For Educators

The Learning & Outreach team at The Cinematheque offers workshops in filmmaking, film studies, and media literacy to students of all ages. Film is an interdisciplinary art, and analyzing and making films provides students with opportunities to build core competencies in many subject areas. Our Learning & Outreach team travels to schools throughout the Lower Mainland and British Columbia, guiding youth through the process of creating original short films using professional grade equipment. Learning & Outreach also hosts interactive field trips at The Cinematheque where students can build creative and critical thinking skills watching and discussing film in our state-of-the-art theatre. 

For more information or to book an event, contact us at learn@​thecinematheque.​ca

Recent projects include: 

A land-based interdisciplinary filmmaking project for intermediate students (Grades 7–9) in Squamish, during which students made films inspired by Howe Sound and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh legends.

Narrative filmmaking projects for Grade 8 English students, during which they applied their creative writing and analysis skills by making original films inspired by short stories studied in class. 

A Revolutions and Regimes workshop for Grade 9 Social Studies students as part of a unit on revolutions throughout history. Students came to The Cinematheque for a full day to learn about how film and other media can both support and resist political regimes through propaganda. 

A documentary project for Grade 10 Social Studies and English students exploring local social justice and sustainability issues. In groups, they chose a topic and interviewed local community members to compare perspectives, investigate points of contention, and draw conclusions. 

A civic engagement project for Grade 11 students sponsored by the City of North Vancouver. Students used filmmaking as a way to explore and provide youth perspectives on city initiatives, including CNV complete street and wellness projects. 

Our workshops are designed to be flexible and adaptable to different project themes and formats that suit your classroom needs. You may choose from our existing workshop options below, or work with us to create a custom workshop or program. If you don’t see an example of what you’re looking for on our website, get in touch with us at learn@​thecinematheque.​ca for more information.

Field Trips to The Cinematheque

Movie Magic
Grades: 3–7
Explore the techniques filmmakers use to make fantastic worlds and impossible illusions! This workshop covers techniques such as using a green screen, creating optical illusions through forced perspective, and other simple special effects that students can then try out themselves through a set of hands-on activities.

Stop-Motion Animation
Grades: 3–7
A fun introduction to the principles of movie-making using readily available equipment and software. Includes an interactive lecture component featuring different types of stop-motion animation (e.g. claymation, object motion, pixilation), followed by hands-on practice using our smartphone camera kits.

Science Fiction
Grades: 8–10
Science fiction stories reveal fears and hopes about technology—from nuclear weapons in the Godzilla franchise to artificial intelligence in Bladerunner to genetic engineering in Jurassic Park. This workshop explores the relationship between science fiction and society throughout different periods in history.

Gender and Coming of Age
Grades: 8–10
Coming of age stories reflect changing attitudes about adolescence over time. This workshop looks at movies from the 1950s to the present day. What challenges do youth face as they transition to adulthood? How have pressures related to family, sexuality, and gender changed over time? What characteristics of the coming of age movie have persisted over time, and what can they tell us about the experience of adolescence?

Shakespeare and Adaptation
Grades 8–12
Are you reading Shakespeare in class? Are you curious about what happens when his words are adapted for the screen? During this workshop we look at the choices filmmakers have made throughout history as they adapt the Bard for new audiences. We’ll consider different approaches, from faithful historical adaptations to modernizations to entirely new modes and formats. This workshop is adaptable to the specific Shakespeare play being studied.

Indigenous Perspectives
Grades: 10–12
A thorough and wide-ranging view on the contributions of Indigenous filmmakers in Canada and across Turtle Island. This workshop covers a range of historical periods and genres, including documentary, music video, animation, horror, drama, and comedy.

Revolutions and Regimes
Grades: 9–12
This workshop explores the relationship between media, politics, and power. Through a variety of film examples, students will investigate how propaganda can support a political regime—and how film and other artforms can resist those regimes. Questions around freedom of the press, polarization, commerce, and authoritarianism will ground the discussion.

Sensationalism and Fake News
Grades: 10–12
Fake news is nothing new—though social media has made it more pervasive. This workshop takes a close look at the motivations and tactics behind fake news and other manipulative forms of media. It also explores more nuanced gray areas such as media sensationalism and advertising. Finally, it provides tools that students can use to resist media manipulation.

