The “Your Life as a Movie” (or “Video Game” or “Novel”) pre-instructional poster assignment was a project I used and adapted each year with new high school art students. It allowed me to quickly get them working on a project, while getting a feel for their skills and knowledge in my mixed level and mixed ability classes.
We began this project by looking at a wide variety of movie posters and discussing what made them effective. Students discussed the use of color, title placement, and what could be learned about each movie, based on the images. They also discussed the “mood” of each poster, as well as the overall composition and design.
Their assignment was to pretend that a movie had been filmed about their life, and they had to design a poster to advertise it. They had to include an original title for their movie, their name, and images that showed some of their interests.
Students usually had about a week and a half to complete their posters. This project allowed them to demonstrate their general creative ability; their sense of design and composition; their ability to do lettering, use color and demonstrate their color mixing, painting and drawing skills. It also showed their ability to make good use of class time and meet deadlines.
When the posters were finished, students were randomly assigned several posters to DESCRIBE (no judgment allowed) in a written paragraph or two, and to critique using a rubric. They also had to assess their own poster. The only grade they received for this pre-instructional project was for their work ethic and participation.
Having students slow down, look, think, and write at the beginning of the year helped them gain appreciation for their skills, as well as for those of their peers. And given the nature of the project, they also gained insights into the lives and interests of their new classmates!
