AP Language and Composition- Visual Literacy- “The Lunch Date”
Directed by in 1989 by Adam Davidson, then a student at New York’s Columbia University, the short film The Lunch Date went on to become a worldwide success. In 1990 it won the Palm d’Or at the CannesFilm Festival for best short film, the Student Oscar from theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Outstanding New Director by the Directors Guild of America and, in 1991, the Academy Award Oscar for Best Short Film.The film, which centers on a white woman and a black man, represents a compelling example of the power of ‘language’ within pictures and films.
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Student Assignment
- After watching ‘The Lunch Date’ and analyzing the visual and verbal elements present within the film, students will attempt to articulate the following:
- How do the film and its language inform and imply meaning?
- What is the overall ‘statement’ or ‘main purpose’ of the project?
- As students watch and analyze the film, they should pay particular attention to the items listed below. Students should also be prepared to discuss each item in depth.
- Literal vs. Figurative Meaning
- Themes and Symbolism
- Subject Arrangement
- Setting, Mood, and Tone
- Composition and Lighting
- Language- Physical, Verbal, Non-Verbal
- Students should view this film with the expectation of writing an essay that addresses the following prompt:
After watching the short film ‘The Lunch Date’, analyze how the various visual and verbal elements (rhetorical strategies and devices) help to inform and imply meaning. Be sure to ‘connect’ these elements to the overall ‘statement’ or ‘main purpose’ of the project?
Characters to Watch
As students watch the file they should pay particular attention to the characters listed below in terms of the items listed directly above.
- Old woman with bags
- White hat man
- Harmonica Man
- Bag man
- Sunglasses man
- Cook
Students Notes Section