch - Perpetrator (https://youtu.be/5dEVLxcJvkI).
Students could consider how they would seek to prevent violence in their communities, and storyboard their own advertisement, thinking about how they could employ the elements of CAMELS themselves.

Provisions for Learning Support -

For a class of more visual learners, it may be useful to print screenshots of key moments in the advertisement and display these around the room, to provide students with a static resource to rely on.
Students with individual needs could work in pairs, so they feel supported in the responsibility of sharing in the jigsaw discussion. Some of the elements of CAMELS are sophisticated, so it would be prudent to consider students’ strengths and allocate them to an appropriate group.

Teacher Reflection

Coward Punch - A Confronting Campaign

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