General Concept of Film

one, the third, is the advantages of using documentary films in BBC VCD as instructional media.

2.2.2.1 General Concept of Film

Selecting the most appropriate form of instructional media is a critical task in achieving the goal of teaching-learning process. There are many forms of instructional media applied in teaching learning process. Film is one of the instructional media to carry the message to the learner on the instructional context of situation. “Film refers to the celluloid material on which a series of still images is chemically imprinted” Heinich et.al., 1996:210. Meanwhile, Hornby 2000:473 states that “film is a series of moving pictures recorded with sounds that tell a story, shown on television or at cinema or movie theater.” TAN 2007:56 argues that “film as a pedagogical tool that has the ability to capture the attention of students in a way that theoretical lessons can never achieve.” It also “helps students visualize a hypothetical concept or decontextualize a familiar situation so as to see the things from different point of view.” Then, based on the definiton above, it can be concluded that film is a kind of media containing moving pictures and sounds displaying a story being played through a screen. Since films here are attempted to be implemented on instructional process, it is important that the teachers select appropriate films engaging the students and relevant to the objectives of the lesson. TAN 2007:58 suggests that in finding suitable materials, teacher should do the following steps: 1 Know your audience Make sure that teacher finds a film that appeals to the students. Interest is an essential component in getting the students’ attention. 2 Find film that is related to the ideas that teachers are trying to teach. Therefore, based on TAN’s suggestion, it is obviously that teacher should find the appropriate film that gain students’ interest since it is very important to grasp the students’ attention towards the lesson in order to engage them in teaching learning process. Films capture the attention and interest of the students, as they involve moving imagery and the use of visual and sound. The film, however, should also fit to the materials of the objectives of the lessons. Films are beneficial in teaching and learning process. The use of films in classroom will make students more enjoyable, keep on their task and develop their ability through the teaching learning process. It is also a good way in getting students attention to the lessons. Ee and KAUR 2007 on TAN 2007:141-143 argues the rationale using of films to promote critical thinking in the English language is as follows: 1 Films are a rich source of context for learning Films provide a rich context for learning and language development. The visual images which accompany the soundtrack provide learners with a novel and unique experience. This provides contextual information and facilitates comprehension. 2 Films are a form of visual stimuli Films can add variety to language instruction and if appropriately used, they can create a far-reaching impact. Students’ motivation to learn the English will increase if language instruction is coupled with interesting and varied learning activities – this is especially true during the post-examination periods. Consequently, students’ chances of mastering the language will also be higher. 3 Films provide greater exposure to natural language Films are a rich teaching source of authentic spoken language in context. 4 Films are a tool for discussing important moral values Films, however, should be chosen appropriately based on the needed of the lesson objectives. Ee and KAUR 2007 on TAN 2007: 143-144 give the following general guidelines on using films in English language instruction: 1 Choice of films 2 Allow sufficient time for preparation The teacher should have previewed the film before the lesson to check for objectionable material, technically poor copies and other related problems. This is also to enable the teacher to design appropriate activities to match the learning objectives. 3 Active viewing is the key Students are required to watch the film actively. This means that teachers should have clear instructional objectives when they show films in their class. Films should be used as a platform or springboard for language activities band not to replace the teacher as a facilitator of language instruction. 4 Provision of transcripts For weaker students, the teacher may provide a transcript of certain film segments that he or she wishes the students to focus on. So, it can be concluded that films can be extremely useful and effective teaching tool: they can be especially appealing to visual or visual auditory learners, and can motivate students in ways that other materials may not if they applied properly.

2.2.2.2 Film Genre