French Cinema
Grades: 10–12
Why is French cinema so important and influential? This workshop explores the characteristics of French cinema from the silent era to New Wave to the present day. Note that this workshop is currently only offered in English; however, it is suitable for French classes looking to learn more about the history and culture of cinema in France.

Artificial Intelligence
Grades: 11–12
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the world, from large language models like ChatGPT to so-called self-driving cars. AI is also a common theme in science fiction writing, dating all the way back to short stories from the nineteenth century. What can science fiction media tell us about our present and future with AI? This workshop delves into the differences between science fact and science fiction, and poses questions about what it means to be human in an age of rapidly evolving technology.

Gender and Violence
Grades: 11–12
Why do audiences enjoy violent movies? What is the purpose of violence in storytelling? What are the ethics of movie violence, and how does violence relate to gender representation? This is an advanced film studies workshop that covers contemporary and historical examples from a range of genres and perspectives, including horror, action, and psychological thrillers.

Film as Social Commentary
Grades 11–12
How do films comment on social issues such as police brutality, economic inequality, immigration, and more? This advanced workshop looks at a number of approaches films use to address social issues, such as satire and allegory, as well as common characteristics of social issue films (moral ambiguity, antiheroes, juxtaposition, and more).

Workshops at Your School

Movie Magic
Grades 4–7
Explore the techniques filmmakers use to make fantastic worlds and impossible illusions! This workshop covers techniques such as using a green screen, creating optical illusions through forced perspective, and other simple special effects that students can then try out themselves through a set of hands-on activities.

Stop-Motion Animation
Grades 4–12
A fun introduction to the principles of movie-making using readily available equipment and software. Includes an interactive lecture component featuring different types of stop-motion animation (e.g. claymation, object motion, pixilation), followed by hands-on practice using our smartphone camera kits.

Visual Storytelling
Grades 6–12
Our signature entry-level workshop introduces the language of cinematic storytelling, including shot types, camera angles, camera movements, framing, and other techniques to help students understand visual media and even start visualizing their own story concepts. Includes a hands-on camera scavenger hunt using available equipment (e.g. students’ smartphones or classroom tablets).

Film Production Workshops

Our Learning & Outreach team is available to facilitate in-school film workshops. Our full-service workshop covers the entire filmmaking process from pre-production to shooting to editing, and includes time with our facilitators, equipment rentals, and final post-production work. Films are archived and shared with the class via a Vimeo link. Projects can be narrative, documentary, poetic, or a combination, and we can accommodate up to 30 students with six full sets of equipment.

Wondering how to cover these costs? We regularly work with teachers and schools to co-apply for grants through organizations such as ArtStarts.

Looking for a less full-service model? Pricing can be adjusted based on classroom time and equipment rentals. For example, we can introduce key concepts that the class then applies independently. Students can also use their own smartphones, or school-supplied equipment. Get in touch to discuss custom options. (Be aware that custom options will require more support from the teacher.)

Contact us at learn@thecinematheque.ca to learn more, or to book a workshop!

FAQ

Can you travel?
Yes! We are always looking to expand our outreach throughout British Columbia. For programs requiring overnight travel, get in touch to discuss specifics—we will generally work with you to find a grant or other funding course to cover travel and accommodation.

Can you do virtual workshops?
Yes! Many of our workshops can be easily adapted for virtual or hybrid delivery. Be aware that virtual filmmaking workshops generally require additional teacher support, though we have successfully facilitated hundreds of student film projects through remote workshops and can be available throughout the process to troubleshoot technical problems (particularly with video editing).

Are workshop costs flexible?
The Cinematheque is a not-for-profit society incorporated in BC and a registered Canadian charity. We rely on donations and grant funding to keep program prices low and as accessible as possible, while continuing to offer quality film instruction with industry professionals. If your budget cannot accommodate our pricing but you are interested in booking with us, please get in touch at learn@thecinematheque.ca.

What kind of filmmaking equipment do you have?
Our main filmmaking kit includes six each of the following (along with an assortment of accessories, adapters, harddrives, and cables):

Do you have any free resources for educators?
Yes! Our landing page has a Resources section for anyone looking to incorporate filmmaking projects or media literacy topics in their classrooms.